Rural and Small-Town Students

Transition to Columbia: "First-year students arrive on campus pretty early before classes each fall for New Student Orientation Program (NSOP). A lot of the program is focused on getting you off campus and into the city. During my NSOP, we had tickets to a Mets game, took a food tour through the East Village and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. As I look back on it, the comfort this experience gave me with the subway system was the biggest aid to feeling comfortable in New York City. Once I knew that I could find my way home to Columbia, no matter where I was, New York felt much smaller and more comfortable."

Campus community: "As an intern for Columbia's Rural Recruitment Committee, I've been able to foster a community of rural students on campus and help connect rural high school students to Columbia. I pursued this opportunity because I wanted to be a part of a community that is so important to who I am. Going from a rural community to New York City is a monumental transition, so doing it with a group of people who understand what I'm going through has been incredible."

"Transitioning from my small rural town to a large urban school like Columbia was different than I expected. I was worried about making friends, fitting in and, honestly, affording city life. However, I was welcomed with open arms into the community. I met so many amazing people within my first weeks here and then settled into the groups and clubs that I felt the most at home in."

A Columbia education: "Within an academic context, my time at Columbia has completely revolutionized how I view the world and my place within it. After taking classes in the Core Curriculum, I feel like I have a much better understanding of everything happening around me. For instance, when I go to museums, I better understand the context behind exhibitions and can better interpret the meaning of art. When I listen to music, I can analyze the instrumental choices of musicians and think about the history of the genre of music. When I read texts, I can closely read passages and consider how the ideas fit into a broader context of thought."

Living in New York City: "Going to school in New York City has been such an eye-opening experience in all honesty. During my application process, I tended to veer away from college towns as I felt like they were too secluded, in a kind of bubble, away from genuine people and cultures, whereas New York is the premiere melting pot of the United States. I have loved having access to some of the country’s most acclaimed museums and collections as well as the experience of living in the only truly walkable city in the nation, which opens itself up to a lot of fun with friends out in the city without needing a car or taxi."