The Incredible Barnard Community Anonymous

“We’re so close... We can just talk on and on,” the Barnard tour-guide said to our group, laughing. To my surprise, she wasn’t talking about a relationship with a faculty member, as was customary on college tours. She was actually talking about her favorite Barnard desk-attendant, a friendly woman who checked her in and out of her dorm everyday.

Her words resonated with me; they epitomized the close-knit community I wanted in a college. Attending a girl-school since sixth-grade, I’ve been lucky enough to have a school community that not only empowers women, but is bonded in every way possible. I’ve forged incredible relationships in the classroom, on the volleyball-court, and just through day-to-day interactions. Like the tour-guide, it’s these small interactions I especially value: chatting with friends in the Senior Room in-between classes, fifteen-minute breakfasts with my advisory, or life-advice sessions with my bus-driver when I’m the last one left to be dropped-off.

This easy camaraderie I have with my school community is something I’ve come to truly appreciate. Researching Barnard beforehand, I was excited by its NYC location and research opportunities in the social sciences. I was further intrigued by Bold Brilliant...