From Rivers and Mountains to the Big City

Name: Chloe Hawkey
Class Year: 2016 (Sophomore)

Hometown: Oakland, CA

Major: American History

Clubs/Organizations: Columbia University Ballet Ensemble, Hiking Club, BSAR, New York Cycle Club

Hey everyone, I’m Chloe, and I’m a sophomore who transferred to Barnard in the fall. I spent my freshman year at a very small school in rural Washington. Moving away from home was a challenge—as it nearly always is—but in general my freshman year was wonderful: I made intelligent and passionate friends, I had some great classes, and I became comfortable living on my own. But I came to realize during winter break that I felt a little too comfortable, a little bit like I was settling into what happened to be convenient rather than striving for what I really wanted. Upon realizing this, I realized something else: I only have four years of college, and they are neither inexpensive nor unimportant ones. They are the only four years of my life that I know could be dedicated to academic/ intellectual/ nerdy (pick your adjective!) pursuits. In other words, I could not afford to sit still and watch things happen.

 

So I reapplied, and yes, it was just about as gnarly as the first go-round. I won’t bore you with too many more details, but I will tell you that September found me in Morningside Heights, confronting the wonder, excitement, and challenges of living and going to school at Barnard. I could not be happier: I have found friends who are every bit as enthusiastic about school as I am, professors who are brilliant and welcoming and supportive, and libraries and books enough to keep even the biggest nerd happy. Beyond all else, though, the intellectual climate on campus is exactly what I was hoping for. People here want to learn, and they are willing to bend over backwards to make that happen.

So now, part two of my post: the challenges of being a rivers-and-mountains kind of girl in the big city, where Central Park is the extent of the great outdoors. (Feel free to skip this if that sounds like a good thing to you!) I am, essentially, an outdoorsy type. I went on my first backpacking trip at one month of age, and I’ve been hiking, biking, rafting, kayaking, and snow-camping with my family and friends ever since. I rely on nature to maintain my sanity (I’m writing this from rural Vermont, where I am visiting a friend for spring break).

Rafting on the Main Salmon River in Idaho (My Natural Habitat)

I would imagine that some of you feel similarly and are struggling with whether you want to spend the next four years living in such a big city, so let me offer some of my thoughts. The first is this: it is possible to get out of the city on weekends. The Metro-North train stops at 125^th street, and can take you to the wilds. Columbia also has a hiking club that will drives groups out of the city for day hikes, and a whitewater kayaking club that will take you on weekend trips to local rivers. 



Columbia Hiking Club



But I have found myself surviving (even thriving!) staying within New York City. For one thing, I am too busy (so many books!) to spend more than a few minutes dreaming of rivers. One of the first things you learn in college is how to construct a life for yourself here—what classes, clubs, friends, coffee shops, and trips downtown you need to feel fulfilled—and part of that is finding new ways, at least for the time being, to fill the time that you no longer fill doing _____. This may be a challenge (for me it certainly was), but aren’t we all in college to be challenged, to try new and difficult things? I knew when I transferred that I wanted to stretch myself and this—along with incredibly challenging and exciting courses and brilliant friends and classmates—is just one more way I get to do that.

Thanks for reading, everyone, and if you have any questions or comments—on academics, comparing schools (I’m something of a pro at that by now), or awesome boating stories—feel free to leave them below. And best of luck with this decision!