If you're interested in attending Columbia University or another college, but you find yourself in need of a little help, there's no shame in exploring *all* your options - like finding a sugar daddy to provide you with financial assistance. The school itself is proof that no one starts elite - you can only rise to achieve that status through hard work, perseverance, and utilizing all your resources. Columbia was opened with a faculty of one. Three centuries later, it's one of the largest, most prestigious learning institutions in not just the United States, but in the world.
You want to
win a Nobel Prize, so you decide to accept
Columbia University acceptance of your college application.
They won't exactly hand you the award, but your chances significantly increase just by becoming a student. A whopping
97 Nobel Prize recipients have come from Columbia University, more than any other learning institution in the nation.
This
level of competition dates back to the late 1700s, when Columbia was first founded by a collection of New York scholars, businessmen, and religious leaders. Another
university - the modern-day Princeton - had just been built across the Hudson river, and the social elite of New York found themselves concerned with what it meant for their own province, both economically and intellectually. They formed Columbia University, then called King's College, as a "rival" institution. It was the first college in New York and only the fifth in the United States.
However, its history wasn't always as impressive as the stories of today. When it first opened in 1754, founding president Dr. Samuel Johnson was the only faculty member. Its reputation was rocky at best, having been created and funded by the Church of England during the time of American independence. It was lavishly wealthy and elite - something the struggling colonies resented, and saw as further influence of the Crown in their new country.
The school was then rocked by the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, causing it to suspend all activities for eight years. Its library was looted and taken over as a military hospital.
Things took an upswing in the aftermath of the war - the university had produced several famous alumni (including five "founding fathers" of American history, such as George Washington's adviser, Alexandar Hamilton) and it gained credibility in the eyes of the public. To show its support for America as an independent nation, the name was changed from King's College to Columbia College (later Columbia University).
Columbia would continue to grow as both a leading presence in education and a major economic center in New York. It was not only a place of learning, but a meeting of minds for the elite. Franklin D. Roosevelt was once a student. Dwight Eisenhower was a Colombian president before he was America's president.
Today Columbia University houses an entire collection of graduate schools, such as
Columbia Law School and the
Barnard College For Women. It's gone down in history for everything from its famous pupils to its infamous student protests, such as the rioting during the Vietnam War. (Ever heard stories about student activism? That precedent was set by Columbia University students in the 1960s.)
The uranium atom was first split on a Columbia campus. The World Leaders Forum is an annual conference to presidents, ambassadors, and significant political leaders from all over the globe.
Admission to the university is tough - only 9% of applicants make the cut. Once you're in, however, you're family. Columbia boasts an impressive diversity rate and high reported student satisfaction. On-campus housing is available to all undergraduates (and is guaranteed for four year students). The school also offers extensive financial aid, some of the best in the nation. Over 50% of students are on some kind of assistance, and the average package commonly exceeds $30,000.
Columbia can also offer a thriving student life and "college experience." There are over four hundred student groups affiliated with the school government, and your voice can heard through a wide variety of student publications, newspapers, and broadcasting groups. There are dozens of fraternities and sororities for the Greek in you. The university is keen to support all student interests, and they've been known to pour money into everything from their theater program to their (world famous!) marching band.
Interested in something a little more physical? Columbia has a booming athletic department with varsity teams for over 29 sports. It's even a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Players in the Columbia Lions have gone on to become record breakers, Cup winners, and Olympic medalists.
Remember the origin story of Facebook? How it was created by a student at Harvard Law? The idea got its basis from an online Colombian program called CampusNetwork. Mark Zuckerberg would go on to recruit CampusNetwork's original founder.
Whether you're looking for a serious education or just the esteem of attending one of the oldest universities in the modern world, Columbia University is a choice worth looking into. The statistics speak for themselves. 97 Nobel Prize winners, ten Olympic medalists, five founding fathers, three US presidents... how can that many alumni be wrong?
Ten years from now, you could be a successful professional who looks back on your days as a sugar baby - and laughs that her Sugar Daddy paid for her college education.