Balancing the Demands of Life at Barnard

Good morning, friends! Today I write to you from Joe, the wonder-coffee shop I mentioned in my last post. It’s well lit and right across the street from Barnard, and generally manages to make 8 AM studying somewhat more palatable.  

I suppose that it is somewhat ironic that I am writing about how to manage the demands of a Barnard schedule when, today particularly, I am struggling a little in that regard. But what better way to give you a taste of the excitement and challenges of a difficult course load than to write about it on the day (hehe, one of the days) I’m wrestling with it?

Barnard and Columbia students are known for pushing themselves. This is most likely a large part of why they are here (and why you will soon be here too!), and let me reassure you: they keep it up upon arrival. Though 4-5 courses is more or less considered average, many students take as many as six academic courses along with one or two fun classes (dance, P.E., etc.). That kind of a work load, especially when combined with involvement in clubs, student groups, work and internships, can make life here…exciting.

It really is exciting in a good way: it feels good to learn! However, it also comes hand-in-hand with a certain degree of stress, and it is imperative that you figure out how much of it you can handle and how you can keep your net stress level below that. Fortunately, Barnard will help you do that!

Well Woman: a great resource to help stay balanced!

To begin, there are a variety of services to help you out. There are tutors, help rooms, office hours, and Writing Fellows to help you feel more confident if your concerns are strictly academic. If you wrestle more with the emotional side of it (and don’t we all sometimes?), Well Woman runs an office on campus where you can talk to counselors and trained peer advisers about your situation. From their website: “Stop by our office to talk to a staff member during the day or a peer educator in the evening about anything related to health and wellness, to browse our library, ask questions, or just relax and have a cup of tea. Be well!” And, they host weekly runs in Riverside Park (exercise is the single greatest stress-reliever ever) and a Knitting Club. This kind of support can make all the difference in how you feel about your courses, and our school is here to help us out.

But you can also make some wise choices when you are selecting courses that can save you from a lot of grief later in the semester. This is on the brain recently, as we are in the middle of course registration (“program filing”) now, so here are my top two tips:

1. Try not to spread yourself too thin. I know that the courses are incredible here, but you have four years here, so pace yourself. You will enjoy each course much more (and get more out of it, and have better grades to show for it) if you have the time to give each course the attention it deserves. Also, college courses expect more of you, so don’t worry if four sounds like a light load compared to high school!
2. Think about how to balance reading-intensive, writing-intensive, and problem set-intensive courses. Even if you spend the same amount of time on work, it will feel a lot less daunting if you can mix it up. I have had more than one semester where it feels like all I ever do it read, and—weirdly—throwing a Calculus class into the mix can feel good. Keep that brain moving in multiple directions!

Alright, guys, I’m out. But, as usual, leave me your comments, questions, and concerns; I have fun responding :). And don’t be daunted by this: college is going to be challenging, but it’s also incredibly exciting, motivating, and sometimes downright mind-blowing!

Chloe 

Writing Your First College Paper



You, too, will spend time drafting papers in Barnard's
library in Lehman Hall

Greeting, potential-friends-to-be. I’m sitting in my room, trying to convince myself to stop eating peanut butter cookies, take a shower, and get down to work. The work, however, is daunting, and the cookies are good, so this is proving to be a very real challenge. While I work up the willpower to get down to business, let me tell you a little about…work. In particular, let’s talk about your first college essay. (After all, it’s only a few months down the road!) Barnard has a reputation for graduating super successful published writers, but even if that's not your end goal, Barnard will ask you to write. A lot. And teach you to do it well.

For context, let me tell you that I went to a public high school in Oakland, and my classes were very challenging. I felt well prepared. So I was pretty shocked (in not the best sort of way) to see my first essay grade. It was not exactly what I had in mind. In an effort to spare you a little of that same … excitement, I will try to tell you some of the things I’ve learned about college essays. Here we go:

1)     They are called papers, unless they are written in class for an exam.

2)     Most professors consider five pages to be a short paper. Maybe for some of you this seems about right, but it was quite the surprise for me. But don’t let yourself worry about it too much: you’ll find that you have plenty to say.

3)     In college, professors are seeking to ensure that you know how to research, analyze, and formulate arguments. This means two main things:        

a)      Don’t summarize! I’m sure you know this already, but they get serious about it in college.

b)     Reference the text a lot. That doesn’t mean that every other sentence should be a quote, but it does mean that your argument should fit the text, and not the other way around. Be a real stickler about not letting yourself distort the text to fit an argument that you made up. This is the one that got me, guys. Be good!

4)     Hooks/ grabbers/ etc. are a thing of the past. They sound pretty immature (“Isn’t it interesting how different we all are?”) and don’t really do anything (let’s be real: we are laughing at them, not with them.). Just get to the point!

5)     College profs care about big ideas, not big words. Be clear and concise, not bombastic.

6)     There are really smart, articulate people here who want to help you. Let them: email your professors for help, meet with TAs, go to the library, see a Barnard Writing Fellow. But don’t feel like you need to mindlessly follow every piece of advice they give. You are at this college, writing this paper because you are pretty darn smart yourself. So have faith!

I dare you to make this face while outlining your first paper.
But seriously, outlines are good. Add that to the list.

This list could go on for a while, but that should get you started, and pretty soon you’ll have a whole list of your own wisdom to bestow. In the meantime, however, let me say one last thing.

You go to college and write papers to learn and to become a better writer. Somehow this idea breezed right over my head at first, and I thought that I needed to be great right off the bat. So when I got my first paper back (which, we’ve already established, was not so great), I was really defensive. Think borderline angry. But the thing to remember is this: every little correction, every point off, every edit -- no matter how nit-picky -- is there to teach you how to become a better writer. No professor’s criticism of your paper is a criticism of you. So really do your best to swallow your pride and appreciate your prof’s efforts to turn you into the best writer you can be: it’s why you’re here!

And now, there can be no putting it off. The cookies are gone and the shower (and the library!) is calling. Farewell!

Chloe