<p>I went to numerous information sessions at Columbia, like 3, which is a little excessive. During one of the sessions I took notes of what Alec Milton (the admissions officer) was saying. I discovered that I pretty much had everything that they were looking for, and as a result, I received a Likely Letter, without being an Athlete or an URM. I hope my experiences can benefit others in the future.</p>
<p>He starts off with a joke: "Can anyone tell me what is the Ivy League"</p>
<p>The correct answer is a Sports/Football Conference. </p>
<p>He said that Admissions is broken into 5 sections, and none are given more weight than any other, but I would try to excel in all areas. </p>
<p>1) Standardized Test Scores</p>
<p>You need to have an SAT score and two SATII subject tests.
They take the highest score and only look at Math and Verbal (which may change soon) </p>
<p>This was beneficial for me, as Columbia saw me as a 1570 rather than a 2260. You also need over 750 or so on your SATIIs.</p>
<p>Columbia was the only school that did not directly tell me not to send AP scores. "We will evaluate whatever you send us." Send your AP scores, if they are good, don't just self-report them.</p>
<p>Bottom Line: You need top scores. Period. They can and will keep you out if you have a 2000 or so. </p>
<p>2) Transcript</p>
<p>They are most concerned about your Junior Year in your transcript. Then they look at the classes that you have taken senior year, making sure that they are challenging and competitive classes. They also look for trends in grades. Have your grades steadily increased since freshman year? Have they decreased?</p>
<p>Personally, I wasn't ranked first in my class, but my school graded on a 100% based system, and I had all As, and an increasing trend of the number grade, culminating in very high grades during my junior year in all subjects. My senior year had 4 AP classes, the fourth year of a Language, and a Theater class that I created to be a TA to the Drama teacher, helping younger students learn improvisation. </p>
<p>I had a couple independent studies I created, which you can also do, if there is an AP course or a class that interests you that your school doesn't offer. If you happen to be near a local University, take classes there. I chose not to take any classes at my local County College, because I did not think they would be as challenging as the AP classes offered in High School</p>
<p>Bottom Line: You need to take the hardest schedule possible and get good grades in that schedule, especially during junior year. </p>
<p>3) What your School Says About You</p>
<p>This is determined by the Guidance Counselor Rec, your school profile, and the clubs and organizations that you took part in. </p>
<p>Personally, I only did 4 clubs, but I did each for 4 years, showing commitment. I did Student Council because I noticed that they actually were involved in a multitude of projects in the school, unlike many of the other clubs. I achieved a leadership position in my Junior year, VP, which paved the way for an uncontested election for the President of the organization. Student Council shows leadership, which is something that Columbia is looking for. They say in their viewbooks, they want to make the next leaders in Engineering, not just engineers. </p>
<p>I also, as you may have guessed, did school-wide theater. Although I didn't have a ton of vocal talent, had a tendency to get shafted for people the director liked better, and a funny accent, I still was a member of the chorus for four productions of the Spring Musical. I think Theater was key because Columbia likes people who are Cultured, that is a big part of there educational philosophy with the Core. They also need people to be in their University Sponsored Shows, such as the Varsity Show. Theater also shows that you can speak in public (which means you will invite classroom discussion) and that you can work as a team for a common goal, which is useful to have, if you aren't so athletically inclined. </p>
<p>I also did Math Club and Chess Club because I could fit them in to my schedule and I had moderate success with each. </p>
<p>I had a different guidance counselor every year of my nice public high school. I went to Guidance over the summer when I learned that I was going to get a different counselor, for the fourth time. I basically went in for a 5 minute meeting with the head of guidance and talked for 40 minutes, dishing out how I needed to apply to 19 schools given the College Confidential bug I had received. This meeting (in addition to my developing independent studies and the Student Council elections) helped him write a good rec. I also developed a nice habit of stopping into his office instead of going to a class I didn't like if I could to talk about college admissions. Somehow, I think I benefited coming from a public high school in south jersey as opposed to North Jersey. </p>
<p>Bottom line: Make sure you talk to your GC, although you may think hes not smart, he knows a lot about what he is doing. Do quality ECs (sports, theater, student government, etc) for 4 years. </p>
<p>4) "Students Sitting Down to Answer All These Questions"</p>
<p>Columbia wants a complete application, and one that has thought put into it, not completely rushed. They are not common app. How do your clubs look? Have you done them for 4 years? Do you have any leadership positions (i.e. Officer, Captain, Varsity, Lead)?</p>
<p>Books you read for pleasure: How does the set of books you put down affect the Ideas you have already formed? Do they debate things that are not taken for granted? I had read "The World is Flat" and other social science books that had been interesting me. </p>
<p>Why Columbia? You need to do a bit of research, not just say "Ivy league in NYC, sooooo good!" I wrote about how I could see myself performing with the improv group Fruit Paunch, how I sat on a class and dropped the professor's name those kind of things. Don't be prepared to write an essay for this, you have a very small amount of characters. </p>
<p>The Main 500 word (or so) essay. Write about anything. To be honest, I used my Common app essay. I thought it was pretty good. Basically you need some essay that's full of adjectives, so the reader can get a sense of your writing style, background, and creativity. This is the biggest piece of this section, it is your voice.</p>
<p>Bottom Line: This is the stuff that separates the men from the boys, the waitlist from the reject, and the accept from the waitlist. You need to express yourself, but succinctly, due to character limits. </p>
<p>5) Teacher Recs </p>
<p>They want two recs that show how the student will act and perform in the classroom. Is he or she one who is constantly engaged in discussion, or tend to be on the quiet side? Is the applicant a class clown, or one who takes the matter at hand seriously? What are they motivated by: Grades? Pursuit of Learning? </p>
<p>I sent 3 teacher recs, although I was advised against it for this school. They all said different things so I thought this was fine.</p>
<p>Bottom line: Don't annoy your junior year teachers. They mean a lot. I would tend to say that you should try to get an English teacher's rec, because they tend to be written in the best voice. </p>
<p>Well Columbia also has interviews, but they say only about half of the applicants get them, they all happen locally, which for me was a 50 minute drive. The admissions officers said that they don't count for much, but that it can put a black mark on your application if you are scheduled for an interview and don't go. </p>
<p>The Interview I had was the least formal of any interview I did. There were a set bunch of questions the guy wanted to ask me. This was the interview I probably performed the best with, it was one of my last interviews. A week later, I received a Likely Letter.</p>