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

 

What does NSOP stand for?

Good very, very early morning, everyone! I just got up to squeeze in a trip to the gym before getting down to work, so this will be short and sweet. (No point in getting up at 6am after only 5 hours of sleep if I don’t get work done, right?)

Today, we’re going to talk about NSOP, the New Student Orientation Program. Two things: 

1) You pronounce it “Enn-Sahp.” I don’t know whose idea this was, but so it goes :) 

2) You may be thinking that you’re not going to choose a school based on its orientation program. And I think you’ve got a pretty solid point there. But do remember that little things like this—how schools run big, non-academic programs—say a lot about the atmosphere of the school. I’m sure that by now you all grasp how important that is.

So about this NSOP. How about a list? Those are good, right? Quick to write, quick to read, so you can get back to studying for looming APs? Yes? Ok, onwards!

1. NSOP is a University-wide program, so you get your first taste of the oft-discussed Barnard-Columbia relationship. In general, it is a little more separated than real life, but it does offer a decent approximation: we have our own groups, but they are analogous to those of the CC (Columbia College) students, and we meet up for lots of events on the other side of the street.
2. You will be busy! Everyone’s big fear, once it finally comes down to moving in, is that you will find yourself lonely and homesick, suddenly not quite the grown-up you felt yourself to be. Don’t worry: you are very, very unlikely to have the kind of time necessary to cultivate those unpleasant feelings. NSOP is a whirlwind of mandatory meetings—this is how program filing (class registration) works! this is how you reach Public Safety!—and super fun outings and events, ranging from group dinners to book discussions to Broadway plays.
3. You will be assigned to a couple of groups (led by Orientation Leaders, your RA, etc.), so you will have plenty of organized opportunities to bond. Go forth and make friends! They come in handy later.
4. There are outings. Go on them. These are trips to various cool places/ neighborhoods around New York, and they are an amazing opportunity. Not only are they tons of fun—friends, food, your last days of sun!—but they are a fabulous chance to actually get to learn about NYC. It gets very difficult, after the semester is under way, to make time to venture downtown, so now is your chance! The leader will give you lots of information about the history/ current reputation, but you will also have a lot of time to explore on your own. Also, this way, when family comes to visit and you panic, thinking the only neighborhood you know is Butler Library, you can draw on these outings for inspiration.

NSOP seems long, but it flies by. Before you know it, you will have learned the Barnard basics, and you will be free to join my giant pile of unread books and me in the library. I’ll be in the Reference Room, 301.

Ok, gym. Latin. History…I must go now, but please be in touch!

Chloe

My Favorite Professors

Good evening, everyone! The end of the semester rapidly approaches—only a few days of class remain!—and all of us on campus are starting to feel the final push. But I know that all of you are facing a similar feeling as the end of this month approaches, so here is a post to help with your decision making process:

Awesome Professors.

This list will by no means be inclusive—I haven’t been here for so long after all—but I would like to share two of my favorite professors I've had since joining the Barnard/Columbia community. I have yet to have a single professor who would not meet with me in office hours. So take heart: amazing teachers and mentors await on both sides of Broadway!

Professor Casey Blake, Professor of History and American Studies

Blake is the bomb. I took US Intellectual History with him last semester, and I can say in all seriousness that it was life-changing. And I know at least a dozen people who agree with me. 

A quote from CULPA (Columbia Underground Listing of Professor Ability) reads, “It took a little while to get used to Blake's lecturing style, since he talks a bit like Woody Allen and sort of stares at a point on the back of the room about 10 feet over all our heads. That being said, he's brilliant.” I could not agree more: he is definitely a genuine academic, and he teaches that way. He stands at the front of the room and lectures for the full hour and fifteen minutes; there are no flashy gimmicks, no cheesiness, and no dumbing-down of the material. But he is incredibly passionate and wonderfully well spoken (I frequently frantically copied down whole sentences, with the hope that I could learn to speak like him…though that has yet to happen). 

During the first few weeks of school, I gathered all my courage, marched myself into his office, and introduced myself, just because I was so enjoying his class. He invited me in, and we ended up spending half an hour discussing my classes and interest in history. Not every professor would take that amount of time to chat with a student who came in for no real reason, but Blake is not just any professor.

This semester I’m in a seminar with him, and he manages it brilliantly. Many profs have a hard time passing the discussion on to the students, rather than monopolizing it themselves, but not him. What a guy!

Antonio Carmena, Lecturer of Dance (Read: Ballet Teacher)

Antonio is…also the bomb? I thought I’d use a new word, but nothing else quite captures how great he is. Even if you are a less hardcore dancer (like me), Antonio squarely fits the great-professor requisites of being a) inspiring, b) helpful, and c) caring. Also he’s really, really funny.

Antonio is a soloist with New York City Ballet, which is a pretty big deal, and it is really cool to have a teacher who comes up to Barnard for an 8:40 class, and then goes downtown to rehearse and perform. 

I admit that I was rather nervous about taking his class: Am I really at the ballet five level? Am I really cut out to take class with a dancer of his caliber? Technically, the answer to both of those questions may be “no.” But it doesn’t matter, because Antonio somehow manages to be completely welcoming and relaxed, even as he urges us to work as hard as we can. Also, he recognizes that we are not 12-year-olds at a conservatory, and he treats us accordingly: he repeatedly tells us that we are adults, capable of making our own artistic decisions, and pushes us to move away from strictly academic interpretations. And though he doesn’t seems entirely clear on exactly how we spend the rest of our days, he does understand the stress we’re under and is very sweet and funny about it. A quality Antonio quote: “And then it’s spring break, and after that all your…middle-terms and things will be over!”

Ok, folks, that’s all for now. I highly recommend both of these teachers, and if you would like more recommendations, or if you have any other history or dance, professor or class questions or comments, leave me a comment! They make my days spent reading and translating much more exciting :)

Have a good one,

Chloe

The Long-Awaited Dining Hall Post

Good evening, class of 2018! Here, finally, is the long-awaited dining hall post. I’ve been putting it off, because I wanted to get super good photos for you, but I keep forgetting my camera when I go to the dining halls, so I’m just going to go for it.

So here’s the thing: eating in any dining hall, anywhere, is not going to be like eating at home. There is something unnatural about filing into a massive kitchen filled with people your own age and eating four bowls of cereal for dinner. It doesn’t feel the same as sitting down for a meal at home, so don’t make that comparison; instead it’s best to think of it as some totally different activity, Going To The Dining Hall. And in that light you will discover that the dining halls here are pretty great.

So here is the deal: the Barnard dining hall, Hewitt, is open more or less all day, until 11pm (with occasional closings to clean). But we can also eat at any of the Columbia dining halls for lunch or dinner between 11:30 am and 8pm. With that in mind, here is a quick description of each:

HEWITT: (At Barnard)

Highlight: Convenience. Hewitt has a great location (in the basement of Barnard Hall) and pretty amazing hours. As someone who went to a school with fewer dining options last year, I can tell you that being able to eat after 6:30 pm is a very, very good thing.

Food: The food at Hewitt is tasty and healthy, which really is a pretty good start. There is always a salad bar, pizza, a few entrees, and fruit/ dessert. Also, there is a great selection of coffee/ tea/ milk/ juice/ soda (pick your caffeinated poison!). Hewitt offers a full array of kosher, halal, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and Barnard's dining services staff is really great about working with students who have dietary restrictions.

Seating: Though the dining rooms (there is one on each side of the kitchen area) are basic, they are also clean, well-lit (critical for that study-eating), and painted a delightful pale yellow. There are a variety of single person and group tables with regular chairs.

THE DIANA CENTER CAFE:
Highlights: It’s renowned for its thin-crusted pizzas, which they’ll make for you and bake in a big brick oven. It also has the potential to be a grab-and-go sort of place, which can be critical if you’re rushing between your third and fourth classes of the day after 7 hours of not having food.
Food: The Diana Café is basically a grill (think burgers, sandwiches, etc.), with a great salad bar (baby corn!) and breakfast yogurt bar. Also at breakfast, they have breakfast sandwiches and oatmeal.

Seating: The best! In my opinion this room is the highlight of the Diana because (nerd tendencies are becoming apparent) it is open nearly around the clock, it is well-lit, and it has nice big square red tables. In other words, it is an amazing study spot. But since we’re supposed to be talking about food here, it is also a solid place to eat!

JOHN JAY: (In John Jay Hall at Columbia)

Highlight: Variety. That says it all. John Jay is huge and offers a ton of options—from sushi to frozen yogurt, from crunchy peanut butter (yes!) to about four tables' worth of desserts.

Food: Some people claim it seems less healthy. Be that as it may, the food at John Jay is very good. One day last semester, they were hand carving pork roast for each student (what.), and it was actually really good. Who knew? Also, they have a ton of gluten-free and vegetarian options, the aforementioned epic dessert stations, and a digital soda machine that will make you such concoctions as diet vanilla root beer.

Seating: It’s always very loud and crowded, but the dining rooms (there is a small back one hiding behind the kitchen area) are attractive (classy wood paneling), and the tables and chairs match them (more classy wood). In addition to long communal tables, there are some round tables for groups who want some space to themselves, and some high bar-style tables for students doing work by themselves.

JJ’s PLACE: (Directly below John Jay)

Highlight: Awesome lounge-style seating. My friends and I have been known to camp out and do work there for hours.

Food: Fast food! Who even knew that was available on campus, eh? I haven’t gotten much there (I normally stick to the salad bar and frozen yogurt), but what I have had has been good. Also, there is a Jamba Juice machine and another one of those awesome soda machines.

Seating: As I said, there is basically a big lounge behind the kitchen area. It has a variety of regular tables, some high tables with stools (near TVs that you can control), and some big armchairs and couches around coffee tables. There is also a foosball game and an air hockey table, and an assortment of board games.

FERRIS BOOTH: (In Lerner Hall)

Highlight: Sandwich selection, salad bar, and apparently pasta station. Also, that espresso machine!

Food: The food at Ferris is solid, though not life-changing. It’s set up more like a deli: the sandwiches (everything from wraps to subs) are pre-made, and the nice people behind the counter serve them to you. This also goes for desserts and salads, which they will make for you. There are also a few serve-yourself options, a cereal bar, and a Nestle espresso machine that makes surprisingly good espressos (the other options are somewhat…less authentic).

Seating: Ferris has two levels with a spiral staircase between the two. This staircase is really Ferris’ biggest downfall and something of a school joke: there is a nonstop traffic jam on both ends. The seating arrangement is like JJs place, without the sofas: regular tables, high tables, and high seats at a bar sort of arrangement for the working types (read: me).

Also, all of our dining halls have Nutella and chocolate milk (and chocolate soy milk :) ). This, my friends, is a big deal.

Chloe

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