The Columbia Core is one of the most important things to Columbia. To quote them directly, “the Core Curriculum is the cornerstone of the Columbia College education.” So yeah, we’d say it’s a big part of their mission and something to learn about before applying. The history of the Core goes all the way back to 1880, and recounts over a century of tweaks and changes they’ve made to this program. At a basic level, it’s a robust liberal arts foundation to your education, but it’s really a lot more wide-reaching than that. With classes like Contemporary Civilization and Frontiers of Science and requirements in Physical Education and Foreign Language, you can be certain you’ll leave Columbia with a wide breadth of knowledge and as they say, “rigorous preparation for life as an engaged citizen in today’s complex and changing world.”
What’s the point of the Columbia Core?
Core programs have been hot topics in educational policy for a long time, and most colleges have some kind of core program. While you may want to be a STEM major, and only take STEM classes, those classes may not prepare you to be an effective written communicator, or have cultural context when working on projects, or expose you to other topics you might be interested in. The Columbia Core at its core (see what we did there) is meant to inspire and provoke curiosity from students and have them engage with topics or viewpoints they might not have otherwise. It’s a good thing! You get to learn about art, music, global cultures, and take classes in writing and foreign languages. It makes you a better thinker and sets you up for success post-graduation.
Ok, but like, what is it?
Let’s break down each of the six classes and four requirements.
Classes:
Basically, you’re reading a lot of old books. They say it’s been in the curriculum for 75 years, and books like The Illiad and The Inferno have always been on the reading list. This is a reading and discussion heavy class, and here’s what Columbia has to say about it:
“Students should not expect Lit Hum to teach them what these texts are about. Rather, it asks students to join a small group of classmates to raise questions and debate answers.”
*sigh* a class that doesn’t teach you what the text is about? Groundbreaking. Well, at least you’ll be an expert in analyzing text.
One of the oldest classes in the core, this class started as a way to “introduce students to a range of issues concerning the kinds of communities – political, social, moral, and religious – that human beings construct for themselves and the values that inform and define such communities.” We’re pretty sure this class is trying to make you a better person with some cultural context, which is pretty rad. We have nothing snarky to say on this one.
The Undergraduate Writing Program
This is a one-semester class that aims to teach you how to be a better writer. We hope if you’re getting into Columbia that you’re already a pretty good writer, but that’s beside the point.
This class isn’t one-size-fits-all, they offer it in a variety of themes from Medical Humanities, to Data and Society to Film and Performing Arts. There are four essays in each class, two of which involve analyzing text, one is argumentative, and the other is an op-ed that will be published in The Morningside Review.
It’s art history. One of the coolest things about this is, since you’re in NYC, you’ll get to see most of this stuff in person during field trips. This is a small class, capped at 22 students – which will allow you to have in-depth discussions and get into the weeds on art history.
Okay so see Art Humanities, it’s that with music. Apparently they “provide tools to respond verbally to a variety of musical idioms.” Cool?
Frontiers of Science aims to educate you on four areas of science: Mind and Brain, Astrophysics, Biodiversity, and Earth Science. In addition to the professors of the class, a lot of it is taught by guest lectures from each field. This class is just one piece of the science requirement, which we go into further in the next section.
Requirements:
The science requirement combines Frontiers of Science with two additional science classes from the catalog. You can take any of the two from the approved list, which even has a subsection for those of us who are not STEM people. We’re not gonna lie, some of these classes sound really cool, like Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology and The Life Aquatic (not the Wes Anderson movie. Unless they show it in the class? That would be cool).
This part of the core asks you to develop cultural competency by taking classes that educate you on worldviews and cultures you may not be familiar with. A lot of the classes are interdisciplinary, which will allow you to take something that aligns with your interest. There are an insane amount of classes on the list of approved courses, and you have to take at least two to satisfy the requirement.
This is one of the more flexible requirements. If you’ve taken other languages, or are fluent in a second language, you might be able to place in a higher-level class or out of the requirement entirely. You can also place out of it by having a high score on an SAT subject test or AP test. If you are placed in a higher-level course, taking a literature or advanced level class will also satisfy the requirement.
If none of those apply to you, you’ll take up to the second term of an intermediate-level language. There are loads of languages offered.
Physical Education Requirement
You have to take two Physical Education Activities and pass a swimming test for this one. If you’re a student athlete, you’re exempt. They have a ton of options, from a variety of yoga disciplines to beginner’s sailing. You can even take mindful walking!
Who is it for?
Every student at Columbia College has to take the Columbia Core. It is a foundational requirement of attending the school. Now, there are exemptions for things like physical education if you have a disability, or placement exams for languages, but for the most part every student will take the whole core.
Can I get out of it?
BZZZZT. No!! Boooo for even asking!!!
Seriously though, this is such a foundational part of Columbia that if after reading this, you’re like, “this sounds lame and I want out,” then you absolutely should not apply to Columbia. It wouldn’t be a good cultural fit for you if you’re against one of the main cornerstones of the school. It just wouldn’t! Take some time to really research schools you’re interested in and see what they require from you outside of the major requirements. If you’re not excited about the prospect of using essentially your first two years of college in this program, Columbia isn’t for you.
Now if this sounds cool to you, and you like learning about a ton of different topics and you’re curious about things outside of your interest areas, then hooray! You just might be a fit for Columbia! Like we said before, there are infrequent exemptions to some of the Core classes, like if you transferred and took a similar class or are precluded from a class for a specific, protected reason. But you should be excited to learn about new things, especially at a school like Columbia that basically invented the Core as we know it.
If you’re starting to work on your college list and are having a hard time finding the right fit, or just want help strategizing your summer or writing your essays, then reach out to us today. We have a team of counselors that can help you at every step of the way.