Columbia University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Political Science
Minor: Middle Eastern Studies
Student Self Identifies as: White/Jewish Heterosexual Male

Summary

I’m a resident adviser, I [have a leadership role] in a foreign policy group on campus called Columbia International Relations Council and Association (CIRCA) and I write for the Columbia Political Review. Also, my political identity is very tied to my heritage, so I’m very active in a group that promotes peace in the Middle East and a two-state solution to the Palestine and Israel conflict.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White/Jewish
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Public school in southeastern Michigan with a graduating class of about 400 students. There was a culture of going to college
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Political Science
Minor: Middle Eastern Studies

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a resident adviser, I [have a leadership role] in a foreign policy group on campus called Columbia International Relations Council and Association (CIRCA) and I write for the Columbia Political Review. Also, my political identity is very tied to my heritage, so I’m very active in a group that promotes peace in the Middle East and a two-state solution to the Palestine and Israel conflict.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
Yeah, it’s really helped to write articles in different publications. It’s made me a better writer, given me outlets to express my thoughts and deepened my intellectual curiosity, as well as given me the chance to do research on stuff I’m interested in outside of the classroom.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
There is one Political Science class where you have problem sets which is a methods class where you do either statistics or data analysis. The rest of the classes you take as a Political Science major don’t have problem sets. Some have just essays, some have just exams, but most have a little bit of both.
Is there anything that you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
The intro classes are not well taught. They’re way too big and you don’t get much of a chance to interact with your professor or your peers. But, the seminars are amazing. One thing that’s frustrating is that only about 10% of people get to write a thesis because it’s such a big major and there aren’t enough faculty. You have to really work to get attention from the faculty. You get attention from the faculty members you take seminars with, but they won’t remember you unless you put yourself out there. I worked as a research assistant last summer but I had to really work for it.
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
It depends on your major. In the STEM classes I’ve taken that are all exam based and they are graded on a curve, those classes tend to be more competitive but the problem sets force us to collaborative. In the humanities classes, even though we can’t collaborate on homework assignments, we have to have discussions and peer-edit each other’s essays because that’s part of the process. That lends for a more nourishing environment. For the most part, in your non-STEM classes, you generally feel pretty encouraged by the other students.
How accessible are your professors?
It depends on the major. In the big majors like Political Science, it’s really tough. The Middle Eastern Studies department is better. Professors in really niche departments like Human Rights, which is a department I’ve taken classes in, are very accessible. Graduate student instructors are also pretty accessible and they’re pretty knowledgeable.
Do you feel people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
There is a liberal bias at this school, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I consider myself a liberal but I like to be open and hear all sides. In most social science classes people tend to be pretty open, but sometimes in certain humanities classes, it can be hard to get anything less than a completely politically correct fully left-wing perspective. But, for the majority of classes, including the mandatory classes, that’s not the case.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m very happy with my choice. It’s a respected degree field, it’s a major that is just quantitative enough to be considered serious but is primarily issue focused. I’m someone who wants to go into either diplomacy or international human rights, and I want a solid grounded in theory and research experience, as well as know how to write well. I also wanted something practical and engages with subjects that I want to engage in during my career, so this allowed me to focus on current issues while learning valuable skills.

Reasons to Attend

1) It’s the perfect size, it’s not too big and not too small. You can get to know other students really well and feel like you’re part of a community, but you also have lots of different options for who you want to hang out with and where you want to be.
2) The location. New York really is as great as people say. It’s a city at the center of the world. You can do everything here.
3) Opportunity-wise both Columbia and New York City offer a ton of things. You can intern at the U.N and on Wall Street while you’re here or, if you’re lucky enough and push yourself your freshman and sophomore year, you can work with faculty who are at the top of their field.
4) I think there’s a pretty supportive culture here among friends and university employees.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) New York is expensive so if you don’t come from a very wealthy family, you’ll need to get a job here. Most of my friends have jobs so it’s feasible.
2) It can be a lot of pressure academically. It seems like everyone else is doing everything socially but also managing to stay on top of everything academically, but I guarantee that’s just an image that some people are putting on. That can create a high-pressure vibe.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman – Sophomore: Hartley Hall in a single
Junior – Senior: I worked as a resident adviser in Hartley Hall. Working as a resident adviser is a lot of fun.
How was transitioning from your hometown in Michigan to the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York?
I have family in Brooklyn and close friends in Manhattan who we visited once or twice a year, so I was lucky to be comfortable with the subway and walking around the city on my own. It wasn’t that big of a transition and I recognize that’s different than it is for a lot of people.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
This part probably comes from my male privilege and the fact that I’m tall, but I’ve never felt unsafe on or off-campus.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
I’m 21 and I’ll go out to bars with my friends. I’m not that into clubbing or anything, I’ve done that a handful of times. My girlfriend and I will go out on dates to restaurants and stuff like that. For the most part, we go out as a group of friends and go to a bar for a drink or two and then come back and hang out in someone’s room or suite because it’s more comfortable and we don’t have to pay for drinks.
Is there much of a house party scene at Columbia?
Not really. The fraternities have parties, which I went to a little bit freshman year but I was never really into that scene. I prefer hanging out in a chill setting with people I know and like.
What nights of the week do you regularly go out?
If I’m on R.A. duty, I’ll go out on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night – it depends. Usually, I don’t go out more than one night a week, occasionally two nights a week but never three nights.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or bar that you like for a night out?
There are university-sponsored activities that are actually kind of fun. Because I’m an R.A. I help run some of them, so I’m probably biased, but I enjoyed them as a first-year and still enjoy them as an R.A. You always get free food, there’s sometimes games or movies, so that can be great. Being in New York City we have lots of options. Central Park is so beautiful in the fall and spring and there are a bunch of fun flea market and open-air food markets in Brooklyn that are open.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at your school? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m happy with them. If I wanted, I can spend the weekend relaxing or doing homework or just hanging out with my girlfriend. Or, I could be incredibly social and go out in the city or have fun hanging out within five blocks of campus. There’s a ton of options. We’re also on the East Coast so you can do a weekend trip to Boston or D.C.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
My housing group from freshman year. I met a couple of people in class, but most of the people I’m close to are from my dorm freshman year.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Columbia?
There are options. If you’re someone who prefers to hang out in small groups and do a lot of studying with your friends, that’s something that you can find here. If you want to be with people who share your interests, you can hang out with people you meet in classes or through extracurriculars. I’m friends and friendly with everyone I’ve met through extracurriculars, but I’m just so close to my friends from freshman year that I don’t want to make extra time to hang out with those people. I’m sure there are people who feel overwhelmed and isolated, but I don’t think that’s Columbia’s fault.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
In my experience, a ton. That may not be everyone’s experience, but my friend group has people of multiple races, sexual orientations, religions, socioeconomic statuses, and also both international and domestic students. All of my friend groups on this campus are diverse, but especially my main one. If you want to, you can seek out groups of people who are like you, but I don’t think that’s getting the full experience here.
How would you describe the student body?
I think that the campus culture is not a monolith. There are a lot of issues on which people are divided, whether that’s the unionization of graduate workers, free speech, sexual assault policy, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For the most part, I think it’s a pretty welcoming place to be and you have a lot of options in terms of the kind of people you want to be around. There’s a large party and hook up scene but there’s also a lot of people in stable relationships, so you can choose what kind of vibe or what experience you want to have here. We’re the size where you can give people as many choices as they want but not so big that you feel that you’ll get lost.
Do you ever feel like you are more so a resident of New York City than you are a student at Columbia?
I don’t think so. I’m in New York because I’m a Columbia student. My permanent address is still my parents’ house, so I’m not a New York City resident. I maybe am becoming a New Yorker, but not more than I am a Columbia student.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Not yet. But, to be fair, I haven’t taken full advantage of that. It’s hard to find time to set up all of the accounts and reach out to everyone because we are pretty busy here. I plan to look into that more for help with getting a job after college.
To what extent have you used the career office? How helpful have they been?
They helped me edit my resume once, it can be hard to make an appointment though. You have to work at it to get the Columbia network to work for you, but if you put the time in, I think odds are that it will. They also hold a lot of informative panels and sessions.
Have you learned any computer programs or languages through your coursework that will be helpful to you professionally?
I learned how to code in R because it is used for social science research in my Political Science methods course. I’m glad I’m getting the chance to take it and I think everyone should get the chance to even though it’s not required and a lot of humanities students don’t take it.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
Yes, I have loans and Columbia gives me enough aid to make it work. The office takes some time to get back to you. They’re not ideal, but they’re not terrible either.