火爆社区

Barnard College, a celebrated private women鈥檚 liberal arts college, offers students 鈥渢he best of both worlds鈥� with both a 鈥渟mall academic setting鈥� and 鈥渇ull access to the Ivy League institution (Columbia University) right across the street. The school鈥檚 鈥渃lose community鈥� offers a familiarity that carries beyond the walls of the classroom into the real world, where 37,000 alumnae form an empowering web that provides internships, career opportunities, and guidance through a variety of programs such as Mentor-in-Residence. Through this vast support network and Barnard鈥檚 plentiful resources (for instance, the school spends $750,000 annually to aid students wishing to take unpaid internships), students seamlessly undergo a 鈥渢ransition from a young female college student to an adjusted global citizen.鈥� This is due in no small part to Barnard鈥檚 faculty, who are 鈥渞eally engaging and make the material approachable and interesting鈥� and advise in further capacities through the school鈥檚 numerous research and fellowship programs. No matter the area of study or size of the class, professors 鈥渄efinitely make time for students to come talk to them.鈥� Classes are a mix of lectures and discussions, and Barnard was one of the first colleges to institute a digital fluency requirement that imparts data manipulation skills and unites disciplines using digital tools. Even for those who may be nervous to tackle an unfamiliar topic or requirement, students say educators here are adept at 鈥渃reating an environment to learn from and be inspired by classmates through the discussions held.鈥� The 鈥減henomenal鈥� education experience may be 鈥渃hallenging and very stressful鈥� at times, but students are 鈥渟o grateful鈥� to be under the Barnard umbrella.

Barnard College is filled with 鈥渄riven, intelligent鈥� students who are 鈥渆xtremely interested, dedicated, and passionate鈥� in everything: 鈥渂iology, dance, theatre, architecture, economics, international relations鈥� (just to name a few). Undergrads suggest that there鈥檚 a 鈥渢endency to overload,鈥� but qualify that by explaining that鈥檚 not a bad thing, as they are 鈥渧ery proactive and use all resources available...to achieve their goals.鈥� Moreover, while students here are 鈥渁mbitious, driven, and hard workers,鈥� it is 鈥渘ot at the cost of physical or mental health: they know how to have fun, too.鈥� The result is a group of women that is 鈥渟mart, independent, and ready to take on the world.鈥� These 鈥渃ool, creative, confident, well-spoken, and determined鈥� women are well aware of what鈥檚 been said about their 鈥渃osmopolitan鈥� location: those who make it here can make it anywhere.

Students at Barnard live in 鈥渙ne of the greatest cities on Earth,鈥� where they鈥檙e not just given free admission to many of New York City鈥檚 legendary institutions, but have the opportunity to study with local artists, curators, and scientists, often at the museums or labs in which they work. Of course, the beauty of the school鈥檚 uptown location is that it provides a whole city to explore while also being just removed enough to allow 鈥渁 lot of fun events [to] take place on campus.鈥� And while there are over 600 clubs between Barnard and Columbia, it鈥檚 not unusual to find students 鈥渏ust chilling鈥濃�攖hat is, when they鈥檙e not 鈥渨orking or going to office hours, or pursuing an internship, a personal job, etc.鈥� Even with rigorous classes and a city filled with theaters, museums, and more restaurants than one can healthily visit in a lifetime鈥攑lus traditional and 鈥減henomenal Greek life鈥� opportunities across the street at Columbia鈥攕tudents are 鈥渋ntensely dedicated to pursuing their interests, whether that be artistic, academic, pre-professional, or athletic ones.鈥�

The Beyond Barnard initiative empowers students to pursue and achieve professional success through career connections, job fairs, and the Senior Initiative program, which equips graduating seniors with the skills needed to launch their careers. Barnard鈥檚 website reports that 90 percent of graduates from 2018 through 2020 were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation. The free Athena Skill Builders workshops, put on by the Athena Center for Leadership Studies, and the three-year Athena Scholars Program engage students to develop their leadership potential. Students note that 鈥渋nternships in finance and publishing are popular鈥� and praise the 鈥渟trong alumnae network.鈥� Those Barnard grads who visited PayScale.com report a median starting salary of $64,300, and 56 percent said their jobs gave them a high level of meaning.