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The CCRA blog is authored by Columbia undergraduate researchers, who are invited to reflect on all aspects of the research process and their own undergraduate research experiences, beginning (but not ending) with the Core.
Category Archives: The Core
Camaraderie and the Core (on Zoom), Part II
In September I wrote a blog post on my first impressions of Zoom school. It has now been over a year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I have taken nine classes over Zoom. As my senior year … Continue reading
Posted in courses, COVID-19, New York City, The Core
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Columbia and the Core Outside of Class
Reflecting back on four years of Columbia and the Core, I find myself contemplating not which classes were my favorite, but which classes I will take with me for the rest of my life. Similarly, I recently discussed with a … Continue reading
Posted in New York City, postgraduation plans, The Core
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My Senior Year in Lit Hum or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Timeline
I am currently enrolled in a possibly-unprecedented combination of classes: the English Major Senior Essay, which is the department’s name for a senior thesis, and the second semester of Literature Humanities, a class typically taken by first-years. “How?” would be … Continue reading
Posted in Senior Thesis, The Core, Uncategorized
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Changing Tracks: Why Transfer Internally?
The joke goes like this: by the time I graduate, I’ll have gone to all four undergraduate schools. Now that I’ve gone through the first three, having originally enrolled in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), transferred to … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Libraries, Senior Thesis, STEM research, The Core
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The Dreaded Global Core Paper
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen a STEM-major post in the Columbia Facebook group, asking for a Global Core that required only a short paper or no paper at all, I’d probably have enough money to … Continue reading
Posted in courses, The Core, Uncategorized
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An Interview with Professor Emmanuelle Saada, Chair of CC
Professor Emmanuelle Saada is the Chair of Contemporary Civilization and Professor of French and of History at Columbia. She spoke with me in October about adapting to teaching the Core online, the direction in which Contemporary Civilization is headed, and … Continue reading
Posted in courses, COVID-19, Interviews, The Core, Uncategorized
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Scared of the Core Because You’re not a Humanities Person?
A professor recently asked me if, when I was applying to Columbia as a prospective math major, the Core scared me. His assumption, a common one, was that as someone who prefers math and science, the idea of committing a … Continue reading
Posted in courses, STEM research, The Core
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The Core, Explained
One of the primary things Columbia College is known for is its “Core.” A set of requirements that all CC students must complete before graduation, parts of the Core resemble what might be described as general education requirements while other … Continue reading
Posted in courses, The Core, University Writing
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Let Your Thinking Flow
It’s the middle of November, which means I’m anxiously awaiting the three days we’re given off from school during which I become more mashed potatoes and apple crisp than human. I say “anxiously” because while I cannot wait to wake … Continue reading
Posted in courses, The Core, Uncategorized, University Writing
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Let’s Be Informal
My CC professor has a really beautiful outlook on research, and it’s one that I try to apply to all of my research work. She always used to say that research should only serve one purpose— to amplify knowledge. Yet instead, … Continue reading
Posted in The Core
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