An Honest Review

Introduction
I'd encourage most students to apply to Barnard. I have been nothing but ecstatic with my experience here thus far. I applied early to Barnard because I wanted to be in New York, and I wanted the best education possible, and I wanted a small(er) liberal arts college. These three criteria basically narrow it down to Barnard, and I didn't really come to appreciate the women's college aspect of the school until I got here.

And please--if you applied early to Columbia for its core and "Ivy League reputation" and weren't admitted, don't come here. Barnard does not have the same core curriculum as CU, and students who use Barnard as a way to say they go to Columbia will not be happy here. If you love Barnard partially for its connections to the University, great! So do I. But the (few) students who came here to mingle exclusively with the CC students are the ones who perpetuate the "Barnard-as-a-backdoor-to-CU" stereotype.

Campus Life and Social Life
Sports: they exist (Barnard women play on Columbia-Barnard teams in the Ivy League), but if you want an active sports scene don't come here.
Weekends: depends on the person. Some stay on campus. Okay--few stay on campus. Many disperse out into the city. More focus on their on-campus clubs...but often, they do it off-campus or on Columbia campus. There are sometimes events on the Barnard campus on weekends--I find this to be relatively rare. There is usually stuff going on at Columbia, though, and in New York, of course.
Partying: Not in the Barnard dorms, not usually. The Morningside Heights bar scene can feel lame after a few years, but it's there, and there are always more places to explore if you branch out (go East! To Amsterdam Avenue!). Downtown also exists, with clubbing. Columbia dorms (especially first-year Carman) usually have something going on during the weekend. Academics
The English, Architecture, Urban Studies, Psychology, Anthropology, Women's Studies, and Spanish Departments are great. Some of the smaller departments include Math and Sociology, although these majors can be supplemented by Columbia's broad course requirements (I am a Sociology Concentrate within my Urban Studies major). I also believe that many of the hard sciences are quite good. The workload is a lot if you want to do well, but I personally enjoy it. Most professors, especially the ones I've had in my seminar classes in the English and Writing departments, are fabulous.

Student Body
The people here are great, in my opinion. To clear up a misconception, there is a small but visible GLBT population at Barnard, but they do NOT consist of the entire student body. Like most things at Barnard, if that's your thing, it's there. If not, there are many different types of people here--it would be hard for me to pin down a Barnard "type", despite stereotypes that some Columbians hold about the school. We are all intelligent and interested, even if we don't know what it is we want to do "out there" "in the world" after college...yet. Most Barnard students are incredibly driven in their schoolwork and in their career ambitions.

In Closing...
It sounds corny, but Barnard has truly made me a more confident, well-spoken woman. I love it.