Columbia University (2025-2026)

[graceful zealot]

Oh 😭

[clever tide]

there are some cool holiday markets rn

very expensive though

[drowsy gulch]

I’m applying to Barnard lol

[fading sparrow]

same

i aspire to be a barnard baddie

[drowsy gulch]

We can be Barnard baddies together

[fading sparrow]

yesss exactly

[drowsy gulch]

I won’t let my Columbia rejection stop me I will go to school in NYC trust

[pliant cobalt]

what are the standards for the columbia list

like are the AOs going to look at me weird for putting rick and morty

[fading sparrow]

probably just don't put anything that you wouldn't share with your teachers lol

[pliant cobalt]

then that’s a no

i mean it’s not as bad as south park but not risking it

[cold cipher]

ok gd major

[fading sparrow]

don't hate on my craft

[pliant cobalt]

how do people describe music for the list essay

[ionic remnant]

if you know a student they can get you access to campus

i've done it before for ppl i met on discord and would do it for you if you want but i think the max i can do is two ppl at a time

[autumn minnow]

no

[autumn minnow]

W

[pliant cobalt]

i have 11 words so R&M is going back in

how do you organize the list

should it be by media type or should i alternate dramatic / comedic / informative

[ionic remnant]

idt the order matters that much but i think i did mine by type

iirc i did "Books: blank by blank, blank by blank. Music: blank by blank" etc

[autumn minnow]

this was my prompt:

A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives. Tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to Columbia’s diverse and collaborative community. (150 words or fewer)

and now i realize i didnt really answer the question 💀

[ionic remnant]

but if you are short on space you don't need author/artist for popular media

[graceful zealot]

Unfort my whole family is going lol

But tysm

[pliant cobalt]

saw this on college essay guy but the prompt changed i think

1. List a selection of texts, resources and outlets that have contributed to your intellectual development outside of academic courses, including but not limited to books, journals, websites, podcasts, essays, plays, presentations, videos, museums and other content that you enjoy. (100 words or fewer)

[glad sentinel]

they have instructions on formatting!

its on their website

[oak pilot]

they shoud lower the word count even more

[glad sentinel]

there used to be like three different media supplementals

[pliant cobalt]

p sure what they want is a continuous list but like idk how they intend to decipher that

[glad sentinel]

all asking for different media

[glad sentinel]

they say this:

[oak pilot]

yoooo

they should bring that back and make every supplement like 50 or 67 words

[oak pilot]

a college should try 67 word prompts ngl

[glad sentinel]

idk if that helps!

[pliant cobalt]

if it did i wouldnt be asking clarification

i mean

its not vague but like

i dont know how they can read it

[glad sentinel]

well i was trying to help in case

sorry

[pliant cobalt]

no their prompts have just gotten worse

[ionic remnant]

idk I feel like it’s pretty clear

if they don’t say it needs to be organized in a specific order then it doesn’t matter how you order it

[pliant cobalt]

ours doesnt have the subcategories

[ionic remnant]

do whatever makes sense for you

[pliant cobalt]

otherwise it would be fine

[ionic remnant]

yes I am aware of that

[glad sentinel]

i have seen a plethora of ways to organize it

you are not going to be rejected for the way you organize it

[ionic remnant]

I looked at the instructions abba sent and it says nothing about order so any order is fine

would it help to look up examples?

[pliant cobalt]

already did some are outdated

can you separate the categories by spaces? hm

[ionic remnant]

ok but I assume some are not outdated

[glad sentinel]

ive seen these three among examples:

1. list everything together in a giant paragraph
2. list categories but dont use subtitles
3. use subtitles to define sections

ultimately its your content > organization of a small subtitle. admissions officers care more about what you write than what one small subtitle does

[pliant cobalt]

word count is 98 already so going with option 1 i guess

[red bluff]

fuck no

[red bluff]

@pliant cobalt (i got deferred but i don't think this is why) i did what whixler did but i just put each category as a new line

[red bluff]

that would suck

[untold ore]

bro idk why they went to the waitlist in july

they shouldve ended the waitlist like mid june

they saw that they were getting more commitments and STILL wanted more 🥀

[untold ore]

i'd put artists

or like if you really really like a specific al;bum

[untold ore]

LMFAOOOOOOOOOO

lowkey i totally forgot about that prompt

[untold ore]

i think i did

category 1 e.g. books

thing
thing
thing

category 2 e.g. shows/tv

thing
thing

and i had like

4? categories maybe

it really doesnt matter tho tbh

ive seen people lump it all in one

ive seen people seperate it out

and ive seen people add authors/artists and some not

i think if its a well known enough thing and/or if the name is quite distinct and unique you dont need the author/artist name

but if its a thing that could be confused for other things w the same name then maybe its worth specifying

just my 2c tho

[bronze flare]

i did smth like:

Podcasts:
1; 2; 3

Movies:
1; 2; 3

i thought it looked neat, but probably there are other ways that might work for you

also i would recommend you reference what other people submitted on youtube and stuff if you're stuck

[ocean light]

can someone explain the special programs in columbia college? it says that you need to pursue sometihng else as a major to get your degree, but i'm allowed to select a special program as my first choice on the common app. how do they know what i want as my major then?

[simple ruin]

They don't care

It's admit by school not major anyways

[ocean light]

ohh i see, thank you 🫶

[lost fossil]

What exactly are they trying to see with the media prompt? I doubt they'll watch/listen to everything and evaluate your intellect

[hollow tide]

Create a theme about you

[lost fossil]

What if they aren't familiar with anything there

[clever tide]

then they'll google it maybe

[ionic remnant]

the likelihood that they have never heard of any of the media that you consume is fairly low, they are reading thousands of these essays from people in your age group from all around the world and become familiar w what y’all consume

but in that case yeah they would look it up

[rough radish]

https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/12/17/barnard-announces-early-decision-results-for-class-of-2030-does-not-include-applicant-numbers-for-second-year-in-a-row/

[untold ore]

which special programs r u specifically talking about

like the dual/combined degree programs??

[untold ore]

just see what kind of stuff ur into

and your interests

how deeply you dive into them etc

[lost fossil]

Fair

[lost fossil]

I wonder if that specific question ever becomes the bottleneck between candidates

[untold ore]

i doubt it? they dont really directly compare between candidates like that and i doubt that would be like the decisive factor

if anything (at least in RD) i would guess it would be the why columbia/why major questions

[red bluff]

I think the reason I got deferred is because I'm not as strong in stem/non-humanities areas. The only non-humanities AP I had was Bio, and it's also the only AP I didn't get a 5 on (I got a 3). I also had a significantly higher English SAT than my Math SAT (760 vs 710). I think they maybe wanted to see my grades in AP Calc AB. Just took my final and I think I got a B so it's not looking great lol.

[drowsy gulch]

Eh, I had near-perfect grades and test scores and still got rejected

[glad sentinel]

i think u should relax and not critique urself so harsh!

there could have been a million reasons why you got deferred

[glad sentinel]

i think this just lets them see who u r outside of school tbf!

[lost fossil]

Right rightt

[lost fossil]

Yeahh. Thinking about it, it was probably put there so that not every question is too loaded

[glad sentinel]

well and there is more to you than academics!

the whole point is they want to get to know you

and how else do they know you if they dont ask about who you are outside of school

[lost fossil]

Absolutely

[tepid storm]

wait could i get this too

[untold ore]

if u got rejected don’t worry

[untold ore]

don’t worry too hard about it

didn’t you apply for a humanities major?

[stuck fox]

howd they get in if they got rejected

[untold ore]

transfer

i think

oh wait i lied

they’re probably barnard

LMAO

[stuck fox]

oh ok

[drowsy gulch]

That’ll be me lol

Trust

[hollow tide]

Cheat code to get into Columbia

[fading sparrow]

hey as long as the degree says columbia!

[bitter parrot]

does anyone here know how i can find cool research or projects columbia is working on in public transportation

I want to take part in some of these iniatives but everything I'm coming across is outdated

so I want to find current ongoing research projects being conducted at Columbia but idk where to look

I've check the Urban Studies and Theory and History of Architecture sites and can't find anything

[ocean light]

business management

[untold ore]

their insta story LMAO

they always do like

this week in research

it’s all very cool

[glad sentinel]

omg i was about to say this

literally if u follow them on instagram they do this

[untold ore]

click on the learn more links

and it should bring u to a page w all these news updates and stuff

[bitter parrot]

Omg thank you so much how did I not know about this 😭😭

[ashen ibex]

is a deferral a soft rejection or are my odds for rd a bit better than the rest of the pool (generally)

[autumn minnow]

generally, deferred applicants are admitted at a rate comparable to the regular pool

[ashen ibex]

yeah i read the letter, i was j wondering if anyone had any other info

[fading sparrow]

it's a better shot at rd (saying this for the sake of my mental health)

[glad sentinel]

brandon tineo said in his recent video that last year (for his students and anyone that filled out the form in his bio) that a majority of those deferred in ed end up waitlisted

but thats not the case for everyone so take it w/ a grain of salt

[red bluff]

yeah

political science, linguistics, and history

first, second, and third choices respectively

[willow sparrow]

omg polisci twin

i have political science, sustainable design, urban studies i think

hopefully they can overlook some of the silly grades i've gotten

[untold ore]

which is lowkey absurd

defer to waitlist is genuinely evil

indecisive ahh

[glad sentinel]

it so is 😭

[drowsy gulch]

Idk, I’d rather that than the rejection I got

😭

[untold ore]

dont worry

[drowsy gulch]

I bet it was the b+ I got in chem sophomore year lol

[untold ore]

locis help

its true

[untold ore]

i doubt one grade is the reason, its honestly hard to say why someone gets in or doesnt get in

but dont dwell on it and gl on barnard :)

[drowsy gulch]

Thank you

[untold ore]

happy a2birthday

wow

im gold

woo

[drowsy gulch]

Look, if I don’t get into either, it’s not for lack of trying.

[untold ore]

yeah absolutely

[drowsy gulch]

“It wasn’t meant to be” nah bitch, the world clawed that out of my cold dead hands

[untold ore]

i remember thinking on my waitlists and being like, yeah it was a waitlist but its so cool that like, most of the AOs at this one school wanted to admit me

like its crazy to imagine that one persons hand not being up changed how your decision looked ykwim

[drowsy gulch]

Yeah

I couldn’t be an admissions officer

[glad sentinel]

the most important thing is you took the time to construct two different applications of your own personality and encompassing who you are and had the courage to share that with the world. that is big in itself! you took time and meaningfully reflected on who you are becoming, which ultimately, is way cooler and amazing than any college decision you could get

[untold ore]

one of my favorite quotes from @autumn minnow, admissions is deeply human and thus deeply flawed

[drowsy gulch]

That’s so true honestly

[glad sentinel]

that is really good

[autumn minnow]

you are my goat jeni

[keen briar]

https://tenor.com/view/charlie-day-gif-18564553

[red bluff]

yes

exactly

[red bluff]

AHHHHHHH

[autumn minnow]

good news is it doesn’t really work like this, bad news is it’s simultaneously more incoherent and less logical than this

head up high, you can still get in

[autumn minnow]

nah

[autumn minnow]

good mentality

[timid bramble]

2. Tell us about an aspect of your life so far or your lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to Columbia's multidimensional and collaborative environment. (150 words or fewer)

people of columbia

can yall help me understand what is expected of this prompt

[glossy cedar]

I kinda talked about a community I was a part of and how one key characteristic of that group shapes the way I want to contribute in labs and stuff at Columbia

Idk if that’s the best way of explaining it but yea

I realize now that this was really general

[timid bramble]

oh ic

[ionic remnant]

my essay prompt was worded differently because i am old but I talked about a group that I volunteered with and what I learned from doing that, then how I would bring those values w me to columbia

if there are specific connections you can make to related clubs or activities thats cool but idt you have to

[timid bramble]

i think its the same prompt just with the diverse replaced with multidimentional and some starting statement abt columbia removed

[timid bramble]

alr ty

[digital void]

I got in ED!! DM me for any questions

[untold ore]

it’s a pretty standard diversity prompt imo

[autumn minnow]

im pretty sure this is correct

[autumn minnow]

i have many questions

[digital void]

Please ask id be happy to answer

[untold ore]

sob emoji

[drowsy gulch]

I forgot to tell you guys my dad’s response to my Columbia rejection lol

He said “it’s ok, you can go there for grad school.”

And then

He paused for a moment

[untold ore]

HELP

LMFAOOOOOOO

[drowsy gulch]

And he said “or you could teach there someday”

[untold ore]

bro

[drowsy gulch]

THIS MAN

[untold ore]

i mean the stanford rejection letter says smth similar

[drowsy gulch]

The polar opposite of my mom istg

[autumn minnow]

what does it look like

[drowsy gulch]

My mom is like “I’m not sure you’ll get into your safeties you need to start looking at community colleges”

[autumn minnow]

none are out of the question

[drowsy gulch]

And my dad is like

“Get a job teaching there”

[untold ore]

nono like

the article thats linked on it

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-mar-30-oe-shaw30-story.html

[autumn minnow]

andrew fire is a fire name bro

[autumn minnow]

i love how the stanford reject goes to berkeley 😭 🙏

[untold ore]

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO

rubbing salt in the wound bro

[autumn minnow]

could not be more classic

[red bluff]

god i hate this lol

hey, i guess this means there was at least one AO who wanted to accept me probably

[snow aurora]

if i have below a 1500 should i go test optional for columbia

[hollow tide]

Yes

[clever tide]

what score

[untold ore]

if you have above a 1400 no

[untold ore]

jessica marinaccio

[snow aurora]

1420

[clever tide]

i would submit that

[snow aurora]

wdym

is it good enoguh for penn

or like cornell

[untold ore]

if you have a 1400+ i would absolutely submit it

[red bluff]

whos that?

[clever tide]

it was for me lol

[untold ore]

the dean of admissions

to her right is dean shi fu chang

[ashen ibex]

should i wait for my columbia defer or do ed2 at uchicago

[untold ore]

only do ed2 if it’s like fr ur #1 school

[ashen ibex]

i'd choose penn and brown over it but my chances there are sm slimmer than ed2 at uchicago

and id put uchicago just behind columbia penn and brown

but ed2 to uchicago would be sm more likely than any rd acceptance

[untold ore]

yeah uchicago is lowkey ed whore

[untold ore]

in that case i wouldnt do ed

i don’t think ed2 is much higher chance tbh

[ashen ibex]

from my school it sorta is

[untold ore]

hmmm

[ashen ibex]

like they take kids who do ea deferral --> ed2

frequently

[untold ore]

personally i wouldn’t do ed2 but i also don’t like uchicago LMAOO

if u think u might have any doubts or like “what ifs” about other schools don’t do ed

[autumn minnow]

this is way in the green

[untold ore]

yeah i’d submit even down to a 1350

[autumn minnow]

up to you

choose wisely

[hollow tide]

Hmmmm

Average is 1530-1540 I think

I think a 1400 hurts u

[untold ore]

i think submitting a 1400 is better than going TO though

[hollow tide]

I went test optional

[untold ore]

what was your score

i remember a cornell ao saying that if both of your sections are above 700 to always submit

[hollow tide]

I took it once with no prep so I don’t submit it lol it was very low

[pliant cobalt]

since you applied same major as me how did you do your why major essay

[hollow tide]

I don’t think I had that question

Yeah nah I didn’t have a why major question

[snow aurora]

wait i have a 680 in reading and a 740 in math

so its not like above

bc im worried if i submit its like too low

but then if i dont sumbit their gonna think i got like a 1300

[untold ore]

bro submit it

submit ts

[clever tide]

its a 20 point difference not a big deal

[clever tide]

idt they do that

[snow aurora]

kk thank u

[ionic remnant]

the other one is dean sorett, he’s the columbia college dean

one of the few admin that I think ppl generally like

he also teaches a class that I’m taking next sem

[autumn minnow]

idts

[hollow tide]

130 below average

[simple ruin]

25th percentile of admitted is generally what you wanna be more than

Which is like 1450 iirc

[clever tide]

higher now </3

[hollow tide]

If ur ECs and essays sups are good ur chillin

[clever tide]

yes emphasis on essays

[snow aurora]

kk do u guys have suggestions for this supplmental question

List a selection of texts, resources and outlets that have contributed to your intellectual development outside of academic courses, including but not limited to books, journals, websites, podcasts, essays, plays, presentations, videos, museums and other content that you enjoy. (100 words or fewer)

[autumn minnow]

just list what contributed to your life

[minor blaze]

I just want to let everybody know that im moving in silence

[clever tide]

dont put titles

waste of words

[celest ocean]

what titles

[clever tide]

people put like titles to categorize them but you dont need em

[celest ocean]

I saw a few people do that

😭

[clever tide]

i dont think its like bad but

[untold ore]

lowkey i did

lol

[clever tide]

yea its probably not that deep

i just wanted space for more stuff

[late silo]

I have a question about supplementals!

[autumn minnow]

fire away

[late silo]

For this prompt
What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia College or Columbia Engineering?
should we be talking about how the preferred areas of study are being taught at columbia?

or just why we're interested in the field?

[autumn minnow]

both

it's both

[late silo]

in 150 words? 😢

[autumn minnow]

unfortunately

or fortunately

depending on how much you like writing

[late silo]

then for the other why columbia essay I'm guessing it's more community/culture and for this one more about the curriculum

?

[autumn minnow]

remind me what that prompt is

is that one the why columbia one

you can also talk about classes there if you want

[late silo]

yes

hmm okay!! tysm

[autumn minnow]

no problem good luck!

[snow aurora]

kk would u format it like for example)
book a, book b

[hollow tide]

Yeah that’s the way to do it boss man

[snow aurora]

is there anyhting i should avoid when doing it

[hollow tide]

Can’t really go wrong with it

Just stuff you enjoy and liked

Doesn’t have to be something that changed your life lmao

[snow aurora]

ok perf thank u

[hollow tide]

My year was different first supp was books and second supp was like websites, movies shows

[snow aurora]

ohhh

ok the only thing is it says like intellectual so if i do like movies/documentaries idk if that counts

[hollow tide]

We’re interested in learning about some of the ways that you explore your interests. List some resources and outlets that you enjoy, including but not limited to websites, publications, journals, podcasts, social media accounts, lectures, museums, movies, music, or other content with which you regularly engage. (125 words or fewer)*

This was my years supp

[snow aurora]

kk thank u

[snow aurora]

cooked

[willow sparrow]

WE'RE COOKED

[glossy cedar]

Anyone start the LOCI yet

[hollow tide]

‘27 was tuff (my yr)

[drowsy gulch]

Working on my Barnard app rn

One way or another and all that

[autumn minnow]

good luck

[autumn minnow]

i would probably start it after you finish everything RD

[glossy cedar]

yea that was my thinking too

how long should it be? bc from what im thinking of writing rn its prob gonna be lik 300-400 words but idk if thats too much

[drowsy gulch]

Doing my Barnard essay and even if I don’t get in I really like it

It’s about my great-aunt and my relationship with her, and our disagreements and how she’s shaped my life, even after her death

[autumn minnow]

yay

[simple ruin]

Gl

Y'all have the best dining halls

[drowsy gulch]

Oh really?

[simple ruin]

Ye

I go there all the time just cuz food is good

And y'all got smoothies too

[drowsy gulch]

Oh, cool!

[snow aurora]

do u guys think it is helpful to add like additional acitivtes in the additional info part

[short cradle]

hi guys

how’s the food at columbia

[royal crystal]

hi guys

is it okay if i don't talk about my major in the why Columbia essay? like how the programs at Columbia suit my academic interests (like Princeton’s/Brown's prompt)

or would it be better to mention that even tangentially

[drowsy gulch]

Idk but I wanna know

Apparently Barnard has good food?

Which is good to know

Seeing as I’m applying there

I’m gonna do the glimpse video thing

I’m going to film it on a climbing wall

And talk about how rock climbing helps me with problem solving

[ionic remnant]

it’s fine

there are a lot of options, none are awesome but there is always something decent to eat

[ionic remnant]

you should mention the rock climbing club

[hollow tide]

Hewitt bro

Lemme give u the ultimate layout bro

Hewitt for breakfest lunch and dinner
JJs for express swipes and late night cravings

Literally bro

[simple ruin]

Better than most schools I've been to

[willow sparrow]

the eggs must be good

[hollow tide]

Yes it is

You get a very high protein breakfast there

[short cradle]

thank you goat

[ionic remnant]

ferris omelette station is superior imo

but I like a hewitt dinner

recently I started getting into johnny’s and I have always been a fac shack truther

[short cradle]

Do you guys have photos of dinner

[glossy cedar]

This is peak

I pray my college dining hall is like this so I can spam eggs + sweet potatoes

[hollow tide]

Yessir it’s perfect for gym

Legit all you need

[hollow tide]

This is lunch I think

[short cradle]

this is absolutely beautiful

i am going to be VERY happy

[hollow tide]

Lunch and dinner is kinda combined but I eat late this is from 4:30-8

So late lunch and dinner

Straight dogging protein and carbs

[glossy cedar]

The Mac bro

Fuckkk why’d I get deferred

Should’ve wrote about the dining halls fr

[glad sentinel]

you’ll never know!

[glossy cedar]

Ur right

Imma crank out the most beautiful LOCI known to man

[ionic remnant]

all of these are columbia dining from various points throughout my years

most of these pics I took bc they were delish but the burger pic is because that is nawt what jjs burgers typically look like and I got scared but I was fine

also shrimp boat!! from surf and turf which is a dining event in the spring where they do steak and lobster and shrimp and other things

that is when I get my money’s worth from columbia dining

but yeah generally the dining halls are alright, I think they are good for school food but it’s hard to think that sometimes when you are comparing the school food to nyc dining

[short cradle]

YES

[short cradle]

this makes me happy

[ionic remnant]

I am going to miss ferris omelette station

I know I have a breakfast pic somewhere

[hollow tide]

After I graduate swipe me into Hewitt @short cradle

[short cradle]

i gotchu

[untold ore]

???????????

[untold ore]

what the hell holy shrimp

[simple ruin]

Bc there's a why major right

Why Columbia generally is more student life stuff

[untold ore]

oh oops i read it wrong

i thought bro was not writing about the major in the why major essay

but yeah no u don’t have to write about why major in the why columbia essay

[ionic remnant]

surf and turf 😋

love it

[untold ore]

lay me on the table horizontally bro i would fuck that shit up

[pliant cobalt]

should your why major essay reference

• activities you already did related to your reason
• activities you hope to do at columbia related to your major

[untold ore]

yes i would say so

[ionic remnant]

my freshman year they used the boat to hold water bottles during nsop and one time it rained rly bad and some people took the boat down broadway

[pliant cobalt]

hmmm then it needs to be reworked

[untold ore]

why what does yours look like rn

[pliant cobalt]

i explain what attracts me to my major

[ionic remnant]

did you talk ab columbia specifically

[untold ore]

i mean yes that too

[pliant cobalt]

i did most of that in my why columbia

but what i wrote aligns with columbia values

for the why major

[untold ore]

like generally i would say u need 1) why u wanna do that major 2) what you’ve explored in relation to it 3) why this major at columbia

[ionic remnant]

I think if you explicitly make that connection it could work

but yeah you def need to connect it to columbia

[pliant cobalt]

and if you selected multiple major interests do you work all of them in or

[ionic remnant]

you don’t rly have enough word count to fully explore more than one, or two if the two are closely tied

[pliant cobalt]

ex my why columbia was heavy on CS and polisci so i want to weigh my why major more on creative writing

[untold ore]

that would be cool

[pliant cobalt]

the current why major connects CS and writing
the current why columbia connects CS and polisci

[ionic remnant]

tbh I think your why major could be partially about the ability to explore all of your interests through the core and the flexibility of the degree programs

[pliant cobalt]

yeah adding that

[ionic remnant]

like while focusing on creative writing and cs

[pliant cobalt]

well they're basically opposite subjects so the core allows me to synergize both is the idea

[ionic remnant]

yeah

[untold ore]

i ❤️ the core

[ionic remnant]

I think that works as long as you are specific about it

[untold ore]

🍎

[ionic remnant]

loveeeee the core

too many core haters go here

[untold ore]

go to brown if you don’t like the core 💔💔💔 hella crossadmits

[pliant cobalt]

last thing i notice all my supps end on a message of collaboration and community

is this a columbia thing or do i save it for other schools

[autumn minnow]

wdym

[pliant cobalt]

like is this a value i want to highlight

ex stanford being big on intellectual vitality meaning i orient all my supps around that

[untold ore]

is it a value you personally believe in

like lowkey every school cares about community and intellectual vitality and diversity etc.

[pliant cobalt]

its not forced or anything thats just the conclusion i reached after doing all the supps

[autumn minnow]

if it's a value you care about, then sure

[untold ore]

e.g. if columbia didn’t care about intellectual vitality they wouldn’t have the list supplemental and if stanford didn’t care about community they wouldn’t have a roommate supp

[untold ore]

where’d the bar in your name go

you should be columbian youtiao

[autumn minnow]

worth noting that schools can also care about things and not have supps about them, e.g. i don't think stanford cares more about community than columbia does, and vice versa with IV

if anything, the takeaway here should be not to optimize what you write based on what schools care about

[untold ore]

absolutely

also the thing is every school wants a diverse group of people

[pliant cobalt]

this fits with how i ended the supps

[untold ore]

how much it would suck if everyone they admitted was 120% about intellectual vitality but 20% about community

it wouldn’t make for a very good student body

[pliant cobalt]

'leadership and collaboration' + 'civic responsibility'

[untold ore]

don’t feel the need to optimize for what the specific school “wants” or “values”

top schools all care about similar values

just write about the values that reflect yourself the most

[autumn minnow]

@untold ore i am playing fall guys

[untold ore]

are you falling

[untold ore]

rolling down the low steps 🤤

[autumn minnow]

this game is too hard

[untold ore]

play with me when i land

i’m on the plane ✈️

[untold ore]

but to summarize yes it’s okay if your supps all end with that if that’s how it naturally came to be

[autumn minnow]

they tried to deliver my package but apparently it needed a signature

so they just left

[untold ore]

yes i did see that

a note was taped to the door LOL

[autumn minnow]

bruh

[glad sentinel]

columbia trade omg 😭

[glad sentinel]

like every school has this value its not exclusive to columbia

if ur trying to fit ur supplementals to what u think the college wants ur setting urself up for failure

chances r ur gonna over do it and make it not authentically how you’d answer

[pliant cobalt]

havent done that yet this is just what i authentically came up with

i was asking if i should retool it not that i wanted to fit them all lol

[glad sentinel]

then i think ur fine! just trust what u wrote

[autumn minnow]

yep

[wary forge]

hell yeah i can’t wait

[short cradle]

are u columbia ‘30

[wary forge]

mhm

[ionic remnant]

congrats!

[autumn minnow]

wow the only two admits of the year

congratulations

[ionic remnant]

let us know if you have questions

[short cradle]

only two people in the class of 2030

[autumn minnow]

yes

[wary forge]

how easy wld it be to get into a sorority?

im kind of on the fence abt it but if it’s too competitive i prob wldnt go for it lol

[ionic remnant]

I have no idea

sororities aren’t a big thing here so idk anyone that is in one

[short cradle]

this might sound a little dumb

but do they have soda fountains on campus

like in dining halls

[glad sentinel]

omg someone was raving about it the other week

who was that

[short cradle]

when i visited cornell it was no soda just some like “heathy” knockoffs

[glad sentinel]

.

langara knows a lot

[autumn minnow]

our resident columbia expert

[ionic remnant]

yes they have the kind with like 100+ sodas and the touch screen

[oak pilot]

that would be the end of me

🪦

id probaby get banned from machines like that

[short cradle]

is this unlimited

please tell me it’s unlimited

[ionic remnant]

pretty much yeah

the big dining halls are all you can eat so everything is unlimited

as long as you don’t leave the dining hall you can get as many refills as you want

[short cradle]

this is incredible.

i am so happy

i can have unlimited soda access to 100 different flavors

i’m a happy camper guys

[ionic remnant]

live your best life

[untold ore]

sob emoji

[untold ore]

oh wait my friend is in a sorority

i can direct all ur q’s to her

she recommended me to rush

[untold ore]

😭 bro

he probably lives in a supply closet in the admissions office

[untold ore]

🤤

holy peak

the freestyle machines???

[willow sparrow]

LIKE AT FIVE GUYS??

[wary forge]

i j want to know how hard it wld be to get into one lol

[wary forge]

are u planning to?

[untold ore]

not that hard

like its nothing like bamarush or anything like that

it depends on what sorority though

but generally if ur like normal and chill you'll probably make it through the rush process just fine

[untold ore]

yes!!

[nova dagger]

does someone wanna read a couple of my columbia supps

preferably a columbia undergrad rn!

or someone in college 🙂

[autumn minnow]

sure

[untold ore]

sure

[untold ore]

👅

[autumn minnow]

first time doing this a little nervous 😛

[wary forge]

okok

[wary forge]

firee

[simple ruin]

Depends

I think dg and theta are the hardest

[royal crystal]

yeah i didn't

but regarding the 'why major' essay, do i have to specify how Columbia's programs meet my academic interests? bcz honestly i found nothing particularly interesting/exciting. the website isn't elaborate enough

[ionic remnant]

it rules, I like to make a little pink lemonade mix moment most of the time

[ionic remnant]

as we were discussing earlier you should connect your essay back to something specific about columbia

which website are you looking at, the bulletin or the department website?

[royal crystal]

Bulletin

[ionic remnant]

try the department website and other auxillary websites

the bulletin is just meant to be a jumping off point, it isn’t the extent of info available

[onyx chasm]

can I talk about barnard activities in my why columbia essay

or is it just columbia

[worldly trench]

I’m so excited and scared to rush lowk

[untold ore]

what kind of barnard activities

some stuff e.g. architecture ur classes will be at barnard

[onyx chasm]

the big sub thing 😭

[drowsy gulch]

I have my idea for Barnard glimpse video

I’m going to talk about rock climbing and then do a climb

[worldly trench]

I feel like you’re better off mentioning something of Columbia

Like surf and turf

[hollow tide]

Don’t mention Barnard

[untold ore]

i prob wouldn’t put that

[glad sentinel]

i want to be skating in nyc rn

colorado has no snow at all this winter and it has been very sad to see

[narrow sun]

Hello! I was wondering how accurate the net price calculator was for admitted students? I’m surprised by how much aid they give in comparison to some top schools but it seems too good to be true

[wary forge]

the price they gave me in my fin aid package was 50k more than my estimated price on the website tool 😭

there could have been some discrepancies but i strongly doubt we have any assets that cld make it change so much

[wary forge]

real recruitment seems so nervewracking loll

everyone’s so cool

[glad sentinel]

i think but also if you need more then you can always talk to financial services and see if they can give more!

[narrow sun]

What the heck 💔

[narrow sun]

right I can always negotiate! I hope they’re not too stingy

[wary forge]

sent an email but waiting to hear back 💔💔

[narrow sun]

that sucks, and you applied ED in that case? Good luck!!

[glad sentinel]

if you fill it out with accurate info it should be pretty accurate though!

[narrow sun]

Yeah I filled it out with my CSS profile stuff but I’m worried it’s lying to me lol

[wary forge]

yeah ed

and ty 🙏

u too! (if you’re applying rd)

[glad sentinel]

they tell students to fill it out before applying ed to make sure they can pay so its pretty accurate

historically columbia does a good job with meeting the npc

[narrow sun]

That’s great, I really hope it’s accurate

[worldly trench]

omg I knowww

r u rushing this spring?

[wary forge]

oh no im co2030 lol

[worldly trench]

ohhh

still congrats :)

[untold ore]

no way wtf 💀

[untold ore]

did u schedule a meeting?

as an admitted student u can schedule a meeting directly and then u dont have to go through the email process

that’s what i did and i got a meeting within the week i think

[proper inlet]

is Columbia arguably the best Ivy League school for a "serious musician who isn't majoring in music"?

[glad sentinel]

i think columbia is currently shrinking music programs to only minor areas right now

[autumn minnow]

no way

[proper inlet]

i mean i am mentioning the MPP program in my why columbia essay as it is something that is unique to columbia ig? to learn music without being a major?

[proper inlet]

correct me if i am wrong

[autumn minnow]

you could argue this about a lot of schools, but for the sake of school pride yes

[glad sentinel]

i think most MPP individuals are cross enrolled in the columbia julliard

[proper inlet]

i intend to mention this in why columbia essay, as to my knowledge it is something unique to columbia only

[proper inlet]

i am not sure i understand

[glad sentinel]

the MPP?

[proper inlet]

yeah?

[glad sentinel]

yes, a lot of those taught are enrolled in the columbia-julliard

[proper inlet]

so like does it make sense to write?

[autumn minnow]

uh maybe do more research

[glad sentinel]

i would do research because i dont know how open the program is to students not in columbia-julliard

i think there are spots but a majority of those in the program are enrolled in the dual degree program

[untold ore]

probably because of proximity to nyc

theres a lot of students who are actors/models/musicians

[untold ore]

out of the ivys probably the other one you could argue is brown?

[untold ore]

to mention the MPP lessons? or that its the best ivy for musicians or smth like that

you could do the former

im not sure if i would put the latter

[oak pilot]

columbia best ivy for everything

[simple ruin]

Which r u going to

[proper inlet]

obviously not later, my question was if i am mentioning something like MPP it must be niche in its own, like something that is really specific to columbia and couldnt be applied to any other top school

[simple ruin]

Harvard has nec

[proper inlet]

does it provide credits ?

[simple ruin]

I'd mention like a specific prof or ensembles

[simple ruin]

Yeah

[proper inlet]

elaborate

[simple ruin]

And you can also get ba mm

[untold ore]

nyu ed2 😞 we lost a soldier

[proper inlet]

pls

[simple ruin]

Like find a few cool ensembles you'd wanna join

[oak pilot]

if only i didnt procrastinate

i wouldve ed'ed here

[simple ruin]

And a professor you'd wanna study under

For music prof is most important anyways

And then make sure you submit a portfolio

[proper inlet]

right

[oak pilot]

my opp got into columbia ED so surely i have to get in

[proper inlet]

really required?

[simple ruin]

Bc they send it to Columbia/juilliard profs to get reviewed

[proper inlet]

i play flute

[simple ruin]

Ah nice

Id send if possible

Especially if you're at the level of a decent music school

Like Oberlin iu Jacobs or smth

[untold ore]

you can def talk about MPP and you should but be specific about what parts of MPP/what profs and ensembles like asjhf mentioned

[simple ruin]

They viewed my portfolio like 20 times

Was sussy

[simple ruin]

Estimated 28k a year they ended up quoting me 17k

[untold ore]

u can bag columbia rd i believe in u

[simple ruin]

Honestly nyu ed2 is fine

Only bad thing about NYU is the price

Y'all have more food and bar spots closer

[untold ore]

i def wouldve applied NYU if they had more of a campus

[oak pilot]

yea id pay the full price, the environment is incredible

[untold ore]

nyc peak

[simple ruin]

True

Altho

I might have picked like

UCSB or Miami over Columbia tbh

[timid bramble]

y

[untold ore]

did u want a party school

[simple ruin]

Beach

Weather

[untold ore]

oh fair LOL

[oak pilot]

true, major con of NYU, though i appriciate both styles ig so win win

NO one likes NYU in #🚀-general-chat ☠️

[simple ruin]

Its aight unless ur engineering

Then u get exiled to Brooklyn

[oak pilot]

🗿

what is there in brooklyn

[untold ore]

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[untold ore]

super mario bros movie cameo

[simple ruin]

Idk chill

[oak pilot]

YOOOoo

i havent been there ina minute i shoujld visit again

[simple ruin]

My top 5 was UCSB Miami duke Columbia yale

Not in order

[untold ore]

ts frying me

california florida nc ny and ct

holy variety

[oak pilot]

rename ct to yale atp

[simple ruin]

I lowk got baited for columbia

[untold ore]

theyre lowkey all so different from each other im surprised they were ur top 5 :O

[simple ruin]

When I visited they had a fun event and everything

[untold ore]

what event

[simple ruin]

So I thought everyone was chill 24/7

[untold ore]

LMAOOOOOO

[simple ruin]

Idk they had bouncy houses up

[untold ore]

yo what

thats funny

[simple ruin]

Yeah

I was like

Damn everyone was lying about being depressed

But I got baited

[oak pilot]

[untold ore]

sad students

upenn core

[simple ruin]

Yale is really chill

Miami and sb are beach

Duke is fun+ they had a program I really wanted

And NC beaches aren't bad ig

Better than Rockaway or whatever nyc has

I've went to Florida every break

[rapid ore]

Hey

anyone applying to Columbia's SEAS

Submitting maker portfolio and/or research

[burnt osprey]

For my research, I don’t have an abstract because the journal I’m going to submit to only asks for a short summary and then the research paper. Should I submit that summary or can I cut down on my intro? Cause ik they say the abstract is usually around a page long

Or should I just write an abstract to submit?

[rapid ore]

I mean abstract is basically a summary depending on what type it is

some abstracts are written after research , some during , and some before

[rapid ore]

In your summary did you basically highlighted your purpose of study, methods, and all that ?

[burnt osprey]

yeah but it’s only around like 250 words

[rapid ore]

yea that is calm

abstracts/summaries are usually around 150-250 max

cuz the people who wanna cite you/ read your research , read your abstract first to see if your research is worth reading as a whole

[burnt osprey]

got it, thank you so much!

[rapid ore]

btw are you gonna turn in maker portfolio ??

[chrome panther]

yes but general word of advice for college apps is to make the abstract a little bit longer

since the appendix alone doesnt fully give a max gist for a researcher, so id use the page

[burnt osprey]

nope just the research abstract

[willow sparrow]

i think this is fine

like

its very hard to find 100w worth of things that STRICTLY contributed to intellectual development

that aren’t in school

[untold ore]

i submitted a research portfolio for seas

list any media you thought was important to u

[oak pilot]

All mine are anime and manga lol

nothing is goofy aslong as it made impact

[rapid ore]

One piece of advice I heard from a Columbia AO was to include relevance to Core Curriculum. Being at Columbia means you will face the CC one way or the other , the BEST way to show your preparedness for it is through that supplement question

But imo if YOU have actually read some core books then include em or if it links to your essays

or else it will be so performative fr

[pliant cobalt]

does anyone have a list of core texts so we can check if anything matches

[untold ore]

peak

[untold ore]

for lithum ?

[pliant cobalt]

yeah

[glad sentinel]

its all on their website

let me link

https://www.college.columbia.edu/core-curriculum/classes/literature-humanities

though it changes every year so the list is always changing but

[ionic remnant]

if you have room in the word count for subtitles then use them, but it’s not a requirement

they’ll figure it out

[wary forge]

i did maker portfolio

[red bluff]

what major?

[red bluff]

https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/columbia-university-supplemental-essays

[untold ore]

omg ur pink

i did subtitles for categories but u dont have to

[willow sparrow]

hi guys

can i do the a2c thing and ask if someone will read my supplementals

[snow aurora]

environmental scinece

[red bluff]

ok tbh

i think sub-700 english is where it gets a little iffy

do you have good AP scores for english? are your essays really good? can you make up for the lower score in some other aspect of your application?

[turbid oxide]

i'm in the same boat. i have a 670 english but 780 math, but going into chemical engineering. i am not submitting my ap lang score since i kinda trolled on it 💔

Is this a complete deal-breaker since i'm not sure there's any kind of ethos i can give to alleviate the 670? but my supps could be fire since i was able to write rly good UC essays extremely quickly

[ionic remnant]

sure

[ionic remnant]

I’m an env sci major it slays here

[glad sentinel]

i dont think they evaluate your writing abilities as an equivalent to standardized scores

[willow sparrow]

Thanks!! Can I DM you?

[glad sentinel]

omg thats so awesome

thats my second intended concentration

[willow sparrow]

envsci is so cool

i might double major in it

idk it would be hard

[glad sentinel]

whats ur first

[willow sparrow]

polisci

[glad sentinel]

i feel like the biggest issue with double majoring at columbia is the core

[willow sparrow]

im debating whether to double in urban studies or envsci

yeah exactly

so like i probably couldnt

[glad sentinel]

the core is so cutie though

[willow sparrow]

i love the core

[glad sentinel]

like idt id enjoy brown as much

[willow sparrow]

the university writing has an urban planning writing class ❤️

[glad sentinel]

purely because its a take whatever

[willow sparrow]

like how cool is that

[glad sentinel]

a lot of my classes would be at barnard

[willow sparrow]

barnard is so fun though

[glad sentinel]

i love barnard

obv cant apply tho

[willow sparrow]

same 🥀

my AP bio table mate is going there though it must be a sign

[glad sentinel]

unless they want a gay man then not for me unfortunately!

[willow sparrow]

wait if we got a trenchcoat

we could double up

[glad sentinel]

omg we can do this

[willow sparrow]

barnard '30 here we come

[clear blaze]

what the hell do i include in the list question

[glad sentinel]

anything that has grown you intellectually

outside of school

[willow sparrow]

any sort of media

[clear blaze]

fawk

im a bum though

[willow sparrow]

i have a lot of museums

[glad sentinel]

so think about what media you consume (books, tv shows, articles, journals, poems, news, etc) outside of standard class materials ( maybe ap lit books, lang books – though if you love them you can include) and use those

there is no standard convention of the list! you can get creative

[worldly trench]

jamaican dwerking

[glad sentinel]

the goal is to think about media in

right

[willow sparrow]

i have one ap lit book on this because its a pick your own thesis

[glad sentinel]

that works!

[willow sparrow]

but yeah dont really put school books if you can help it

they know which books schools usually teach

[glad sentinel]

following the goal is to think about media in any way you deem that constructs you

[willow sparrow]

no one is reading scarlet letter on their own 🥀

[glad sentinel]

nobody is reading the great gatsby on their own

[clear blaze]

the Godfather 🥀

[glad sentinel]

or if u r ur one of the 10 million a year

who do so

🥀

[willow sparrow]

i put silent spring on there

[clear blaze]

should i write that down

[willow sparrow]

my #1 entry on the list actally

[glad sentinel]

aww thats so good

[clear blaze]

lowk feels basic tho

[willow sparrow]

did you read it in school

[clear blaze]

yeah

[willow sparrow]

then dont

plus the AO knows everyone reads gatsby in school

[willow sparrow]

rachel carson is my hero

[glad sentinel]

put stuff that interests you

i doubt you would ever go “wow, gatsby is good. let me read or go up to a random stranger and rave about it”

[clear blaze]

shi maybe i should take 1984 out then

[glad sentinel]

thats the type of enthusiastic about the media you should have

[willow sparrow]

1984 is okay i think

not as bad as gatsb

[worldly trench]

I feel like they wanna know mainly about your personality, interests, and maybe curiosity within that supplement tbh

and like ig somewhat academic

[willow sparrow]

yeah

[worldly trench]

since lithum is happening ur first yr

[glad sentinel]

jena are you a first year rn

[worldly trench]

yess

[glad sentinel]

what books did you read this semester

[willow sparrow]

lithum is SUCH a cool class

i like that they make you read so many books

[clear blaze]

i thougth you said lithium

[glad sentinel]

im excited they have luke and david on there as i would never read those excerpts if it were outside of the class just because i wasnt raised in a religious setting and it isnt something that composes me

[worldly trench]

lowk im not in that class if thats what ur asking

[glad sentinel]

oh 😭

[willow sparrow]

all of the different options for university writing are so cool

i like that they have like climate humanities and medical humanities and urban studies

not just vanilla stuff

[clear blaze]

wait lowk should i put percy jackson down so they know im somewhat interested in greek myth

[willow sparrow]

yeah ive never really interacted with the bible in that way

like i know what happens vaguely

but

[glad sentinel]

i saw someone on twitter post something about how they are sad we will never get another frat guy at an ivy on a scholarship writing a report awfully because chatgpt exists

😭

[willow sparrow]

yeah that came up in the server already

christian mccaffrey?

that essay was SO bad

[glad sentinel]

YES

“the author copyrights this work”

[willow sparrow]

"it is said that the US developed the first nuclear weapon"

"sometime aroudn the 1950s"

[glad sentinel]

talking about it like its some conspiracy 😭

[willow sparrow]

bro has NEVER heard of hiroshima

[ionic remnant]

I have a friend who graduated in the spring and doubled history and climate science

[glad sentinel]

whix are you double majoring?

[ionic remnant]

yea

[willow sparrow]

oh that's really cool, how hard was it for her?

[ionic remnant]

no

I have a major and a concentration, but they are phasing out concentrations so y’all won’t be able to do them

[ionic remnant]

they were valedictorian lol

but it was still hard, columbia is going to be hard either way so you may as well get as much as you can out of it

a lot of people double major in unrelated things

[willow sparrow]

LOL

[ionic remnant]

tbh i suspects our major require fewer classes than other schools because the core takes up so much space in our schedules

[willow sparrow]

yeah that makes sense

[wary forge]

haha whenever someone says lithum that’s what i automatically read it as too

[ionic remnant]

like I started my major sophomore fall and finished it by junior spring (besides my thesis)

[glad sentinel]

oh wow

[willow sparrow]

oh thats not too bad

did you take any electives besides?

also is there a math requirement in the core? i dont see it

[ionic remnant]

a couple unrelated ones + I took more major classes than I required

there’s a science req

idt there is a general math req

[glad sentinel]

how many credits do you do a semester?

[willow sparrow]

i can do science no problem if they make me take c*lculus again we will have issues

[ionic remnant]

but if you are doing a sciency major you’ll have to do calc

unfort

[willow sparrow]

true

i got a 5 on BC i just dont want to do calc 3

[glad sentinel]

oh trust me it really is not too bad

[ionic remnant]

usually 15-17 I think

[willow sparrow]

i have friends getting slammed by calc 3 rn 😭

[glad sentinel]

do you take physics right now

[ionic remnant]

does this let you opt out? idk how math works here

[willow sparrow]

tbh idk either

[willow sparrow]

me? no i took regular physics freshman year and wouldnt touch it with a 10 foot pole ever again

[ionic remnant]

I think bc lets you opt out

don’t quote me tho

[glad sentinel]

i think so

is what im reading rn

[willow sparrow]

okay tahts nice

[glad sentinel]

but some statistics class it may be nice to have multivariable

for instance

[glad sentinel]

i have no prior physics knowledge and i took ap physics c this year

[ionic remnant]

scary

[willow sparrow]

this is frightening are you okay?

[glad sentinel]

and i surprisingly am not failing and i think its because i took multivariable at the same time

i think i ended first semester with a 98?

[wary forge]

insanee im suffering sm rn

[glad sentinel]

all to say multivariable is really useful across just calculus

is what im getting at haha

[willow sparrow]

hmm

[ionic remnant]

I hated multi

[willow sparrow]

whats your intended major

[glad sentinel]

gender studies as my first

so i dont need anymore calculus

but i have it!

[wary forge]

are u going to columbia?

[glad sentinel]

praying

[wary forge]

ah i see i see lol

[willow sparrow]

you got in ED right?

[wary forge]

gl!!

[glad sentinel]

one of two from a2c is crazy

speak of the other

hi simmons

[short cradle]

we will all be raiding columbia’s soda fountains

[willow sparrow]

i know its stressing me out

[short cradle]

hi guys

[wary forge]

aren’t there 4 other ppl who reacted

[willow sparrow]

could be reacting for their friends

[short cradle]

we will all be chugging columbia soda fountains together and eating columbia sausages together

[willow sparrow]

PRAYING i will see yall at those soda foutnains next year

[glad sentinel]

ive only seen you two as confirmed columbia ed

[short cradle]

good luck

[glad sentinel]

guys we need an a2c meetup if this happens

[short cradle]

i’m starting a club called eat club

we eat

[willow sparrow]

im alternating between its so over and WE'RE SO BACK on the topic of getting into columbia

[short cradle]

https://tenor.com/view/its-never-over-jeff-buckley-lover-you-shouldve-come-over-grace-gif-9603677642825431778

[willow sparrow]

3 people rejected from CC ED at my school and one person deferred SEAS

[short cradle]

it’s never overrrrr

a kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder

[willow sparrow]

jeff buckley <3

[short cradle]

i had to fight like 5-6 kids for the spot

[glad sentinel]

we had one person apply ed to schools in general and it wasnt an ivy

[short cradle]

it’s ok

[willow sparrow]

sorry what

[wary forge]

this was me before decisions lmfaoo 😭 😭 i was genuinely so terrified

[short cradle]

my list was lik

like

radiohead jeff buckley conan gray 😭

[glad sentinel]

im from a rural school where 90% of kids go to local state schools or smaller colleges

[willow sparrow]

ur media list??

[short cradle]

yearning music

[willow sparrow]

thats cool

[glad sentinel]

we only send about 1 kid a year to a t20

[short cradle]

yeah i’m a yearner

[glad sentinel]

thats hot i love conan

[willow sparrow]

i put car wheels on a gravel road on mine

[willow sparrow]

conan is an icon

[willow sparrow]

oh damn i shold count my blessings

weve had like 8 ivies so far 😭

[glad sentinel]

jesus

where are u from

[short cradle]

@wary forge join my eat club