Columbia University Employee Reviews about "cost of living"

Pros

Great Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, great postdoctoral society, great supervisor

Cons

experience depends on supervisor, high cost of living

Pros

A lot of labs working on very cool research projects. Brilliant and supportive colleagues.

Cons

Postdoc salaries in biomedical labs at Columbia are pathetic. They follow the NIH guidelines, but don't adjust for the fact that the cost of living in NYC is ~150% higher than average of major US cities. Postdocs who manage to get grants for themselves end up getting LESS money than they would have if they stayed on their PI's grant, AND Columbia demotes their health insurance to the worst option possible. PIs and the administration often cite "prestige" to bully postdocs into accepting low salaries. "Prestige" doesn't pay for rent or food.

Pros

Academic environment is flexible with hours and offers very generous time-off. Workload is highly variable, as a function of academic calendar.

Cons

Columbia lacks a good incentive structure and promotion structure for strong employees. It is rare to receive more than a cost-of-living increase while serving in a specific position.

Pros

Good on-boarding orientation. Very nice physical and office environment. Nice, big, diverse group of colleagues, faculty and staff. Working with hardworking and bright youth. Decent benefits.

Cons

Low salaries vis a vis cost of living. Executive offices occupied by status quo-only bureaucrats steeped in the hierarchy's politics, i.e., nothing changes, lessons are not learned. Ivory tower aspect to faculty-staff relations.