@schroscat yeah, i’ve done the virtual tour which looked amazing and i’m guessing the online version is fairly watered down. a kid from my school who graduated last year goes to columbia now and posts a lot of pictures of campus and his dorm online and everything about it looks amazing. i’m a little bit concerned with how rigid the core curriculum seems, but i guess it’s good to have a lot of structure, at least for ge, since it helps you transition to college life.
and i did some hard hitting research on both ucla and columbia: the nearest chipotle to both is only a six minute walk away so i can’t go wrong there hahaha.
@bosnian The nearest chipotle at princeton is about a 20 min drive…which is a little problematic. I don’t know how I’d live if I got in. How was the financial aid?
I have so much anxiety - I’m in love with Columbia and would do anything to be able to attend but I have a gut feeling that good news isn’t in store. Ugh.
@schroscat i’m guessing i didn’t get any because the only finaid i’ve gotten from any of the schools i applied to is merit aid. ik columbia’s tuition is pretty steep so maybe we’ll get some from them but not counting on it. i’m not sure how to check right not so i guess i’ll just wait for decisions to be official and then i’ll check it out.
I got contacted for interviews but didn’t reply before they ran out of slots… will I be at a disadvantage for this?
@bosnian Good luck! I’ve heard mixed things about Columbia’s FA. All I know is that if I got in fingers crossed I qualify for full aid. I know Harvard’s pretty awesome with aid, and I heard that Cornell is trying to follow the same model, so maybe Columbia will do the same. Fingers crossed for you!
Hey, do any of you guys know why the financial aid tracker is only available for a limited amount of time?
Columbia sent me the Ignorance book as well as a personal note on why I would be a fit for Columbia and the Rabi program. Was very flattering!
@schroscat I definitely will. Now I got through the first 80 pages and it’s mind blowing really.
@bosnian My neighbour almost threw the package away because the mailman dropped it in a muddy spot in front of our flat. Not until she saw Columbia university on it and thought it was the university of British Columbia that it was saved and safely delivered to me.
@schroscat - “I heard that Cornell is trying to follow the same model”
Cornell sent me a letter saying they match FA from any Ivy, MIT, or Stanford!
@Anonymoose3 Holy poop it’s confirmed!
@bosnian I completely agree with @schroscat ! I’ve spent two summers at Columbia doing two different summer courses, and in terms of campus and location it is the best I’ve seen! You can’t compare it to any other Ivy or top uni, and this may be my own opinion, but the fact that it’s so green and spacious yet in the center of a city is incredible! It’s also not huge and sprawling which I like, the whole campus stretches from around 110th street to 122nd street, so you can walk from one side to another in a few minutes. This stands in stark contrast with Dule, for example, which is the size of a small country (exaggeration, but you get my point). There are 2 Starbucks about 2 minutes walking from campus, as well as many nice places to go eat. There’s a subway station right outside the campus on 116th street, so you’re really well connected with the city. I stayed in the financial district around Wall Street and commuted by subway every day, and it never took more than 30 mins (usually around 25) to get from one place to the other. Wall Street is basically as south as Manhattan goes, and Columbia is pretty north. If you put it in google maps you’ll see what I mean 
anyway, I could go on and on bc I really love the place, if you have any other questions feel free to ask
@Anonymoose3
Can you share the wording of the communication from Cornell relative FA match?
All,
Do we know of any other selective schools (ivy and non-Ivy) with similar practice?
@Desiree2 it was this past Saturday, the 19th, and I had the interview on the afternoon of the 20th, over the phone. I’m an international student from Northern Ireland as well
(@IfnousWHO)
In a physical letter I received: “To improve Cornell’s competitiveness in recruiting and enrolling undergraduate students, Cornell strives to match the family contribution and lower loan level of financial aid offers from other Ivy League schools, as well as need-based offers from Stanford, Duke, and MIT.”
Did anyone who applied to Fu get a book in the mail?
I don’t know if anyone asked this but are these books that a lot of you are receiving for those who were accepted or are still waiting to hear a decision?
@GraylyElephant - I think it’s for those who received likely letters.
Got waitlisted by Williams… Don’t fancy my chances here anymore. 8-|