WikiCU - User contributions [en]

Minutemen stage-rush

2013-05-15T02:00:37Z

Programmer1812:

The '''Minuteman stage-rush''' was an embarrassing incident that took place on [[October 4]], [[2006]].

== Stage-rush ==

Jim Gilchrist and several other Minuteman were invited to give a lecture in [[Lerner Hall]]'s [[Roone Arledge Auditorium]] in October [[2006]]. Before Gilchrist could begin dozens of students stormed the stage. During the struggle between activist and Gilchrist guards, tables and podiums were knocked over and punches were thrown.

== Immediate aftermath ==

Major news! [[Chris Kulawik]], Chief Republican went on Fox News. Then he debated [[Avi Zvi Zenilman]] on the O'Reilly Factor. Columbia was branded "University of Havana (North)", leading light of the "left-wing jihad". The whole thing made a lot of people mad, but made [[The Bwog]] famous. The story was widely covered on cable television, largely due to footage captured by [[CTV News]]. While O'Reilly's nick name was extreme, the national coverage of the story reinforced Columbia's image as a left-wing institution.

== Punishments ==

Five months after the event, the University charged 7 students involved in the incident for [[simple violation]]s of the University Code of Conduct. 3 were issued [[censure]]s, while 4 received [[disciplinary warning]]s.
*[[Karina Garcia]] - chairperson of [[Lucha]]: issued censure <ref name="threestudents">[http://media.www.columbiaspectator.com/media/storage/paper865/news/2007/03/28/News/Three.Students.Issued.Censures-2809168.shtml "Three Students Issued Censures"]</ref>
*Martin Lopez - member of Lucha: charged with censure<ref name="threestudents"/>
*Cosette Olivo - charged with censure <ref name="threestudents" />
*[[Monique Dols]] - issued disciplinary warning
*[[David Judd]] - president, [[International Socialist Organization]]: issued disciplinary warning <ref>[http://media.www.columbiaspectator.com/media/storage/paper865/news/2007/03/27/Opinion/Columbia.Finds.Protest.Unspeakable-2792572.shtml "Columbia Finds Protest Unspeakable"]</ref>
*Andrew Tillet-Saks - issued disciplinary warning <ref>[http://media.www.columbiaspectator.com/media/storage/paper865/news/2007/03/27/News/University.Gives.Protestors.slap.On.The.Wrist-2793565.shtml "University Gives Protestors Slap on the Wrist"]</ref>
*Unknown student - issued disciplinary warning

== Video ==

The following video was recorded by [[CTV]] and widely circulated after the incident:

<videoflash>cfnn7wTgoE8</videoflash>

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfnn7wTgoE8 CTV footage of Minutemen stage-rush]

[[Category:Scandals]]

Dartmouth College

2013-05-14T23:31:27Z

Programmer1812:

{{wp-also}}

[[Image:Dartmouth1.png|thumb|Today: typical Dartmouth frat boy. Tomorrow: typical Dartmouth conservative alumni coup-leader]]

'''Dartmouth College''' is a fellow member of the [[Ivy League]]. Like [[Princeton]], it stands for many things Columbia cannot abide, such as a campus social life completely dominated by [[Greek life|fraternity]] culture (their athletic mascot is a [http://www.dartmouth.edu/~jacko/keggy/index.htm beer keg]).

Unlike Princeton, however, Columbia students rarely take Dartmouth seriously. This is because it is located in a [[New Hampshire|remote wilderness somewhere so far north of the tree line]] that it is stockaded to protect itself from ravenous moose and [http://dartreview.com/archives/2007/07/16/the_alumni_constitution_fails_a_deserved_death_how_and_why.php conservative alumni coups]. Also, it might have something to do with the fact that, despite having a medical school and a business school, it refuses to grow up and refer to itself as a university.

According to one source, Dartmouth's vibe consists of "unironic lovers of hiking, in North Face jackets stained with Keystone Light".<ref>http://www.observer.com/2010/slideshow/125504/dartmouth-college-dont-say-university</ref> According to other sources, Dartmouth students are also unironic lovers of [http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/confessions-of-an-ivy-league-frat-boy-inside-dartmouths-hazing-abuses-20120328 kiddie pools filled with vomit and shit.]

Somehow, Columbia wound up vying with Dartmouth for 9th place every year when the [[US News]] rankings came out, until 2010, when Columbia jumped up to 4th place, where it resides to this day. In addition, Dartmouth's motto— "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" —aptly summarizes what it's like to attend.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Universities]]
[[Category:Ivy League]]

Admissions essay leak 2013

2013-05-14T20:36:12Z

Programmer1812:

The '''2013 Admissions Essay Leak''' was the latest in a long line of [[prefrosh]] [[Facebook]] group follies. About 70 apple-cheeked admitted students uploaded their college application essays to a public Google Drive folder. [[Gawker]] and [[IvyGate]] published and added derisive comments about them. It was surely pretty obnoxious for the first-years to post them, but a whole other thing entirely for the media to share and mock them.

In solidarity, [[Bwog]] and [[The Columbia Lion]] decided to post excerpts of their own staffers' admissions essays.<ref>[http://bwog.com/2013/04/23/in-solidarity-bwogs-applications/ "In Solidarity: Bwog's Applications"] Bwog 4/23/13</ref><ref>[http://columbialion.com/blog/midnight-snack-our-admissions-essays-were-dumb-too/ "Midnight Snack: Our admissions essays were dumb too"] Columbia Lion 4/24/13</ref>

Two days after, one of the most obnoxious kids wrote a post for xoJane<ref>http://www.xojane.com/issues/im-one-of-the-columbia-class-of-2017-mocked-on-the-internet-for-my-application-essay</ref>. An example sentence: "From my playwriting experience, I was comfortable using a script as a medium for my progression of thoughts on this topic."

[[Category:Class of 2017]]
[[Category:Scandals]]

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://www.ivygateblog.com/2013/04/columbia-class-of-2017-post-their-application-essays-say-the-darndest-things/ IvyGate's post]
*[http://gawker.com/this-personal-essay-will-get-you-into-columbia-478217730 Gawker's post]
*[http://bwog.com/2013/04/23/2017-shows-their-cards/ Bwog's post]
*[http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2013/04/23/haters-gonna-hate Spec's feel-good editorial]
*[http://spectrum.columbiaspectator.com/spectrum/class-of-2017-essays-leaked-by-gawker Spectrum's post]

Core Curriculum

2013-05-01T02:10:24Z

Programmer1812:

The '''Core Curriculum''' is the distinguishing characteristic and hallmark of an undergraduate education at Columbia. Often imitated, rarely credited, and very hyped, the Core is the centerpiece of the undergraduate curriculum at [[Columbia College]]. [[SEAS]] students take a modified version of the core, as do [[GS]] students. [[Barnard]] has an entirely separate curriculum, built around the [[Ways of Knowing]].

== History ==
:''See main article: [[History of the Core Curriculum]]''

=== Background ===
In the late 19th century, American institutes of higher learning were undergoing a period of major change, as each experienced a "university movement", turning colleges into graduate research centers. This move prompted stiff resistance by involved alumni at a number of schools. The resistance proved so strong at [[Princeton]] that to this day Princeton has no Business, Law, or Medical school, among other graduate programs. At [[Harvard]], President Charles William Eliot developed a compromise- the elective system. Faculty would be allowed to pursue their own research so long as they taught undergraduates classes in their specialization. This spared senior faculty the onerous task of teaching introductory courses, while satisfying alumni that undergraduate education still received the attention of the university.

At Columbia, there was no such problem of alumni resistance. The relatively small and disenfranchised alumni base proved no obstacle, and Columbia skipped the 'elective system' phase of education. The lack of opposition was in part the reason for Columbia's meteoric rise as a University. The lack of an elective system, and a college faculty somewhat estranged from the graduate faculty led to the development of an innovative new type of curriculum, General Education. Columbia would pioneer this new form of mandatory course education, eventually exporting it to a number of schools around the nation.

=== The beginning ===
The idea of a seminar style class devoted to a weekly reading and discussion of the "Great Books" was first floated by english professor [[John Erskine]] in [[1917]]. Erskine's request drew skepticism for a number of reasons, not the least because he also made the near-heretical call for reading the greek and roman classics in translation.

In 1919 Columbia began a course titled "War Issues" in response to [[World War I]], addressing contemporary thinking on a wide variety of subjects in the social sciences. Many of the texts were written by Columbia faculty members who also taught the classes. This was the beginning of the course that evolved into [[Contemporary Civilization]]. There was no Plato or Aristotle on the War Issues syllabus though.

=== General Honors ===

=== Humanities A and Humanities B ===

=== Major Cultures ===
Established due partly to the efforts of [[William Theodore de Bary]]. Known since [[2008]] as the [[Global Core]].

=== Frontiers of Science ===
Formally established as a requirement for all CC students for those freshmen entering in Fall [[2004]] (the Class of 2008).

== Requirements ==
The Core consists of two sets of requirements. First are the 6 classes that every [[Columbia College|CC]] student must take in order to graduate, a collective, shared, experience, the "core of the core," so to speak. These are the year long courses [[Literature Humanities|Literature Humanities (Lit Hum)]] and [[Contemporary Civilization|Contemporary Civilization (CC)]], and the semester long courses [[Art Humanities|Art Humanities (Art Hum)]], [[Music Humanities|Music Humanities (Music Hum)]], [[University Writing|University Writing (UW)]], and [[Frontiers of Science]].

Additionally, [[Columbia College|CC]] students must fulfill a series of requirements for which they are free to choose the classes. These are 2 [[Global Core]] classes, 2 semesters of Science/Math, 2 semesters of PE, 4 semesters of a Foreign Language (placement in an advanced course/placing out are options), and of course the [[Swim Test]].

SEAS students, on the other hand, follow a modified version of the Core, in which they take UW, select one from among Lit Hum, CC, and Global Core, one from Art Hum and Music Hum, Econ W1105, and between 9 to 11 elective points from approved classes in the [http://bulletin.engineering.columbia.edu/b-elective-nontechnical-courses Elective Nontechnical] list of courses.

All this adds up to a lot of credits. The required 6 classes alone are a minimum of 29 credits. Major Cultures is a minimum of 7, 2 science courses are 6 more, and PE is at least 2 half credits. That's 43 credits, or more than 1/3 of your degree requirements if you placed out of foreign languages. Add 4 semesters of that and you're well on your way to having half the necessary credits to graduate with narry a mention of electives or major.

== Registration ==
Freshmen are assigned a section of [[Lit Hum]] and either [[University Writing]] (if your last name is in the first half of the class alphabetically) or [[Frontiers of Science]] (if your last name is the second half of the class alphabetically) for the Fall. You can change your section if it conflicts with other classes during the pre-semester registration period on Labor Day Weekend, however since all sections are already filled, you won't have much flexibility. In the spring semester freshmen must register for all of their classes, including Lit Hum and UW or Frontiers. Most students will opt to register for the same section of Lit Hum or CC the second semester for continuity, since with rare exception the same instructor teaches a section both the fall and spring.

You will not know the name of your instructor for Core classes until classes start. Columbia does not disclose the names of each sections instructors in order to "level the playing field" in terms of getting a good instructor. It should say something about the uneven quality of instruction in core classes that this policy even needs to exist. There are some workarounds.

After fall of freshmen year, and with all core classes other than Lit Hum and UW/Frontiers, you register on your own. Getting a section of Art Hum or Music Hum as a freshman is difficult, and requires a little luck and a good registration time. Most students advocate registering for art hum and music hum every semester, finding out the instructor on the first day, checking [[CULPA]], and then dropping the course if you're unhappy, and repeating until you land a good section, or find yourself on the verge of graduating.

== Criticism ==
Despite the hype and praise, the Core has a number of critics. The primary charge leveled against the Core is that it's just a collection of "Dead White Men" with a few token minority and women authors.

In addition, the Core is hardly a uniformly positive experience. Your experience in each class will be contingent on two factors: 1) The quality of your instructor and 2) the quality of your classmates. Don't underestimate the impact that the 20 other people in the room can have on your class experience. A good group of classmates can easily redeem a class with an average teacher.

A common complaint about Core classes is the relatively high percentage of sections that are NOT taught by Columbia faculty, and instead are led by graduate students ("Preceptors" is the official term). Landing a section with a graduate student is not the kiss of death- in fact some of the best core class instructors are grad students, and some of the worst are high profile professors.

=== Lit Hum ===
*In Spring 2007, 9 of 58 sections of Lit Hum are being taught by Senior Faculty, including one taught by a retired professor and another by an assistant dean at the Law School, another taught by a visiting professor from the University of Chicago, and another faculty member teaching only section open to GS students.
*17 are being taught by junior faculty, of whom 2 are temporary appointments, 1 is a post-doc fellow, and only 2 hold the more seniors Associate status.
*9 sections are taught by graduate students
*15 are taught by 10 instructional lecturers, 5 of whom teach 2 sections each.
*8 Section leaders are not in the directory.

=== CC ===

=== Art Hum ===
*In Spring 2007 only 3 of 30 sections of Art Humanities were taught by Columbia professors, including 1 temporary appointment.
*The rest were taught by 16 graduate students, 4 post-doctoral fellows, 2 "Lecturers" (including one who's listed as a student at the School of Continuing Education), and 4 unlisted in the directory but not listed on the department faculty page either.

=== Music Hum ===
The Core will ultimately be what you make of it. If you don't do the reading, it's your own fault for finding the classes boring. Then again if your instructor sucks, just grin and bear it, or beg the core office to change your section.

== Imitators ==
Columbia's Core Curriculum has often been imitated. In fact two of the most celebrated Core Curricula in the country, at the [[University of Chicago]] and [[St. John's College]], were established by a Columbia graduate, [[Mortimer J. Adler]], who had been hired by each school for the explicit purpose of implementing a "Great Books" curriculum.

Anything else that dares call itself a "Core Curriculum" is either watered-down or basically a [[distribution requirement]].

==Myths==
*It is an oft-circulated myth that it is extremely difficult, maybe even impossible, for a Core instructor to give a student lower than a B- on a Core class. In order to award the student a lower grade, the myth claims, the instructor must navigate the Columbia bureaucracy and make a petition to the Core office. However, this myth has been recently debunked.<ref>http://bwog.net/2010/04/22/ask-bwog-check-yourself</ref>

== External links ==
*[http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/oasis/index.php An Oasis of Order: The Core Curriculum at Columbia College (1995)]
*''Great Books'', alumnus [[David Denby]]'s impressions upon retaking the Core in [[1991]]
*[http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/1937.php List of Books on the Lit Hum Curriculum 1937-2000]
*[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/alumni/Magazine/Winter2001/knownFor.html What Columbia College is Known For - Columbia Magazine Winter 2001]
* [http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/index.php Core Curriculum Website]
* [http://columbialithum.blogspot.com Current List of Lit Hum Books]
* [http://columbiacontemporarycivilization.blogspot.com Current List of Contemporary Civilization Books]

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Core Curriculum|*]]

Boston

2013-04-23T01:13:21Z

Programmer1812:

{{wp-also}}

[[Image:Boston.jpg|right|thumb|Boston's attractive appearance belies its dull and homely character.]]

[[Image:dunkin.jpg|right|thumb|Unlike New York, which gives its residents a fairly [[Restaurants|cosmopolitan cuisine]], New England offers only donuts and Joe.]]

'''Boston''' is probably the most exciting city on the East Coast after [[New York City|New York]], but that's not saying much. Columbia's admissions officer for the region actually refers to the city as "that little New England fishing village". New Yorkers visiting are advised to be leery of the city's notoriously barbaric baseball fans - and to carefully research nightlife options, lest they find themselves stuck in a ubiquitous Irish pub (one could be mistaken for thinking that Bostonians subsist entirely on a diet of Sam Adams beer and Dunkin' Donuts, which is even more proliferous here as [[Duane Reade]] is in New York).

Across the Charles River is ultra-academic [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], nest of some [[MIT|insidious]] Columbia [[Harvard|rivals]].

==Getting there==

===By Bus===
A one-way bus trip generally takes about 4 hours, but it could easily be more if there is traffic in or between New York and Boston. All buses make only one food/toilet stop, usually at McDonald's or Burger King. The Boston stop is at South Station.
* Chinatown buses, including the '''Fung Wah Bus''' and the '''Lucky Star Bus''', cost $30 for a round-trip. Fung Wah leaves from corner of Bowery Street and Canal Street, while Lucky Star leaves from Christie Street, right around the corner. The cost is the same, and your ticket is always valid, no matter when you buy it or what bus it's for. In fact, the buses are always first-come-first-serve, so it's best to arrive early to beat the lines. Lately, Fung Wah has been leaving a little more often than Lucky Star. The best way to get to the buses from Columbia is to take the yellow NRQW [[subway]] lines to Canal Street, then walk east. The Chinatown Bus has quite a loyal customer base from the old days when it had little competition, but nowadays one has more options. Not only is it a hassle to get to from campus, but your bus might [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrEQBO2Jfc8 /lose its wheels] or [http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/08/17/riders_flee_bus_fire_on_nyc_run// explode].
* Bolt Bus leaves from the much more accessible location of corner of 34th Street and 8th Avenue. Take the 1 to 34th Street/Penn Station. Price varies, depending on when you buy, but a one-way ticket will never exceed $20. If you purchase the very first ticket of that particular bus, it costs you only $1. Veterans say that to secure these ultra-cheap tickets, you have to know that the ticket schedules are released in two-week blocks on Wednesday night 5 weeks before the first travel date. Also, there are laptop power sockets and (very slow) on-board wifi (for the strongest signal, select a seat towards the back of the bus). On the negative side, Bolt Buses have far less legroom than do the Chinatown buses.
* Greyhound (often marked as '''Peter Pan''' on these routes) costs $30 to $48, depending on when you buy and whether you buy refundable or non-refundable. Leaves from [[Port Authority Bus Terminal]]: take the 1 to 42nd Street, then follow the signs to Port Authority.

===By Train===
Amtrak is expensive ($60 to $140, depending on whether one takes the high-speed Acela or the Regional, and depending on the class of one's ticket), but it has its advantages over the buses: 
* Trains are way more comfortable than buses. You can walk around, visit the snack car, and go to the bathroom with little grief.
* You will always be on time, unlike buses, which are strongly affected by traffic conditions.

The train takes about three and a half to four hours, depending, again, on whether one takes the Acela or the Regional. It leaves from [[Penn Station]]; take the 1/2/3 to 34th Street/Penn Station. The two central Boston stops are Back Bay and South Station.

===By Plane===

Some crazy people still think it's worth it to fly between Boston and New York, despite the fact that the line for airport security will probably be longer than the flight itself. The expensive shuttle flights leave from [[LaGuardia Airport]], which one can reach via the [[M60]] bus - or an overpriced taxi.

==Getting around==

===Orientation===
There is no order to Boston's streets. It's best to just get drunk and stumble around - this is the way Boston's colonial government laid out the city's road network to begin with.

===Public Transportation===
The Boston's subway is known colloquially as "the T". Subway rides cost $1.70 and buses $1.25 if you buy a CharlieCard, and includes a free bus transfer. Most out-of-towners, however, buy cheaper CharlieTickets, which price subway rides at $2.00 and buses at $1.50. Note that the T does not run 24 hours; it runs roughly from 5:00 AM to 12:30AM. This would be a serious buzzkill if Boston's bars were open more than an hour and a half after that.

==Demographics==

Boston consists of bahnies and townies. Bahnies go to the univuhsities and ah wicked smaht. Townies keep it real in the neighbah-hoods. How you like them apples?

1000% of Bostonians identify as [[Boston Red Sox|Red Sox]] fans. The remainder are no longer considered Bostonians.

==Education==

Boston is primarily known for its institutions of higher education, notwithstanding the fact that New York has a greater number and a comparable percentage of students in its population. This is possibly because of the fact that there is nothing else of value and worth in Boston (except for maybe the museums owned by the universities...and maybe the hospitals owned by them, too).

Some universities you may have heard of:
*[[Harvard]] (actually in [[Cambridge]], except for the business school, because it hates libruls, and the medical school, which is so far away it might not still be part of Harvard at all at this point, has anyone checked?)
*[[MIT]] (actually in [[Cambridge]], because it engages in dangerous experiments that attract terrorists)
*[[Boston University]] (actually in Boston, despite engaging in dangerous experiments)
*[[Boston College]] (actually mostly in the suburbs...because it kind of hates libruls)
*[[Tufts University]] (actually in Medford, because if it were closer to Boston people would mistake its campus for Harvard's, and it would have to admit it was a lesser school; has nothing to do with Columbia)

==Avoid==

Mouth-frothing Red Sox fans. But since it's almost impossible to avoid these people, it's best to just not go.

[[Category:Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Cities]]

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2013-04-23T01:07:38Z

Programmer1812:

[[Image:Mit.jpg|thumb|MIT's "Great Dome"...[[Low Library|we wonder where they got that idea from?]]]]

The '''Massachusetts Institute of Technology''' is like a giant [[SEAS]], made worse because it lacks a [[New York City|proper city]] to balance out its nerdiness.

Consequently, MIT is known for its [[frats]], [[suicides]], and gambling addiction. Having exhausted all known student council casino nights in their region, math-savvy MIT nerds will typically set their sights on [[w:MIT Blackjack Team|ripping off Vegas]].

Occasionally, the faculty become bored with this spectacle and make [[w:Noam Chomsky|attempts to encroach on humanities disciplines]]...with predictably laughable results.

MIT students are also notorious [http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/ hackers].

In [[2013]], new SEAS dean [[Mary Boyce]] came over from MIT, where she had been working at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies <ref>http://bwog.com/2013/04/11/dean-boyces-dark-past/</ref>.

Further, Cambridge and the area surrounding MIT's campus are known to be places of abode for aspiring terrorists, possibly due to the noted prestige of MIT's chemical and electrical engineering departments.

This phenomenon was only exacerbated after MIT endorsed one of its previous [http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/timeline-bush-0216.html faculty members] for his involvement in developing the atomic bomb.

[[Category:Universities]]
[[Category:Massachusetts]]

==References==
<references />

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2013-04-23T01:07:15Z

Programmer1812:

[[Image:Mit.jpg|thumb|MIT's "Great Dome"...[[Low Library|we wonder where they got that idea from?]]]]

The '''Massachusetts Institute of Technology''' is like a giant [[SEAS]], made worse because it lacks a [[New York City|proper city]] to balance out its nerdiness.

Consequently, MIT is known for its [[frats]], [[suicides]], and gambling addiction. Having exhausted all known student council casino nights in their region, math-savvy MIT nerds will typically set their sights on [[w:MIT Blackjack Team|ripping off Vegas]].

Occasionally, the faculty become bored with this spectacle and make [[w:Noam Chomsky|attempts to encroach on humanities disciplines]]...with predictably laughable results.

MIT students are also notorious [http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/ hackers].

In [[2013]], new SEAS dean [[Mary Boyce]] came over from MIT, where she had been working at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies <ref>http://bwog.com/2013/04/11/dean-boyces-dark-past/</ref>.

Further, Cambridge and the area surrounding MIT's campus are known to be places of abode for aspiring terrorists, possibly due to the noted prestige of MIT's chemical and electrical engineering departments. This phenomenon was only exacerbated after MIT endorsed one of its previous [http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/timeline-bush-0216.html faculty members] for his involvement in developing the atomic bomb.

[[Category:Universities]]
[[Category:Massachusetts]]

==References==
<references />

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2013-04-23T01:03:22Z

Programmer1812:

[[Image:Mit.jpg|thumb|MIT's "Great Dome"...[[Low Library|we wonder where they got that idea from?]]]]

The '''Massachusetts Institute of Technology''' is like a giant [[SEAS]], made worse because it lacks a [[New York City|proper city]] to balance out its nerdiness.

Consequently, MIT is known for its [[frats]], [[suicides]], and gambling addiction. Having exhausted all known student council casino nights in their region, math-savvy MIT nerds will typically set their sights on [[w:MIT Blackjack Team|ripping off Vegas]].

Occasionally, the faculty become bored with this spectacle and make [[w:Noam Chomsky|attempts to encroach on humanities disciplines]]...with predictably laughable results.

MIT students are also notorious [http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/ hackers].

In [[2013]], new SEAS dean [[Mary Boyce]] came over from MIT, where she had been working at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies <ref>http://bwog.com/2013/04/11/dean-boyces-dark-past/</ref>.

Further, Cambridge and the area surrounding MIT's campus is known to be a place of abode for future terrorists, especially after MIT endorsed one of its previous [http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/timeline-bush-0216.html faculty members] for his involvement in developing the atomic bomb.

[[Category:Universities]]
[[Category:Massachusetts]]

==References==
<references />

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2013-04-23T00:54:48Z

Programmer1812:

[[Image:Mit.jpg|thumb|MIT's "Great Dome"...[[Low Library|we wonder where they got that idea from?]]]]

The '''Massachusetts Institute of Technology''' is like a giant [[SEAS]], made worse because it lacks a [[New York City|proper city]] to balance out its nerdiness.

Consequently, MIT is known for its [[frats]], [[suicides]], and gambling addiction. Having exhausted all known student council casino nights in their region, math-savvy MIT nerds will typically set their sights on [[w:MIT Blackjack Team|ripping off Vegas]].

Occasionally, the faculty become bored with this spectacle and make [[w:Noam Chomsky|attempts to encroach on humanities disciplines]]...with predictably laughable results.

MIT students are also notorious [http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/ hackers].

In [[2013]], new SEAS dean [[Mary Boyce]] came over from MIT, where she had been working at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies <ref>http://bwog.com/2013/04/11/dean-boyces-dark-past/</ref>.

Further, Cambridge and the area surrounding MIT's campus is known to be a place of abode for future terrorists.

[[Category:Universities]]
[[Category:Massachusetts]]

==References==
<references />

Boston

2013-04-23T00:51:45Z

Programmer1812:

{{wp-also}}

[[Image:Boston.jpg|right|thumb|Boston's attractive appearance belies its dull and homely character.]]

[[Image:dunkin.jpg|right|thumb|Unlike New York, which gives its residents a fairly [[Restaurants|cosmopolitan cuisine]], New England offers only donuts and Joe.]]

'''Boston''' is probably the most exciting city on the East Coast after [[New York City|New York]], but that's not saying much. Columbia's admissions officer for the region actually refers to the city as "that little New England fishing village". New Yorkers visiting are advised to be leery of the city's notoriously barbaric baseball fans - and to carefully research nightlife options, lest they find themselves stuck in a ubiquitous Irish pub (one could be mistaken for thinking that Bostonians subsist entirely on a diet of Sam Adams beer and Dunkin' Donuts, which is even more proliferous here as [[Duane Reade]] is in New York).

Across the Charles River is ultra-academic [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], nest of some [[MIT|insidious]] Columbia [[Harvard|rivals]].

==Getting there==

===By Bus===
A one-way bus trip generally takes about 4 hours, but it could easily be more if there is traffic in or between New York and Boston. All buses make only one food/toilet stop, usually at McDonald's or Burger King. The Boston stop is at South Station.
* Chinatown buses, including the '''Fung Wah Bus''' and the '''Lucky Star Bus''', cost $30 for a round-trip. Fung Wah leaves from corner of Bowery Street and Canal Street, while Lucky Star leaves from Christie Street, right around the corner. The cost is the same, and your ticket is always valid, no matter when you buy it or what bus it's for. In fact, the buses are always first-come-first-serve, so it's best to arrive early to beat the lines. Lately, Fung Wah has been leaving a little more often than Lucky Star. The best way to get to the buses from Columbia is to take the yellow NRQW [[subway]] lines to Canal Street, then walk east. The Chinatown Bus has quite a loyal customer base from the old days when it had little competition, but nowadays one has more options. Not only is it a hassle to get to from campus, but your bus might [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrEQBO2Jfc8 /lose its wheels] or [http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/08/17/riders_flee_bus_fire_on_nyc_run// explode].
* Bolt Bus leaves from the much more accessible location of corner of 34th Street and 8th Avenue. Take the 1 to 34th Street/Penn Station. Price varies, depending on when you buy, but a one-way ticket will never exceed $20. If you purchase the very first ticket of that particular bus, it costs you only $1. Veterans say that to secure these ultra-cheap tickets, you have to know that the ticket schedules are released in two-week blocks on Wednesday night 5 weeks before the first travel date. Also, there are laptop power sockets and (very slow) on-board wifi (for the strongest signal, select a seat towards the back of the bus). On the negative side, Bolt Buses have far less legroom than do the Chinatown buses.
* Greyhound (often marked as '''Peter Pan''' on these routes) costs $30 to $48, depending on when you buy and whether you buy refundable or non-refundable. Leaves from [[Port Authority Bus Terminal]]: take the 1 to 42nd Street, then follow the signs to Port Authority.

===By Train===
Amtrak is expensive ($60 to $140, depending on whether one takes the high-speed Acela or the Regional, and depending on the class of one's ticket), but it has its advantages over the buses: 
* Trains are way more comfortable than buses. You can walk around, visit the snack car, and go to the bathroom with little grief.
* You will always be on time, unlike buses, which are strongly affected by traffic conditions.

The train takes about three and a half to four hours, depending, again, on whether one takes the Acela or the Regional. It leaves from [[Penn Station]]; take the 1/2/3 to 34th Street/Penn Station. The two central Boston stops are Back Bay and South Station.

===By Plane===

Some crazy people still think it's worth it to fly between Boston and New York, despite the fact that the line for airport security will probably be longer than the flight itself. The expensive shuttle flights leave from [[LaGuardia Airport]], which one can reach via the [[M60]] bus - or an overpriced taxi.

==Getting around==

===Orientation===
There is no order to Boston's streets. It's best to just get drunk and stumble around - this is the way Boston's colonial government laid out the city's road network to begin with.

===Public Transportation===
The Boston's subway is known colloquially as "the T". Subway rides cost $1.70 and buses $1.25 if you buy a CharlieCard, and includes a free bus transfer. Most out-of-towners, however, buy cheaper CharlieTickets, which price subway rides at $2.00 and buses at $1.50. Note that the T does not run 24 hours; it runs roughly from 5:00 AM to 12:30AM. This would be a serious buzzkill if Boston's bars were open more than an hour and a half after that.

==Demographics==

Boston consists of bahnies and townies. Bahnies go to the univuhsities and ah wicked smaht. Townies keep it real in the neighbah-hoods. How you like them apples?

1000% of Bostonians identify as [[Boston Red Sox|Red Sox]] fans. The remainder are no longer considered Bostonians.

==Education==

Boston is primarily known for its institutions of higher education, notwithstanding the fact that New York has a greater number and a comparable percentage of students in its population. This is possibly because of the fact that there is nothing else of value and worth in Boston (except for maybe the museums owned by the universities...and maybe the hospitals owned by them, too).

Some universities you may have heard of:
*[[Harvard]] (actually in [[Cambridge]], except for the business school, because it hates libruls, and the medical school, which is so far away it might not still be part of Harvard at all at this point, has anyone checked?)
*[[MIT]] (actually in [[Cambridge]], because it engages in dangerous experiments)
*[[Boston University]] (actually in Boston, despite engaging in dangerous experiments)
*[[Boston College]] (actually mostly in the suburbs...because it kind of hates libruls)
*[[Tufts University]] (actually in Medford, because if it were closer to Boston people would mistake its campus for Harvard's, and it would have to admit it was a lesser school; has nothing to do with Columbia)

==Avoid==

Mouth-frothing Red Sox fans and Chechen bombers. But since it's almost impossible to avoid these people, it's best to just not go.

[[Category:Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Cities]]

Boston

2013-04-23T00:51:21Z

Programmer1812:

{{wp-also}}

[[Image:Boston.jpg|right|thumb|Boston's attractive appearance belies its dull and homely character.]]

[[Image:dunkin.jpg|right|thumb|Unlike New York, which gives its residents a fairly [[Restaurants|cosmopolitan cuisine]], New England offers only donuts and Joe.]]

'''Boston''' is probably the most exciting city on the East Coast after [[New York City|New York]], but that's not saying much. Columbia's admissions officer for the region actually refers to the city as "that little New England fishing village". New Yorkers visiting are advised to be leery of the city's notoriously barbaric baseball fans - and to carefully research nightlife options, lest they find themselves stuck in a ubiquitous Irish pub (one could be mistaken for thinking that Bostonians subsist entirely on a diet of Sam Adams beer and Dunkin' Donuts, which is even more proliferous here as [[Duane Reade]] is in New York).

Across the Charles River is ultra-academic [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], nest of some [[MIT|insidious]] Columbia [[Harvard|rivals]].

==Getting there==

===By Bus===
A one-way bus trip generally takes about 4 hours, but it could easily be more if there is traffic in or between New York and Boston. All buses make only one food/toilet stop, usually at McDonald's or Burger King. The Boston stop is at South Station.
* Chinatown buses, including the '''Fung Wah Bus''' and the '''Lucky Star Bus''', cost $30 for a round-trip. Fung Wah leaves from corner of Bowery Street and Canal Street, while Lucky Star leaves from Christie Street, right around the corner. The cost is the same, and your ticket is always valid, no matter when you buy it or what bus it's for. In fact, the buses are always first-come-first-serve, so it's best to arrive early to beat the lines. Lately, Fung Wah has been leaving a little more often than Lucky Star. The best way to get to the buses from Columbia is to take the yellow NRQW [[subway]] lines to Canal Street, then walk east. The Chinatown Bus has quite a loyal customer base from the old days when it had little competition, but nowadays one has more options. Not only is it a hassle to get to from campus, but your bus might [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrEQBO2Jfc8 /lose its wheels] or [http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/08/17/riders_flee_bus_fire_on_nyc_run// explode].
* Bolt Bus leaves from the much more accessible location of corner of 34th Street and 8th Avenue. Take the 1 to 34th Street/Penn Station. Price varies, depending on when you buy, but a one-way ticket will never exceed $20. If you purchase the very first ticket of that particular bus, it costs you only $1. Veterans say that to secure these ultra-cheap tickets, you have to know that the ticket schedules are released in two-week blocks on Wednesday night 5 weeks before the first travel date. Also, there are laptop power sockets and (very slow) on-board wifi (for the strongest signal, select a seat towards the back of the bus). On the negative side, Bolt Buses have far less legroom than do the Chinatown buses.
* Greyhound (often marked as '''Peter Pan''' on these routes) costs $30 to $48, depending on when you buy and whether you buy refundable or non-refundable. Leaves from [[Port Authority Bus Terminal]]: take the 1 to 42nd Street, then follow the signs to Port Authority.

===By Train===
Amtrak is expensive ($60 to $140, depending on whether one takes the high-speed Acela or the Regional, and depending on the class of one's ticket), but it has its advantages over the buses: 
* Trains are way more comfortable than buses. You can walk around, visit the snack car, and go to the bathroom with little grief.
* You will always be on time, unlike buses, which are strongly affected by traffic conditions.

The train takes about three and a half to four hours, depending, again, on whether one takes the Acela or the Regional. It leaves from [[Penn Station]]; take the 1/2/3 to 34th Street/Penn Station. The two central Boston stops are Back Bay and South Station.

===By Plane===

Some crazy people still think it's worth it to fly between Boston and New York, despite the fact that the line for airport security will probably be longer than the flight itself. The expensive shuttle flights leave from [[LaGuardia Airport]], which one can reach via the [[M60]] bus - or an overpriced taxi.

==Getting around==

===Orientation===
There is no order to Boston's streets. It's best to just get drunk and stumble around - this is the way Boston's colonial government laid out the city's road network to begin with.

===Public Transportation===
The Boston's subway is known colloquially as "the T". Subway rides cost $1.70 and buses $1.25 if you buy a CharlieCard, and includes a free bus transfer. Most out-of-towners, however, buy cheaper CharlieTickets, which price subway rides at $2.00 and buses at $1.50. Note that the T does not run 24 hours; it runs roughly from 5:00 AM to 12:30AM. This would be a serious buzzkill if Boston's bars were open more than an hour and a half after that.

==Demographics==

Boston consists of bahnies and townies. Bahnies go to the univuhsities and ah wicked smaht. Townies keep it real in the neighbah-hoods. How you like them apples?

1000% of Bostonians identify as [[Boston Red Sox|Red Sox]] fans. The remainder are no longer considered Bostonians.

==Education==

Boston is primarily known for its institutions of higher education, notwithstanding the fact that New York has a greater number and a comparable percentage of students in its population. This is possibly because of the fact that there is nothing else of value and worth in Boston (except for maybe the museums owned by the universities...and maybe the hospitals owned by them, too).

Some universities you may have heard of:
*[[Harvard]] (actually in [[Cambridge]], except for the business school, because it hates libruls, and the medical school, which is so far away it might not still be part of Harvard at all at this point, has anyone checked?)
*[[MIT]] (actually in [[Cambridge]], because it engages in dangerous experiments)
*[[Boston University]] (actually in Boston, despite engaging in dangerous experiments)
*[[Boston College]] (actually mostly in the suburbs...because it kind of hates libruls)
*[[Tufts University]] (actually in Medford, because if it were closer to Boston people would mistake its campus for Harvard's, and it would have to admit it was a lesser school; has nothing to do with Columbia)

==Avoid==

Mouth-frothing Red Sox fans and Chechnyan bombers. But since it's almost impossible to avoid these people, it's best to just not go.

[[Category:Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Cities]]