<p>I have not posted on this forum in a few months as I only come back around decision time to help current applicants. I am a sophomore in Columbia College and used to be a very frequent member of this site when I was applying to college.</p>
<p>As decisions will come out this evening, I wanted to extend an invitation to those students who were accepted, and even some who were waitlisted, to answer any questions about Columbia. While I can't guarantee that I will know all the answers that you might want, I believe that I am a knowledgeable source that can help.</p>
<p>I know this is a stressful time for everyone, including myself, but I do believe this is something I can do to try and bring in the best possible students to Columbia.</p>
<p>Just to let you know a little about myself, I am a major in Economics-Philosophy and am an active member in the Columbia community. I was previously a member of the Pre-Law society (although not active, I still plan on attending law school), however, my main commitment resides with the Columbia Daily Spectator where I am a member of the paper's managing board and am Sports Editor.</p>
<p>If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM and I will try and get back to you in a timely manner.</p>
<p>Best of luck to everyone with their admissions results,</p>
<p>Congratulations to all those accepted to the class of 2011. I know that making the decision to attend Columbia was the best decision I have ever made and I hope that you will also come to Morningside Heights with the same opinion.</p>
<p>My offer still stands to those accepted applicants and waitlisted applicants who have questions. For waitlisted students, a very close friend was accepted off the waitlist, so I have some understanding of the process and what might be done.</p>
<p>I will try to answer all questions ranging from housing to dining to academics to extracurriculars for those deciding between colleges and for those who simply want more information.</p>
<p>To those who were not accepted, do not take this as any slight against you. Columbia has a very unique community and personality and the job of the admissions committee is to find those students who will thrive within the community and enhance it to the best of their abilities. Your academic achievements should be applauded and the fact that you applied to begin puts you in a very select class by itself. My best wishes on your college careers.</p>
<p>Question: About how many students are admitted into the John Jay Scholars program each year, and how prestigious is the program? I haven't heard of it before.</p>
<p>Oh, candle's question brings up a good point. If a question is not directly personal and you would like to post it for the benefit of everyone, that is fine. If it is a personal question, I would ask you to send it to me in a private message.</p>
<p>As for the answer to candle's question, I am not sure on the exact number. I was never a scholar, but one of my floormates is (I believe John Jay, but don't hold me to it). I do not believe there are many. I would recommend searching the website for more information about the program.</p>
<p>The scholar's program might be the weakest thing I know about Columbia, so I find it ironic that it was posted first.</p>
<p>Call the admissions office on Monday and they might have some more information. If you were named a scholar, there should also be more information in your package when it arrives at your home.</p>
<p>I actually applied to Columbia Early Decision, but when I was accepted, I had already applied to 10 other schools including Stanford, Yale, Penn and some of the UC's.</p>
<p>I chose Columbia over Stanford because I had spent one summer at each and found that the atmosphere around Columbia's campus was far better for me than at The Farm in Palo Alto. One of the best recommendations I can make is that if you can, come to campus and get a feel of it. It makes a huge difference in your perception of Columbia, or for that matter any school.</p>
<p>Also, NYC is not such a bad place to go to school either.</p>
<p>You mentioned you were somewhat familiar with the waitlist process. Did your friend ever find out how many others were waitlisted? I think the stats from the class of 2010 showed that 6 people were accepted, but they didn't mention how many they were chosen out of.</p>
<p>Also, when did he find out he was accepted? The website mentioned it would be sometime between May 15 and July 1, I think, but I'm curious to know when people usually hear.</p>
<p>He, and I, never found out how many others were waitlisted. I can tell you that making a statement to the admissions committee that Columbia is your top choice in a letter is a really big thing. At this point, you need to make sure that your intentions are known and I would do that as quick as possible.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, he found out during the time period mentioned. I know he was sent an e-mail with his final decision and that it came with no warning.</p>
<p>Thanks for doing this! I have a lot of random questions...you don't have to answer all, of course. :)</p>
<p>How are the publications (other than the newspaper) at Columbia? Which student groups are the more prevalent ones on campus? Is it difficult to get internships as a first year student? (I'm looking at International Relations, so maybe with NGOs, the UN, and the like.) </p>
<p>More importantly, however, what do you not like about Columbia? What surprised you when you arrived on campus? Did anything exceed/fail your expectations? I'm always thrilled about the school looking through viewbooks, but I know that they're trying to sell themselves, so is there anything in there that's questionable/misleading?</p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions, but I'd appreciate help with anything you know.</p>
<p>Thanks for your offer!
1) How does the taking free music lessons at Juliard thing work? I'd like to fresh up my violine skills. Btw, do they offer guitar lessons as well? I've always wanted to learn that.
2) I'd like the join the Daily Spectator, so do they just take everyone or do you have to go through an application process? If yes, how hard is it to get in?
3) Thanks in advance, :D</p>
<p>Ups, sry I got another one.
4) Does CC have any deals with Dell or Apple? If yes, do you have the link? I desperately need a new laptop for college.</p>
<p>I'll take a stab at a few of your more specific questions:
1. Yes, it's easily possible to intern at an NGO...though you probably won't be payed anything. Lots of people work for Human Rights Watch, for example, or Amnesty International. Working for the UN, though, is very difficult if not impossible for undergrads.
2. There are a ton of publications other than the Spec. Go to the "Publications" category in WikiCU; listing them all here would be exhaustive.
3. The Spec is always desperate for writers so it's easy to break in.
4. Yes, I believe CC has deals with both Dell and Apple. Not sure where to find info on them, though.</p>
<p>Can you major/minor, or do you need to take a concentration. And if you did would you still have the same workload, just with less choices in each or something? Or do you have to do extra?</p>
<p>I'm not sure what you're asking specifically, but maybe this will help. A "concentration" at Columbia can either serve as a minor OR as a standalone specialization. What this means is that you have the following options:
1. Straightforward major
2. Double full major
3. Major + 1 or 2 concentrations
4. One or many concentrations</p>
<p>Concentrations usually entail fewer requirements. While it's possible to graduate with no more than one concentration, few do this. Most people fall into options 1, 2, and 3.</p>
<p>Ok thanks for this. But you have to fulfill a certain number of points to get a degree right? (I think they're called points..) So what I'm saying is, if you major and minor (i.e. major + 1 concentration), will that be less than/equal to the no. of points necessary for a degree, or will it go over (i.e. will your workload be more than someone just doing a straightforward major)? And how about a double major?</p>