These Are a Few of My Favorite Things:

Hello admitted students!

With one week left before the deadline for Barnard admission responses, I thought I’d begin to sum up our blog entries by sharing some of my favorite things about Barnard. It is my hope that we’ve helped you make an informed decision regarding your admission to the College, and I wish you the best of luck wherever you decide to study (if you do decide to come to Barnard, perhaps I’ll see you on campus and wish you good luck in person!).

Here we are:

First-Year Focus

I thought today I’d tell you all a little bit more about residential life here at Barnard…

First-Year Focus is the residential life program for all incoming first-year students. It is designed to help ease your transition into college life in a supportive and encouraging environment. Through this program, you will become acclimated to both life in New York City and being a Barnard student.

All first-year students live in the same area, which we call “the quad”.

Spring flings

Columbia “steps it up” on the events once we return from Spring Break. Last night, to kick off earth week, an environmental group and the student council at Columbia put on a screening of Planet Earth on a huge screen on Low Plaza. It served as an excellent theater, but it also often is used as a stage.

Planet Earth on Low steps, Earth Day 2008

Classes, Classes, Everywhere!

“How many classes do Barnard students take at Barnard, and how many at Columbia?”  This is a question Barnard women often hear from prospective students.  In light of all this talk about favorite courses, I’d like to elaborate on what I consider to be one of the greatest benefits of being a Barnard student: Choice.

My favorite Barnard class

I’ve been speaking with my residents over the past couple of days about classes for next semester, and I keep recommending Women and Leadership, the core seminar for the Barnard Leadership Initiative.  I figured since I’m on a roll talking about it I might as well write a post about my experience in the class!

This past fall I took Women and Leadership with Professor Liz Abzug.  I’m not sure if you recognize her name, but she is the daughter of Bella Abzug, one of the most well known political feminists. 

EcoTour of NYC: a photo essay

Today I went on an EcoTour organized by one of my fellow Barnard EcoReps, Acadia, and some other environmental gurus at Columbia’s school of Public Policy. One great thing about Barnard is the connections and crossovers between all of the institutions in the Morningside Heights neighborhood. We really benefit from one another, and environmental activism is a really great example.

phew! what a week!

Wow, is it only Wednesday? I’m out of sorts, maybe because I was home in Pennsylvania for a family wedding in Philadelphia over the weekend, but it has been quite the week since returning on Sunday afternoon. I went to the Guggenheim that day with two of my best friends to see the current exhibit by the artist Cai Guo Qiang –it was an amazing body of work and very well curated for the museum space.

^the guggenheim show!

How I stumbled upon my minor…

In all honesty, lab science was probably the requirement for the Nine Ways of Knowing I was least looking forward to as an incoming first-year. When I was making my schedule for each semester last year, I made a distinct effort to avoid lab science courses. Fall of my sophomore year I decided it was finally time to “get it over with”,

BC Spirit Day!!

Spirit Day is definitely one of my favorite days (if not my #1 favorite!) day of the year. I was very involved with planning and running Spirit Day today through my involvement with McAC. I am EXHAUSTED but I wanted to post some pictures from the AMAZING day!!

Two volunteers getting our animal print balloons ready to decorate campus at 6 am!

The “Fruits” of My Labor

Hi Hi Hi!

So I’ve been on the kibbutz for a week, during which I spent one day cooking in the kitchen, one day working in the dining room and two days packing apples and kiwis into boxes (and eating them while listening to Israeli music!) in the fruit-packing factory. It’s been fun, but it’s a lot of work and it has me running on little sleep!