Student review [#37552] for Communication and Education
at Columbia University

Columbia’s undergraduate housing is run through a lottery system where each student is given a lottery number that determines when they can apply for their desired housing. The lottery system gives priority to the elderly. So seniors can choose their apartment first, then juniors and so on. The lottery system can be confusing, but Columbia Housing does a good job of clarifying the process through email updates, a website, flyers, and information sessions. All dorms have heaters while only some dorms have air conditioners in each room. It’s best to stay in hallway style dorms with individual air conditioning and heating in each room (like Furnald, Broadway, John Jay, etc.), and these hallway style dorms are cheaper than other dorms. Hartley has one of the worst dorms: (1) It’s one of the oldest dorms, so the carpet is old and dirty (bad for people with carpet and dust mite allergies); (2) no air conditioning; (3) heating not working in many rooms; (4) Infestations of cockroaches and mice on lower floors when students share kitchens with messy roommates.
Columbia dorms have tight security in place to ensure that only holders of a valid CU student ID can enter the building unless guests are registered.