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Stressful Lottery, Varied Options, Cheaper Than Off-Campus

Living on-campus is great in that it's vastly cheaper than any other off-campus living option. The dorms themselves vary from amazing studio apartments overlooking the Hudson to cramped, tiny doubles. Private bathrooms are rare and most of the best housing options go to upperclassmen (though there are many great freshman options and Columbia gives you the rare opportunity to live in a single as a freshman). Most dorms are within a reasonable distance from campus (15 minute walk max) and many display the historic architecture of Columbia and the city. The housing lottery is a bit complex and very stressful if you don't get a stellar number. Kitchen facilities are mediocre in most dorms. Best option: Watt studio singles. Worst option: McBain Double (mostly sophomore dorm).

Amazingly Diverse Community

When most people think of an Ivy League school like Columbia, they probably imagine a bunch of rich white kids who got in on legacy connections. While that population definitely exists, the majority of the school's population is amazingly diverse. People from literally all over the world come to study at Columbia, as demonstrated by the various unidentifiable languages one hears while walking across campus. This is also reflective of New York City as a whole, which is just as famously diverse.

Easy to Get in, Lots of Requirements to Complete

No special application process, really. You just have to take the intro to the major course by the end of sophomore year and, once declared, meet with an adviser to plan out your courses. However, to complete the major requires a lot of careful planning in order to meet specific departmental distributions.