Past the New World gates

Immediately upon my arrival at Columbia University, I received an unexpectedly warm welcome from my future roommate and other friends from the floor of the dorm where I live. Not only did they make me happy - their advice also helped me to find my way around the campus quickly. Orientation Week followed, and we were informed about all the available possibilities that our university campus offers. These include several multi-purpose gyms, a swimming pool, an underground running track, a theater, a movie theater, about ten libraries, and countless counseling centers for addressing all sorts of problems that we might encounter during our studies (the most important ones being the international student center, health center, and security center. Towards the end of the week, I met my personal academic advisor and then I got to choose my subjects to go along with my future profession.

As a student of the undergraduate (U.S. “bachelor”) curriculum, I do not need to finally determine what exactly I want to study, but I have long gravitated towards medicine, specifically psychiatry. This is why my first semester schedule includes psychology lessons as well as two subjects required by all medical schools in the U.S. – mathematics and chemistry. On the other side of the spectrum, I also take lessons in Literature and Humanities and Frontiers of Science, which are among the principal subjects taught to all students at Columbia College. This is part and parcel of the spirit of our university, which is quite important – as is membership in the university itself.

And then the “real” semester began, with all that it entails. I was used to a certain amount of workload from Open Gate, so the start-up was not overly difficult, but I am gradually finding out that I have much less leisure time than I used to have. To date, the studies at Columbia University have not been as difficult intellectually as they have been in physical terms – the number of tasks we are assigned is very time-consuming and, as a result, quite physically exhausting. So far, though, I have managed to keep my grades above average and hand all my assignments in on time and still enjoy a few leisure activities – regular tennis lessons and the Youth For Debate program, which teaches local high school students to deliver an argument-supported speech in public. One of the reasons why I have succeeded so far is that my lessons are interesting and attractive beyond my expectations.

But living on a university campus is not all about “work” – it is also about social life within a specific student community, in a city as unique as New York on top of it all. Within the first two months plus I have managed to gather a small group of friends with whom I currently spend any leisure time I have left. I am immensely happy to be so lucky as to study at a university such as this – and not just because of the incredibly beautifully colorful fall in New York ...