Tenacious bureaucratic wrangling

This is by far the most important life skill you will learn as a Columbia undergraduate. Learn the administration inside out and make it work for you, and you will find that the old adage, "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere" is very true. Columbia's bureaucracy rivals that of many governments in size and scope, and it can be either incredibly useful or incredibly frustrating.

Examples of tenacious (and less tenacious) bureaucratic wrangling include passing resolutions, holding town hall meetings, writing petitions, sending voluminous emails, holding a protest, serving on committees, going over people's heads, and perhaps most importantly, meeting personally with administrators. The last method is the only way anything ever actually changes on campus, though it may need to be combined with the other methods (especially the fourth and penultimate examples).

Notable bureaucratic successes depend upon whom you ask and what you value. Most go unheralded or take effect years after the graduation of their primary instigators.