Art History at Columbia University or Yale?

Hi

Do you think it is better to study Art History at Columbia University where it is combined with Archaeology, or as a single honours degree for example at Yale? (I am not familiar with the US education system. I am an international student).
And is the History of Art program at Columbia University really the best in the US?

Thanks a lot!

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

feyy

You really need to look into the US educational system more. There is no such thing as "single honours" at Yale, for example. A good place to start is the Fulbright Commission's website here. Have a read and a lot should be cleared up for you.

Then, go to each school's undergraduate page and look at what their curriculum states. Also, take a look at the international admissions section. Particularly, pay close attention to the low admission rates. It's one thing trying to compare two top tier schools after having been accepted to both, but another (naive) thing to compare them when you haven't even applied yet. It's best to look at these schools with a grain of salt, thinking, "that would be nice" but not getting your hopes up too high.

Side note: How is anybody supposed to tell you whether Columbia is the best or not? How are you even supposed to quantify that?

Reply 2

Anna887

Original post by feyy

Hello and thank you for your answer. I thought the History of Art program offered by Yale University is a single honours degree as it is not combined with any other discipline, unlike the History of Art program at Columbia University. :rolleyes:

Reply 3

pbunny

Original post by Anna887

I'd choose based on which university you personally prefer (based on environment, location, opportunities etc) since they both are excellent colleges. However, Yale is probably more well known around the globe so if you are just going to choose based on prestige then go for Yale.

However, you should also consider whether or not you'd like to study archaeology since Yale doesn't offer it. I personally think Yale would be a better choice for Art History since I believe it has more of a liberal arts focus since it's stronger in humanities.

Reply 4

perflous

You could apply to both as there are no limits in the US system regarding the number of universities you can apply to. Unlike in the UK, where you have only 5 choices, you could apply to every single university in the USA if you wanted (obviously a stupid idea but I'm trying to make a point).

Reply 5

ukmed108

Honestly just apply to both because you'd be lucky to get an offer from a single one of these schools let alone both.

Reply 6

apple32

Another thing to consider are the professors in the Art History department. Look at what they've worked on, what they've published. If one of the professors specialises in an area that you are interested in and they offer courses that you like, I would apply to that uni.

If you have no preference at this time or you find professors at both unis that you are interested in working with, I would do as Pbunny said, base your decision on location, environment, etc.

Reply 7

Tajel

Original post by Anna887

You're correct in the sense that it is a potential major for undergraduates at Yale. It may be combined with another subject, leading to a "double-major", but that is not required.

Reply 8

mathplustutornj

You really don't understand the US system. You don't apply to study one subject. You typically take classes outside your major.

Yale is in general way better than Columbia, particularly in humanities. As other implied though, you should probably apply to both. It is not easy to be accepted at Yale, particularly as an international student.

Reply 9

feyy

Original post by mathplustutornj

You really don't understand the US system. You don't apply to study one subject. You typically take classes outside your major.

Students from the UK are more likely to have an idea of what they want to major in, due to the way our system works in encouraging (forcing) early specialisation. So it's very valid to compare major programs as a way of narrowing down school lists/ choosing a university, as long as the applicant knows that it isn't the be all and end all (because majors can change).

Reply 10

bant_bus

*laughing emoji* X5

It is literally harder to get into Yale than Columbia and has been for about 10 years.
In the most resepcted college ranking in the US, Columbia ranks higher than Yale.

I'm only stating facts

Original post by mathplustutornj

Reply 11

mathplustutornj

Original post by bant_bus

I don't know what rankings you are talking about, but Harvard and Yale or generally the most prestigious. Princeton is close, and Stanford is now about the same level. MIT and Caltech are more competitive in terms of test scores and so on, because they accept more on academics, rather than "hooks" like donations, background, prominent parents, etc. Columbia is not generally considered at the same level as any of those schools, but is usuusualy considered top 20, which is probably above the level of anywhere in the UK but Oxbridge and LSE. The rankings you mentioned are not generally accepted and don't mean much.

Reply 12

bant_bus

Original post by mathplustutornj

Public service announcement: prestige is percieved quality.

Columbia and Yale are on the same level. Ask someone to find a difference between the two and they will stutter and talk about the fact Yale has more followers on Instagram. Similar with Columbia and Princeton.

Columbia has been more competitive than Y and P for a lot of years now.

Columbia surpasses LSE. As someone who has studied at both and lived around both universities, I'd know.

Columbia is at Oxbridge level. The only difference is prestige....AKA percieved quality

Reply 13

mathplustutornj

I don't know what this is about Columbia. There are 20 schools about the same level as Columbia. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are generally considered top Ivies and Columbia is just an Ivy. However, you are right, it is hard to objectively say what is better about Yale than Columbia.

Reply 14

mathplustutornj

From what I can see in England, things are more clear and open than in the US. You can tell what level a student is by the exam scores. If someone went to public school, you expect they are from a certain background. Universities make clear their real admissions requirements. There are fairly accurate ratings of universities and colleges within universities.

None of that is true in the US. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Caltech, and Stanford are generally considered the best, but there are no generally accepted ranking of schools.

Reply 15

bant_bus

You keep making points based on ..perceptions...and what's 'gEneRalLy rEgARdeD' as the best. Therefore your argument is already weak. Instead of listening to the media, ask banks and top tech companies.

Today there is no difference between Yale and Columbia, or Columbia and Princeton. Like, there is none. Columbia has the city and big banks that are alwasy on campus which is a plus. Columbia has grad schools, and the best engineering departement in the league. so there's that.

what defines the 'same level'. I agree that the top 10 schools are pretty much the same in calibre, and that the next 20 are the same in calibre.

That's wrong, every news outlet in the US uses the popular ranking: US News:
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities

1 - Princeton
2 - Harvard
3 - Columbia
3 - MIT
3 - Yale
6 - Stanford

Rankings have stayed the same since last year

Reply 16

mathplustutornj

Yes, perceptions are more important than ranking published by some magazine. Those rankings are not generally recognized. I don't know if they use some formula to arrive at the rankings or maybe people at the magazine are paid off or there kids are accepted at the schools they rank highly There may be accepted rankings in the UK, but it isn't like that in the US. Princeton is certainly not generally recognized as better than Harvard or Yale either. I am sure 80+% of students who are accepted at both Columbia and Yale choose Yale. They talk about HYPMS. I never see a C in that for Columbia. You can post about it on College Confidential and see what they say.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 17

bant_bus

Original post by mathplustutornj

You are biased against Columbia for a reason I am unsure of so I will stop debating with you because there is no point.
You are not sure of anything. You don't know how many students choose Columbia over Yale and for whatever reason.
College Confidential is a toxic site for uninformed teens that don't know about the colleges they talk about. All they know is name brand.
Not perceptions, actual evaluations from the top investment banks, non-profits, and top tech and engineering companies.
You talk about HYPMS like it can't change. Harvey Mudd, nor Stanford were schools when HYP was a thing but not they're at the top. In terms of average brute intelligence measured by metrics (ACTUAL stats like GPA and SAT scores) of the 'Ivy Plus' it goes:
MIT, Columbia/Yale, Princeton, Harvard, UPenn... Stanford. Argue with you left toe.
In terms of actual educational quality, no one really knows. In terms of how 'good' a school reall is, all the top 10 schools are as good as each other. Some have more clout than others, like Harvard having more than Columbia, and Yale then Princeton. Doesn't make the school 'better', especially when the difference is so small. For prospective college students reading this, pick whichever in that top 10 is the best for YOU, not best for your parents' ego.