Columbia University (2024-2025)

[smoky flax]

🫡

good luck

i have 2 more short why us essays and then 2 horifically long why us essays left

[cinder hollow]

So real

The Princeton essays

I have first drafts for everything but they were written late at night so they’re so bad

[sonic minnow]

Don’t even remind me

[cinder hollow]

Are you guys submitting on January 1st?

[cinder hollow]

Okay I worked a lot on my background essay

I’m trying to say things I want to do and how my background would help me in them?

[onyx chasm]

OMG

I can’t do Princeton

[onyx chasm]

im still stuck on this one

[cinder hollow]

Yeah I think I still need to work on it, it just feels so cheesy to talk about where I’m from and stuff lol

[vernal ice]

for me the background essay is the strongest

but background isnt necessarily race or ethnicity

it could be smth else

take a risk with the essay if you feel the traditional format doesnt work out

worst they can say is no

[cinder hollow]

I talk about where I come from since it’s kind of unique

[vernal ice]

nice. as long as ur very specific you will be fine im sure

[cinder hollow]

I talk about the dynamic a bit in my common app essay but the background is more just like how it impacted my personality

[vernal ice]

just try to make sure that u are not repeating ur ps

[cinder hollow]

Yeah they focus on different parts of it

My ps is about how I learned to accept both parts of where I’m from

Background is how being raised in the parts impacted me

[vernal ice]

oh okay

[vernal ice]

talk tuah podcast for intellectual development

[spiral basalt]

😭😭😭

lowk it might work

[vivid orbit]

i put down like 4 museums lol

columbia actually has something called the museum passport where you get free passes to like 20 different museums in nyc

could be something to mention in the why us essay 😉

[alpine locust]

yea the moma has free tickets for columbia students + students at other schools in nyc

[thick flicker]

me too, i l ive in chicago

LMAO

[dreamy terrace]

Honestly, I'm applying to Columbia so I can have all of the good food in Nyc

[smoky flax]

i put 0 museums 😔

i theoretically could put art museums but i have trash memories of them since i was 8-9 when i visited them

[dreamy terrace]

Yeah same :(

Could I put national & state parks?

Would that work?

[smoky flax]

WAIT thats actually so smart

i hope you can

[sonic minnow]

That’s so cool too

[smoky flax]

gonna pull up with rocky mountain and glacier national parks 😛

[dreamy terrace]

I think I will cuz I go camping too much to not to lol

[dreamy terrace]

Yeahhh!! Those parks are so pretty

[smoky flax]

🙏

[sonic minnow]

What parks have u gone to?

[dreamy terrace]

Too many

[smoky flax]

ive been to a lot

yeah lol

[sonic minnow]

The most memorable one was Yosemite

And there was one on Maui

[smoky flax]

i think ive been to all 5 in utah

[dreamy terrace]

Most memorable for me was Arches National Park

[smoky flax]

YOOOO

[dreamy terrace]

I went during quarintine

[sonic minnow]

Oh the one in New Mexico?

Wait where is it 😭

[dreamy terrace]

No, Utah

[sonic minnow]

Oh right

[dreamy terrace]

No one was in the park lol

[sonic minnow]

Was that before April?

[dreamy terrace]

So when I went to delicate arch it was basically empty

[sonic minnow]

I thought they shut down everything

[dreamy terrace]

No, like July 2020

Really hot but whatever

[smoky flax]

i went to arches when i was 8 i think

i like the cold national parks MUCH better (hence why RM and glacier are my top two lol)

yosemite and yellowstone were also cool

[dreamy terrace]

Yeah

Just a little crowd imo

I like Glacier national park

Also Mt. Rainer is fire

[smoky flax]

OH i forgot about olympic too

ive never been to rainer tho

[dreamy terrace]

Lol

Do you live in mountain-time area?

[smoky flax]

nah i live in EST
my most visited national park is smoky mountains

bc i live in nc

😭

[dreamy terrace]

Oh Lolll

I didn't expect that with you visiting so many parks by the rocky mountain area

I used to live in Seattle but then I moved to Texas so I've yet to really explore the Texas national parks

[smoky flax]

we travel a lot so we just hit a bunch of parks at once lmfao

[dreamy terrace]

Lolll

real

[smoky flax]

also im ngl, before i read that sentence i didnt know texas had national parks...

(ive been to texas like twice and i always stayed at someones house instead of exploring 😭)

[dreamy terrace]

Lolll

Texas has too many things to do but everything is so far away

Like takes I think 7 hours to drive across Texas

[smoky flax]

😭

thats how long it takes for me to get to pennsylvania driving

[dreamy terrace]

https://tenor.com/view/on-my-way-slow-doggie-turtle-are-we-there-yet-gif-8147898036422828077

[raven sluice]

any visual arts applicants/admits? i'd love to talk to someone who's applying for arts !

[proud fulcrum]

What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia Engineering? is this a pure why major essay?

[cinder hollow]

Yep

Guys the adversity essay is cooking me

[proud fulcrum]

ok so i dont need to mention specific stuff

about the school

in that one

[cinder hollow]

You probably should

It never hurts to

[proud fulcrum]

the obstacle one?

[cinder hollow]

Yes

[proud fulcrum]

but thats not the main focus right?

[cinder hollow]

Right

[proud fulcrum]

bc others have why major at school

ok

ill just maybe mention like 1 thing at end

[proud fulcrum]

i just talked about a long project at school and being resourceful after things werent working

i mean, that isn't a hardship i had

[cinder hollow]

I’m talking about self-image toward sports but idk how to word it without sounding like it’s my fault

[proud fulcrum]

but i think i can make it work

[cinder hollow]

And there’s not a lot of room to get in depth about everything

[smoky flax]

I talked about adjusting to doing research in a subject I never even knew about before
I only picked that because it was unexpected, idt there’s adversity in there tho 💀

[proud fulcrum]

bc my personal is more vulnerable

[proud fulcrum]

it says "obstacle" so the obstacle would be that you dont know anything?

ig it can work

[cinder hollow]

I just don’t know if they would view self-image views as self-inflicted? They were definitely a huge obstacle for me that prevented me from trying new things

[smoky flax]

I mean i treated it purely as why major but did copious amounts of yapping in the why us essay so idk

[proud fulcrum]

ok makes sense

the "at columbia engineering" kind of threw me off

[smoky flax]

Yeah same but the resources i used said to treat it like a why major

But if you wanna throw in one sentence at the end that connects to Columbia that’s fine
But i talked abotu that more in my why us

[proud fulcrum]

yeah

im going to do that

those are the last 2 essays i need to do (besides the list i still need to think of a few more things)

[smoky flax]

Nice

I also saved those 2 for last lmfao 💀

[clear lance]

hi @grim knot

[vivid orbit]

i treated it as a primarily "why major" essay but also made sure to incorporate some "why us" components

about a third of my essay referenced columbia-specific stuff, either directly or indirectly

all tied to my major of interest

at least in my eyes the "at columbia engineering" sounds like they want you to mention how columbia can help you pursue your major

as opposed to cornell who i think just had a general "why engineering" essay

[grim knot]

Holyyy yo wsp

[crystal nimbus]

these essays are kinda fun ngl

[cinder hollow]

How do I know if a class is for graduate or undergraduate students?

A class that looks interesting says it’s for a graduate school but can undergrads take it?

Why is every single interesting class at Barnard

Can I write about Barnard professors? Or should I just stick to Columbia only

Yeah you’re right

I found someone

I don’t want something too basic

But like most of the Political Science courses won’t be about super niche topics I guess lol

But I at least found something I can connect to an interest and EC

[clear lance]

a columbia satudent can take classes at barnard

if the class is allows for it

[cinder hollow]

Yeah I saw that too, but I still want to focus my essays on just Columbia staff if I can

I would definitely take Barnard courses if I got in though

[ivory stag]

i would imagine only if the student is a woman right..?

[clear lance]

no i took calc 2 with a barnard professor

[ivory stag]

in barnard?

[clear lance]

yeah

[ivory stag]

huh

interesting

ig they make an exception to columbia men

[alpine locust]

barnard is a college within columbia university. it’s like taking a course in the engineering school as a liberal arts major

you can take the class because it’s at your university even if you’re not a student in that specific part of the school

[ivory stag]

ikik but i was just surprised that men would be able to take classes in barnard because barnard is a women's school

i think i heard that at least the women students in columbia are able to take barnard classes

[cinder hollow]

I’m afraid I keep yapping too much and going over the word count

But the Core Curriculum is so good and I have so much I want to say about it

[smoky flax]

Nah real

I was at like 200 words and then I somehow cut out parts of sentences to bring it down

[cinder hollow]

Yeah I’m at 203

Not sure what to cut out but we got it

[alpine locust]

yeah barnard def isn’t a women’s school in the “traditional” sense but the campus culture is definitely different from columbia itself + the dorms are all women

[cinder hollow]

Should I talk about all of my selected majors in the Why Major essay?

[alpine locust]

it’s really short, i would try to focus on your main one

[cinder hollow]

Maybe just mention the other two in a smaller section?

I wish they would give a little more room for this essay at least

[smoky flax]

i didnt mention my other two at all

[alpine locust]

columbia’s core is very time-consuming so it might be hard to double-major so i would stick to your first one

[cinder hollow]

I don’t plan to double major, but I have three majors selected as possible choices

[alpine locust]

just write about your first major then

they don’t admit by major, they admit by college

[cinder hollow]

I’m just wondering because the prompt says “What attracts you to your preferred areas”

Okay yeah I’ll just do that, thanks

[somber nest]

can research supplement to columbia hurt me

[vivid orbit]

Probably not?

Worst case imo they’ll not think anything of it

Unless there’s very obvious red flags in your research you should be fine

[sonic minnow]

for the challenges essay, is it fine to right about how we overcame that challenge?

for example, im writing abt how my school doesnt have many clubs, and I founded my schools debate club to combat that issue

[dense wagon]

yes

overcoming it is the important part

your essay would be wholly incomplete if you didnt mention overcoming the challenge

[sonic minnow]

this 150 word limit isnt helping

but thanks

[dense wagon]

i hate the word limit

give 200 please

[sonic minnow]

Fr

Harvard I’m looking at u

[dense wagon]

harvard was 200 last year and then theyre trolling us now

[sonic minnow]

See I knew it was longer last year

Seeing the old examples they were always so long

[dense wagon]

yeah fr they just keep making it shorter 😭

[sonic minnow]

Next year: 25 words

AOs are tired of reading essays so they ask for one sentence short tasks

[dense wagon]

they’re literally going short form on us

[crystal nimbus]

they'll start making conjunctions and spaces optional

[dreamy terrace]

Next year: make a 1-minute short about yourself so we can scroll through applications like TikToks

[clear lance]

200 is the perfect amount

[dense wagon]

facts

[dense wagon]

if you think about it the AOs are already very much gen z

[dreamy terrace]

That's true

[cinder hollow]

Bro I looked at my AO’s LinkedIn and forgot they can see who views it

Hopefully they don’t care

[toxic plinth]

ok guys ive gotten a fee waiver so i decided to put columbia back on my list

do they admit you to your 2nd or 3rd if you cant be admitted to your first

[cinder hollow]

They don’t admit by major

[toxic plinth]

ohh ok

also i dont need to send official score reports right

i can just self report on testing section of common app right

[cinder hollow]

Yes

[toxic plinth]

alright

[undone heath]

ok, last time i was here i decided on seas, but im back to applying to cc

cant see the physics and chemistry classes helping me

atleast the humanities classes can be applied in some way irl ig

[worn moth]

would putting communist literature on my columbia intellectual development list harm my application. i'm assuming yes

also can i put youtubers in that section

[buoyant hare]

I doubt it would hurt you

[frozen ridge]

No

Shows your uniqueness more

Literally why is everyone so afraid of being themselves on their application 💀

[worn moth]

communism isn't the most... popular ideology

[frozen ridge]

No but I don’t think they’ll be against you for it

[cinder hollow]

Probably because of the monotony of online college apps

[frozen ridge]

True but it’s like. Be honest don’t make bs up to appease your ao

They’ve had years to sniff through people’s bs

[cinder hollow]

Fair

[worn moth]

wait so can i put youtubers

[cinder hollow]

Also I have decided I am not cooked because it probably isn’t that creepy?

[cinder hollow]

Yeah I would think so

[worn moth]

or should i choose specific videos...

[frozen ridge]

Yes

I straight up put Bo burnham inside

On mine

Don’t overthink it

I doubt they even really care all that much about the first question aside from vibes

I also put to pimp a butterfly

[worn moth]

this is the list 💪💪

i still have like 20 words

[frozen ridge]

Delete the who it’s by

They don’t need that

Or source

[worn moth]

oh really?

[frozen ridge]

Yeah

💀

[worn moth]

damn okay i have a lot more words

[frozen ridge]

I wrote Ophelia down with no further explanation

[cinder hollow]

Ah good painting

I have a few art pieces on mine

I tried to cut out a lot of movies though so I could focus more on books

[worn moth]

should i just put a bunch of shows on the list

[frozen ridge]

Thank you! It’s my favorite

[cinder hollow]

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood my beloved 🥳

[frozen ridge]

But I say that because Ophelia could be referencing just hamlet as a play, the song by the lumineers or the painting and I didn’t explain that but still got in lmao

[frozen ridge]

No

LMAO no

[worn moth]

wait why ☹️

[cinder hollow]

A few is okay

But not a lot

Like I put ATLA

[worn moth]

oh alr

[cinder hollow]

But you need to show that you consume diverse forms of media also

And a lot of books

[worn moth]

i only put shows that have infact contributed to my intellectual development

[cinder hollow]

I think books are the focus because of the core curriculum

I also put a few albums

[frozen ridge]

This

[worn moth]

i don't read books 😭😭😭

[frozen ridge]

Oh.

[cinder hollow]

Yeah

[frozen ridge]

good luck soldier

[worn moth]

i have a few books on there

[frozen ridge]

None at all??

[cinder hollow]

You’ll need to try any that you have read though

[worn moth]

i read occasionally

[cinder hollow]

Poems?

[frozen ridge]

I’d say they want to see majority books, then everything else is a mess of tv shows and other media forms

[cinder hollow]

Yeah I put some albums, museums, art pieces, movies, and shows

[toxic plinth]

i thought community college for a sec bro 😭

[worn moth]

can i put books i plan to read...

[cinder hollow]

But try to have mainly written works like books and poems

[cinder hollow]

No

You need to have read them

[toxic plinth]

shit bro i put attack on titan and like vinland saga and stuff on there 💀 💀 i think it's just asking for stuff you enjoy

[worn moth]

well i simply haven't read many books

i have like 5 on there

[cinder hollow]

Well just put what you have read at least

[frozen ridge]

Yeah

[cinder hollow]

I think about 2/3 of mine is books or poems

[worn moth]

fuck me i guess

[dense wagon]

yeah i put on how to train your dragon

[cinder hollow]

It definitely won’t be the sole determining factor

[frozen ridge]

True but you’re literally applying to an Ivy League. They aren’t expecting you to watch tv shows essentially for their classes and books are primarily going to transfer over to college

[dense wagon]

just put on pop culture stuff

[worn moth]

how are they gonna know if what I put is a book

[cinder hollow]

The title

[dense wagon]

they don’t

[cinder hollow]

But I arranged mine by what they are without saying what they are

[dense wagon]

they specifically ask you not to specify which is weird?

[worn moth]

do they look them up... sounds like an awful amount of work

[dense wagon]

because one of my books is also a podcast and like

[cinder hollow]

Probably not, they likely know a lot of what is listed

[toxic plinth]

yes ofc i have books and stuff on there

just sayin i put shows i like on there too

[dense wagon]

i put suits

lmao

[toxic plinth]

if i had no books then yea thats a problem

[cinder hollow]

They might look something up if they are interested

Or if it’s a red flag

[worn moth]

imma put some goth music on here 😈😈

[frozen ridge]

Oh yeah I put shows on too

[cinder hollow]

Based

[frozen ridge]

I will say only red flags will be like the manifesto of controversial people, discriminatory works etc

[cinder hollow]

I had Disintegration but cut it out lol

[cinder hollow]

Yeah

[worn moth]

i would put pornography but... well... i don't think that'd go over well

[frozen ridge]

I deadass put markiplier’s distractible podcast on my list

[cinder hollow]

Yeah….

[frozen ridge]

Do it

[cinder hollow]

Great album but unfortunate name

[frozen ridge]

It’ll get you in guarantee gg

[worn moth]

should i do it and put the artist to specify

[cinder hollow]

Oh I just remembered my pfp is Robert Smith lol

[frozen ridge]

Just put the artist

Not the name

Waste of words

[worn moth]

how much music should be on here...

really grasping at straws rn

[frozen ridge]

Not too much

[cinder hollow]

I just put two albums

[frozen ridge]

Idk do it how you like don’t overthink it

The other supps matter more anyways

[cinder hollow]

Yeah it should be about you not about other people

[frozen ridge]

Honestly personal statement >>>>

[worn moth]

i'm putting the hunger games... they'll never know if it's the book or the movie

[cinder hollow]

So glad that’s been over with

[worn moth]

i'm still not done with mine 🫠

[dense wagon]

yeah don’t overthink it it should take like 30 min

the book thing

just dump all your stuff there

[worn moth]

i have like 200 words left and i have ideas but idk how to put them in

[dense wagon]

then alphabetize it or order it by favorite

[cinder hollow]

Anyways I should stop procrastinating Princeton essays

[worn moth]

does order matter at all

[round creek]

got a recommendation to do a "rollercoaster"

[cinder hollow]

But fr the LinkedIn thing has had me panicking all day

But I guess I can’t do anything about it

[worn moth]

the essays looked too hard so i'm not applying anymore

[dense wagon]

doubt it

[dense wagon]

the princeton essays were fun

they give you so much yapping space

[round creek]

like write Latin shi together, then Mafia movie shi, then back to latin, then to classics, then to youtube videos

[dense wagon]

i hate it when the 150

[round creek]

like the AO should enjoy reading it

[cinder hollow]

I just ordered them by category, like books then poems then movies etc.

[dense wagon]

yeah same

i did that but also by favorite

[round creek]

got me deferred tho, so dont know if its a nice strat

😄

[dense wagon]

and i put the fun stuff at the end

[cinder hollow]

My favorite book is the first thing on my list though

[dense wagon]

same

[frozen ridge]

Adam are you RD

[cinder hollow]

Anyways back to coping about LinkedIn

Yes

[frozen ridge]

Rippp GL

[dense wagon]

bro it’s no big deal

[cinder hollow]

But I think I’m cooked now

[dense wagon]

doubt they check and if they do they won’t remember

[frozen ridge]

I didn’t have a LinkedIn and got in

[dense wagon]

if anything they’ll be like “wow the kid is hungry”

[frozen ridge]

You guys will be fine

[cinder hollow]

I’m hoping so but it’s really stressing me

[dense wagon]

don’t stress about what you can’t control!

[frozen ridge]

Deep breaths

[cinder hollow]

No I checked my AO’s LinkedIn and they can see who checks it

[frozen ridge]

No one cares loll

[dense wagon]

facts

[cinder hollow]

This is true, I can’t go back in time

[frozen ridge]

Imma be so real they won’t remember you

[cinder hollow]

Yeah

[dense wagon]

also facts

[frozen ridge]

Doubt Patrick remembers accepting me or fighting for me

[cinder hollow]

Thanks guys🎉

[cinder hollow]

Bro I really hope I have an AO somewhere that likes my story

[worn moth]

can i put food on the list

[cinder hollow]

I don’t think so

[frozen ridge]

Just nail your personal statement

[frozen ridge]

Trolling atp

[worn moth]

it's unique!

[cinder hollow]

I love how it turned out but I’m hoping they see it the same way

[frozen ridge]

Read the prompt 😭

[frozen ridge]

What was it

[worn moth]

technically food does, quite literally, contribute to my intellectual development

[frozen ridge]

Okay go for it

[cinder hollow]

It’s about transferring schools and how it impacted my view of my family, community, and my identity

[frozen ridge]

I’m sure you wrote it uniquely enough to stick o it

Out

[cinder hollow]

Because I’ve lived in two cities my whole life so I transferred to the school in the other city and they are very different communities

[frozen ridge]

Oh yeah

[cinder hollow]

Yeah I’m hoping it works

[frozen ridge]

Reminds me of my crayon box essay

[worn moth]

i wrote my supp for the life experience that contributes on how i've moved all my life

[cinder hollow]

I think the hook is strange enough to grab attention too

[frozen ridge]

Used to live in very minority majority town and then moved to a majority white conservative down and used a crayon box as the theme

[worn moth]

it's like cliche but whatever

[frozen ridge]

But my personal statement was about statistics and different mathematical operations and relating it to traits I’ve gained to succeed

[cinder hollow]

Ooh that’s interesting

I talk a lot about my parents and music in mine, and how I changed from rejection to acceptance of my communities

But I’ll find out if it works in 3 months I guess lol

Yale was not a fan

[frozen ridge]

Rip

[cinder hollow]

At least Columbia super scores ACT

🥳

[smoky flax]

Yes I did

[toxic plinth]

i finished mine but they're lowkey so ass tho 😭

the prompts were so hard

[worn moth]

princeton doesn’t have my major the essays were the nail in the coffin

[versed finch]

is psych/neuroscience more of an impacted major than bio at columbia?

i feel like there's no way

[dense wagon]

google the numbers but they dont admit by major right

[alpine locust]

no, they admit by college

[alpine locust]

columbia admits by college, not major

[versed finch]

regardless i feel like some majors are still more competitive than others?

[alpine locust]

that’s not how it works lol

it’s just by college

your majors of interest are used to contextualize your essays/ecs

[versed finch]

i feel like even though there's no strict cap they wouldnt let like 100% of the class be STEM even if all of them were qualified since they're looking for diversity of interest

[alpine locust]

the engineering school is separate

[versed finch]

ok then STM

[alpine locust]

and they’re not only going to admit stem applicants because not all of the applicants are interested in stem lol

[versed finch]

Hopkins doesnt admit by major but i find it hard to believe only 20% of applicants want to do pre-med

[alpine locust]

respectfully youre way overthinking this

[alpine locust]

medical school is a very long and expensive process. not everyone wants to be a doctor lmfao

[versed finch]

yes but hopkins is known for its med school

[alpine locust]

hopkins is known for being a good school

[versed finch]

i doubt only 20% are applying as bio/neuro/bme

[alpine locust]

you don’t have to want to go to med school to go to an elite college lol

again you’re really overthinking this

also biomedical engineering majors are not pre-med lmfao

[versed finch]

alr that only strengthens my argument since ur proposing only ~15% of applicants to JHU are premed

[alpine locust]

i’m not proposing anything

your argument is not an argument because it is not how college admissions works

you’re overthinking this

columbia does not admit by major because you do not declare a major until spring of sophomore year

[versed finch]

so you're saying getting into MIT as an Asian and Asian Diaspora Studies major is as equally competitive as getting in as any other STEM major?

(no shade to those who are asian studies major obviously)

[alpine locust]

it’s christmas. please stop crashing out over scenarios you’ve made up in your head

[upper magnet]

chat is the columbia thread crashing out

[alpine locust]

yes

[plush osprey]

if you weren’t gonna get into Columbia as a STEM major you weren’t gonna get in as an Asian diaspora whatever major

[astral nacelle]

lol

[alpine locust]

they genuinely do not care what you major in once you get in

[versed finch]

🙏 in answering my question about impacted majors you said those dont exist because columbia admits by majors

its not pancakes and waffles its extrapolating from "i like fruits" to "i like apples"

[astral nacelle]

why go to columbia when u can come to the greatest city on earth

west lafayette indiana

[alpine locust]

columbia admits by college

there are no impacted majors

[versed finch]

oh right college*

[upper magnet]

cough

[versed finch]

yesyes misspoke

[alpine locust]

you asked a question and i answered it my guy

[versed finch]

alr ty

[astral nacelle]

great ol city and great ol college

[upper magnet]

mmmm columbia

[astral nacelle]

its in the name

purdue

[alpine locust]

is west lafayette even a city

[astral nacelle]

imagine that

[astral nacelle]

no

but it is a better college town than ny

[alpine locust]

so columbia is in manhattan

[astral nacelle]

i know

i realized

thats why i said ny

[upper magnet]

dang nyc hate

[astral nacelle]

whos hating

im simply promoting an alternative

for any unsure folks

[alpine locust]

you know what’s a great college town? los angeles

[astral nacelle]

hell no

[versed finch]

does that mean each is equally as hard to get into / they dont consider it other than as context for essays

[astral nacelle]

thats like the absolute worst

bottom of the barrell

for a college town

if u want a college that admits by major

check out purdue university

in west lafayette indiana

[versed finch]

alr applied lol

[alpine locust]

they consider it in the context of your future plans/your essays and ecs as part of the holistic review

[astral nacelle]

type shit

yea once columbia reject me

i revertted to purdue

[versed finch]

gotcha

[alpine locust]

columbia is hard to get into in general, they kinda follow the logic of “if you can get in, you’re smart enough to study whatever you want”

[astral nacelle]

also that 100 word essay is stupid

[upper magnet]

doesnt columbia have the core thing

[alpine locust]

yes

[plush osprey]

Yeah that’s ass

Leave this channel and join #1268143598789066865 instead

[upper magnet]

but brown has like 7 supps...

[plush osprey]

Yeah but they’re worth it

Do you want to go to Columbia or the school people transfer out of Columbia for

[proud fulcrum]

You can prob put anything as long as it’s not some shooter manifesto

I might’ve put David graeber

I don’t remember if that was Columbia or Penn

But the point stands

[undone heath]

this might be a dumb question but

cs at cc
i can enroll for random classes like psychology, econ, and business for example right?

[frozen ridge]

Vertex yapping about the college admissions process AGAINST someone who literally already got in and clearly knows what they’re saying is what’s wrong with A2C 😭

[tulip kayak]

if im including youtube videos for the list prompt should i write a specific video name or if im just talking about the channel in general can i just write the channel name

[dense wagon]

wait didnt they say no sections

[upper magnet]

i think you can put sections, its just that listing each section takes up words

[dense wagon]

oh okay phew

[upper magnet]

gotta maximize that 100 word count

[dense wagon]

mbmb jeni

[tulip kayak]

says items don’t have to be in any specific ordering

[vivid orbit]

Yes

[vivid orbit]

I put down books I read in school

[worn moth]

it says specifically not to do that

[vivid orbit]

Does it?

I only put down the ones I liked a lot

And that led me to research more into the topic areas

[vivid orbit]

Oh it does I’m blind 💀

Good thing I only put down like 2

[dense wagon]

welp it worked

[vivid orbit]

I don’t think they even really look at the first essay

[onyx chasm]

I’ve always thought they’re lowk js testing to see ur ability to follow instructions lol

I only added lots of books because freshman year ur gonna be in for a ride reading about 15+ books in lit hum

[sonic minnow]

is it fine to write abt the core cirriculum in the why columbia essay?

[onyx chasm]

tbh as long as u tie it back to u rly good then yes

everyone writes about the core the only way u can make it stand out is to tie it closely to u and ur goals

[sonic minnow]

i need to cut down some parts of my essay then 🤢

too much yap and not enough connection

[smoky flax]

i realized that my answer to that prompt answered the why major essay better 🤡
so now i need to rewrite that essay unlucky

[proud fulcrum]

That was the crux of my essay

But I tied it to other things I’d do at Columbia

With core being the common thread basically

[sonic minnow]

In 150 words?

[dense wagon]

i just wrote both at the same time and divided it up

[spiral basalt]

its geniunly so hard

[sonic minnow]

right 😒

[tribal sierra]

loll the 150 words is driving me crazy too

like, i'm just getting started and then i get cut off 😭

[sonic minnow]

same with harvard supps 😵

[tribal sierra]

😭 yeah

[sonic minnow]

gotta make every word count

UGH IM 9 WORDS OVER

gonna die

[dense wagon]

great now you have an opportunity to use 9 em-dashes

[spiral basalt]

im so done with these apps

to many essays

[versed finch]

^

[thick flicker]

i sent them hot ass and i was fine

[raven zenith]

Can someone check my Columbia prompts please

[cinder hollow]

Is it good to mention service project ideas you have for the city?

And how they connect to your background experiences in a way

They take up a bit of my background essay but I feel like they are important to me

[fresh lagoon]

guyssssss

for the list

should i follow the instruction and not put author names

while basically every succesfful app ive seen has put the author names

[dense wagon]

i just followed their instructions

[fresh lagoon]

so no names

[dense wagon]

nope

i did organize it by section though, because they didnt say you couldnt do that

[fresh lagoon]

oo okay

thankss

ill do that too then

[fresh lagoon]

wait did u label them?

like "movies: ....., books:...."

[smoky flax]

I did

[cinder hollow]

I didn’t, just moved between so I would have more words

[dry temple]

Does columbia accepet resumes?

[cinder hollow]

I don’t believe so, but if you get an interview you could bring a paper copy to offer to your interviewer

[dry temple]

😭

i dont think our interviewer would want one ngl

[cinder hollow]

My Yale interviewer took mine and asked me questions about it

It’s good to have to offer

And if they don’t want it they won’t take it

[dry temple]

fair enough

[vivid orbit]

I heard from somewhere that not writing about it could be seen negatively since it’s such an integral part of Columbia

But I don’t know how true that is

You need to include it yet also try to make it unique in 150 words

Good luck 🫡

[vocal blade]

Man this Why Columbia essay is difficult

I could write so much about this

150 words is cruel

[dense wagon]

i didnt include it 😭

[upper magnet]

bro the word count cooked me

[dry temple]

It’s actually cruel

[vocal blade]

Bro I wish I researched Columbia early

I literally would have done ED

[dense wagon]

it's okay you have a better chance now

[vocal blade]

Was ED cooked?

[dense wagon]

it's just that having 2 extra months to research columbia and do your RD supps makes your application so much better

[vocal blade]

I totally didn't start on Columbia supps yesterday

I'm so cooked

But just have the Why Columbia essay left 🙏

[dense wagon]

LMAO

so real i did the entirety of columbia on tuesday

[vocal blade]

Wait I have a question

Did you relate stuff back to yourself for the Why Columbia

Like with anecdotes and stuff?

[vivid orbit]

I highkey still think my Columbia essays are my best ones lol

Even tho I did them first

[dense wagon]

W Gavin

[vocal blade]

Wait I have a question

[dense wagon]

yeah

[vocal blade]

Why did I say the same thing

[dense wagon]

lmao

[vocal blade]

To Gavin lol

[dense wagon]

i connected my current stuff to columbia

[vocal blade]

How is Morningside Heights? Like how busy?

I'm not used to big cities at all

[vocal blade]

One experience or multiple?

[dense wagon]

three

[vocal blade]

IN 150 WORDS

HOW

[dense wagon]

you can squeeze a lot in lmao

150/5 = 30

30 intro
30 x 3 stuff
30 conclusion

[vocal blade]

Be fr

30 is a sentence.

💀

[dense wagon]

bro like

15 is a sentence

[vocal blade]

I just write big ig

[upper magnet]

2 sentences per experience...?

[vocal blade]

I'm not sure whether to focus on one which will be more in detail or skim over multiple

[dense wagon]

i know i sound crazy and insane but it worked in my supp i promise

[upper magnet]

idk i feel like id go with the indepth one, talk about how it got you interested in columbia

[upper magnet]

you got this, trust 💪

[vocal blade]

Even if it's like not a big thing

[dense wagon]

<3

[vocal blade]

Just a very personal hobby?

[upper magnet]

sure, plus that shows a more personal side of you to the ao

rather than "i did this" "i did that" with no actual meaning to the things

idk im also just a senior so i could be completely wrong lmao

[vocal blade]

Thanks though

That helps lol

[dense wagon]

it's okay we're all blind leading the blind here

[vocal blade]

WHY DOESN'T COLUMBIA HAVE AN INTERVIEW

[dense wagon]

we all got this 🔥

[vocal blade]

I COULD SAY THE STUFF I WANTED TO

[upper magnet]

columbia pls columbia pls columbia pls 🙏

[dense wagon]

fr so me

[upper magnet]

bro after yale reject im so done with college apps

[dense wagon]

i feel you

deferred harvard

[upper magnet]

oof dw youll get in rd

im manifesting

[dense wagon]

LOCI after i finish the RD grind 🙏

[vivid orbit]

Yes

I wrote my why Columbia essay around a central abstract concept

Which for me was perspective

[upper magnet]

gavin give me your columbia energy

feed into my delusions

[vivid orbit]

https://tenor.com/view/2869993-hail-gif-12594371

[dense wagon]

gavin i am rubbing your feet virtually

[vivid orbit]

Yo wtf

[upper magnet]

LMAO

[upper magnet]

ALSO HAMILTON STATUS????

[dense wagon]

i love hamilton <3

[dense wagon]

thats what people do

[vivid orbit]

Ik but that’s still a crazy thing to tell an internet stranger

[dense wagon]

LMAO

[vocal blade]

That's AI

[vivid orbit]

Ok but back to this. It was a super helpful way for me to compartmentalize a ton of stuff into one main idea

I was able to connect anecdotes that showed why I value perspective so much

[vocal blade]

Wait bro

[vivid orbit]

Then talked about core classes and other Columbia stuff that would expose me to more perspectives

[vocal blade]

That's actually genius

For the what brings you joy Princeton prompt

[dense wagon]

gavin is cooking

[vocal blade]

I can use stuff from that

[vivid orbit]

And also how New York is a place with a ton of people and cultures and therefore perspectives

[vocal blade]

THANK YOU

[vivid orbit]

Get cooking 🧑‍🍳

[vocal blade]

@vivid orbit

[vivid orbit]

We making it out ong

[vivid orbit]

Bro I have no clue lmao I’ve never been to New York 💀

[vocal blade]

OH

[vivid orbit]

I’m an incoming freshman for next fall

[vocal blade]

I THOUGHT YOU WERE A CURRENT COLUMBIAN

[upper magnet]

except its less than 50 words 💀

[vocal blade]

Well I talked about a concept in that

[vivid orbit]

For the “what brings you joy” essays that are like 50 words I just put a list of stuff

Not enough space to elaborate on one thing 😭

I also did it for the 100 word Cornell prompt cuz i was lazy

[vocal blade]

Yeah I took a concept

And then listed stuff

[vivid orbit]

I legit just listed random stuff that was somewhat unique to me

I think the first one was just my kitten purring as he jumps onto my bed in the morning and scrambles for my legs under the cover

That’s the only one I vividly remember writing

[vocal blade]

Do you think they would've accepted you if you submitted?

[vivid orbit]

I have no clue lmao

College admissions is so wack

[vocal blade]

Fr 😭

Wait I'm kinda intl

Does Columbia screw me over let's see

[vivid orbit]

R u applying as a U.S. citizen or nah

[vocal blade]

I live in the U.S. but foreign national

[vivid orbit]

Do u need any aid?

[dense wagon]

apply as a non intl if you can

[vocal blade]

Yeah

[vivid orbit]

Good luck soldier 🫡

[vocal blade]

Hmm this looks like a good sign

I don't think I need that much aid though

[vivid orbit]

Lock in for these essays regardless

Columbia rd acceptance rate is hella low

[vocal blade]

Well I don't know what they put me under

It seems to be half and half so far

Like I've lived here 11 years I'm basically domestic lmao

[cinder hollow]

4

But I’m gonna shoot my shot who knows

[inland elk]

unrelated but we have 8 mutuals 💀

[dense wagon]

REALLY?

[cinder hollow]

Yeahhh, lower than Yale

[upper magnet]

...

chat im cooked for columbia :D

[dense wagon]

why did i not know this

[cinder hollow]

You’re not cooked

Somebody needs to be accepted

[tall maple]

guys can someone check if you can add more than two research abstracts

idk if its just my common app

[vivid orbit]

Oh my

[sonic minnow]

nah its just two

[clear lance]

fr

[fresh lagoon]

guys is it a red flag if i mention yale courses in prompt 1

😬

(the list)

[dry temple]

I mentioned I was nominated for an NYU thing

[fresh lagoon]

Hmm mkay

[wide rose]

they arent

i wrote about an obstacle that came about this summer when my mom lost her job and i had to take over the role as secondary bread maker while she job hunted

and then what that taught me

you can def find something, take time to think deeply

2 of my supps were just reworded essays from other unis, my list was just a list of media i used, liked

[dense wagon]

columbia was not all that bad

[wide rose]

shows, websites, music, etc

[dense wagon]

i cranked it out in one day and after that i burned out

oh right ur that guy 😭

[wide rose]

last supp i talked about something i take motivation and inspo from

no the attraction essay

[dense wagon]

whats the attraction essay

• diversity
• challenge
• why major
• why columbia

right

[wide rose]

Prompt 5: “What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia Engineering?”

[dense wagon]

oh mb im not engineering

goodluck guys

[wide rose]

"Motivated by medics of the 101st Airborne Division, Sgt. Robert E. Wright and Pvt. Kenneth J. Moore, who heroically saved 80 Allied and Axis soldiers during D-Day, I want to develop technologies that empower and heal people, regardless of their background."

i added this into my second paragraph

[steady tendon]

thanks gurl

[dense wagon]

legendary

[wide rose]

i dont sound like a robot right... i was reprimanded by my lit teacher who accused me of using AI on an assignment i put 4 hours into :(

im so nervous that i used a weird word choice or something 😭

[dense wagon]

no you dont

i wouldnt worry about all of the AI stuff

[wide rose]

tyty 🙏

yes and no? mine are all about how much i wanna go into bionics 😭

and then for ones i can i add details of my ECs

[dense wagon]

mine are relatively straightforward tbh

i have a very deep and introspective PS

but all the supps are quite meaty

like i did this -> therefore i will do this at college

[wide rose]

like the CS project i was the lead programmer on, tennis, etc

[dense wagon]

me too

this is the play

[wide rose]

i will say, grammarly saved my borderline illiterate ASS

used my grammarly premium free trial and spammed tf out of supps

i also used quillbot while rewording to get word choices that i couldnt think of so every essay wasnt just copy and paste

oh trust me i had to slim it down a good bit

yeah

i use it as paraphrasing assistance

[dense wagon]

lowk theres a lot less writing than i expected

[wide rose]

yeah, same with brown, 7 supps but like half are less than 25 words

brown i did first cuz i was gonna ED there before Duke and my shitty ass SAT came about

id say so, def made me think of em

god im not applying to princeton just cuz of the supps and nj

FUCK nj

stanford was fun

[dense wagon]

i actually really enjoyed how much room they gave for princeton

i love yapping

[dense wagon]

i did brown first too

[wide rose]

i have a google doc with tabs with all my essays saved for each college

[dense wagon]

bro thats me but i have a doc per school and tab per supp

[wide rose]

that was the FIRST thing i did

😭

[wide rose]

damnn

[dense wagon]

then i get them organized like traffic lights

(aka me procrastinating)

[wide rose]

i ust label em Prompt 1 and so on

I LUV THIS FONT

[dense wagon]

im arial girlie

[wide rose]

hell no 😭

JAIL

[dense wagon]

wait average like the font

[steady tendon]

i love

[dense wagon]

okay i can respect that

i start changing the fonts when i cant think of what to write

i go to spectral

[wide rose]

arial i only use for school 💔

though i will sneak in a crimson pro from time to time

[bright herald]

hi guys

what are your sat scores?

[wide rose]

wassup wassup

[wide rose]

1280, im going test opt, OBV

[bright herald]

ugh I got 1420

[wide rose]

ur cooked

jk

i dont have the money for SATs and i dont quali for waivers 😭

[bright herald]

agh that sucks

its alr hopefully your other grades are good

[wide rose]

it is wha it is

[wide rose]

yep! 4.08 gpa on a +/- scale

[bright herald]

thats nice!
what are you applying for?

[wide rose]

and people say i have good essays and good ECs

[wide rose]

electrical engineering

[bright herald]

ooh
if you dont mind me asking can u vaguely describe your activities?

even I want to apply for engineering probably

next year

good luck btw!!

[wide rose]

ive got mainly STEM ECs related to CS but part timer, foster parent for rescued kittens, varsity captain of a state championship winning tennis team, 2 school awarded CS awards, 1 as lead programmer of a 3 man group; rocketry club, esports club

not a whole lot but we shall see

[dense wagon]

love it you got this

ESPORTS CLUB

i put esports on my application

[wide rose]

yuhhh

[wide rose]

i really dont think my ECs are that great but people keep saying that im good 😭 i dont know what to think

[wide rose]

im just a fortnite sweat 😭

[dense wagon]

nah ur definitely in the green u dont need to be a chanceme kid

[dense wagon]

LMAO

i built esports discord servers and communities

[wide rose]

tryna get back into unreal but im champ rn

[wide rose]

WW

i was a pro pubg mobile player for a good year and a half 😭

[dense wagon]

super cool

i suck at games i just like the community

[wide rose]

fair point

i just love competitive games

[dense wagon]

w

[wide rose]

i cant help it, i hit unreal last chapter but if i dont lock in or play for long enough i peak in elite 😭

[ashen marlin]

can i include in the intellectual development prompt a book I read about the fall of the third german reich or am i getting arrested?

[wide rose]

no youll be fine 😭

[plucky kernel]

nah you're good

[wide rose]

the only book i put down was "Physics: The Universe Computes" by Ediho Lokanga because it was a gift to me from my CS teacher during our last class in my Quantum Computing class of which I was the only student 😭

[ashen marlin]

im putting AOT ion care

[wide rose]

dude i have the fucking dachau memorial site and al jazeera on my supp

yes!

it was so fun

compsci elective yes

this is one of the problems i made up myself to solve

its basically just algebra

matrices

ive taken apcsa and apcsp

[plucky kernel]

matrices*

[wide rose]

okay grammar police :(

i still got rejected from duke even with a 99 in that class :(

want me to send some more qc math i did?

if ur interested

ughh ikr? i was just disappointed in myself cuz i went on and on about duke

😭

we'll be fine

right carly?

yeah 100% my classm8 also got rejected and we were the only 2 who ED'd at my school

they said i were

but like.. if i was just accept me 😭

they said they loved my app and everything

[clear lance]

duke told u they loved ur app?

:?

[wide rose]

yeah in my rejection letter.. said they loved it but thought i wasnt a good fit ig...

[clear lance]

isnt every rejection letter a copy pasta

or does duke do something different

[wide rose]

nah most of em were different

i know atleast 4 of us had completely different ones

@steady tendon

its so fun right

all of this in a semester course

i built a janky quantum simulator/dictionary in python that could run some simple quantum calculations for my final

that i didnt even have to do but i felt like it

yeah ?

i go to a super small private school in the subrural south 😭

i wish i knew where to send colleges my CS portfolio cuz i could give it to tufts rght in the app portal

[clear lance]

I think they saw my portfolio

[wide rose]

would it count as an additional material?

[clear lance]

idk i forgot

[wide rose]

no no its okay 😭

[wide rose]

my portfolio is straight up a shitty website with info on each program and a link to a google doc of the code cuz i have no idea how github works

[clear lance]

..

[steady tendon]

cs is in columbia engineering, right?

[wide rose]

and i dont know how to embed compilers

[wide rose]

i think so?

[clear lance]

no way you linked a google doc of your codebase

brotha 😭

[wide rose]

im going for EE

[clear lance]

It's in both college and engineering

[steady tendon]

college as well??

[clear lance]

Yes

[crimson canyon]

how many bitcoins for columbia after financial aid LGTQ Arts

[clear lance]

You just complete a different degree core

but you take the same CS core

[plucky kernel]

what

[clear lance]

Personally SEAS >

[ashen marlin]

0.05

[clear lance]

i mean the playing field is the same

[plucky kernel]

just lock in

[clear lance]

you're still a CS major

[wide rose]

LIKE HELP ME BRO 😭 i dont know how to embed compilers into google sites, do i just put it into a compiler and then save the link to the compiler and put it in there?

[clear lance]

id say college gpa prolly is higher

cause u take humanites

[clear lance]

You do know you can quite literally just copy and paste code into a github repo

without git

[wide rose]

i dont know how to use github...

[clear lance]

Create repo

create file

paste code

[wide rose]

ive tried but my brain goes to mush

[clear lance]

save changes

I don't think u wanna send in this portfolio

😭

[wide rose]

WAIT I GOT IT IN THE REPO

@clear lance does this work...

or should i change repo name to "programs" and then have each file with their own names

[clear lance]

whats ur intended major?

@wide rose

[wide rose]

electrical engineering

[clear lance]

why are u sending in a programming portfolio then

[wide rose]

because i thought itd be useful...

it helps showcase my ecs considering my stem ecs are both CS

right...

[wide rose]

okay fixed, got every link going to a github file

no more docs 😭

@clear lance did you put it in this little thingy?

[clear lance]

uhhh

no

I tihnk I ust had my resume in additional info on the commonapp

with my portfolio linked in

my counsler told me to

bit weird imo

[wide rose]

ahh, i didnt do that 😭

[clear lance]

u dont have to

[wide rose]

do you think itd be okay to just put it in the additional materials sections for the schools that let me?

[clear lance]

im not sure tbh 😭

[wide rose]

should i email admissions?

[clear lance]

try asking in

#🌻-app-questions

someone prolly knows

[wide rose]

okey dokey

[small dune]

For the adversity essay do you guys think it’s fine to talk about a challenge I’ve faced all my life and not necessarily like a short term obstacle like in a project . I tied it back to how it created perseverance

[cinder hollow]

Yeah I think that would be good

[icy stirrup]

heyy is any verified college student free to read my columbia supps by any chance

[white garnet]

hi

[fresh lagoon]

yes same here plz

[vagrant kraken]

What differs the 4th and 5th prompt? Is the first one more community, and the latter more academic?

[cinder hollow]

One is Why Columbia, the other is Why Major

[vagrant kraken]

Ok

Would it be better to mention the Core Curriculum in the first one then? Or does it really fit in both prompts?

[cinder hollow]

I mentioned it in the first one, since the second one is a why major, and the Core Curriculum is not major specific

[vagrant kraken]

Right ok

[stark quarry]

guys are lors accepted late for columbia if so is that on common app

both of teachers writing them are out of town and havent sent it

[alpine locust]

as long as all of your components of the application are in on time you’ll be okay

you don’t have to have recommendations in when you submit because it’s not you who’s working on them

[stark quarry]

ok awesome and i still have them send it on common app correct?

my apps all wrapped up ive just been waiting on them

[alpine locust]

yes!!

[alpine locust]

you don’t have to wait, as long as you have recommenders assigned in the application you can submit

[stark quarry]

ok ok thanks for the info! ill submit when im home

[dense wagon]

yes

[crimson trout]

What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia College? (150 words or fewer)*
Is this question asking why I wanna study CS, or why I wanna study CS at Columbia

[dense wagon]

why columbia

there's another one asking why you want to study CS

[toxic plinth]

can you beat this?

[toxic plinth]

VINLAND SAGA 🗣️ 🗣️ 🗣️

[onyx chasm]

thought i was original for this LMAOO

kinda messy but i have a divider in the bottom for the ones i have finished

[proud fulcrum]

Sure

Idk if my advice is exactly the gold standard though

Wait I’m not a college student oops thought u meant admitted

[icy stirrup]

nono thats fine nws

can i dm ?

[proud fulcrum]

Sure

[versed finch]

Notion on top