Foundations at Barnard: First-years, students reflect on new curriculum requirements

Some students view this change as creating a stronger Barnard identity and community while others feel it limits the freedom that comes with the College’s affiliation with Columbia.

Photo by Haley Scull/The Barnard Bulletin

By Anika Bahirwani

November 6, 2025

In an official statement published on March 28, Barnard College announced that it would be changing its first-year curriculum to “guarantee that every new student begins their journey fully immersed in Barnard’s unparalleled, rigorous liberal arts environment.” 

“Our students wanted more first-year courses, more direct engagement with Barnard faculty, and more ways to connect with New York City. Now they’ll have it,” wrote President Laura Rosenbury.

Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, students are required to take a majority of their first-year classes at Barnard, with access to “a small number of Columbia courses” to explore potential majors. To ensure that “academic rigor thrives in a tight-knit community,” students in the Class of 2029 and beyond will only be able to fulfill the Foundations requirements through Barnard-offered courses. Traditionally, students were allowed to take classes and fulfill their Foundations requirements at both Barnard and Columbia as part of their shared academic partnership. 

President Rosenbury emphasized the importance of first-years taking advantage of their educational experience specifically at Barnard. This includes “recentering the first-year academic experience to deepen connections” by expanding course offerings taught by Barnard faculty. Several new Barnard courses were introduced this year, designed specifically to expand the course selection for first-year students.

Eva Kates (BC ’29), a student enrolled in the new American Political Thought (POLS 1210) course taught by Jonathan Keller, told The Bulletin, “I think it’s a very interesting class. Professor Keller is great and always brings up a lot of interesting topics from the text.” 

Art history professor Anne Higonnet, who teaches the recently added New York City (AHIS 1590) course, described one of the assignments. 

“Students are sent out into all five boroughs of the city five times to experience its reality. They come back and present to each other,” Higonnet explained. ”By learning about New York from each other and from a variety of faculty, students also learn to weigh competing evidence or points of view and make up their own minds.” 

Not all first-years were enthusiastic about the change. Some feel that the updated Foundations requirements limit the academic flexibility that originally drew them to Barnard.

“When I accepted my offer, I wasn’t aware of the new first-year focus program,” said a first-year student planning to major in astrophysics. “It limited the classes I could take since my major isn’t really offered at Barnard. I accepted my offer at Barnard with the belief that many of my classes would be at Columbia.”

Barnard upperclass students expressed mixed feelings. Medha Morparia (BC ’27) recalled her impactful experience taking a Data Structures course at Columbia during her first year. 

“It led me to want to pursue a computer science major,” Morparia said. “I think I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I had to wait until sophomore year.”

Still, Morparia acknowledged the benefits of starting at Barnard. “Even though we weren’t required to take Barnard classes, everyone still leaned toward them anyway — that’s where we felt comfortable,” she said.

As Barnard embarks on this new era, opinions remain divided. The long-term impact of the new first-year learning program will unfold as the Class of 2029 and future classes navigate this redefined start to the Barnard experience.