I grew up in the small community and attended a small high school in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where I saw the same group of people everyday until I was 18. When I came to Barnard in September 2017, to say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. I decided not to join any clubs that first semester, to give myself enough space and time to get used to living across the world from my family, my friends, and my home. While I appreciated the time that that allowed me to adjust, by the end of my freshman year I didn’t really feel like Barnard or Columbia was “home.”

On Monday afternoon, University President Lee Bollinger sent out an email announcing Columbia’s preliminary plans for spring 2021. This follows an email that Barnard President Sian Beilock sent to the Barnard community on Oct. 26 detailing the school’s tentative spring 2021 plans.

Barnard and Columbia announced a full move to online learning for all undergraduate classes and most graduate classes Friday afternoon.

As the coronavirus began to spread across the United States a few months ago, Columbia students left campus knowing that the next academic year will be far from conventional. With the release of University President Lee Bollinger’s and Barnard President Sian Beilock’s emails to students this afternoon, we now have a better picture of what this new year will look like. Here are our main takeaways.

When you are applying for summer internships, it is important to use every resource you have at your disposal. LinkedIn and Handshake are great tools you can use to make connections, find new networking events, and potentially secure internships. However, you may not know how to make the most of each platform. Check out our guide to using LinkedIn and Handshake effectively!