Frequent tipster Daniel Stone (probably the only one who could get a foosball table installed in Hartley) is here to deliver his senior wisdom. It’s full of exactly what you’d expect: hyperlinks, meticulous research, and solid advice.

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Daniel Stone, Columbia College, History with a concentration in Economics, Morningside Heights

Claim to fame: One time Public Safety head James McShane sent an email to everyone at Columbia.
I replied, “Thanks for the update.” Then he replied-all to everyone at Columbia.
Beyond that, I was at The Blue and White and at the Columbia Lion (in 2014). I may have also been your RA.

Where are you going? Probably Washington, D.C.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2020?

1. Any Columbia “institution” is only as good as the people who belong to it.
2. Every year there is a lottery for lockers in Butler Library. Enter it.
3. You can save a lot of time and worry if you just pick up a phone.

“Back in my day…” I was shorter and younger.
Barnard had a pool and bowling alley. Columbia had tennis courts where the Northwest Corner Building is and a metal shack in front of John Jay for a student center with a nurse’s office, where I once went after a tricycle accident.
Morningside Heights was more college town than overpriced urban strip mall. On 110th and Broadway there were: a Burger King, a 24-hour bagel shop, a 24-hour hot dog shop, a fried fish shop, and inexpensive Chinese restaurant. Morton was the cheaper grocery store in the neighborhood and called University Food Market. The West End still existed. Book Culture north was Papyrus. Book Culture south was Labyrinth. There was also a real used bookstore called The Last Word.
See also this crowdsourced Google doc.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer. I caused President Bollinger to say “It’s nobody’s fault except mine. My responsibility is everything. Especially those things that don’t go right” and a BBC presenter to say “lumpy hunk of metal.”

What was your favorite class at Columbia? Economics: Econometrics with Christopher Conlon / History: The American Landscape with Elizabeth Blackmar / Core: Lit Hum with Nathan Pilkington

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? Twenty-eight percent of senior wisdom writers avoid answering this question, according to the archives.

One thing to do before graduating: Research some topic in the University Archives just for fun.

Any regrets? Plenty. Among them: not writing a senior thesis.

King of the Archives via Liam Bland