It’s the end of the first month of school, which means you have received the results of your highly anticipated club applications. You may feel excited, disappointed, or honestly relieved that it’s finally over. Clubs at Columbia are notorious for being extremely competitive and impossible to get into with some boasting acceptance rates even more selective than Columbia itself. You put in hours of effort into crafting the perfect application, résumé, and going to countless coffee chats with people who are only one year older than you—and it didn’t work out.

As the semester starts to ramp up, clubs become more active, and midterms are on the horizon, you might start to realize how overcommitted you are. Turns out you don’t have the time for four clubs, five classes, and a part-time job. Here are some healthy reminders to consider before you succumb to the stress of (trying to) balance it all.

As the class of 2026 prepares to say goodbye to Columbia, what better way to look back on these formative undergrad years than recounting the best classes, shouting out professors, and remembering priceless moments with friends? Spectrum spoke to 10 graduating seniors about highlights from their time at Columbia.

With the end of the semester approaching, the stress of studying for finals is reaching an all time high. Once again, libraries start to become impossibly crowded and the late nights become routine. Yet, after an entire semester of studying, your playlist might be getting a little too repetitive.

With the end of the semester approaching, formal season is just around the corner, carrying with it the pressure to find new additions to your closet. Picking new dresses for each formal can be exhausting—especially if you don’t know where to look. Luckily for you, here is a compiled list, with a variety of price and style options, on where to find your perfect dress for formals.

With class registration right around the corner, it’s important to start building your fall semester schedule early. There are a wide range of classes to choose from, making it hard to narrow down the ones worth registering for. Here’s a list of some of Spectrum’s favorite classes you might want to consider.

Throughout the year, Columbia students live in anticipation, waiting for the most exciting day of spring semester: Bacchanal. On Saturday, Rosie Peppé, CC ’26, Nourished by Time, and Slow Pulp opened the show, and last-minute addition, Waka Flocka Flame came on as the headliner. While performers may change year to year, one thing that stays—hopefully—is the Bacchanal borgs: empty water jugs that get filled with alcohol and mixed with a diluter, such as water and juice. This year, Spectrum is here to present some of the best borgs that made an appearance at Bacchanal 2026.

Twenty minutes after this semester’s Free Food Expo was set to end, students were hustling to Low Plaza to grab the last iced matcha latte samples from MAKI, a Japanese cafe in Manhattanville. But from 12 to 2 p.m., Low Plaza was swarmed by hundreds of students lining up for a variety of treats—everything from oolong tea to rice bowls. 

2026 has been coined the new 2016, and what better way to welcome the new year than to look back to the year that popularized the Snapchat dog filter and mannequin challenge? As we reminisce on the great year 2016, we invite you to take a trip down memory lane by showcasing some snaps submitted by Columbia students to Spectrum ten years ago.

It’s 7 a.m. and once again, the debilitating sound of a loud alarm will not stop. I immediately grab my phone to turn it off, just to realize it’s not my alarm. I look over at my best friend’s side of the dorm and, of course, it is in fact her alarm ringing for the fifth day in a row. Even though my first class isn’t until 11:40, I get up and decide to start the day anyway. As I get up, I shake her awake so she doesn’t miss her class and wake up our other suitemates.