The Residential Experience
The residential experience is much more than just living in a dorm. It's about careful supervision, a strong and supportive social network, numerous on-campus activities, and scores of optional excursions all over New York City.
Students are supervised by carefully selected college and graduate students who have completed an intensive two-week training program. These resident advisers are focused on the well-being of the students; they do not have other jobs and are not taking classes. With an average of 10 students per RA, no student gets lost in the crowd. RAs and students get to know each other well and students learn about college life—as well as how to apply to and select a college—from trusted mentors.
Resident advisers look after the safety of the students with the utmost care. During dormitory orientation on check-in day, students are instructed as to basic safety measures in New York City. The Behavioral Standards Agreement, including curfew and sign-out procedures, is enforced vigilantly.
Resident advisers do everything possible to ensure that students have a productive and enjoyable summer. The first-day orientation is also an ice-breaking and getting-to-know-you session. RAs organize hundreds of recreational programs both on-campus and throughout New York City. Every evening and every weekend day, residential students have several optional activities or excursions to choose from. They have countless opportunities for getting to know RAs and other students and for exploring the campus and the city. See evening and weekend activities for more information.
Residential students are housed in University residence halls at the center of Columbia's tranquil 36 acre main campus. Students are placed in either single or double rooms on single-sex floors or in single-sex suites. The residence halls have shared kitchens, bathrooms, and lounge facilities, either in the suite or on the floor.
Each room has a telephone that can receive calls and can make outgoing campus calls. Students wishing to make non-campus outgoing calls may use cell phones, calling cards, or pay phones found in the dormitory lobbies.
Some residence halls do not have central air conditioning. Where there is no central air conditioning, window units are provided in all of the bedrooms and are included in the housing fee.
Accepted students receive complete information regarding the dorms and what to bring.
Eligibility
Students who are 16 years old by June 27, 2010, qualify automatically for residential status.
Younger students may reside in the dormitories with the special permission of the Director of Secondary School Programs. The student's parents or guardians should submit a note, along with the other application materials, attesting to his or her maturity. Younger students are housed with the other students in the program and are assumed to be at the maturity level of 16- and 17-year-olds.
Should the demand for housing be greater than the supply, preference will be given to students living outside the greater metropolitan area.
Supervision
Supervision throughout the program is provided by trained resident advisers, college and graduate students who participate in Columbia’s Internship in Building Community (IBC). Prior to the arrival of the high school students, IBC participants attend an intensive two-week seminar in which they learn how to provide for the safety and well-being of the students and study topics such as community building, communication skills, conflict resolution, and leadership.
Resident advisers look after the students during the day as well as at night. In addition to their custodial dormitory responsibilities, RAs serve as full-time program assistants, providing administrative support, teaching assistance, and a full range of extracurricular activities.
Scheduled group activities are not mandatory, but students are asked to account for their whereabouts after 7:00 PM by means of sign-out procedures. Curfew (11:00 PM on weeknights and 12:00 AM on weekends, unless students are participating in a supervised activity) and rules of acceptable conduct are strictly enforced.
Parents must submit written permission to the High School Program Office in order for a student to be away overnight. The permission note must include the dates and times that a student will be away as well as the location and phone number of where he or she will be staying. Permission notes must be submitted at least 24 hours prior to departure.
Dormitory Security
The dormitories are staffed 24 hours daily with security personnel.
No individual without a University identification card and/or clearance for dormitory access is allowed to enter a dormitory.
