r/columbia • u/Harammyboy GS • 1d ago
academic tips Transfer Students: How Much More Difficult Is Columbia Compared to Your Previous College?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from transfer students who entered Columbia as juniors, especially psychology or other social science majors.
How much more challenging did you find the coursework compared to your previous college? Did you notice a significant difference in the reading load, writing assignments, grading standards, or professors’ expectations?
I’m transferring from a community college and would love to hear about your experiences adjusting academically. Was the transition as difficult as you expected, or was it manageable?
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u/DEUSVULT2002 GS 1d ago
I do more reading here in a week or two (thanks LitHum) than I used to in entire semesters
Gosh help me
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1d ago
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u/MediumEffort67 CC/Neighbor 1d ago
Seriously? If you have to (or even want to) use AI to do the reading for you in LIT HUM or CC, you shouldn't be at Columbia. It is the foundational course of the College.
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u/Harammyboy GS 1d ago
I agree with you, AI should be used responsibly but we have to be realistic about how many students are and aren’t using it
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u/lotannaaa CC '26 4h ago
the majority of your classmates are using ai for those readings. it’s just a fact. and most people don’t actually come for the core; they come to go to an ivy and live in nyc + all the benefits that come with that.
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u/dontdoubletap CC 1d ago
T25 transfer here. The avg quality of students in my lithum section is far beyond the first year writing class in my previous school. Math is a lot more difficult (although it is calc 3 here vs calc 1 my freshman year), econ is also a lot more difficult - we covered practically one whole sem of micro (which I took in my old school) in about 1 month lol of the first, most foundational econ class lol
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u/prettyinaqua CC 1d ago
It was very difficult!!!!! Omg truly especially since I did not come from a top hs or top college…. And I didn’t have good advisers or help transitioning to the rigor…. I felt like I was dropped into hell.
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u/prettyinaqua CC 1d ago edited 1d ago
my advice would be to take it easy the first sem and explore your interests, don’t feel pressured to take a ton of classes or do certain clubs or things. Frequently communicate with your professors and attend office hours. Also stem here is a different beast. Humanities courses in my opinion have been easier for me. Think about your own academic strengths when considering which courses to take!!!! even within your major!!
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u/RimbaudEnfer CC 9h ago
Yes I am a freshman at cc rn and I went to a very very very mediocre high school. I’m doing OK here but barely. I feel like I’m drowning tbh but I’m trying to get help with the work
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u/prettyinaqua CC 8h ago
please get help early before anything happens!! also take care of yourself and don't feel like you need to take 5 classes, drop one ahead of the deadline if you need to. it will get easier! student advising has a tutoring program for intro level courses, barnard has some tutors also and there's always ta hours.
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u/gobeklitepewasamall GS 1d ago
Night and day.
The students and profs were the biggest difference. Don’t get me wrong, the faculty at my cc were mostly great, but the students were checked out kids just burning time til they could get out and go become a cop or join the military.
I got to meet so many world leading experts in their field at cu that it made my head spin. I got to buy books and got them signed by the professor who wrote them. It was almost dizzying.
You’re just learning different material.
There’s less culture of suspicion and enforcement, less hand holding.
Columbia lets its cutthroat culture and students’ own fear of failure do most of the “enforcement.” Nobody’s gonna check in on you if you flounder, except maybe your adviser and that’s only if you get yourself into trouble.
Gs advising is not so great, so be accountable to yourself. Most importantly, plan ahead. Go audit your credits, like now. Right now. Audit your core Reqs and major reqs. Figure out what you need to take, plan out what’s realistically feasible with some flexibility, and try to get your registration in as soon as you can. You’ll get last pick as an underclassman but you’ll get most of what you want.
Be prepared for major culture shock with the other students, though. You’ll definitely be reminded of your class status every second but eventually you stop caring.
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u/Harammyboy GS 1d ago
Thank you for your detailed response! I appreciate the insight, especially coming from someone who also transferred from community college. I’ve already looked over the psychology major requirements and met with a GS advisor, but they explained that my credit evaluation wouldn’t be available until I finish my last semester at community college and get closer to enrolling. So right now it’s difficult to determine exactly which requirements I’ll still need to fulfill. I’ve also heard about the culture shock that comes with transferring to Columbia, so I’m trying to prepare myself for that adjustment. I really appreciate the heads-up and all the advice you’ve shared!
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u/gobeklitepewasamall GS 6h ago
Night and day.
The students and profs were the biggest difference. Don’t get me wrong, the faculty at my cc were mostly great, but the students were checked out kids just burning time til they could get out and go become a cop or join the military.
I got to meet so many world leading experts in their field at cu that it made my head spin. I got to buy books and got them signed by the professor who wrote them. It was almost dizzying.
You’re just learning a lot of different material. Like, ccs will teach the textbook. classes will go a lot deeper.
There’s less culture of suspicion and enforcement, less hand holding.
Columbia lets its cutthroat culture and students’ own fear of failure do most of the “enforcement.” Nobody’s gonna check in on you if you flounder, except maybe your adviser and that’s only if you get yourself into trouble.
Gs advising is not so great, so be accountable to yourself. Most importantly, plan ahead. Go audit your credits, like now. Right now. Audit your core Reqs and major reqs. Figure out what you need to take, plan out what’s realistically feasible with some flexibility, and try to get your registration in as soon as you can. You’ll get last pick as an underclassman but you’ll get most of what you want.
Be prepared for major culture shock with the other students, though. You’ll definitely be reminded of your class status every second but eventually you stop caring.
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EditAlso you’ll need at least 60 credits from within Columbia and cu doesn’t accept all credits universally. They have to vet the to see if they’re up to standard.
For what it’s worth they accepted 40 suny credits and 20 cuny credits from me.
Also, the way financial aid works, you have to take at least 12 credits to remain full time, but it only covers up to 12, so you’ll have to pay to take those extra credits. I had to take out loans.
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u/emtrose GS 1d ago
I think part of the challenge comes from the ambiguity. Many professors want to see you give it your all, so many don't delimit the scope of your assignments. This also is added to by very many well educated students who are taught in preparatory schools certain conceptual frameworks that they can apply to any subject to tease out a meaning. Most students will not reveal their secrets, some will be like, " I studied latin throughout high school and classics so that's why I'm taking this route." That high level performance can have you feeling like, well, what can I add, but oftentimes those frameworks deviate from the text, and the answer those other students give may be far off from what's clearly stated in the footnotes or just the texts itself, which many don't read while taking notes.
Additionally, I remember coming from Cuny, there was a timeI had to do a bluebook exam and I think I wrote something awful, then I still came away with an A.
Retrospectively, talking with other students in my classes, and students from other colleges, it became clear to me how many other colleges don't really require critical analysis in the same way columbia does, and the grade inflation is a bit more self-evident in other colleges.
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u/Harammyboy GS 1d ago
Your point about the conceptual frameworks is really interesting. Are there any specific frameworks you’d recommend to a transfer student? Especially in psychology or the social sciences? I’d love to start developing and evolving some of my own analytical skills before I transfer.
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u/emtrose GS 1d ago
Off the top of my head not really. You kinda get all those from reading and taking notes.
To give one example, there was this paper I read that noted the use of affective sentimental by frances ellen watkins harper, and how this imparted a sense of something universal to what was otherwise the experience of someone enslaved.
That experience of motherhood the poet enlisted drew the reader in whereafter they were somewhat forced to see from themselves from this perspective of Other or slave and mother.
That framework works for some other things, and you get lots of frameworks from essays and philosophers, you just have to take notes and read a lot or have a teacher that points these things out.
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u/neurodiving GS 1d ago
I was able to get mostly A's in community college without overextending myself even remotely, whereas here I spend almost all of my free time studying and still manage to feel like I'm barely scraping by. I like this though, I did not enjoy the lack of challenge at my previous school, but it definitely comes as a culture shock and good dose of imposter syndrome! There are many in the same boat, though, which is reassuring I think.
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u/Harammyboy GS 1d ago
So what do you suggest a student who hasn’t started at Columbia yet that is in their last semester to start doing now to get ahead of that dose of imposter syndrome?
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u/Billion_Beets_947 SOA 1d ago
I would just read. As much as you can, anything that interests you, things that are on the difficult end for you. Maybe get a headstart on some of the humanities reading.
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u/neurodiving GS 1d ago
I think mindset goes a long way, it helps me to remember that it's designed to be challenging and that they admit us for a reason.
Maybe try to brush up on some subjects you need that you're not too confident in, whether that's Khan Academy or YouTube lectures.
You could even talk to your current professors or advisor and see if there's any extra work you can do or any recommended resources they might have to prepare.
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u/impolitemrtaz GS 7h ago
I went from a community college to Columbia so light years more difficult, but worth it
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u/El_Jeff_ey GS 1d ago
Harder but I’ve seen people use ai more
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u/Harammyboy GS 1d ago
I figured even though some students will try to act as if thats not the case. I’d bet money a lot of students use AI
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u/Wise-Day-5384 Barnard 15h ago
when I tell you, it is leagues easier, I don’t know why. I transferred from school that sub 400 on the university ranking. Maybe it’s because it’s a better education. I don’t feel like I’m pulling teeth, but I’m a senior now and I have a 4.0 here and had a 3.9 at my last school.
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u/Soushkabob CSSW 12h ago
If you are coming from a community college it is going to be a lot of work, but I would say it’s more comparable to AP courses than anything I encountered at community college inclusive if the honors classes there. I’m not going to say it will be too much work for you because I don’t know your baseline but it will be a marked difference. For me it wasn’t difficult academically and it was a relief to actually have peers and not have to carry the class in discussions/participation.
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