Morningside Heights, NY (International House)

[CreamTea]

Hi all,

 

So I've ran a search on gradcafe and see that there are several individual posts asking or wondering about the quality of living at I-house but they are scattered in different threads. Hence, there has never been a definitive answer to the question of whether I-house sucks or not.

 

As an incoming SIPA student currently living in Asia, I am desperate to know if I-house is indeed a bad choice. Any input?

[Arcanen]

I visited I-House while I was in New York a while back, it was incredible. The rooms may not be the fanciest ever, but other factors more than make up for it. The facilities (fitness center, auditorium, gymnasium, dining hall, bar, computer rooms, fancy as all heck study rooms etc) were stunning. More than that, there was a real sense of community. The random night I visited I saw people studying together, chilling together, eating together, watching movies together, playing volleyball together etc. I was taken around by random students  (who normally don't take people on tours) who I met through a friend, and they knew practically everyone we ran into while walking through the buildings. Pretty remarkable in a community of like 800 grad students. If you read their website, they also seem to run an absurd number of events.

 

Considering all the other options for Columbia students are pretty isolated apartment buildings, I-House is a must for anyone who's interested in the community aspect and residential college life thing. Spots are limited though, so don't attempt to take up a spot if you're not interested in participating in what is on offer there.

[juilletmercredi]

I have a friend who lived in I House for three years and he loved it.  I wanted to live there my first year, but stopped the app process once I realized how expensive it was.  It's pretty expensive, but I suppose it's worth it for the built in gym and computer labs and all of the amenities.