Senior Staff Writer Henry Golub passes his accumulated knowledge to future generations of Columbia students.

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Henry Golub, Columbia College, Double Major: East Asian Studies and Economics, Long Island.

Claim to fame: Hates peas but loves split pea soup. Once wrote six haikus about Lerner, made a case for why we should turn Avery into a farm, and reviewed my housing lottery number. Played bass in the Columbia Free Jazz Ensemble for four years. Huge fan of the Core, the Clash, and the Chinese food in Flushing, Queens.

Where are you going? The best island this side of Long Island!

What are three things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2026?

  1. Schedule a meeting with a counselor at the Center for Career Education (CCE) before sophomore year. CCE offers many excellent resources, including interview-prep sessions, alumni-mentoring programs, career fairs, and career consultations. The earlier you learn about these, the better.

  1. Be careful about saving the activities you want to do around the City for when your schedule frees up. There will always be some social event on campus or deadline coming up in the next week or so. That is why you have to meet that friend downtown, see that concert at Brooklyn Steel, and try out that new restaurant in Flushing now.
    • If you wait, you may find out too late that you never actually have an open schedule for too long, and you might wind up missing out on many meaningful experiences around New York. You have enough time to explore the City, socialize on campus, and finish your work—I promise.

  1. Go all in. It is such a shame to hear people brag about skipping readings and missing lectures. You only have one chance to take Columbia undergraduate classes—Core, major, or otherwise. If you recognize these as opportunities to expand your intellectual horizons, to become inspired by your professors, and to get to know your classmates, whom you will consistently find to be insightful, then attending Columbia will earn you more than a degree—it will enrich your worldview.

“Back in my day . . .” We used to have to walk upstairs both ways to Hamilton 7. When someone said, “Hybrid class,” we thought they were talking about a lecture hall full of Ford Fusions.

Favorite Columbia controversy? Bird noises on campus coming from hidden speakers!

What was your favorite class at Columbia? There are so many courses here that I loved, but I will limit my response to my absolute favorites, listed in the order in which I took them (except for the last entry, which encompasses different courses taken at different times).

  • Lit Hum with Professor Rebecca Pawel.

  • Contemporary Civilization with Professor Richard John.

  • Colloquium on Major Texts with Professor John Phan.

  • Financial Economics with Professor Martina Jasova.

  • History of Modern China II with Professor Eugenia Lean.

  • Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors with Professor Robert Hymes.

  • The Financial Crisis of 2007: Causes and Consequences with Professor Miles C. Leahey.

  • Shakespeare I with Professor James Shapiro.

  • China in the Modern World with Professor Lydia Liu.

  • Economics of NYC with Professor Donald Davis.

  • The courses I took in the Chinese Language Program, which were with Professors Shaoyan Qi, Lingjun Hu, Jia Xu, and Zhongqi Shi.

Would you rather give up [redacted] or [redacted]?

(Having editing access is good, because you can redact things!)

Whom would you like to thank? First, everyone on Bwog, for giving me the opportunity to express myself in this exceptional publication over the past four years. Second, my classmates, mentors, and professors at Columbia, for teaching me so much during my time here. Third, my friends and family, who always support me.

Finally, my mentor, Scott L. Gottlieb, who continues to be a source of constant inspiration even after twenty-two years.

One thing to do before graduating: Say goodbye to some more classmates and professors!

Any regrets? No major regrets, but I do wish I had tried Computing in Context earlier.

Flowing Robes via Tiange (Joy) Zhao, Photographer Extraordinaire