Barnard College

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School Says - General Information
Founded in 1889, Barnard College was one of the first colleges to offer young women the chance to earn a college degree. Today, Barnard College remains committed to the education of over 2,390 undergraduate women from more than 40 countries and nearly 50 states. Partnered with Columbia University since 1900, under an agreement unique in the world of higher education, Barnard is an independent college for women maintaining its own Board of Trustees, campus, curriculum, faculty, staff, and admissions process. Barnard also operates from its own endowment, while Columbia University confers degrees to Barnard students. The fully residential campus features countless, independent resources and facilities; students at Barnard also have academic and extra-curricular access to the Columbia campus across the street, including cross-registration for courses, and benefit from both an all women and a coeducational experience.

Additionally, Barnard women complete alongside Columbia students on 16 NCAA Division I athletic teams as part of the Ivy League conference. The small, personal, and close-knit character of Barnard is augmented by the resources of a large research university.

School Says - Student Body
The Barnard College community offers numerous activities and opportunities to an active student body. The College Activities Office engages each student and promotes active and involved citizenship through leadership development, multicultural education, and a foundation in social justice. More than 80 Barnard student-run organizations, a sampling include: Asian American Alliance, Barnard Bulletin, Gospel Choir, Community Impact, Late Nite Theatre, Model United Nations, Mujeres, McIntosh Activities Council, Orchesis Dance Troupe, Russian Cultural Association, Students Against Silence, and Women's International Business Council. Barnard and Columbia students take part in organizations and activities on both campuses, and Barnard women take leadership roles in many of several hundred additional Columbia-sponsored clubs. Women's intercollegiate, intramural, and club athletics are also popular. Barnard's varsity athletes compete at the NCAA Division I level alongside their Columbia peers as part of the Ivy League conference through the Barnard/Columbia Athletic Consortium. The 16 intercollegiate teams include archery, basketball, crew, cross-country, fencing, field hockey, golf, indoor and outdoor track and field, lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming and diving, tennis, and volleyball. Intramural and club sports include cycling, equestrian, ice hockey, martial arts, rugby, and sailing.

School Says - Academics
A Barnard education seeks to provide women with the tools and techniques necessary to think critically and act effectively in the world today. Barnard requires students to complete 122 points of course work (including First-Year English, First-Year Seminar, and two semesters of physical education) in addition to a major for the Bachelor of Arts (AB) degree. Barnard believes that a successful liberal arts education revolves around central "ways of knowing" the world. This philosophy forms the basis of the general education requirements within Nine Ways of Knowing, organized in the following categories: ethics and value, social analysis, cultures in comparison, language, laboratory science, historical studies, literature, visual and performing arts, and quantitative reasoning. To allow for flexibility within this framework, a student chooses among the designated courses, typically 40-100 choices in each area, that fulfill the nine requirements. Thus, each student will shape her own academic program by electing a combination of wide-ranging introductory courses and more specialized upper level courses.

The College has a long-standing commitment to prepare students sufficiently in a subject so that they may undertake a semester- or year-long thesis or project, usually during the senior year, on a topic related to their major. Students are encouraged to explore internships in their field, thereby acquiring information and experience that complement what is learned through formal study. A student may major in two fields by satisfying all the major requirements prescribed by each department.

School Says - Admissions
High school transcripts, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores, personal attributes and achievements all play a role in Barnard's highly selective and holistic admissions process. The College seeks women with strong academic records who exhibit the capacity and desire to grow intellectually and personally. While there is not a set group of criteria that an applicant must match, the successful applicant will have completed a rigorous college preparatory program or its equivalent, with a recommended 4 years of English, 3 or more years of math, 3 or more years of a foreign language, 3 or more years of laboratory science, and 3 or more years of history at minimum. Every applicant is evaluated on both the qualities that she personally espouses and her potential for success at Barnard. Applicants must submit the following test scores: either the ACT with writing, or the SAT Reasoning Test and two SAT Subject Tests. Students for whom English is not their primary language of instruction or who have been in the United States for less than 4 years must submit results from the TOEFL or IELTS exams. Interviews for first-year applicants are optional.

School Says - Campus Life
Barnard is located in New York City and offers students endless cultural, academic, and professional opportunities. New York is an extension of our classrooms and students make use of its resources for both study and exploration. Barnard's Office of Career Development lists over 2,500 student internships throughout New York City each year and classes will often incorporate visits to museums, tours of historic neighborhoods, or participation in civic engagement projects. Barnard's location in the neighborhood of Morningside Heights offers a retreat from the fast pace of Mid-town Manhattan and is often referred to as an educational Mecca with students, staff and faculty from a number of institutions of higher education all calling the Heights "home".

Institutions neighboring the Barnard campus, in addition to Columbia University, include the Manhattan School of Music, Teachers College, Bank Street College of Education, Union Theological Seminary, and the Jewish Theological Seminary. New York City is the ultimate college town, drawing more than 600,000 college students each year.

School Says - Cost Aid
$40,546 is the total for 2010-2011 tuition and fees at Barnard, and room and board are an additional $12,950.Financial aid at Barnard is strictly need-based. A student's need is determined using criteria established by both the federal government and Barnard's institutional analysis. The financial aid awarded by Barnard supplements a family's own financial resources, while Barnard meets 100 percent of the remaining demonstrated need. Financial aid awards typically consist of grants, work study jobs, and student loans. Students who are awarded Barnard College grants should expect grants throughout their four years at Barnard, providing the students' families maintain their level of need and the students maintain their academic standing. 51% of first-year students received some form of financial aid this year and the average total grant (including state and federal funds) was $36,654. Need plays no role in the Barnard admissions process for US citizens and permanent residents; admission for first-year students is need-blind, and admissibility is evaluated solely on merit.

Students Say - Academics
Life is lived in the fast lane at Barnard, an all-women's liberal arts college partnered with Columbia University that incorporates "a small school feel with big school resources and incorporates both campus and city life." Nestled in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan on a gated (main) campus, the school maintains an "independent spirit" while providing a "nurturing environment," and its partnership with a larger research university gives it the "best of both worlds" and affords its students the opportunities, course options, and resources that many colleges don't have. The academic experience at Barnard is simply "wonderful," according to the students. Teachers here are "experts in their field" and "value their positions as both teachers and mentors," to the extent "they make you want to stay on Barnard's campus for class and not take classes at Columbia." "I've never been in an environment where there is such a reciprocal relationship between students wanting to learn and be challenged and professors wanting to teach and help," says a junior. Though underclassmen typically aren't able to get into as many of the small classes (the process of which "is a nightmare"), one student claims that "some of the best classes I've had have been in large lecture halls." The administration gets thumbs-up nearly across the board for their accessibility and compassion for students. Deans are always available to students wanting to meet, and the alumni network and career services are singled out for their efficacy. "Every time there is an issue on campus that students care about or an event that has happened, we get e-mails and town-hall style meetings devoted to discussing the issues." "Barnard is New York-busy, exciting, full of opportunity," says one student.

Students Say - Campus Life
Not much goes on around campus, to the chagrin of a few, but as one freshman puts it, "Why stay on campus when you're in New York?" Students take advantage of the resources available to them in New York City, from Broadway shows and Central Park to museums and restaurants; "The possibilities are endless," and "make it impossible to stick to a budget." Theater and a capella are also very big here, and many students are involved with clubs and organizations at Columbia, sometimes even dominating them. There are some complaints that facilities and dorms are "crumbling." There are some complaints that facilities and dorms are "crumbling," but the recently opened Diana Center building has fast become a hub of student activities, including studying, learning, socializing, dining, and relaxing. "Life at Barnard is probably 60â€"75% academic and around 25â€"40% free."

Students Say - Student Body
Even though it's all women here, Barnard is "the anti-women's college," as "very, very few students are here for the single-sex education"-they're here for the academics and New York. There's a definite liberal slant on campus, and these "usually politically savvy," "very cultured," "energetic and motivated" women are "ambitious and opinionated," with career and leadership goals at the top of their agenda. "Barnard students are not lazy" and have no problems booking their days full of study and activities. Most here learn to "fit into the mad rush" very quickly and take advantage of their four short years. Although quite a few students are from the tri-state area and the majority are white, "there is still a sense of diversity" thanks to a variety of different backgrounds, both cultural and geographical; there's also a "tiny gay community" that seems easily accepted.

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