It All Starts With Diversity

Introduction
My biggest piece of advice? Be diverse! Columbia is one of the most diverse ivy league schools out there and the undergraduate student body is extremely varied...you can get to know people from just about everywhere. However, diversity does not only mean being from a different culture, etc. Just be sure to show in your application that you have experienced and appreciate diversity and the ways you yourself will contribute to making campus life more dynamic. I chose it mostly due to the location. Whatever you want to learn there is somehow related to this city...really, any and all things can be found there! The buzz of the city is definitely what attracted me to the school.

Campus Life and Social Life
The social life is very active and alive here at Columbia (which obviously reflects its student body). Thurdays and Fridays are the days most people go out as usually few classes are given on Fridays (which is amazing). Although the social life is great, beware that it may become expensive if you want to venture beyond. But of course, NYC has everything and is worth it! Advertisement
Academics
The professors are all engaging but, as in the rest of the world, there are some really boring ones. Nonetheless, in general they are solid and approachable, but TAs are typically much closer to students than professors are. And what about departments? I'm still a freshman, so comparing departments is hard but from what I've heard, economics, political science and east asian studies are among the best. The workload really depends on the class and the professor. Some are fairly easy about it and won't give many assignments, but others will do the opposite. However, the readings, oh the readings...be prepared to read entire books for several classes all in one week.

Student Body
Typical student: easy-going (but worried about grades), friendly, open, interesting, and fun. Most of the students are from the U.S. and I'd say most of them live near the university. The closer you get to NY, the more students there are from those cities. International students? I wish there were more but still, you do get to know most of them. Common interests? Most are related to political, social or cultural issues in some way or another.

In Closing...
Columbia is great and the fact that it's in NYC makes it even greater. The possibilities are endless, from going out on a Thursday night and experiencing NY in infinite ways to having the best jobs just a subway ride away.