Columbia University by Matthew Leadem
Beyond merely being accepted at one dream school, I never really imagined having to choose between multiple. While this decision was not easy for the better part of a month, having now completed my freshman year at Columbia, I know that this was the right choice for me. The list of reasons why I love Columbia is almost endless, but I might start by mentioning the erudite of my professors, the calming campus setting amongst the bustling city, and the diversity of my fellow students. My first year has afforded me experiences I otherwise never would have imagined pursuing, both on campus and deeper into the city. My first year was not entirely easy – all-nighters abounded, and sleep was at times a total afterthought – but I wouldn’t change anything about my college experience. Columbia is the place for me, and this past year has helped to firmly seal the risk I took in choosing Columbia over some other top choice schools.
It seems that many students entering Columbia, myself included, don’t quite know what to make of Columbia’s Core Curriculum, the hallmark of the Columbia academic experience and a major point of distinction amongst the other Ivies. The Core, essentially a collection of required courses for all students irrespective of their choice in major, highlights the benefit of having all students engaging in the same works at the same time. But description of “the Core” is quite vague and is often tailored to the individual – students have different feelings, mostly positive, towards this critical component of our undergraduate education. And here’s my take on it: despite being a rigid academic structure, the Core is what you make of it. I came into Columbia worried about taking courses whose curricula were instituted a century ago, worried that I’d treat them as some bland requirement than an opportunity to engage, worried that my freedom would be limited. As I found out, this was not the case at all. My Literature Humanities course (think longstanding required literature course for first-years) was very open-ended. Class discussions were entirely open, with the mindset that no claims were wrong so long as they were substantiated. Essays topics are at in the hands of students – rather than the professor choosing a topic, students are allowed to choose their favorite text from the course, develop their own inquiry, then satiate this question they posed themselves. So, I chose to write about Virginia Woolf while the student next to me could be writing about Homer, or Plato, and so on. My University Writing course (required writing seminar for first-years) was technically “American Studies”-themed, but I tailored an essay assignment to an interest I had in Korean Pop music, and actually won an award for my work. My point is not that you get out what you put into the Core, but more a reminder that even the most instituted curricula allow for freedom of inquiry. Whether this is an attribute specific to Columbia or something broader, it might serve as a comforting reminder to some entering their first year of college.
And then there’s New York – the most wonderful distraction of them all. I wanted a college experience where I could do/see/eat/experience really whatever I wanted, and it’s hard to contest that New York is the absolute best setting to fulfill this requirement. The mainstays of Broadway shows and fine museums have been entertaining, but even more exciting, I dare say, are the hidden culinary discoveries and somewhat aimless (in its best sense) ventures into the city with friends. The different neighborhoods in New York provide so many different backdrops and specialties, transporting you to different cultures and ways of life, and from Columbia, they’re all within reach. New York’s subway system is nowhere near state-of-the-art, but it works, and it’s comparatively cheap. Even Morningside Heights, the “home turf” for Columbia students, offers me any cuisine I want within walking distance. Coupled with the abundance of events and happenings across the metro area, I am spoilt for choice. New York has ruined me for any other city, in the United States at least. I think I’m a confirmed urbanite.
So that’s about it. One year down, I know that no other school would offer me the combination of attributes and qualities I admire just like Columbia does. Surrounded by friends from all parts of the world, and fellow students who are activists, refugees, published writers, showcased artists, idealists, realists…ready to contest your views or just down for a good laugh, Columbia is really the paragon of diversity. And in a multicultural center like New York, it shouldn’t be any other way. Although the “city that never sleeps” trope has indeed applied to my academic life, I am so proud of my university and the people that comprise it. And most of all, I am very happy to be a Columbian. Roar Lion!
