The Two Rooms

How can one say what is the essential Columbia?  A school with more then 18 buildings and with even more infinite majors.  With all of this the only thing that is certain is the diversity of the people that will go there.  I myself am a film major, with animation as my core.  What I may consider to be what Columbia is all about will differ with others.  However, in my short experience at Columbia I must admit that two places come to my mind faster then any others.  And both are conveniently located at the 1112 S Wabash Building.
The first is on the ground floor.  Enter the doors and take the quick right.  You are greeted by blue and green chairs, white tables, and two walls that are all window.  This space, while usually meant for passing time before classes or groups throwing ideas around is more then that.  Just as Columbia is.  As a school you think of projects and rushing around to get to places on time.  As you see in this room.  However there is another side.  Take the brown haired girl siting in one of the blue/green chairs.  At first glance she is merely looking out the window to pass the time.  But, if you continue to look you see that she is completely focused on the outside.  Studying it, seeing something none of us do.  The only clue we have to her being aware of her surroundings is when a stray hair falls on her face and she pushes it back behind her ear.  That is one thing that wonderful about this lounge, even when not doing school work everyone is still creating and seeing the world.  
The other place in this building in on the top floor.  While the ground floor is filled with natural light and greens and blues, this floor is nearly all white.  And while it also has windows, it is artificially lit as well.  The difference in the ways these two room are set up is so drastic it's like being in a different building entirely.  And yet it has the same feel as the ground floor.  You can see students hunched over notebooks scribbling away with great concentration, while others lean back lazily on their laptops.  It is almost like the rooms are two different art forms.  And yet both draw students.
To see such a difference in these rooms truly describes Columbia in my eyes.  This the film building, however no two floors are alike.  Much like how with the films student, no two are alike.