The wind is picking up pace, campus is packed with first-years buzzing in a fall frenzy, and the city smells like light-jacket weather. New York City offers endless stories and Insta-worthy snaps, but it also comes with challenges unique to the city—like your first time walking alongside a flock of pigeons or worrying about wobbly scaffolding. Spectrum has compiled a list of culture shocks we’ve experienced during our time in the city, to remind you that you are not alone and that you will—after all—get used to it.

Being a first-generation, low-income student at Columbia can be challenging and feel isolating, and navigating the multiple resources the University offers can often be confusing and tedious. That being said, taking advantage of Columbia’s services can help you integrate into college and set you up for success. To simplify access to these resources, Spectrum has put together a list of school-specific support services, along with general resources to help you thrive.

When you think of New York City, you think of hat-topping skyscrapers, mean thrift finds, walks through Central Park, sleepless nights—and of course, pizza. Lots of it. Spectrum took a tour of some of the better-known pizzerias in the city, as well as some close to home to deliver our ratings for your next best slice find in the city. In honor of brain rot being Oxford University Press’s 2024 word of the year, and since we’re chronically online (send help), this pizza rating is inspired by the Costco Boom guys, and each slice shop will be rated on a scale of 5 booms.

This year for Black History Month, Spectrum has compiled a watchlist of movies highlighting Black directors, actors, and historical figures.

Columbia students are back on campus, and while the city’s freezing temperatures aren’t exactly welcoming, we hope your new year is off to a good start. Now that February is finally here, it’s time to follow through on those New Year’s resolutions, starting with reading something other than your course syllabi. Besides a certain Atlantic article, who says Columbia students can’t read? Spectrum is here with our top book recommendations to help you on your reading journey.

As the semester winds down and the calendar year comes to an end, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by deadlines, final exams, and the pressure to end the year strong. But finishing the year on a high note doesn’t have to mean doing everything perfectly. What truly matters is reflecting on the past, being intentional about the year ahead, and making decisions that lead to growth, leaving you feeling accomplished and refreshed. Here’s how to approach this pivotal time as the new year approaches!

As college students, we learn to make do with what we can get—especially when it comes to food. This might mean late-night Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, ramen packets, or all the other typical overdone college-student meals that you have probably eaten. But at some point in every student’s journey, they discover a ray of sunshine in a world of otherwise fairly mediocre meals: Trader Joe’s. With its unique variety of delicious frozen meals that take minutes to prepare, you’ll never have to go a day without a good meal. Of course, frozen meals should not be your only source of nutrition—but they come in clutch.

With midterm madness finally past us, it is time to celebrate by going all out this Homecoming weekend and making it the best you will ever remember—or not remember. The routinely lackluster school spirit and the comfy sweatpants and hoodie combo will be replaced with Columbia merch, foam fingers, and, more often than not, a red solo cup.

’Tis the season of internship applications, and that means dreadingly making your way to the platform that promises you a field of opportunities—for networking and self-esteem issues alike. That’s right, it’s time to join LinkedIn, the beloved website that’s sure to replace your unhealthy Instagram doom scrolling with another unhealthy doom scroll.