Why a Liberal Arts College

I was set on being a STEM major. I came into Barnard as a C-STEP student. I had done genetics research in high school and immersed myself in the sciences. Majoring in biology, completing the pre-health track, and partaking in research as part of Barnard’s Summer Research Institute was how I was going to spend my four years. I had everything planned out and I did not expect to change my mind.

So, what is a liberal arts college? Simply put, a liberal arts college enforces breadth and depth of knowledge by requiring students to take courses outside of their intended major(s). At Barnard, the Liberal Arts curriculum, known as Foundations, is what allows students to make connections and take risks. A certain freedom is offered. Students are not limited by pre-set majors. You can create your own combined major or a completely new special major. 

The Foundations requirements emphasize this goal. Students are required to take courses from different disciplines regardless of their major. The Modes of Thinking require students to engage with topics in different ways. Along with the built-in type of engagement, classes are small such that you are able to not only expand how you think about a certain subject because of the course, but also because of all the other students taking that course.

In other words, my pre-health track was out of the picture. Coming to Barnard made me realize that I could probably benefit from keeping an open mind. That is not to say that Barnard does not offer great STEM courses. In fact, Barnard ranks #9 in the U.S. in graduating women who go on to earn doctoral degrees in STEM-related fields. I still enjoyed and ended up majoring in biology with a concentration in physiological and organismal biology. However, I also ended up minoring in psychology, something I had not originally planned for.   

I decided to embrace the Liberal Arts and use these four years as a way to explore my options. I worked as a lab assistant, biology lab teaching assistant, a STEP tutor, and even at the Arthur Ross Greenhouse. There are other opportunities on campus to work in BCIT, the Movement Lab, Design Center, research labs, or even helping with theater productions. That is all to say that you have the option to explore nearly every field while on Barnard and Columbia’s campus. 

Thanks to the option to take Columbia College courses, the kinds of classes you can take are also varied. One of my favorite classes was a Forensic Osteology course taught by Professor Jill Shapiro. We got to work with human skeletons, identify bones, determine age and sex, and just learn about the body in a hands-on manner. Another course, Forensic Psychology, which I took out of pure interest, has led me to my current graduate studies: Forensic Mental Health Counseling.  

If there is anything you take away from this it is that you have options. College should be a place where you are allowed to explore your options and figure out what you want to do. You can come to Barnard and pursue the track that interests you and graduate with a degree in that field just as you would if you went to any other college. As a first-year, you can apply into special programs like Barnard/JTS Double Degree, Science Pathways Scholars Program, and even Music Lesson Exchange Program with The Juilliard School or Manhattan School of Music. At the same time, if you do not have a set plan as a first-year, you can choose to figure out what you want to do. Beyond Barnard is a great resource that provides advising and resources career exploration, opportunities for experiential education through internships and externships, preparation for graduate and professional school, and support with applications to competitive national and international fellowships. There are also the Accelerated 4+1 Pathways, which you would apply to as a junior after which you would have had the opportunity to explore and ultimately decide what you want to do. 

I owe finding my interest to Barnard so I decided to come back and work in the Admissions Office.