Health and Wellness - Welcome Back to Campus This Spring

Dear Barnard Students,   Welcome back to campus and to the spring semester. My name is Dr. Sarah Ann Anderson-Burnett, and I am the Assistant Vice President of Health and Wellness. I hope you had time over the break to rest and recharge. As you return to classes and campus life, our Health and Wellness team is here to support your physical and mental well-being.   Barnard Health and Wellness offers a range of confidential services to support you. Primary Care Health Service (PCHS) provides medical care, including routine visits, urgent concerns, sexual and reproductive health services, immunizations, and lab testing. To schedule an appointment, students should call PCHS directly (212-854-2091), which allows our team to help connect you with the right care as quickly as possible. We are located on the basement level of BrooksHall.    The Rosemary Furman Counseling Center, located on the first floor of Hewitt Hall, offers confidential mental health support, including individual counseling, group therapy, and urgent same-day consultations. If you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, or just need someone to talk to, Furman clinicians are available to help. To schedule an appointment or request a consultation, students should call the Counseling Center directly (212-854-2092). After-hours mental health support remains available through ProtoCall by calling our office number.   Both PCHS and the Furman Counseling Center are confidential services. This means your visits and care are private, and information is not shared with parents or guardians without your permission, except in very limited situations required by law to protect safety.   We also want to be transparent about insurance. Barnard does not bill insurance for PCHS office visits, but insurance may be billed for certain tests or procedures, which can occasionally generate an EOB with limited information. Services at the Furman Counseling Center are not billed to insurance.  If you are covered under a parent or guardian’s insurance plan, Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements may sometimes be sent to the policyholder. Our teams will review confidentiality and billing options with you before care is provided, and you are always encouraged to ask questions.   As the semester begins, please be aware that influenza activity remains elevated across New York City. If you are feeling sick, help protect yourself and others by:   •    Wearing a mask if symptomatic •    Washing your hands frequently •    Testing if you feel unwell •    Staying home when possible •    Get the latest influenza vaccine (available at PCHS and most major pharmacies)   COVID and flu tests are available for purchase in the health vending machine on the first floor of Brooks Hall, along with other over-the-counter medications and health supplies.   If you are feeling ill, please contact Primary Care Health Service to schedule an appointment. If symptoms occur after hours (including weekends), nearby urgent care centers are available, and our after-hours team can help guide you by calling 212-854-2091.   The spring semester can bring both excitement and challenges. Whether you are navigating stress, relationships, academics, or health concerns, you do not have to do it alone. Reaching out early and staying connected to care are important steps in taking care of yourself.   We are glad to welcome you back and look forward to supporting you this semester. Please don’t hesitate to contact the Health and Wellness team if you need assistance.   Warm regards,   Sarah Ann Anderson-Burnett, MD, PhD, FAAP Assistant Vice President of Health and Wellness Director of Health Services and Quality Improvement Barnard College

Interested in taking an Anthropology Class?

Hello First-Years!

If you are looking to take an anthropology course in Spring 2026,  feel free to check out Anthropology UN3661 - SOUTH ASIA: ANTHRO APPROACHES as an available course to consider!

You may find more information about the course here!

The deadline to uncover a grade of P from Fall 2025 is Friday, January 30. Here's how to do that.

If you elected P/D/F grading for a class in Fall 2025, you have until Friday, January 30 to uncover it.  

You can do so through SSOL. Please click here

Then select "P/D/F/ grading" to view your letter grade and the option to uncover your grade.

You can only uncover your grade once the letter grade is listed on your SSOL page.

New Neuroscience Lab for non-majors!

Hello First-Years!

The Neuroscience Department is launching a new neuroscience lab class specifically for non-neuroscience majors--NSBV BC1002 Introductory Laboratory in Neuroscience and Behavior. Three sections will be offered this coming Spring 2026 semester right on the Barnard campus! 

If you need to fulfill your lab science requirement, you may register for this lab class concurrently with NSBV BC1001 Intro to Neuroscience lecture. Alternatively, students may also register for the lab class if you previously completed NSBV BC1001 lecture.

Best,

The First-Year Team

Important End-of-the-Semester Information for Completion of Coursework

Dear Students,   As we come to the end of the fall semester, the Deans’ Office for Advising and Support wants to update you about final exam information and academic resources. We also want to remind you what to do if you experience anything that impacts your ability to complete work for your courses and final exams.   One of the most important things to remember if you are experiencing difficulties is to reach out to your instructor and/or Class Dean. Your class dean is available to discuss your specific situation and offer advice and options.   Academic Resources   •    Personal Librarians: As you complete your final assignments for this semester, contact Barnard Library’s research and instruction team (Personal Librarians) for any support needed around research-based assignments, including senior projects. Librarians are available for individual consultations about ways to access online research materials and meet citation requirements for your papers and projects. Personal Librarians can assist in finding e-books, full-text articles, and open access sources.  •    Center for Engaged Pedagogy: The CEP has put together helpful guides for time management, active reading strategies, and a resource map that points you to various supports. •    Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services (CARDS): Students who are registered with the Barnard Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services (CARDS) and have accommodations should be in touch with CARDS as needed to ensure that their accommodations align with end-of-term assignments. If a faculty member has specific questions about how to implement accommodations in their courses, CARDS is available for individual consultation at cards@barnard.edu. •    Deans’ Office Walk-in Hours (exam week only): If you have an emergent situation and need to consult with a dean during exam week, stop by 105 Milbank any time from 9:00am-5:00 pm (Thursday, December 11th through Friday, December 19th, not including weekend days) to see the available dean on call. If you need to walk in via zoom due to illness, please email doas@barnard.edu for the zoom link.   FINAL EXAMINATION INFORMATION:   All students and instructors are expected to follow the official exam schedule. If you find yourself scheduled for three exams within a 24-hour period or four within 48 hours, you should fill out this form.   Individual faculty members have discretion to allow or deny requests to take an exam at a time different than originally scheduled. If you need assistance with communicating with an instructor, you may contact your Class Dean.   DEFERRED EXAMS:   Students may defer an exam due to acute illness or personal emergency on the day of the exam. Please note our updated guidance for examples of when deferred exams are appropriate. Please also note that deferred exams are not appropriate in the following instances and will not be approved in these cases:   •    Existing travel plans conflict with the exam date •    Concerns about passing the class •    Insufficient preparation for the exam •    More than one exam in a single day, provided that the student does not qualify for exam hardship as defined by the Registrar’s Office: three exams in a 24-hour period, or four exams in a 48-hour period. (This information, along with the form to submit in the event of exam hardship or conflict, can be found here.)    If you need to request a deferral due to acute illness or personal emergency, you must:   a) Email your instructor, copying your class dean, on the day of the exam requesting a deferred exam.   b) You must also submit an official request for a deferred exam in Slate. Your request will be reviewed, and you will be sent an email with details once a decision has been made.   c) For Barnard classes, students should work with their instructor once the request has been approved to go over the details of their deferred exam. For students deferring a Columbia exam or students who receive testing accommodations through CARDS, Deferred exams will be given on Friday, January 23, 2026 and if applicable, Monday, January 26, 2026.   Please be aware that deferred exams cannot be requested in advance of exam week. For more information, visit https://barnard.edu/registrar/grades-exams and scroll down to "Final and Deferred Exams."    ILLNESS DURING EXAM:    If you become ill during an examination:   a) inform the proctor b) hand in the exam, and c) call Primary Care Health Services at 212-854-2091 to make an appointment.   If you've completed less than 40 minutes of a two-hour exam or less than one hour of a three-hour exam, you qualify for a deferred exam (see above). However, if you leave the exam more than 40 minutes into a two-hour exam or more than an hour into a three-hour exam, you'll be graded on the basis of the work you've completed to that point.   INCOMPLETES:   Incompletes are to be given only in cases of illness, personal emergency, or other compelling circumstances. If you need to request an Incomplete, and the instructor is amenable, please be in touch with your faculty member via email to obtain their approval. From there, you will need to submit an Incomplete Request Form in Slate. You will need to upload email confirmation from your instructor when you submit the Slate form. Note that these requests should be received by Thursday, December 11 (the end of Reading Period). If your course also has a timed final exam, please work with your class dean and also submit an official Deferred Exam request (see above).   As a reminder, the official College deadline for completing Fall 2025 Incomplete coursework is Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Individual faculty may also set an earlier deadline for the work to be completed. Please note that incompletes apply only to coursework exclusive of the final examination. For more information, visit https://barnard.edu/registrar/grades-exams and scroll down to "Incomplete Grades."   GRADES:   Final grades are indeed final. Grades may be changed only in cases of clerical error or in the rare event that the instructor needs to reevaluate the work of the entire class. Grades may not be recalculated on the basis of reexamination or the submission of additional or revised work.    ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND THE BARNARD HONOR CODE:   As you write papers or complete exams, whether in a proctored environment or in the comfort of your residence hall or off-campus residence, keep the College's Honor Code (https://barnard.edu/honor-code) in mind. Under pressure, it can sometimes be tempting to make a regrettable decision, such as using untrustworthy and undocumented sources, collaborating on an exam, not following proper citation methods on a paper, or claiming someone else's work as your own. Doing something that might violate the Honor Code is NEVER the way to respond to a difficult or pressured academic situation. There's always a better choice. Please also be aware that any misrepresentation of your circumstances in order to obtain an exam deferral or an incomplete is a violation of the Honor Code. An additional word of caution: it is your responsibility as a student to be aware of your professor’s individual stance on the use of generative AI (ex. ChatGPT). If you are not sure about whether the use of generative AI is permitted in a course, you must consult with your instructor for additional guidance before using generative AI. Note that the Honor Code states that students must responsibly use electronic, print and other resources.   ACADEMIC STANDING:   Please be advised that all students should be aware of Barnard’s academic standing policy (please scroll down on this page to “Academic Standing and Degree Progress”) and how incomplete grades, deferred exams and/or withdrawal grades may impact a student’s academic standing. As noted in this policy, three or more incomplete, failing, or withdrawal grades may place a student on academic probation for the following semester. To discuss your academic standing, please contact your Class Dean.    We wish you all the best as you complete your work for the semester, and hope you have a restful, restorative winter break.   Sincerely, Holly Tedder Assistant Vice President and Vice Dean of the College - Student Support

Apply to be a Writing Fellow!

Apply to be a Writing Fellow today!

Applications are open until February 6th

 

Apply to be a Speaking Fellow!

Applications to be a Speaking Fellow are now open! 

Apply using the QR code below!

Deadline to submit your application is February 20th

 

Registration Round 2 for Spring 2026 Begins December 8

You will have a second opportunity to register for classes on December 8-12, and then again during the first two weeks of the Spring term (January 20-30). During these registration periods, a small number of pre-approved Columbia classes that were not available for registration in November will be available for registration on Vergil. If there is space available in a class that appears in the list below, you are welcome to register for it directly.  If the class is full, and running a waitlist, you may certainly join that waitlist and see what happens during the first two weeks of the Spring term.  As there are no guarantees that a space will become available in a full course, it would be wise to have a plan B. 

Categories of Columbia Classes that are available for registration in December and January as exceptions to the First Year @ Barnard requirement:

1. A class in a language or level of language not offered at Barnard 

2. Musical instrument instruction

3. The following introductory courses in certain majors

Computer Science:

• COMS W1004 Introduction to Computer Science

• COMS W3134 Data Structures in Java

• COMS W3157 Advanced Programming

• COMS W3203 Discrete Mathematics

• COMS UN1404 Emerging Scholars Program Seminar

• ENGI 1006 Introduction to Computer Science for Engineering and Applied Sciences (Python)

Environmental Science:

• EESC UN2100 Earth’s Environmental Systems: Climate Systems

• EESC UN2200 Earth’s Environmental Systems: Solid Earth

• EESC UN1010 Geological Excursion to Death Valley

• SDEV UN2300 Challenges of Sustainable Environment

Physics:  

• PHYS 2802 Accelerated Physics II

Mathematics:

• MATH UN1205 Accelerated Multivariable Calculus

• MATH UN1207 Honors Math A

• MATH UN1208 Honors Math B

• MATH UN2015 Linear Algebra and Probability

• MATH UN1215 Accelerated Multivariable Calculus

• MATH UN1202 Calc IV

• APMA 2000 Multivariable Calculus for Engineering and Applied Science

Statistics:

• STAT UN1101 Introduction to Statistics 

• STAT UN1201 Introduction to Calculus-based Statistics 

• STAT UN2102 Applied Statistical Computing

Sociology:

• SOCI UN1000 The Social World

Exceptions to this list are unlikely to be approved. If you have a compelling case for one, please speak with your pre-major adviser about the petition process. And again – have a back-up plan.

Registration Wak-In December 8th-9th

 Hey First-Years!

In less than a week, we are going to face round 2 of registration!! If you have any issues or urgent questions during registration, we will be holding walk-ins once again with our Student Assistant: Riya. Look below for more details:

In-person walk-in hours: Monday December 8th, 12:30pm-3:30pm, Milbank 105

Zoom walk-in hours: Tuesday December 9th, 3pm-5pm, on Zoom

See you there! As always, if you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out at first-year@barnard.edu :)

Best,

The First-Year Team

Need to talk to a class dean during Finals? Stop by 105 Milbank (or zoom if needed) any time 9am-5pm, Dec 11-12 & 15-19 for Class-Dean Drop-ins!

Need help with a time-sensitive issue affecting your ability to take finals, complete coursework, etc.?

• Never fear; your class deans are here!
• There will be a dean available for drop-ins every day of finals week, 9am - 5pm beginning the last day of reading period. 
• Come see us in 105 Milbank
• Feeling under the weather? Email doas@barnard.edu or call 212-854-2024 to ask for the zoom link.

Register for Anthropology of Climate Change!

 ANTH UN2427 Anthropology of Climate Change is being offered for Spring 2026! Please reach out to flafonta@barnard.edu with any questions. 

Academic Coaching: Finals Prep Sessions from 12/1-12/5!

Hello First-Years,

We hope registration is going well for you! We wanted to provide this announcement regarding upcoming Academic Coaching: Finals Prep Sessions from Monday, December 1st - Friday, December 5th located in the C.E.P. (Milstein 126.) Please view the blurb and flyer down below with the link below (and QR code) to RSVP to sign up for a time!

Best,

The First-Year Team

------

The end of the semester is right around the corner, and the Academic Coaches in the Deans’ Office for Advising and Support are here to help you cross the finish line with tips, tricks, and snacks! If you are feeling stressed for finals, need help organizing your study plan, or want to learn some new study strategies, sign up for a time that works for you using this RSVP form. Drop-in hours will be December 1st - 5th at various times, and located in the C.E.P. (Milstein 126)

We hope to see you there!

Sponsored by the Deans’ Office for Advising and Support

Need an extra credit or two this spring? Here are some ways you might find one

Doing that degree-audit arithmetic and need one or two more credits?

If you're having trouble getting up to the number of credits you need and are looking for a 1-2-credit course to add, here are some options and tips. 

**Be sure to check course descriptions for special registration procedures or necessary permissions.

Know of something that's not on here? Email SeniorClassDean@barnard.edu, and we'll add it!

1-2 credit course options:

Do you need to take PE in Spring 2026?

Students who need to fulfill the PE requirement must join an open class and attend on the first day in order to retain their place.  Attendance credit will be counted on the first day.  Check back during each of your registration times as spots will open up as students drop/add.  Please contact the PE department with any questions about appropriate class formats.  Movement based studio dance classes may also fulfill the PE requirement.  Please consult the Dance department listings.

Walk-In Hours for Registration Questions

 Hey First-Years,

Who's excited for registration week...? Amazing!! ME TOO! 

Hopefully you've all planned your schedules and met (or will meet) with your pre-major advisers by now! If for any reason, you face issues with registration this coming Thursday, we will be holding emergency walk-in hours held by our Student Assistant: Riya! 

Feel free to drop by the Dean's Office of Advising and Support in Milbank 105 or on Zoom with any and all questions, concerns on Thursday November 20th: 3-5pm or Friday November 21st: 9am-12pm. 

Best,

The First Year Team

"Serial Horror" Humanities course available for Spring 2026!

Hello First-Years!

Please take a look at the flyer and syllabus down below for an upcoming Humanities course available

for First-Years in Spring 2026!

Best,

The First-Year Team

Serial Horror

Spring 2026

ENGL BC3413

T/R 2:40-3:55

M. Cohen

Cannibals! Orphans! Strikes! Vampires!

Terrors! Tears! Disgust! Goosebumps!

We will study the pan-media global adaptations, translations, reiterations, and afterlives of maritime, domestic, industrial, and supernatural horror story clusters.

Students of all levels welcome!

Register at your own risk! Mwahaha!

Syllabus available here!

Interested in Understanding the Costs of Study Abroad?

Hey First-Years,

Have you been thinking about studying abroad but not sure how to make it work financially? 

The LeFrak Financial Ambassadors have you covered! Join us for a workshop in collaboration with the Study Abroad Office to break down the real costs behind studying abroad - what is covered, what isn’t, how to budget considering different currencies, and how to plan ahead to make your experience overseas possible.

Learn how to make your study abroad experience both affordable and enjoyable by signing up at this link and check out this flyer for more info!

Best,

The First-Year Team

Apply to be a speaker at Barnard's TEDx event by November 18th!

Hello First-Years!

The Speaking Program is looking for students who are passionate about a topic that calls the Barnard community to action and who are interested in speaking at the event.

If you are interested in being a speaker for our upcoming Barnard TEDx event, you can fill out the application by Tuesday, November 18th located in the QR code on the flyer attached!

Best,

The First-Year Team

Announcement: New booking link to schedule appointments with Dean Siegel!

Hello First-Years!

We wanted to share a very important announcement with you all! Our office has been slowly transitioning to using a new platform for students to schedule appointments to meet with their class deans as we have been using youcanbookme as our main online scheduler for a long time.

Starting today, November 12th, we are moving over to Slate as our new platform for students to schedule appointments to meet with their class deans and will no longer be using youcanbookme.

Going forward, please use Dean Siegel's Slate booking link to schedule an appointment to meet with her. If you need help in finding another time to schedule an appointment or need to meet urgently, feel free to contact our office at doas@barnard.edu or call 212-854-2024 for assistance!

As a reminder, you can also meet with her during walk-in hours on Mondays and Fridays from 3:30-4:30 PM ET either in-person in our office located in Milbank 105 or virtually over Zoom!

Best,

The First-Year Team

Nov 11 Email from Registrar about Registration for the Spring 2026 Semester

 

Dear Students,   Registration for spring classes starts next week, in Vergil. Seniors begin registration on Monday; Juniors on Tuesday; Sophomores on Wednesday; First-years on Thursday.     THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOUR REGISTRATION TIME   •    Add Classes to your Planner in Vergil:    •    Search for courses in the Vergil Course Search and click the “Add to Plan” button •    You can search by subject, by department, by GER, by classes with open seats, etc. See screenshots here. •    The status of all classes will show as “Restricted” before your registration time starts, but you can still add them to your plan. When your registration appointment begins, the class status will change to Open, Full or Wait List (see details below). •    Make sure the Term in the upper-right corner is Spring 2026. •    We highly recommend adding classes to your Planner before your registration window opens.   •    Complete the Terms and Conditions for spring 2026 in Vergil:  •    Log in to Vergil.  •    Click on the orange tile at the top in order to read and acknowledge the Terms and Conditions, which includes a Financial Responsibility Statement. •    You can do this step before your registration appointment. You will not be able to register until it is completed.   •    Complete the College’s BEAR survey and the included Title VI training: •    This is a pre-registration requirement and must be completed to avoid a registration hold in Vergil. The deadline was Tuesday, November 4. If you did not complete the survey, you now have a registration hold. •    To complete the survey and have your hold lifted, check your email to find your unique survey link. •    Please note that holds are only lifted Monday through Friday, and it can take up to 48 hours for a hold to be released. We urge you to complete the survey immediately so that you can register for classes during your allocated time. •    For questions, contact oie@barnard.edu or call 212-853-6304. All holds related to this survey will be managed by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. (Please do not contact the Registrar’s Office, as we will not be able to assist you with this hold.)   •    Check for Holds that will prevent registration.   •    If you have a hold, you will see a message at the top of the Vergil pages that says “There is a Hold on your record that is blocking registration.” Click on the “resolve your Holds” link to view the specific hold and how to resolve it.     •    Contact your adviser:   •    You are expected to have an advising meeting with your adviser before you register, to discuss class selections and areas of academic interest.   •    Your adviser will review and approve your course registration at the end of next week.   •    Find your registration appointment times:   •    Look up your upcoming registration times for Spring 2026 in Vergil. Be sure the term in the upper-right is set to Spring 2026.   •    Contact registrar@barnard.edu immediately with any questions.     THINGS TO KNOW DURING REGISTRATION   •    REGISTER IN VERGIL:  Again this semester, Barnard students will be using Columbia’s Vergil registration system to register for classes. Registration will be open in Vergil from Monday, November 17 through Friday, November 21.   •    You can register from “My Planner”, or directly from the Course Search (using the “Register” button) •    You can see real-time seat availability and class status •    Open = there are seats available •    Full = the class is full •    Waitlist = All interested students must join the waitlist (even if the class has open seats) •    Restricted = the class is not open to Barnard students, or there is another reason you cannot add the class (e.g. you have already exceeded the 19-credit limit, the class conflicts in time with another class you are registered for, you have a registration hold, it is not your registration time, etc.). Look for the hint message that will explain the reason for the restriction. Email registrar@barnard.edu with any questions. •    Videos on how to register in Vergil are here. •    19 credit maximum: Vergil will allow you to register for a maximum of 19 credits.  Permission to register for more than 19 credits can be requested in January.   •    Use the “Swap” feature to switch from one section of a class to a different open section. Click the “Manage” button on a registered class to see the Swap option.  (Vergil will not allow you to register for two sections of the same class.)  •    Co-requisites: For classes that have co-requisites (such as a lecture with a required discussion section or lab), you will be reminded to add both components of the class. The system will allow you to register for just the lecture and add the other components later if needed. •    Info on registering for “special” courses (e.g. voice lessons, P.E., graduate courses at Columbia, etc.) is here. •    P/D/F Elections: You can elect the p/d/f grading option for one Spring 2026 class in Vergil, either at the time of registration or anytime before the deadline.   •    WAITLISTS:  You can join a max of 3 waitlists at a time.   •    Some Barnard classes will not have a waitlist option during this registration period.  They will appear as Full with no option to “Join Waitlist.” You will have another opportunity to register for these classes in December, when there may be additional seats available and/or a waitlist option. •    Some waitlists will have special instructions, such as a request to explain why you want to join a class, or an application to complete/upload. •    After joining an auto-fill waitlist, you will be able to see your position on the waitlist in Vergil, on the right-hand panel.   •    WHAT’S STILL IN STUDENT PLANNING? •    Your online degree audit. •    Newly registered courses will be added to your degree audit on a nightly basis. (It is not real-time from Vergil.) Planned and waitlisted classes will not display in the audit. •    Your Barnard transcript, which is the official record of your classes, grades and GPA. •    Although some academic record information displays in Vergil, it is limited to only Barnard/Columbia classes. (Vergil does not reflect transfer credit, study abroad credit, AP/IB credit, etc.) Because of this, you may find that your total credits and GPA in Vergil do not match your Barnard transcript. This is ok as long as your Barnard transcript is correct.   •    WHAT’S STILL IN SLATE? •    List of classes that satisfy Foundations (General Education) requirements. •    Forms to update your contact information. •    Academic forms (e.g. major declaration, request to withdraw from a class, summer course approval form, etc.).   •    NEED HELP?:   •    Visit our Vergil Registration resource site for additional resources. •    Email Us with any questions. •    Drop in to our office at 105 Milbank.   Best wishes,   Jennifer Simmons Registrar