Columbia's Visiting Day - Any takers?

[prissy29]

Just checking if anyone else is planning to make to Columbia's Visiting day? Also, hoping to find out how admits plan on winging it with $23,000 in NYC!

[poppyensemble]

Hi! I'm quite sure I'll be attending, since it's a good way to get a feel for the department and the people in it.

And yeah, I've heard some very disheartening things about making 23000 work in NYC... and the heavy teaching load students are given. Oh dear. I guess current grad students there are the best people to turn to for comments on all that.

Are you hesitating because it'll be a long trip for you?

[prissy29]

Hi! I'm quite sure I'll be attending, since it's a good way to get a feel for the department and the people in it.

And yeah, I've heard some very disheartening things about making 23000 work in NYC... and the heavy teaching load students are given. Oh dear. I guess current grad students there are the best people to turn to for comments on all that.

Are you hesitating because it'll be a long trip for you?

I am not too concerned about the trip. A greater concern is surviving on very little in an extremely expensive city. Rents I found out range between 1,500 and 1,800 - a single dwelling, of course. This means I may have to share. Well, I guess I will have to wait and see ...

I've heard some great things about the dept and faculty although I'm not sure if my interdisciplinary interests will be best served. I got a couple of other offers and so will have to weigh my decision based on the visit. And you, are you all set on Columbia??

[Belltolls]

Nothing about Columbia but I currently live in NYC (Brooklyn which, no, is not scary as many would have you believe) and it is entirely, entirely possible to live alone on 23, 000 a year. I would not say that it is an easy task but definitley doable ecspecially around the Columbia area/Harlem.

[mmustard]

Dropping in from a different discipline, but I'll also be at Columbia too this fall, with a similar stipend; I thought I'd just add my 2 cents! I've lived in NYC for just over 2 years now, as an MA student, and I've gotten by on significantly less than 23K (it's not pretty, at times, but it's do-able). If you're not so worried about commuting times, rent can be way cheaper in the other boroughs, like Queens (Astoria, Jackson Heights) and parts of Brooklyn (Greenpoint, even South Williamsburg, and Bushwick - which is slowly improving in terms of safety). The best way to drop your rent is definitely sharing with roomies - if you're up to that. One bedrooms and studios are always going to be more expensive, and even if it's in your price range, you're going to sacrifice on space/amenities (like laundry, etc) in a pretty significant way.

That said, congratulations!