Thoughts on Columbia

Introduction
Columbia is in NYC. Make sure you take that into account when choosing a school. I chose it because of its fine reputation, HUGE endowment and overall size. If you're not comfortable with the idea of a large University, stay away and stick to a small liberal arts school. Columbia College is not a substitute. Also, if you're not into a Core Curriculum, then Columbia is not the place for you; no matter what your area of interest.

Campus Life and Social Life
Campus Life is decent. The great thing is that Columbia is EXTREMELY lax in terms of enforcing rules so partying in dorms is never a problem. Sports, however, are a huge letdown. You have no idea have big of a letdown until you're actually here and realize that sports are never a part of your life. Going out and exploring the city is always fun on the weekends and without it, frats are lame and dorm parties get old, so its essential. Advertisement
Academics
Love the school. Pretty cool Engineering department. They're always doing new and innovative things. I hear the History Department is incredible and one of my favorites is Economics. With professors like Dr. Stiglitz, what's not to like? The workload can get quite tough a lot of the time. TAs usually suck, although i have one good one this semester but they only lead recitations...

Student Body
The student body is diverse: all different types of kids from all different backgrounds...

In Closing...
Just come and visit the school to see for yourself.