Barnard: Home, 8000 Miles Away From Home
When I thought about the quintessential American collegiate experience, I would think about being decked out in school colors at a homecoming game. I’d imagine huge music festivals featuring celebrated musicians. I’d picture seas of students spilling out onto the lawns on a beautiful day, blasting music and playing spikeball. Coming from an educational system in Hong Kong where “school spirit” was the least of anyone’s concerns, I wanted it all.
And yet, the thought of throwing myself across the Pacific Ocean (and possibly further) into a brand-new environment, where I knew absolutely no one, was just a little bit nauseating. Coming from a high school graduating class of 80 students, I felt overwhelmed by the possibility of being one of thousands in my class at college. The extra layer of being an international student meant that it wasn’t just a new campus or a new city that I had to navigate, it was a new country. From learning about cultural norms and new vocabulary, to figuring out how I would be able to hold on to my own culture - it all seemed like a huge challenge. And so, it became increasingly clear that I needed to be on a small, tight-knit campus where I would be able to quickly feel like part of the community, despite my initial desire for the rah-rah of a huge campus.
Enter Barnard. If I could have made up a dream school, this would have been it.
Moving into the Quad, a centralized residential location where all of the first-years live, I immediately felt surrounded by support and enthusiastic friendship (and a lot of nervous excitement, of course). Having an incredible roommate, RA, and hall community provided me with a secure base to go out and explore everything that campus and New York City had to offer. Some of my most treasured friendships today were created over late-night Insomnia cookies, morning jogs in Riverside Park, and dumpling hunts in Chinatown with students who lived down the hall.
One of my very first classes was my First-Year Seminar with Professor Ellen Morris. The small class size of 15 students helped me to ease into college classes and develop my confidence in the classroom, as well as build relationships with my fellow students (one of whom is still one of my best friends) and my professor. Professor Morris continues to be one of my favorite professors I’ve ever had.
Given that Barnard only has an incoming class of about 600 students every year, I felt comfortable running for a position on the Student Government Association. Within my first few weeks at Barnard, I had my first leadership position on campus as Class Secretary. Being in charge of social media and communications for my class gave me the opportunity to meet so many people in my year, and established the sense of familiarity that I had craved. It wasn’t long before campus was full of smiling faces that I actually recognized!
And for the cherry on top - thanks to Barnard’s relationship to Columbia, I still got the full “collegiate experience” complete with football games and Surf and Turf on the lawns, and found so many great ways to celebrate my home culture. I found family in CU Gen, a dance team at Columbia that celebrates Asian and Asian-American music and dance; participated in so many cultural events every year, such as the Chinese Students Club’s annual Night Market, where each Asian cultural club has a stall selling food from their country; and took incredible classes within the East Asian Studies and Religion departments that furthered my understanding of my own background (ironically enough).
Barnard turned out to be the perfect place for me to find comfort and community, as well as to explore my new identity as an independent adult (and as a New Yorker). That is not to say that it has never been hard, or that I have never felt challenged - if anything, my peers at Barnard have constantly encouraged me to seek out resources and to think critically in order to grow. As an international student - or really, just someone who was nervous about being alone in an unfamiliar setting - I can truly say that the support I found at Barnard made my four years all the more enjoyable. It was the best of all worlds, and truly a unique college experience. I’m glad to say that I found home at Barnard, and that I will continue to call Barnard my home for many years to come.
- Chantel Woo