Hey guys - I am going to be starting as a freshman at Columbia’s School of Engineering in a few short weeks and am willing to answer any questions people might have
Hey Everyone! I’m from Ohio. I’m considering applying ED but idk yet. My grades aren’t top notch, but I think I can make it up with my essay and ACT scores.
Hey! @ylim9911
@ejlander129 Hi! Did you apply RD or ED? Why did you choose Columbia?
@popper345 So I applied RD to Columbia. I chose Columbia engineering for a few reasons…I see myself going into a non-engineering career such as finance or tech and the IEOR department at Columbia seems great for that. From what I understand, Columbia engineers are not your typical engineers in that they have many interests and have a more well-rounded background. Also, the opportunities here are endless as New York City is quite a big playground.
Would you recommend emphasizing your love of NYC in your application or is that frowned upon, since it makes you look less interested in the school?
New York City is definitely an integral part of the Columbia experience so talking about it will definitely not hurt your essay.
Columbia is my top choice, but I was looking at the Common App earlier when it was still up and I had no idea what to fill out for the top 3 academic subjects I was interested in…I know whatever you put isn’t a commitment, so I’ve come up with biochemistry, neuroscience, and environmental science based on my extracurricular involvement, but I’m not too sure if I’d want to do these in college. Am I doing the right thing, and if so, how would I work these academic interests in a Why Columbia Essay? Thanks!
Hey everyone! International student here. I’m also applying for Columbia ED! So exited!
And I actually like the writing supplement ^^ So yay!
Hello! @AllyssXx yeah they changed a few of the questions didn’t they?
@Yakisoba those subjects are all pretty closely related , so I don’t think writing about them will be to hard! Just think about why you are even slightly interested in majoring in those subjects and write about it
@popper345 I think so? Not certain. Either way, I’m happy that I like the supplements. I was afraid that I wouldn’t ^^
I’m excited to get started on the updated application, it makes the process feel more real
I just saw your comments. For reference, I am a girl.
I applied to Columbia RD. It was my last app, and I did it in a few hours. I think I actually benefited from doing it kind of late because I didn’t have a chance to over-edit or over-think. I think, speaking somewhat generally, Columbia likes intellectual curiosity. The core curriculum, which will be a significant portion of is largely about interrogating old works of literature and philosophy and asking questions. I think if you can convey that in your application, somehow, it would be good.
In general, you want to showcase your strengths in a manner that appeals/meshes with each school that you’re applying to and it’s ethos. My application to Columbia generally showed me to be a thoughtful, decent person who carefully thought about a lot of things. I actually think my common app essay was a tad overwrought, but my essay about a book that affected me a lot (it was the Handmaid’s Tale, and I discussed a pretty tangential element about it in a way that lead me to reflect on previous experiences) was probably my best one.
I think the ‘why columbia’ essay is largely an opening for you to show how you mesh with, and have researched, the school in an unsubtle way. I described the things I liked about the core - which I found to be largely true-, what I liked about NY (somewhat true), who I might want to work with for my research etc.
My extracurricular activity story was very honest and about how I learned to be patient and consider the broader possibilities when examining data.
The supplement questions are a little different now: http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/writing-supplement , but I would encourage you to try and write them honestly and thoughtfully and get feedback from older individuals on what kind of impression they might form about you had they just read you essay. Keep in mind the ethos and culture of the school - Columbia, for instance, is emphatically not a school with a lot of school pride aside from maybe Bacchanal and Homecoming, so don’t write about that. Columbia does love ‘diversity’, and activism and debate.
My daughter went to the science open house last week and think she decided to ED then but when starting on the app is going back and forth with engineering. Big decisions!
I’m planning on including movies in my list of “films, concerts, shows, exhibits, lectures, and other entertainments you enjoyed most in the past year.” I was thinking of putting the years of the movies in parentheses. For example, I might put “Cinderella (2015)” since there’s obviously an earlier version. Is that okay? I know I’m overthinking the format of the supplemental essays in general.
Yeah clarifying the year of the movie, sounds like a good idea @bfc2017
I wonder what the average number of listed movies/books or whatever is?
A comment on the “films, concerts, shows, exhibits, lectures, and other entertainments you enjoyed most in the past year” part of the application - be honest. Do not formulate the list in an attempt to be impressive; make a list that shows your interests and passions. For example, I wrote one of my favorite movies was the Dark Knight.
@ejlander129 Same here ^^ Under shows, I noted the Panic! At the Disco concert that I went to 
But it is true ^^ Your academics say enough about your intellect… Now it’s time to show them your character.
I just finished the entire common app, except the essay. Can’t get myself to it :-S
I’m pretty torn about what to write for my essay. Half of me is life it needs to be the perfect topic and the other half is like well the topic isn’t as important as long as the writing is strong. 
@popper345 While topic and writing strength are important, it is important that your essay reveals something about you that cannot be found in a resume or from grades and/or test scores.
So, can I get some advice from you guys?
I’m thinking about basing my essay on prompt 3. In my country, it is seen as abnormal and bad to stand out from the crowd. I was always taught that I wasn’t allowed to be better at something, including school, than the others. I always went against this.
Basically, I want my essay to be about how people always discouraged me from learning, from gaining knowledge, and how I rose above this and wasn’t afraid to go against all their opinions. Is it a good subject? Or is it to negative?