. Forum

[swc65]

I know that Columbia has housing north of 121st, is it not in a safe area?
I only requested being within walking distance of campus, so could potentially end up there. Anyone know ppl who have lived there and have thoughts to share?

122nd is the northern bound of columbia housing, and lenfest (the popular law school only apartment building) is on 121st. 122nd is about an 8 minute walk to the law school. I have never felt unsafe in the area, and neither have the girls i know who live on 122nd. nyc parks are best avoided at night if you are alone. the entire university gets emails from campus security everytime there is a theft/robbery as well as when they apprehend suspects. I'd say i've received notice of maybe 10-15 such incidents over the course of a year. nothing unsurprising for urban life. columbia security patrols frequently (i see them on 122nd and the outer bounds a lot), and all the columbia buildings have security cameras which make the area a poor choice for mugging people. all in all, i feel totally safe here.

I am glad to read this since I was just assigned housing at 122!

[toaster2]

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[of Benito Cereno]

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I am glad to read this since I was just assigned housing at 122!

You got your assignment? By email?

[somewhatwayward]

I'm a 0L but went to Columbia before. The area is not as unsafe as some make it sound. (It is funny, but when I went to Columbia they told us how save ALL areas in NY are, but then proceeded to tell us how to watch out for this and that in Columbia's neighborhood.) This is New York so you have to exercise normal caution. Personally, I don't like staying out late anywhere in New York by myself. But it depends on the season, too, as funny as that may sound. On a nice warm day people will be out and about until really late so it is safer. On a very cold winter day, you may discover you are the only around at 8 pm. I've been in New York for five years and I have not had any problems yet with someone trying to rob me or anything like that.

I have not encountered any problems around Columbia, although I typically did not stick around there later than 8 or 9. The train station on Broadway is ok because this being New York a lot of people take the train at odd hours. I am not one of the brave ones - too short to be brave I guess haha -- so I didn't take the train around at 3 am or anything like that. But I had class mates who frequently did stuff like that.

i live in manhattan now, and i pretty much never feel unsafe, but i also don't go very far north or south often nor do i leave manhattan much (never at night).

the reason i ask is tha i have a friend who lives at 107th and columbus, and i've walked around there a fair bit. columbus is totally fine, but walking on 107th sometimes makes me nervous even in the middle of the day. there are probably too many people around for anything to happen in broad daylight, but sometimes there are groups of men loitering and kinda leering who'll make mildly harassing comments. i imagine that i'll have to be up at CLS past dark sometimes, working in the library or whatever....

is 107th just sketchier than other cross streets? i have noticed that 103rd-106th don't seem as sketchy for whatever reason.

[nateDgr8]

I am glad to read this since I was just assigned housing at 122!

You got your assignment? By email?

Any others with housing assignments?

[Lem37]

It's New York, so you're going to want to exercise caution anyway. I've lived in the city for 3 years, and I've never been mugged in Morningside. I have, however, been mugged twice in Brooklyn and once in the Village. Carry pepper spray with you just in case ($7 at a home improvement store) - I took down an armed man that way.

[andreea7]

I'm a 0L but went to Columbia before. The area is not as unsafe as some make it sound. (It is funny, but when I went to Columbia they told us how save ALL areas in NY are, but then proceeded to tell us how to watch out for this and that in Columbia's neighborhood.) This is New York so you have to exercise normal caution. Personally, I don't like staying out late anywhere in New York by myself. But it depends on the season, too, as funny as that may sound. On a nice warm day people will be out and about until really late so it is safer. On a very cold winter day, you may discover you are the only around at 8 pm. I've been in New York for five years and I have not had any problems yet with someone trying to rob me or anything like that.

I have not encountered any problems around Columbia, although I typically did not stick around there later than 8 or 9. The train station on Broadway is ok because this being New York a lot of people take the train at odd hours. I am not one of the brave ones - too short to be brave I guess haha -- so I didn't take the train around at 3 am or anything like that. But I had class mates who frequently did stuff like that.

i live in manhattan now, and i pretty much never feel unsafe, but i also don't go very far north or south often nor do i leave manhattan much (never at night).

the reason i ask is tha i have a friend who lives at 107th and columbus, and i've walked around there a fair bit. columbus is totally fine, but walking on 107th sometimes makes me nervous even in the middle of the day. there are probably too many people around for anything to happen in broad daylight, but sometimes there are groups of men loitering and kinda leering who'll make mildly harassing comments. i imagine that i'll have to be up at CLS past dark sometimes, working in the library or whatever....

is 107th just sketchier than other cross streets? i have noticed that 103rd-106th don't seem as sketchy for whatever reason.

Hmmm, there definetely are some fine lines drawn in Manhattan between very safe and somewhat unsafe areas. For the most part, I am not a fan of Columbus Ave., but maybe that's just me. Wherever there are men just hanging out with nothing better to do than to catcall, you are certainly better off not being there at weird hours. That does not necessarily mean there is an actual danger -- I used to go a lot to Washington Heights, where there were also a lot of men out, just hanging out and annoying women. Nothing ever happened but I was not inclined to walk around at night by myself.

But I did not notice any of this around Columbia. My usual walk was on Broadway from 116 to 93 and I never had any issues. I also visited friends on various streets around Columbia -- not sure if 107-- and I can't say I felt unsafe. I would just advise the usual caution stuff-- don't listen to your ipod as you walk around at night, have your laptop/camera,etc well out of sight, etc. I did hear of someone from Columbia getting robbed one night for their camera somehere around but I remember that they had it around their neck, which is not the smartest thing to do.

[somewhatwayward]

^
did you live at 93rd? that's a pretty long walk in the winter.

i really don't like it when men catcall on the street. i mean, does anyone ever actually get together that way (we met on a street corner?), or is it just something they do with no intention of actually making the women feel good? it makes me feel threatened no matter who is doing it, but i think i might be unusually reactive to it.

[of Benito Cereno]

^
did you live at 93rd? that's a pretty long walk in the winter.

i really don't like it when men catcall on the street. i mean, does anyone ever actually get together that way (we met on a street corner?), or is it just something they do with no intention of actually making the women feel good? it makes me feel threatened no matter who is doing it, but i think i might be unusually reactive to it.

Wait, that actually happens outside of cartoons from the 50s?

[andreea7]

^
did you live at 93rd? that's a pretty long walk in the winter.

i really don't like it when men catcall on the street. i mean, does anyone ever actually get together that way (we met on a street corner?), or is it just something they do with no intention of actually making the women feel good? it makes me feel threatened no matter who is doing it, but i think i might be unusually reactive to it.

I don't think it is unusual to not like it. You should be free to walk the streets without someone harassing you. I come from a country where catcalling is being taken to a higher level-- a guy once grabbed my teenage friend in broad light in the MAIN SQUARE of the town and dragged her along for a while. Maybe they evolved since then, who knows?

It is a cultural thing. Nothing per se is expected from it most times. And I think in many cases if one woman actually turned around and "offered" something the guy would just walk away embarrassed. Sometimes it is a power trip giving them pleasure in seeing your reaction, otherwise just a knee jerk reaction to seeing a pretty woman. But sometimes there is an underlying threat in there ("I am stronger than you are and there's nothing you can do to stop me from harassing you"). But like I said, I haven't encountered any of this around Columbia and certainly not on my walk home. Btw, in the winter I did take the train.

[holborn]

wait does this means housing assignments are now going out?

[Frank]

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[Antipodean]

Wait, that actually happens outside of cartoons from the 50s?

You don't walk past many construction sights, do you?

i really don't like it when men catcall on the street. i mean, does anyone ever actually get together that way (we met on a street corner?), or is it just something they do with no intention of actually making the women feel good?

Actually, I was once passing a girl on the sidewalk in Sydney when some guy in a car catcalled her. The girl and I both rolled our eyes simultaneously, noticed that, and ended up getting coffee.

Does it ever get the catcaller laid? I doubt it. I doubt they care about how it makes the girl feel, either; it's just generic male bonding to call attention to how hot hot women are.

[of Benito Cereno]

Wait, that actually happens outside of cartoons from the 50s?

You don't walk past many construction sights, do you?

i really don't like it when men catcall on the street. i mean, does anyone ever actually get together that way (we met on a street corner?), or is it just something they do with no intention of actually making the women feel good?

Actually, I was once passing a girl on the sidewalk in Sydney when some guy in a car catcalled her. The girl and I both rolled our eyes simultaneously, noticed that, and ended up getting coffee.

Does it ever get the catcaller laid? I doubt it. I doubt they care about how it makes the girl feel, either; it's just generic male bonding to call attention to how hot hot women are.

I do walk mast many construction sights but I'm pretty sure I'm really not the type (or gender of choice) of most construction workers.
I did a catcall whistle once at a fatguy naked on his balcony in Lyon. He did a little dance. It was gross.

[TobiasFunke]

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[of Benito Cereno]

do you know if students doing 3 year jd/llm in london can still be on law review (I imagine they can?) and if so can they have editorial positions (I imagine no)?

[somewhatwayward]

i really don't like it when men catcall on the street. i mean, does anyone ever actually get together that way (we met on a street corner?), or is it just something they do with no intention of actually making the women feel good? it makes me feel threatened no matter who is doing it, but i think i might be unusually reactive to it.

Wait, that actually happens outside of cartoons from the 50s?

i didn't know that happened in cartoons from the fifties

....but, yes, it happens sort of frequently in the city....definitely a lot of leering...i've never actually been whistled at, but 'what's up, hottie'-type stuff happens


ETA: do you just get assigned to a particular schedule? are you with your section for all your classes?

[Frank]

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[Frank]

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[somewhatwayward]

^
do you just get assigned to a schedule?

[Frank]

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[of Benito Cereno]

do you know if students doing 3 year jd/llm in london can still be on law review (I imagine they can?) and if so can they have editorial positions (I imagine no)?

They cannot, no. They have to choose.

cannot be on it period or cannot have editorial positions?

[imchuckbass58]

cannot be on it period or cannot have editorial positions?

Cannot be on it period.

To be on Law Review, you must be physically in New York City for both years. You can do joint degree programs at Columbia and still be on Law Review, but you can't be anywhere such that you cannot be in New York at least 2-3 days a week throughout your 2 years on LR.

[of Benito Cereno]

cannot be on it period or cannot have editorial positions?

Cannot be on it period.

To be on Law Review, you must be physically in New York City for both years. You can do joint degree programs at Columbia and still be on Law Review, but you can't be anywhere such that you cannot be in New York at least 2-3 days a week throughout your 2 years on LR.

so all students in london are not on ANY journals... weird as I imagine most students doing such programs have good grades and are the type to be interested in less biglaw-tunnel-vision career paths (academia, clerkships, PI, government) , that is to say, the types usually on journals. isn't give up being on any journal a HUGE sacrifice? I can't imagine anyone makes Columbia Law Review and gives it up. Sucks.

[imchuckbass58]

so all students in london are not on ANY journals... weird as I imagine most students doing such programs have good grades and are the type to be interested in less biglaw-tunnel-vision career paths (academia, clerkships, PI, government) , that is to say, the types usually on journals. isn't give up being on any journal a HUGE sacrifice? I can't imagine anyone makes Columbia Law Review and gives it up. Sucks.

I think you're misunderstanding. You can't be on Law Review if you do a JD/LLM. You can still be on other secondary journals depending on their membership policies.

Also, a lot of 0Ls have misconceptions about the JD/LLM programs. They're really not seen as that valuable, either by current students or employers - it's not like all the top students want to do them. JD/LLM programs are generally seen as 1) a vacation, like study abroad in college or 2) marginally useful if you want to practice in London or elsewhere in Europe (assuming you are fluent in the language). It is largely an advertising device for prospective students who are interested in "international law." When people get here, they realize international law is not actually international law, but rather US law dealing with international topics, which you are perfectly capable of doing in New York.