A Happy Medium

Introduction
I honestly chose Columbia because it's the only Ivy League school in New York City. I wanted the rigorous education you get at an Ivy League school, but I also needed to be able to leave campus and go downtown or (gasp) to Brooklyn or queens and meet creative people who have nothing to do with academia. This was the only place I could do that. There are some people who never leave campus and some who leave whenever they can. I would only recommend against Columbia if you can't handle an intellectually intense college (but if you get in, you clearly can) or if you want to be able to experience the city more fully. The heavy workload and uptown location often make it frustratingly difficult to go to, say, an art opening or loft party in Brooklyn at any time, or one of the cool weeknight parties at clubs downtown.

Campus Life and Social Life
Social life at Columbia is whatever you make of it. There are tons of beer-soaked frat parties if that's your thing. There are also tons of theaters and dance productions run completely by amazingly talented students (the arts department itself is weak). You could also ignore campus completely and find your niche downtown. There are a ton of ways to meet people in the city; activist groups like food not bombs, art collectives, glammy hipster clubs of the east village and LES (just don't go on the weekend)...or you could just join a club at Columbia. If you don't actively seek out friends, though, downtown or up, you will be miserably lonely. This school doesn't hold your hand. And be careful when venturing outside the bubble of campus, because it's possible to get yourself in a lot of trouble very quickly in this city. Advertisement
Academics
Speaking from personal experience, I'd say the English department is world class. I really feel like I'm getting the classic ivy league education...professors not only tell you their insights on books, but they are usually interested in what you have to say as well. Small seminars are great if you can get into them, but many lecture classes also have small required discussion sections that are led by TAs, which I find helpful. The undergrad writing program varies from decent to top notch...you can't major in creative writing here but you can take classes with published writers who really care about improving your writing. And the art history department is intimidatingly awesome, difficult, and will get you a job at a museum somewhere in the city if you want one. The arts department is small but if you are committed to it you will find some very tough but good teachers. Your workload will be anywhere from medium (yes, there are jock classes at Columbia) to heavy...if you're like me and can't resist taking as many of Columbia’s awesome classes as possible in a semester (in addition to all the annoying core classes you have to take) you will have a lot of work.

Student Body
Everyone says it cause it's true: there is no typical Columbia student. As the school is very expensive, many are from white, privileged backgrounds, but the school seeks out lower income and minority students as well, and admissions are need-blind, which also encourages more financial aid students to apply. The student body tends to be a bit cliquey; once they've found their niche, most people don't go too far outside their circle of friends. However, almost everyone is incredibly smart, and the place I've made the most friends who are "not like" me is in my classes, where one gets a peek into others' minds regardless of cliques.

In Closing...
I've had an ambivalent relationship to Columbia these past few years but I knew it was really the only option for me...I just wish it were closer to everything else I like to do. It's easy to get sucked into the bubble of Morningside heights but it's worth it to take the subway for an hour and seek out new experiences. The food on campus is terrible but you can cook your own food in most dorms. Learn to cook! You have to learn eventually, and it will make your life here much better. If you get a group of ten people together you can get a shuttle bus to fairway (riverside and 130th st), the most enormous and awesome grocery store in the whole tristate area. And if you can stay in the city during the summertime, do it. You need an internship to get a job and it's a completely different experience in summer. Just don't live on campus.