If you don’t get on the one train today, you’re wasting your weekend

We’ve now arrived at the weekend – there are no required activities today, and even better, you don’t yet have any homework. Take advantage of that short-lived freedom by getting off campus, whether you rush a Broadway show, walk the length of Manhattan, or tag along on a Columbia-sponsored tour. If you do anything (or anyone) particularly cool, tell us about it at tips@bwog.com (or use our anonymous form). 

Today’s Highlights:

  • Neighborhood tours! So many neighborhood tours! You didn’t even know New York City had this many neighborhoods to which Columbia OLs could lead tours! If you’re a little nervous about navigating the city on your own or are honestly afraid you’ll get lost on the subway, taking a tour of Williamsburg, Harlem, or anywhere in between will help you get your bearings. These tours leave in the morning or early afternoon from various meeting locations in Lerner Hall; check your orientation guide for more specific information.
  • JJ’s Place opens: At 12 pm today, the fabled JJ’s Place (that dining hall in the basement of John Jay) will throw open its doors and invite first-years and upperclassmen alike to stuff themselves with friend food. The freshman fifteen starts here.
  • Identity-based mixers: Throughout the afternoon, Columbia is hosting mixers for first-years of different identities: native and indigenous students at 1 pm, internationals students at 2 pm, black/African students at 3 pm, and Asian students at 4 pm. These mixers are a great way to find friendly faces at Columbia, and you’ll get free snacks of a much higher quality than you would at a dining hall.
  • Open mic night: If you have any kind of performing talent (singing, dancing, slam poetry, fitting ten hot dogs in your mouth at once, etc.), the open mic night at 9 pm in Roone is your place to show it off. Sign up for time slots start at 6 pm in the lobby, but you should start lining up much earlier to secure yourself a spot. And even if the thought of standing on stage makes you gag, you should still show up for the performance itself – your new peers will no doubt be amazing.

One Thing To Do Before Graduating:

  • Explore the Cathedral of St. John the Divine! This beautiful building is one of the largest cathedrals (if not the largest cathedral) in the world, and it’s located only a couple of blocks from campus at 113th Street and Amsterdam. Admission is free, or, for $18, you can take a vertical tour going up to the top of the cathedral. Vertical tours happen at 12 and 2 pm on Saturdays.

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