Activities and Events

Mid-day Break



Recreational activities are offered every day during the break between the morning and afternoon class. These include:

  • Outdoor sports
  • Arts and crafts activities
  • Board games and video games
  • Trips to local restaurants and places of interest such as the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Riverside Park, and Grant's Tomb, all just blocks away from the campus
  • Panels on applying to college and topical issues
  • Community outreach projects.

Community outreach projects have included helping out in local soup kitchens, visiting elderly people in the neighborhood, public park clean-ups, and on-campus food and clothing drives.

Students are expected to cover expenses for trips to restaurants and local attractions.

Other options for the midday period include:

  • Using Columbia's extensive physical fitness center
  • Studying in the University's many libraries and computer labs
  • Sampling the neighborhood's cafes and inexpensive restaurants
  • Relaxing, socializing, and enjoying the sunshine on Columbia's beautiful campus

Special Events

College Application, College Admission, College Selection
(Both sessions)
Admissions Officers, Columbia Undergraduate Admissions
An interactive and extensive session on selecting and applying to college, the admissions process, and financing a college education. Students are required to attend this session.

The College Fair
(Session I only)
The College Fair, hosted by Columbia College, is scheduled during the third week of Session I. The fair is held in Lerner Hall’s spacious Roone Arledge Auditorium where admissions officers, alumni, and current students from over 100 colleges and universities as well as representatives from Princeton Review and Kaplan are on hand to answer questions and provide information and literature. Summer Program students have the opportunity to visit the fair during the midday break or after classes.

Course-Specific Activities

Instructors may schedule course-related programs and field trips. If the activities do not take place during normal class hours, attendance is encouraged but optional.

Evening and Weekend Activities for Residential Students

Several recreational options for residential students are offered every evening and weekend day. Those activities are specially selected to expand students' awareness of the cultural and social diversity of New York City and Columbia University.

Recreational options include:

  • on-campus events
    • parties
    • a talent show
    • a scavenger hunt
    • an open mike night
    • a yearbook
    • organized sports
  • off-campus excursions in and around New York City:
    • museums
    • guided walking tours
    • Broadway and off-Broadway theater
    • films
    • Central Park
    • concerts
    • restaurants
    • beaches
    • tourist attractions
    • Six Flags
    • Coney Island

Students are expected to cover expenses such as admission fees, transportation, and meals. Though many of the off-campus trips are inexpensive or free, we suggest that residential students have access to a minimum of $700 per session.

Sample Residential Program Trips:

Listing of one week's worth of trips.

  • Grimaldi's Pizza, Brooklyn Bridge, and Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
  • Movie: Harry Potter
  • Broadway Show: Hair
  • South Street Seaport
  • Museum of Natural History, Starry Night Jazz
  • Concert: All Points West Music Festival
  • Sushipalooza
  • Central Park & Shake Shack
  • Ninja NYC Restaurant Trip
  • Museum: The Cloisters
  • Lincoln Center, Car Music Project
  • Chelsea Piers Ice Skating
  • Monday Night Magic Show at St. Clement's Theatre
  • Café Mozart
  • Broadway Show: Lion King
  • Randall's Island Golf, Batting Cages, and Mini Golf
  • Yankees vs. Red Sox baseball game
  • Cafeteria Restaurant
  • Movie: Up!
  • Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night
  • Broadway Show: Hairspray
  • Broadway Show: Wicked
  • Beach Trip: Long Beach, Long Island
  • Broadway Show: Jersey Boys
  • Bryant Park screening of Casablanca, with picnic

A first-day orientation to Columbia University and New York City prepares students to use good judgment so that they might safely enjoy the campus and the city.