Columbia University

Located in New York City, Columbia University is one of the original eight east coast Ivy League colleges known for their high academic standard and lengthy history.  The rest are Brown University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.  Founded in 1754, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in New York State.  The Morningside Heights campus is a sculptured landscape of serenity in the middle of a very busy urban city.  You need never leave the campus; but if you do, you have all that New York City has to offer just a subway ride away.  World class museums, cutting edge shows, vanguard theatre, any cuisine in the world (authentically prepared) are at your disposal. Tickets to many events are discounted with a student ID.  The school pride of our very young student guides was palpable.  We followed the Engineering and Science groups into Havemeyer Hall twice, as no one failed to mention the much photographed lecture hall; as seen in Ghost Busters and all 3 Spiderman movies.

What is the downside?  Over 20,000 apply each year, but less than 10% are admitted.  The odds are against even the smartest and brightest in most U.S. high schools.  There is an elitist air that is slightly oppressive.  With all the Nobel Laureates on campus, one wonders if the undergrads are  given the nurturing attention they need.   



Students who applied to Columbia University, also looked at Harvard University, Princeton University, and University of Pennsylvania.  For more information on Columbia University, visit  http://www.columbia.edu/

Columbia University is located at 116th Street and Broadway, New York, NY  10027 (212) 854-1754

New York University

Located in Washington Square Park, the heart of Greenwich Village, in New York City; New York University, with a student body of over 40,000, is one of the largest private universities in the United States.  Founded in 1831, by Albert Gallatin, former Secretary of Treasury during Thomas Jefferson and James Madison’s administration, NYU was intended as, “in and of the city”; the University with no walls and no gates.  NYU owned and operated libraries, faculty and staff offices, classrooms, labs and residence halls occupy all four sides of Washington Square Park.  The park and its famous arch, the emblem of NYU, and a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, are historical landmarks and a popular hangout for students, local residents, and tourists alike.  Famous alums include Samuel F.B. Morse and Martin Scorsese.  World famous faculty members include Nobel, Craaford and Pulitizer, MacArthur, Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony winners.   If you walk the neighborhood, there are plenty of star-gazing opportunities of the entertainment kind.

For the past few decades, NYU has expanded outside of Greenwich Village exponentially.  In New York City alone, there are classes offered downtown, midtown, and in the outer boroughs.  The Polytechnic Institute of NYU in Brooklyn, formerly known as Brooklyn Polytech, the second oldest school of engineering and technology in the U.S., is now an affiliate.  Among the many study abroad opportunities there were two locations featured in the PowerPoint presentation of our visit day.  The Admissions Officer was pushing their other two campuses (Abu Dhabi and Shanghai) a little too aggressively; touting it’s 4:1 teacher/student ratio, its wholly English language classrooms, and its free round trip flight for any applying student.  As one of the many parents sitting in the Info Session, I can assure you, interest was not high. 

In New York City, there are 15 schools within NYU, most notably, the Gallatin School of Individual Study; where the Admissions Officer was proud to inform us has a recent grad majoring in ‘Evil’.  This is truly a liberal arts school.

Students who applied to New York University, also looked at Columbia University, Cooper Union, and University of California at Berkley.  For more information on New York University, visit http://www.nyu.edu/

New York University is located at 50 West 4^th Street, New York, NY  10012 (212) 998-4550