Maame's College Extravaganza: Columbia University (Columbia College/ Barnard College)

The final stop in my College Extravaganza (before looping back to Ithaca) was Columbia University. I've driven through New York City before when I was younger and I've watched most episodes of Gossip Girl, however I've never been to Columbia before. I had no idea what to expect because Gossip Girl didn't do the best job of showing the campus and pamphlets can only show so much.

We arrived to New York through the Hudson River, or really, over the Hudson. I remember thinking about how much greenery there was in this Concrete Jungle of sorts. I started thinking about everything other people have told me about New York City: "it's dirty," "the streets are trash-filled," "the people are mean," and braced myself for the worst. My parents did the same, my dad was frantic about not opening the trunk, as to evade thieves, while my mom made sure we locked the car door three times. The City, obviously, is very busy. There are people everywhere. One thing I noticed was how there are traffic lights everywhere that tell pedestrians when to walk, but no one at all actually follows its instructions. As for dirty, I didn't find it all that dirty, I only saw one side-street with trash bags on it; however, it did have a certain smell to it, the city did. I later found out that the burrow that holds Columbia is the safest residential burrow, so maybe that's why I didn't experience any New York horror stories.

Columbia's campus is like Narnia. Hear me out, I literally walked through a gate and left a bustling city into an area of calmness, green space and beautiful buildings. Right after we entered we had to high-tail it to the Low Memorial Library (which isn't even a library #fact) where the tour sheet told us to meet. If anyone is wondering, the Low Memorial Library is arguably the most iconic building in all of Columbia, with its huge staircase and Alma Mater statue. I was a little tempted to stand at the gates and walk through again just to confirm that I was still in New York City.

After an hour long information session we were split into groups and led on tours by various guides. There was one tour guide that everyone in the room knew was the cutest, and there I was in my blue printed shorts praying that I would fall into his designated area, but I didn't. Having had one dream crushed at Columbia, I was a little sad, but I kept going. My tour guide was named Jess and she was like an older, Asian version of me (I was called an honorary Asian freshman year, so I guess she's just an older version of me). Being someone who likes STEM and liberal arts, it was good to see that people at Columbia were the same way and were able to pursue both fields. It got to a point where I was pretty much praising Jess for meeting my Queen Mother Ana Wintour, while being a lab aid for a Nobel Laureate. 

Columbia was a sweet surprise for me. I never thought I would've liked the school so much. I like to think of myself as somebody who can only handle the clean streets and strict ordinances of suburban America, but the urban lifestyle that Columbia was showcasing was interestingly comfortable to me. I think I realized that New York City wasn't as awful as I thought it was when we went up to a walking bridge on the campus that let you see 100 blocks in both directions, because it, in a way, made the city seem smaller: more tangible of being real. 

If you're ever going on college visits I suggest planning a guided tour because they really bring the campus to life. For example: Low Memorial Library stopped being some icon, and started looking like a complete failure: it no longer holds books because the architects didn't create a foundation strong enough for the weight of a library. Tour guides, from my experience at least, are students at the college, so they can answer admissions questions and college life questions. Plus, it's good exercise, especially if you're going on a college tour road trip where you're cramped in a car for hours.

The moment everyone has been waiting for: Snapchat filters. Columbia University itself had a lot of filters that didn't make a lot of sense to me like "Low Beach" when I was in the Low Memorial Library. New York City also has its very own Snapstory, which is beyond anything I've ever seen. Because of the building customized and burrow customized filters along with a citywide Snapstory, Columbia receives a 8.5/10 on its filters, better than my hometown. 

Lastly, we need to discuss New York food. My family went to a pizza joint and ordered two small pizzas and received these huge masses of New York style pizza filled with cheese and toppings. It was so good and we were so surprised that our waiter asked us where we were from, apparently all Midwest pizza joints do is cheat us all.

If you've ever been on a college tour, plan on going on your own College Extravaganza, or have a fun story from a time when you were nearly college-aged let me know!