You see which professors teach the class when you enroll for it and you can pick a different section.

Some classes fill up quickly, others don’t. There are some classes with “limited enrollment” and you can only enroll in them during certain times. Some classes, you have to sign up for a semester in advance (all small English classes) and other classes have a lottery to get in (psych classes, psych labs, gym classes). There are usually multiple sections of classes and you can pick and choose which one you take based on time, professor or whatever and, in most cases, not all of the sections fill up so you can always take another section if you wanted to.

—A

Xiangwen Zhang. While he's not one of the "legendary" math professors at Columbia, he's pretty good! He explains concepts very well and he's easy to follow; his notes on the board are very organized. And the curve is generous and there isn't a ton of homework.

--A

Around the beginning of June or end of May, Barnard sends a information packet containing a First-Year Guide booklet (here’s the one they sent to A and I last summer) where it lists classes in many departments at Barnard. You aren’t limited to these courses, but they are usually recommended for first years to consider, and makes the selection process less overwhelming.

Once you’ve figured out what classes you want to take, you have to enter them through a specific form on eBear just for new students. In addition, you have to choose ten preferences for First Year English and First Year Seminar, five for each one. The one you end up taking for both semesters will be chosen (somewhat) randomly. There will also be PE class lottery or Psychology class lottery you have to enter if you are considering those courses. 

This will be a very easy process for you, as Dean Hollibaugh provides so much information throughout the process. She has the first year blog set up (which will be a different one for your class year, I’m assuming) , as well as an entire video playlist dedicated to preparing for your first year from packing to program planning. Additionally, you will have time at the beginning of the semester to change your courses, so don’t be too stressed if you can’t figure out the perfect schedule you want then!
 
-L 

I would say that language courses are intense in the sense that when you take a language you take it many more times a week than an average class and there is much more information thrown at you to remember from a week to week basis. First year Spanish meets three days a week, and French meets Monday through Friday. Arabic, the language I’m taking, meets Monday through Thursday. (This may lessen as you get to a higher level, but this depends on the language, and usually happens during your third or fourth year of taking the language) So maybe the homework itself might not be intense for certain languages or certain professors, but you just have a lot more of it to do. 

Most, if not all, language classes range from 4 credits to 5 credits. This is more than the average class, and in some cases, you are often told to count 5 credits classes as having the course load of two whole classes. Since they are so credit-heavy, you really need to make a big effort to get a good grade in the class. If you do badly in a 4 or 5 credit class, or even average like a B, it can still bring down your GPA or prevent it from going up even if you’ve done well in all of your other classes. This might be a big deal to those who are very GPA-conscious, and for those who are considering a heavier courseload.

Right now, I’m about to finish my second semester of Arabic, which I’m planning on continuing for the next year. It is one of the hardest languages to take at Barnard/Columbia, and the course is very fast paced, we usually get through a chapter/new vocabulary every 7-8 days. Additionally, there are some nights where I have to dedicate 4-5 hours just for Arabic homework.  Arabic has taken up so much of my time, but it is an absolutely rewarding experience when I’ve learned something new. I don’t know if I could say Spanish and French are “easier” languages to learn, so just be in the mindset for any language class that you take is going to be fast-paced, have intensive learning, and be homework heavy.

Overall though, I believe learning a brand new language from the beginning is always going to take a lot of work, and you should definitely be prepared to dedicate a lot of your time to that. Languages are meant to be learned in order to be appreciated and used, so these classes are definitely not the ones you want to slack in! And most importantly, definitely choose a language that you know you will appreciate and enjoy learning, because with all the work and days you have to put into it, it would only be more stressful if it was a language you hated. Good luck! :)

-L 

It depends on the professor and on the exam. (Usually small assignments aren’t curved.)

I have several professors who don’t believe in curving because a test should be designed to only test what a student knows and, therefore, if a student prepares properly, then the student should get an A without a curve. Point example, my psych professor: she gives ample opportunity for extra credit on the exam and designs the exams so that they’re easier and they’re uncurved. (Many people made 100% on the last exam in this class.)

Other professors believe that if the uncurved average is higher than a certain percentage (usually around a low B or high C) then there’s something wrong with the test. And in some departments (math, science, etc.), it’s just accepted that the average will be lower. How the professor deals with this philosophy/reality is up to the professor. In my physics class, the average on an exam was 24/30 and she thought this was good so she did not curve the exam. However, in my calculus class, there was an exam where the average was the same (24/30)—since his philosophy is that the average of an exam should be no higher than a low B, but he also maintains that exactly one half of the class will make at least an A-, he made 24/30 the equivalent of an A-. We had another exam in that class where the average was 20/30, so 20/30 was an A-.

Long story short, it depends on the professor, the department, and the exam.

—A

No, we don’t.

I mean, it’s really not that hard, assuming you put yourself out there and do things on the Columbia campus that guys would do. (Club sports and academic/cultural clubs come to mind.) However, putting yourself out there is key. If you only socialize in the dorms, then you can pretty much forget having cisgender male friends (there are some transmen who go to Barnard).

—A

A and I collectively “awww’d”. But to answer your question, we are not living together again next year. I’ve been pulled in by a friend of mine for next semester. As for A, she’s going through the lottery in hopes of finding a single to live in. Neither of our choices were based on our roommate experience this year, as I think I can speak for both of us that we had a wonderful time with each other! 

-L 

I started my ED app in like June, before the questions were available, and there were definitely a few subtle changes.

—A