Ye Olde Libraries of Columbia

Good morning again, everyone! On this sunny Sunday in Morningside Heights, I woke up early (yet again…) to walk down to Trader Joes with a friend. Nothing like an 8am grocery run to liven one up, eh?


Barnard Library in Lehman Hall

But I thought I’d get a head start on this first. I can see in your (virtual, imaginary) eyes that you all are simply dying to know about the libraries here. Actually though, I may sound sarcastic, but I consider this no small matter: libraries are the source of your research, they set the intellectual tone on campus, provide space to study, and offer you limitless opportunities to increase your knowledge. Hence comes my undying love of them! So, without further ado:

(Some of) the Libraries of Columbia University

Barnard Library
Obviously, as our home library, this is going to make the top of the list! (Although, to be perfectly honest, I’m not ranking them here). It is conveniently located right in the middle of campus, across from the Diana and between Barnard Hall (general classrooms) and Altschul (the science building). It has, obviously, lots of books (including many that are unavailable in the Butler stacks), but it also has a fabulous Zine library, a ton of periodicals (including fun ones, like the Ballet Review), and top-notch study spaces. If you want a relatively calm place to work, this is the place to be!

Butler Library


Butler Library Reference Room

This is the major undergraduate library at Columbia, centrally located opposite Low Library (which is no longer a library!), and I personally rather like it. For one thing, it has a very wide range of study spaces, from the big, elegant Reference Room to an assortment of carrels, to balcony alcoves with tables and armchairs. For another, you can always find fellow sufferers there when the going gets tough—even on Friday nights, you can count on seeing plenty of students there, plugging away. Another major plus: it’s open 24/7, which matters a lot more than you might now imagine…

Avery Library
You need to be in the mood for hanging out around hard-core artsy, sophisticated grad students to enjoy Avery, but if you are, it’s the best. Technically, it is the art and architecture library, but anyone can go in there as long as you are quiet and don’t try to eat. The upstairs is gorgeous—lined with books and quaint mezzanine walkways—and the downstairs, though considerably less gorgeous, has tons of workspace. It doesn’t have great hours, but to make up for that, it is connected to Brownies, one of the less-expensive independent cafes on campus (also, where you can imagine that your proximity to grad students will make you cool like them…).

Avery Library

Science and Engineering Library
This is one of my recent discoveries, and I am a big fan! Being a history kid, I always feel like a bit of a poser working in there, but the fantastic lighting and open, modern architecture makes it worth it. It’s located in the Northwest Corner building (“NoCo”), right above Joe Coffee (see my earlier post for an explanation of my undying love for Joe). It’s ideal for late nights studying because a) the lighting so is cheerful, which you really can’t say of Butler, b) it’s only open until 3am, so you can’t get sucked into working ALL night, and c) it’s directly across the street from Barnard, so the walk home is painless.

Once again, this list is not inclusive, but it gives you a sense of the library options available on campus. No matter what sort of study environment you are looking for, you can find a library that will cater to it, and exploring the options is a fun activity on it own (the nerd just came out full force…busted!).

I hope your decision-making process is going well (especially given the impending date!). This may be my last post, but I will continue thinking of you all, and I look forward to seeing you around campus next semester! Enjoy the rest of your senior year!

Chloe

 

Bacchanal in a Nutshell



Every spring, a student-run organization at Columbia University holds a free concert on Low Steps called Bacchanal. It unites all four undergraduate schools (Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, General Studies, and Barnard) and promotes a strong sense of school spirit. The concert is open to any Columbia affiliate and definitely allows students to release their stress right before the large wave of finals.

The fun starts hours before the concert when the Hindu Students Organization hosts a very colorful event called Holi (aka Festival of Colors), where students throw bags of colored powder at each other. On the morning of Bacchanal, students wake up early and get dressed in white clothing to participate in this ceremony. Even though Holi originates from a Hindu tradition, students of all faiths attend the event; in fact, Holi is known for its message of equality and community. As colored powder falls from above, students dance to loud music and have a fantastic time!

Students celebrating the Hindu tradition of Holi

After everyone washes the powder off in the shower, they walk over to the Low Steps to wait for the big event to begin. This year, the weather was perfect; the sun was beaming and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The Steps got packed very fast as the opening acts, The Chainsmokers, Flaxo, California Love, and Novachord (all voted for by the students themselves), prepared to go on. The crowd went wild when the headliner, Grammy–award-winning Lupe Fiasco, finally made his way up on stage. People sang along to his songs while embracing the warmth of the sun.

A view of Low Steps from the stage. Taken from Lupe Fiasco's Facebook page.

As I was standing high up on the Steps, I couldn’t help but to beam a wide smile, as I felt proud to be part of a great community, which on that day stood together as one body. Although I was sad to hear Lupe Fiasco’s final song of the night, I knew I would always remember my first Bacchanal at Columbia University.

Sarah

Basking in the sun at Bacchanal

 

A "Typical" Monday

Mondays are, by far, the busiest day of the week for me.  I walk out of my room at 9:45 in the morning and don’t come back until midnight. When reflecting back on my day before I go to sleep, I wonder how in the world I accomplished everything in my day planner, but feel really proud of crossing out each task one by one. So here’s an outline of a typical Monday for me:

At 9 o’clock, my phone blasts Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls),” which is an awesomely motivating song, to wake me up. I put my phone on the desk at night, which requires me to physically get up to turn the alarm off, and not hit the snooze button repeatedly. I quickly get dressed and brew myself a cup of coffee, and then I am ready to start my day!

 

Hewitt Dining Hall. Photo courtesy of www.theninewaysofknowing.com

For my physical education requirement, I take yoga. It is a great way to fully wake up in the morning and relax your mind and body for the rest of the day. On the days I do yoga, I am definitely able to tackle the stresses of the day with more ease.

 

In my New World Encounters First Year Seminar class, we explore texts and paintings of the Spanish conquest in the New World. We engage in deep discussions about colonization and take stances of both the Spaniard and Aztec people’s sides. One of my favorite things we did in class was having a debate on whether or not the conquest was just, while taking the persona of either a Spaniard or native. Since I’m an economics major and most of my classes are very quantitative and theoretical, I really appreciate the opportunity to be creative and imaginative in my seminar.

 

I eat a delicious lunch in Hewitt dining hall.  On select days, they serve tomato basil thin crust pizza, which is my favorite! I usually run into a friend and we eat together and update each other on our busy lives. Lunch is a great time for a break and some socializing.

The magnolia tree on Lehman Lawn

 

On sunny springs days, I sit outside on the Lehman Lawn and get some vitamin D from the sun. I either work on class work or prepare for the class council meeting I’ll have the next day.  Also, during this time of the year, the beautiful magnolia tree is starting to bloom, which is a sight you don’t want to miss!

 

I go to my last class of the day, Latin, which is on Columbia’s campus. I always love seeing children playing on College Walk on my way to class. At that time of the day, most of them just got out of school and they play outside for a bit before dinner or homework time. I look forward to watching the sunset after learning about declensions and indirect questions in Latin.

 

After class, I eat dinner at Ferris Booth (commonly known as just Ferris) in Lerner Hall. One of the reasons that I love being affiliated with Columbia is that there are various dining halls to choose from.  At Ferris, there are a variety of foods: the main buffet, pasta bar, pizza station, stir fry, sandwiches, salad, and most importantly, the dessert bar! You will never be disappointed after eating at Ferris.

 

After having a fulfilling dinner, I go to the Barnard weight room to work out. There are cardio and weight machines, free weights, jump ropes, and much more equipment to utilize. For me, going to the gym really helps me deal with my stress and allows me to have time to myself after a long day.

 

After a quick shower, I attend SGA’s Representative Council meeting. We have guest speakers, such as administrators from various departments and other student groups, to talk to us about policies and events happening on campus. Also, representatives give an update on what their committee has been doing. The external part of the meeting is open for anyone to come and participate in the discussion. It is always important to be aware of what is happening on campus! 

Liz's Place

Depending on how much work I have left, I grab a cup of coffee at Liz’s Place, which is a café in the Diana Center, and then head up to the 3^rd floor reading room or walk over to Butler Library to do homework and study.

I manage to get sleep into my busy schedule, as it is extremely important. Before I go to bed, I check off everything I accomplished that day in my planner and I feel, as Beyoncé says in one of her songs, like superwoman “with a S on my chest.” Clearly, I am obsessed with Beyoncé, as I start and end my day with her!

Sarah

A Very Busy Day in the Life of a Barnard Student

Hey, everybody! Greetings from Butler library, where I am mulling over an infinite number of amazing classes for next semester, trying to reading a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by my history prof (Eric Foner; look him up!), and eating pecan pie stolen from the dining hall. Not too shabby, eh?

So, today I thought I’d give you the scoop on… my day. (A little self-centered, I know. Bear with me; it might prove helpful!). Specifically, my day on Tuesday, which is my busiest day of the week. So here's how it went this past week:

7:00—My alarm went off, and I obediently dragged myself out of bed and into the kitchen to cook myself some pumpkin oatmeal. The dining halls are pretty cool (I have a post on that coming up!), but for financial and health (physical and emotional) reasons, sometimes it’s nice to cook for yourself. I actually only have 30 meal swipes this semester, so I’m getting to play grown-up and buy my own groceries!

7:15—I settled down in our floor lounge to tackle a few articles that I couldn’t quite finish last night. They were about Abstract Expressionism and were for a seminar, American Cultural Criticism, that I’m taking at Columbia.

8:40—I headed over to Barnard Hall for Ballet 5. It is normally taught by a wonderfully enthusiastic New York City Ballet soloist, Antonio Carmena, but he was absent this week, as the company is on tour. So…Wendy Whelan was teaching our class. Those of you who dance know what a big deal this is—she is one of the very top dancers at one of the (if not the single) best companies in the country. One of the absolutely incredible things about being in New York is that things like this can happen. (Check out this link to see her in action.)

10:10—After that mind-blowing experience, I speed-changed, and walked across the Barnard campus to my Electromagnetic Physics class. My professor, Janna Levin, is so cool (read: way more brilliant and way more stylish than the rest of us combined), which manages to make a rather challenging class completely worth it. I’m taking this to satisfy one of the Nine Ways of Knowing, and even though I’m having to work my…rear…off, there are people here to help, and it is all working out just fine. Plus, we get to talk about things like her research on black holes and her friendship with Neil deGrasse Tyson. 

My walk to class today.

11:40—Tuesdays are long ones, I’ll admit. Immediately after physics, I head across Broadway to my Latin class at Columbia. While I absolutely love being a Barnard student, I have also loved my classes at Columbia, and some classes, like Latin, are only offered there.  

1:00—In my hour off, I rush back to my room to make lunch and finish off some reading.

2:00—I grab a coffee from Joe (the best coffee on campus—take note!) and head back to Columbia for the aforementioned seminar. It was hard today—I’m not really an art person, so a lot of it went over my head—but my professor is truly wonderful (think hardcore-academic-wonderful), and my classmates are so intelligent. It is beyond exciting to be able to feel like you are in the middle of such a hotbed of serious critical thought.

3:40—My prof gave a classmate and me permission to leave early to go to a talk entitled Ebony and Ivy (about slavery and the foundation of America’s elite universities) in Low Library at Columbia. It was hosted by the president of Columbia (Lee Bollinger) and one of my professors (Foner, see above) was on the panel. So many amazing opportunities here!

5:30—Napped, snacked, called my dad to exclaim over housing for next year (good news!) and Wendy Whelan.

7:30—Met my roommate (a visiting student from China) and my friend at John Jay dining hall at Columbia. On the menu tonight (for me anyhow): salad, gnocchi, jerk chicken, and that pecan pie. And I helped myself to rather a lot of fruit…

8:00—Set myself up in Butler to get down to work!

Want to tell me how cool your day was? Wondering about my classes, or that never-ending reading? Leave me a comment! I love them all!

All the best,

Chloe

How many of my classes will be taught by Teaching Assistants?

When I was exploring schools, I was looking for a college environment where professors were truly invested in their students. Part of what that meant for me is that professors would be in classes and actually teach those classes -- makes sense, right? So naturally, one of the things on my radar during my college search was the number of classes taught by Teaching Assistants (TAs) as opposed to actual faculty members.

 

At Barnard, the answer is 0%. TAs never teach at Barnard. You will have TAs at Barnard in a few of your classes.  What’s different is that TAs at Barnard live up to their acronym – teaching assistants – and are never substitutes for a professor in the classroom.  Where you will see TAs are in discussion sections, labs, and other supplementary academic environments (like the math help room).  Many of them are PhD students at Columbia who will help you formulate a paper thesis or host a small group review session before an exam.  Another plus is that they are often on campus during the hours you are – and hold office hours accordingly. 

 

Many of the techniques I helped to teach in intro biology
I now use as a research fellow for the NIH

Some TA positions at Barnard work a little differently.  Especially in introductory labs, you will sometimes have a student assisting the main lab instructor.  This means that in a lab of 15 students, you have two people to ask for help.  My sophomore and junior year I worked as a TA in the introductory biology labs.  It was one of my favorite things I did in college.  It gave me an opportunity to get to know a wider variety of students, especially those who weren't in my class year.  Plus, I got the chance to do all of my biology labs over again, which I loved (perhaps an early sign that I was destined for a career in medicine).  Overall, my responsibilities were few: grading multiple-choice quizzes, helping to set-up experiments, and assisting during lab time with students’ questions.  All of the teaching and major grading was done by the lab instructor – and she was always on hand for questions I couldn't answer. 

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I think Barnard strikes the right balance with the way it approaches TAs.  It’s important for students to have exposure to teaching, especially at the PhD level.  Because of Barnard's small size, these opportunities are even available to you as an undergrad. But it also wouldn’t be Barnard if you didn't get to know your professors, so having them in the classroom and available to you outside of class is a must.  

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Melanie

The Best of Both Worlds

Name: Maria Victoria Velez

Class: 2016 (Sophomore)

Hometown: Newnan, Georgia

Major: American Studies

Clubs/Organizations: Hispanic Scholarship Tutoring Chair, Columbia University Students for Human Rights Secretary, Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity, Heights to Heights Mentor

My name is Maria and I am a sophomore at Barnard College.  Coming from a rural town in Georgia, it was expected that I would go to a state school in the south or, if I wanted a private school, a place like Emory or Duke.  However, my aunt, a Barnard alumna, told me that if I applied to Barnard, she would pay for all of my college applications, so (of course) I applied. 

Barnard's First Year Foundations courses
are limited to Barnard students

When I got in I was so excited because I knew how competitive it was, but I was having trouble deciding between Barnard and a Southern school.  When I first walked onto Barnard’s campus as a prospective student, however, I knew that this was the place for me.  I was immediately struck by the fact that Barnard truly offered the best of both worlds: its connection with an Ivy League institution offered a vast amount of additional resources and opportunities, while its small, all-female campus allowed for a cohesive and communal feel. 

I have no doubts that I made the right decision in coming to Barnard, and I am so excited to guide new students into deciding to come here as well!

A few of Columbia from Barnard's campus

Discovering Barnard

Name: Sarah Kim
Class Year: 2017 (First-Year)
Hometown: Manalapan, NJ
Major: Economics and Social History
Jobs/Clubs/Organizations: BSAR, SGA (First-Year Class VP), Emerging Leaders Program

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Congratulations on your acceptance to Barnard College! This is such an incredible achievement and you should all be very proud of yourselves. You can breathe now… no more SATs/ACT, applications, supplements, etc. You can do your happy dance; come on, I know you all have one!

 

Now, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sarah Kim, a first-year student and the class vice president. I always describe my discovery of Barnard as one of those things that is highly unexpected but you can’t imagine life without it now. During the summer before my junior year, I was granted the opportunity to attend a summer enrichment program for high school students at Columbia. There, I befriended a Barnard professor who introduced me to the College. As I walked through the black iron gates for the first time, I immediately fell in love with the school and I could vividly picture myself as a Barnard woman. I visited dozens of colleges afterwards, but none of them gave me the warm, fuzzy feeling inside that I had when I set my feet on Barnard’s campus.

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That summer, I developed a tangible goal, and I cannot be happier to have the honor to say that I achieved it. December 14, 2012 was definitely one of my greatest days of my life; it was the day when I realized dreams really do come true and the acceptance letter was a testimony of it.

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Looking back at my first year at Barnard, I honestly could not have asked for anything more. Sure, I have had my fair share of hard times, like pulling an all-nighter at Butler Library and completing what seemed like an impossible amount of work. But those can’t measure up to the amazing friends I have made, important lessons I have learned (both in and outside of class), and doors that have opened before me. I cannot wait to see you all embark on this incredible journey and be with you through this blog for the next couple of weeks. Please, feel free to ask me anything in the comment section below!

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Cheers,
Sarah