Beginning at Barnard Virtual NSOP

Hello, Class of 2030!

The Barnard Orientation Team has announced mandatory online sessions. You can find available dates and times below!

There are three mandatory virtual orientation program sessions that students must attend before the start of the academic year:

Students are only required to attend one of each virtual session. You must attend:

•  one (1) Student Rights & Expectations @ Barnard session

• one (1) Bystander Intervention & Healthy Relationships session

• one (1) BCIT session 

Zoom Links will be provided via email the week of August 3rd. 

Friday, August 7th:

• 10 am EST: Student Rights & Expectations @ Barnard

• 4 pm EST: Bystander Intervention & Healthy Relationships

Monday, August 10th: 

• 10 am EST: Bystander Intervention & Healthy Relationships

• 4 pm EST: Barnard College IT (BCIT) 

• 7 pm EST:  Student Rights & Expectations @ Barnard

Tuesday, August 11th: 

• 10 am EST: Barnard College IT (BCIT) 

• 4 pm EST: Student Rights & Expectations @ Barnard

• 7 pm EST: Bystander Intervention & Healthy Relationships

Thursday, August 13th: 

• 7 pm EST: Barnard College IT (BCIT) 

Students unable to attend sessions should submit a formal exemption/justification for absence to orientation@barnard.edu.

Best,

The First-Year Team

The English Conference - Art and Artifact with Jennifer Egan (ENGL BC3098) available for Fall 2026!

Hello First-Years!

The English Department will be offering an upcoming course for this fall: The English Conference - Art and Artifact, featuring Jennifer Egan—an acclaimed American novelist and journalist! Please see the flyer and information down below!

Best,

The First-Year Team

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This is a 1-point course that will meet on Tuesdays from 2:10 to 4PM on October 6, October 13, October 20, and October 27.

In this course, you will explore the following: What is fiction, exactly, and why does it matter? In our screen-dominated era, these questions are worth asking and answering afresh. 

The course will examine the ways in which works of literature—likely to include short novels or novellas by Nella Larsen, Jean Rhys, Chester Himes and Philip Roth—offer portals into both the public mores and private experience of their eras. Each work will be examined through four lenses: 1. Technology; 2. Bodies and sexuality 3. Identity and exclusion, and 4. Notions of consciousness. The craft choices that enable their authors to achieve specific effects, with an eye toward physical description, point of view, and characterization will also be studied. The conference will include creative in-class handwritten exercises aimed at accessing the unconscious and generating fruitful material. No previous literary training is necessary, and students of every age and discipline are welcome.

If you're interested in taking this course, please find more information here.

THTR UN3150 (Critical Histories of Drama, Theatre, Performance) available for Fall 2026!

Hello First-Years!

Please see the flyer down below for an upcoming course offered by the Theatre Department for this Fall if you are interested in enrolling in a theatre course and is available to incoming First-Year students!

Best,

The First-Year Team

Math Placement for Incoming Students

Hello, First-Years!

This information is from the Math Department website, and it thoroughly covers their recommendations for math placement: 

For placement purposes, the Mathematics Department considers the following equivalent to Calculus 1 and 2 at Columbia:

• • A score of 5 on the Calculus BC Advanced Placement.
  • A score of 7 on the IB Mathematics: analysis and approaches HL exam (2021 or later) or a score of 7 on the IB HL Mathematics or Further Mathematics exams (2020 or earlier).
  • An A on the A-Level Further Mathematics exam in the U.K.

  Students with any of these scores should begin with Calculus 3, Accelerated Multivariable Calculus, or Honors Math A. They do not need to take Calculus 1 or 2.

• For placement purposes, the Mathematics Department considers the following equivalent to Calculus 1 at Columbia:
  • A score of 4 on the Calculus BC Advanced Placement exam.
  • A score of 4 or 5 on the Calculus AB Advanced Placement exam.
  • A score of 6 on the IB Mathematics: analysis and approaches HL exam (2021 or later) or a score of 6 on the IB HL Mathematics or Further Mathematics exams (2020 or earlier).
  • A score of 6 or 7 on the IB Mathematics: applications and interpretation HL exam (2021 or later) or a score of 6 or 7 on the IB SL Mathematics exam (2020 or earlier). This does not include the IB “Mathematical Studies SL” exam.
  • An A on the A-Level Mathematics exam or a B in A-Level Further Mathematics exam in the U.K.
  • A grade of A in a full year of high school calculus.

  Students with any of these scores may begin with either Calculus 2 or Calculus 3. Note that such students who decide to start with Calculus 3 may still need to take Calculus 2 since it is a requirement or prerequisite for other courses. In particular, they MUST take Calculus 2 before going on to Calculus 4.

NB: These guidelines are for placement purposes only. If your major requires a Calculus course that you have placed out of, you must take a replacement course. A replacement course is any class that lists that level of Calculus as a prerequisite—for example, any MATH course numbered 2000 or above. 

For other questions, please be in touch with Professor De Silva at desilva@math.columbia.edu.

The First-Year Team

Apply to Fall 2026's Creative Writing Workshops, featuring Jhumpa Lahiri, Paul Muldoon, Maria Hinojosa, Zaina Arafat, and more!

Hello, Class of 2030!

See below for information from the English Department about writing workshops suitable for first-years!

Applications are now open for Fall 2026's creative writing courses, and all Barnard students are invited to apply! Our offerings include workshops in prose, poetry, and playwriting, taught by acclaimed writers including Pulitzer Prize winners Jhumpa Lahiri*, Maria Hinojosa, and Paul Muldoon, Lambda Literary Award winner Zaina Arafat, former New York State Poet Laureate Patricia Spears Jones, and more! All experience levels are welcome, with introductory workshops geared towards beginners and advanced workshops intended for more experienced writers. You can see all of our course offerings here and apply to up to three workshops via the application form. The more workshops you apply to, the higher your chances of being placed in one of your choices. The form will close at 11:59PM on Sunday, August 2nd, and all applicants will be informed of their status on Friday, September 4th. Waitlisting is only required once workshop assignments have been made and applicants notified. If you have any questions, please contact mkumarad@barnard.edu or see our FAQs for First-Year students (login required to view) here.

*Please note that only 30 applications will be accepted to Professor Jhumpa Lahiri's Fall 2026 creative writing workshop, "Fiction and Personal Narrative-For Man is a Centaur: Reading Primo Levi". Please click here to see more information on the workshop and to submit your application. There are still a few application spots remaining!

Best,

The First-Year Team

Barnard Basics: Strategies for Success in Your First Year!

Hello First-Years!

We are so excited to welcome you to Barnard College! The Deans' Office for Advising and Support is committed to supporting you every step of the way through its Academic Coaching program. We are happy to provide a virtual pre-orientation program called Barnard Basics: Strategies for Success in Your First Year, hosted by the Program Coordinator for Academic Coaching, Allie Johnston.

In this one-hour session, you will learn skills and tools that will help you not just in your academics, but in every aspect of life here at Barnard. Topics include time management, adjustment to Barnard, study strategies, imposter syndrome, and more! Please see this RSVP form to sign up for a day. If there are any conflicts or questions, feel free to reach out to Allie at ajohnsto@barnard.edu.

Best,

The First-Year Team

Columbia Classes available to First-Year Students (beginning September 4, provided space is available)

Students may not generally take a class at Columbia in their first year unless they EITHER:

a) Need to take one of a short list of introductory courses (see below); 

b) Intend to take a language not offered at Barnard or a level of a language not offered at Barnard, or;

c) Intend to take musical instrument instruction not offered at Barnard

Other exceptions are not likely to be approved. Please consult with your summer adviser or reach out to first-year@barnard.edu if you have questions. 

Exception Reason #1: Introductory Courses the Following Departments 

These courses will be coded so that Barnard students can register for them directly through Vergil on Friday, September 4:

ASTRONOMY 

ASTR UN1903- Astronomy Lab I

COMPUTER SCIENCE 

COMS W1404 Emerging Scholars Program Seminar

COMS W3134 Data Structures in Java

COMS W3157 Advanced Programming 

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 

EESC UN2100 Earth’s Environmental System: Clim Syst

EESC UN2200 Earth’s Environmental System: Solid Earth

MATHEMATICS  

APMA E2000 – Multivariable Calculus

Math UN1207 Honors Math A + Math UN 1217 Honors Math Recitation

Math UN 1205 Accelerated Multivariable Calculus + Math UN 1215 Accelerated Multi Recitation

Math UN2015 Linear Algebra and Probability

PHYSICS  

PHYS UN2801- Accelerated Physics I (please consult with the Physics Department about eligibility for this course) 

SLAVIC

SLCL UN3001 Slavic Cultures

STATISTICS 

STATS UN1001 Introduction to Statistics

STATS UN1101 Introduction to Statistics

STATS UN1201 Calc-based Intro to Statistics

Exception Reason #2: Language courses not taught at Barnard

Languages (or levels of languages) that are not taught at Barnard will be available for incoming first-year registration at Columbia starting Friday, September 4th.

Students with a background in a particular language should take the relevant placement exam before registration opens (if possible).

Exception Reason #3: Musical Instrument Instruction 

Musical instrument instruction (excluding voice lessons, which are taught at Barnard) is only taught at Columbia; therefore, students interested in taking music lessons will be able to register for them on Vergil beginning Friday, September 4th.

All department session recordings are now available!

Hello First-Years!

We are excited to share the complied list of all of the department sessions that took place this week from June 22nd - June 26th, which you can find in this document here!

We also included a contact list of faculty and staff representatives from each department in that document for you if you have any follow up questions you have from the sessions or would simply like to get in touch with them!

Also, in case you happened to miss it earlier this month, here is the recording of the General Advising Webinar that was presented by the First-Year Class Dean, Erica Siegel, along with the powerpoint slides from the presentation.

We hope you have a good weekend and we will be back soon with another email with some information about registration that will be helpful for you as you approach your first Barnard registration period this July!

.........We may also be sending your FYE and PE assignments very soon.....Stay tuned! 🙂

Best,

The First-Year Team

First-Year-Friendly Class List Now Available!

Hello, Class of 2030!!

We’ve told you that a list of first-year-friendly classes would be sent, and we finally have it! You can access it here, but make sure that you’re using your Barnard email. There are also a few things to keep in mind:

1. If you look now, Vergil may show these classes as full, but if a class is on this list, it has held seats for first-years, and spots will become available before you register in July. 

2. When you go to register in July, some of these classes may fill up quickly. Please be sure to create a long list of alternates from this list so that you have options ready to hand. Remember, you can stay on a maximum of three waitlists, and there is a good chance of fluctuation in enrollment as we get closer to the first day of classes.   

3. Please plan to build a full schedule (minimum 12 credits) from this list. If you are hoping to take a Columbia class that is an approved exception (such as a language course not offered at Barnard), you will have to wait until the second registration period on September 4th to sign up.

More information about registration will be provided in the coming weeks! For now, please have a look at the list of classes and plan to attend any information session next week that looks interesting to you.

Our best,

The First-Year Team

New course offered by the French Department (in English) for Fall 2026! ~ FR BC2456 (Paris in the Belle Époque)

Hello First-Years!

Please see the flyer down below for a new upcoming course by the French Department (offered in English) available for First-Year students to take this upcoming term!

Best,

The First-Year Team

Neuroscience Labs Available in Brand New RD Science Center

Happy Friday, Soon-to-Be First-Years!

If you're a humanities major looking for a lab, or a potential Neuro major looking to get your feet wet, see the flyer below for more information on two Neuro labs!

Best,

Sophia Brown 

2026 Department Information Sessions from June 22nd-June 26th!

Hello First-Years!

We wanted to share the schedule for our upcoming Department Information Sessions, which will take place on Zoom from Monday, June 22nd - Friday, June 26th! All of the Zoom links for each session are attached below.

These are group advising sessions presented by department chairs and directors, and they are the perfect opportunity for you to ask questions related to majors/programs, department course offerings, and more!

Monday, June 22nd:

• Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, Biology (10AM-11AM EDT)

• Economics & Math (11AM-12PM EDT)

• Architecture, Urban Studies, Psychology (12PM-1PM EDT)

Tuesday, June 23rd:

• Political Science, Education, Sociology (10AM-11AM EDT)

• English, Theater, Art History, History (11AM-12PM EDT)

• First-Year Experience (12PM-1PM EDT)

Wednesday, June 24th:

• Philosophy, Religion, WGSS, Foreign Languages, French (11AM-12PM EDT)

• Computer Science (12PM-1PM EDT)

Thursday, June 25th:

• Cognitive Science & Neuroscience (10AM-11AM EDT)

• Pre-Health Advisor (11AM-12PM EDT)

Friday, June 26th:

• JTS/Barnard Double Degree (11AM-12PM EDT)

If you will not be available to attend any of them, don't worry! They will be recorded and distributed to all students to watch at your own convenience.

Best,

The First-Year Team

BIOL 1009, Plants in Life and Laboratory ("Plant Life") Fall 2026 course for First-Years!

Hello First-Years!

Please see the flyer down below for an upcoming biology course available this Fall term--BIOL 1009, Plants in Life and Laboratory ("Plant Life")--to incoming First-Year students!

It is designed to be friendly to incoming first-years, and generally is a lecture+lab option for non-majors. This would be an appropriate option for students connected with HEOP, Access Barnard or others who may want a gradual and more welcoming on-ramp for exploring a variety of STEM majors. It would prepare such students well for the rigor of pre-requisites such as the Fall or Spring halves of our 1500-level sequence. Transfer students would also be very welcome!

If you have any questions about the course, please contact Professor Hilary Callahan at hcallaha@barnard.edu

Best,

The First-Year Team

Children's Literature

Hello, Class of 2030!

Professor Monica Cohen is teaching a lecture called Children's Literature. It satisfies an Arts and Humanities Requirement, and it can satisfy a "Thinking About Social Difference," "Thinking Through Global Inquiry," or a "Thinking with Historical Perspective" Requirement! See below for more details!

Children's Literature

ENGL BC1349

T/R 2:40-3:55

M. Cohen

Much of who we are as adults --what makes us cry and what makes us laugh--

began in the first stories that absorbed us and gave us so much pleasure. Return

to that pleasure from an analytical perspective, exploring fairytales and

folktales, coming-of-age stories, domestic fiction designed to educate girls,

adventure romance marketed to boys, and fantasy. Readings may include

The Adventures of Pinocchio; Little Women; The Lion, the Witch, and the

Wardrobe; Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Treasure Island; Harry Potter;

and selections from the Arabian Nights and European fairytales.

Welcome to Barnard!

 

Dear Barnard College Class of 2030, 

We are so excited to welcome you to our community and help you start planning for the fall and for

your four years here! Before that happens, we hope to provide a rundown on most things academic as well as advise you on other aspects of the college experience in preparation for your arrival at Barnard.

So what is Beginning at Barnard?

Beginning at Barnard is the umbrella term used to refer to the content delivered by us here in the

Dean’s Office for Advising and Support, as well as other offices such as Access Barnard, during

the summer to help the First-Year class transition smoothly to the College. Over the next three

months, we will communicate with you frequently via emails, our class blog, and our Instagram page to keep you informed of relevant and timely information.

Who’s on the First-Year Team?

• Erica Siegel (Associate Dean for Academic Assistance and First Year and Junior Class Dean)

• Lauren Quach (Administrative Assistant to the First-Year and Senior Class Deans)

• Sophia Brown (Student Assistant to the First-Year Class Dean)

You can expect to hear from us often!

What is coming up?

On Monday, June 8th at 7 PM EDT, we will hold a General Advising Webinar over Zoom. This session is required of all new students and aims to provide an overview of academic life at Barnard College and to prepare you for Fall 2026 registration in late July. If you are unable to attend, we will send out a recording after the event. 

In the email we sent to the class today, you will find the Academic Planning Guide for your First Year at Barnard College 2026-2027 attached, which contains important information about advising, our curriculum, course selection for the first semester, registration, and how to start thinking about majors. Please review it in advance of the General Advising Webinar on June 8th. You can also access the Guide through this link here!

Next Steps:

  1. Please RSVP to the General Advising Webinar in advance of the event (Monday, June 8th, 7PM EDT). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the webinar. 

2. By Friday, June 12th at 5PM EDT: Please be sure to fill out and complete the following forms using your Barnard email address

• Pre-Major Advising Questionnaire  
• First-Year Experience Course Preference Form 
• Physical Education Requirement Preference Form

3. June 12th is the deadline for students with a disability who would like to request housing accommodations to submit the application and documentation with the Center for Accessibility Resources and Disability Services (CARDS). Any questions should be directed to cards@barnard.edu.  

4. Please also fill out this form to let us know your preferred t-shirt size. 

Where should I go if I have any questions?

We are here to help! If you have any questions or concerns, you can email us at first-year@barnard.edu, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Be sure to keep an eye on your Barnard email regularly throughout this summer so you don’t miss any important information!

Sophia will host virtual walk-in hours over Zoom (links attached) on the following days every week to answer your questions:

• Mondays (1PM-2PM EDT) 

• Tuesdays (9AM-10AM EDT) 

• Thursdays (5PM-6PM EDT)

In addition to the guide, the First-Year Blog (this site) is a great place to look for information! Much of what we send via email will also be covered in blog posts, as another point of reference throughout the summer and your first year at Barnard. 

You can follow us on our Instagram page at @barnardfirstyear and, last but not least, you should continue to log on to the Enrolling Students Portal for the full list of enrolling documents and for information related to move-in, orientation, financial aid, Access Barnard, and non-academic summer programming.   

We look forward to getting to know the class over the next few months and helping make your transition to Barnard run as smoothly as possible! :)

Best,

The First-Year Team

P.S.: Your class color is yellow!