Whether you are looking for a cute date spot to go with your significant other, a group of your friends, or even for a solo date, Spectrum has you covered! New York City may not be the city of love, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself with the people you love. From restaurants to activities, here is Spectrum’s list of cute date spots around the city:

As cheer spreads through the air and excitement grows for the upcoming, well-deserved break, you may be wondering how to best plan for a holiday season that is both enjoyable and productive. It is important to take time to destress and be with family and friends. That being said, it can also be a good time to work on hobbies, volunteer, or apply for upcoming internships. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, remaining active, and keeping your mind sharp are vital ways to make sure that you come back to school feeling fresh.

As the leaves on the trees rapidly change from green to yellow, the weather is getting brisker and the days shorter. While this might be disappointing for summer lovers, the colder months in New York City are a sight worth seeing, and you should not let the cold weather discourage you from enjoying your college experience. If you come from a warmer region or it’s your first time experiencing winter in the city, it can seem daunting to spend long periods of time outdoors during these cold months. Spectrum is here to help you and ensure that, whether you’re planning on attending the Times Square Ball Drop or going for a walk in the park, you will always be able to enjoy the city.

If you are anything like me, you create what I like to call “semester resolutions” every September or January, determined to improve poor work habits and set new goals for the new semester. Like many New Year’s resolutions, however, semester resolutions are often left incomplete, given up as work piles up. Sleepless nights begin to accumulate as we fall back into bad habits. However, as we settle into our classes and begin the new year, Spectrum has found the best ways to remain focused and eliminate as much stress as possible. Keep reading for ideas on how to combat harmful academic practices and start the semester off on the right foot.

Scrolling through my Instagram feed on International Women’s Day, I stumbled across a black and white photograph posted on Columbia College’s official Instagram page featuring seven women dressed in Columbia gowns. The caption read “Columbia College’s first fully coeducational class in 1987.” I was slightly disturbed by my own ignorance; it had never occurred to me that the integration of women into the college had happened so recently. I was also disturbed by the aesthetic of the post. I may not have been alive in the 1980s, but I knew well enough that color photography was more than prevalent in this time period—why would it be displayed in black and white?

Ramadan may symbolize and represent many things in a Muslim’s life, spanning from the deeply personal to the expansively communal. It may represent family-wide dinners and endless glasses of Vimto, or staying up until sunrise embracing the gentle slowness of navigating your day through the night. It can represent stuffing yourself with pakoras, Chips Oman, or so much harees that you don’t know what to do with yourself. Or, it can mean participating in prayers with your community in the masjid and slow duaas before eating that first date.

Women across the world have benefited from organizations dedicated to empowering them in a world that has historically disenfranchised them. These organizations serve as a vital part of our University’s community, and it is important to support their missions during this Women’s History Month. Read on for a list of successful organizations founded by Columbia alumnae that have helped thousands of women over the years.

Every live-in student at Columbia understands the stress and uncertainty associated with moving away from home and onto campus. Leaving loved ones and moving in with strangers will never be easy, even if those strangers are your peers and classmates. It can be especially confusing for students who commuted during their first days here and are now switching to campus housing. Don’t fret, because Spectrum is here with everything you need to know when switching to on-campus life. There are plenty of communities and people willing to welcome newcomers and help them navigate their way through Columbia no matter when you decide to join a dorm.

Whether or not this is your first winter in New York City, we all know it can be difficult to get out into the cold, especially with all of the COVID-19 restrictions in place. However, if Spectrum knows one thing, it’s that taking breaks from your hectic school life is important for your mental health and well-being, especially when early sunsets and frigid temperatures loom heavily. To counteract the winter blues, there are many opportunities around our bustling city for making new memories with friends and gaining new experiences while staying warm and socially distant. Here are Spectrum’s top picks for beating cabin fever!

As this semester and year come to a close, you’re probably already crafting your life-changing New Year’s resolutions because, let’s face it, no one here has any chill. Maybe your goal is to have perfect attendance for all of your 8 a.m. classes, take less late-night trips to JJ’s, actually go to Dodge Fitness Center, or just to not get winded from going up more than two flights of stairs in Hamilton. Unfortunately, New Year’s resolutions have a bad reputation for ending up in the place where all resolutions go to die. But just because your resolutions never seem to work out doesn’t mean that it’s pointless to set goals for the year. Whatever you’d like to improve this coming year, Spectrum has your back.