I'm a hustler, baby...

Introduction
Columbia is an incredible school, and I don't regret my decision to attend - but that's after having graduated and seen all the props a Columbia degree can get you. Freshman year I was desperately unhappy and wanted to transfer in the worst way. There are so many challenges and nuances I was so incredibly unprepared for... My biggest piece of advice is that be absolutely sure you're fiercely independent. You heard this in the video, but Columbia is not a hold-your-hand type of place - and it's not even neccesarily because it's in New York City. Columbia would be just as competitive, and just as intense, if it was in the middle of the Artic tundra!!! And it's not just academic competition - it's competition in who can be the richest, who can be the most fit (the gym is really really crowded all the time), who can get the best job, the best internships... if there's one thing Columbia has taught me, it's to be an asshole. So spend some time getting TOUGH before the move to Morningside.

Campus Life and Social Life
The student body at Columbia is split into two distinct groups: everyone who goes out, and everyone who doesn't. Make no mistake, Columbia is a lot more like high school than you could ever imagine. If you're a guy, and suave enough to wrestle your way into the most selective frats, you will spend four years rocking the local bars and getting tons of Freshman to oogle your every move. If you're a girl and you quickly establish yourself as HOT, you'll score the boy of your choice, trick him into a relationship, and get everything you want. There's a real social hierarchy to Columbia... but that's not to say the frat/cliquey scene dominates Columbia's social life - certainly the Frat rats are completely ignorant of the rest of the student body, and vice-versa... I think it's only something like 10% of the kids at Columbia are involved in Greek life? The same goes for the cliques: there are definetely enough people around so that you don't have to bother trying to impress each other, but the kind of people that decide to eschew the social pecking order are really for the most part big nerds. I mean, they're ugly! Seriously - I hate to stereotype, but if you don't make an enormous effort to fit in and make friends, you're left with the FREAKS. Advertisement
Academics
The social scene aside, Columbia has an incredibly rich intellectual life. Really, there is an overwhelmingly intellectual feel to the campus - the library is literally packed every day of the week - and the depth and breadth of the course offerings is incredible. You'd be surprised that the girls doing body shots at the local bars are actually really legitimately smart! That's the thing - everyone at Columbia is smart. Really, I met some huge jerks and some real bitches during my four years here, but never met anyone dumb. And you NEED to be smart to survive the core curriculum... do NOT underestimate it. Columbia requires almost two years of courses spanning art, history/philosophy, foreign languages, writing, etc. etc. etc. I underestimated the manner in which these courses prevented me from pursuing other academic interests. On the same hand, being forced to learn the classics, and especially in my case being forced to learn about art, really allowed me to discover passions (and talents) that shocked me! But hey, isn't that what college is all about? As far as Professors, I found them to be really interested in their lives outside the classrooms - many of them have careers - and not so accessible. Also, in the Core, don't believe the administration's hype: you will largely be taught by TA's, many of whom are in over their heads and are just jerks... really hard graders. That said, if you learn how to navigate Columbia's academic system, and you respect and appreciate the Core, you really will leave a truly educated individual. I spent too much time on stuff outside the classroom and I regret not taking further advantage outside the classroom.

Student Body
The video said that Columbia kids are perfect, and I agree. On a superficial level, I found them to be largely an ugly bunch - and most of the girls were reallllly high-maintenance, especially across the street at Barnard. Like I described above, the kids at Columbia are really really cliquey, and you have to make sure you enter a clique FAST so you're not watching Full House reruns alone on the TV in the common room Junior year. Most of the kids I met at Columbia were a little slimy - all extremely self-interested, and looking forward to jobs on Wall St., or top-tier law schools after which they could rake in the cash. The spirit on campus is more Glengarry Glen Ross than it is The Dead Poet's Society, which means by and by, Columbia has a lot of BORING kids. You also get your share of left-wing nuts, of course... and I guess what that really means is that Columbia is a school of extremes: you really don't find anyone in the middle... either they're slimy Wall Streeters, or bleeding heart liberals. If you're middle of the road, you do NOT belong at this schools

In Closing...
If you can get into Columbia, you can get into the other ivies - so think twice! Yale and Brown are much more laid back, while Harvard and Princeton have better international brands. The downside, of course, is that those schools don't have New York City. And like a guy named Frank said, "if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere." It's true! Columbia might break you every now and then, but four years later, you're ready to tackle any challenge - I really mean that.