I have a question for admitted students: when you open the “status update” what shows up? Is it a video like for CC? Or is it just plain text with no confetti? 
I’m dual ba, but I got confetti fwiw
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@bluethinker did you received an update stating “status update” on your application portal?
Oh, no. Not yet, I am just curious as to what should I expect either way haha 
Am I the only one who’s both scared and excited for tomorrow? Even though it is not “confirmed” to be the actual release date Good luck to all of you!
That about sums up how I feel as well! The anticipation is killing me.
Same! Signed up for the info session to find out if they are release decision tomorrow.
Did they mention anything? My stress levels are going to be off the roof tomorrow I wish we had an approximate hour
In the past I think its been around 5pm EST, but no idea if that’ll hold true this year! Definitely anxious here too.
Hello
I am an international student and I graduated from high school in 2017
Then I had surgery in 2018 and I could not walk without help so I don’t apply to universities that year. Now I am fine 
In 2019 I get accepted for a scholarship to study aboard but I am from a struct society that doesn’t allow women to travel alone. So I kept fighting for my right to travel and this took me approximatly 1 year.
In 2020, I needed to improve my English so I travel to attend English courses in Australia and I apply for Columbia Collage but in February 2021 they sent my email about GS and they asked me if I want to transform my application to it.
I agreed but now I saw the essay question asking about my work experience and educational history. DO I need to write about this? because I don’t have work experience or other qualification after high school.
Can I write about my life journey instead?
And is it allowed to add more than two letters of recommendation?
And if my friend graduated from high school in 2019, is she qualified to apply for GS?
Thank you
If today is indeed the day - GOOD LUCK! We are rooting for you!
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Hello! I am a fellow international applicant 
- this is just my opinion, I have not been admitted (yet!), so please do not take this too seriously.
Your life experiences make you a non-traditional student, therefore, you are eligible to apply. However, if you wanted to be a more competitive applicant, I would suggest you showcase what you can bring to the GS community. Most of the admitted students are ballet dancers, army veterans, people who are seeking a second bachelor’s degree, etc. What makes you academically or professionally ready to study at GS? That’s what they want to hear from you.
Keep that in mind, and I am sure your application process will go smoothly, best of lucks!
About the requirements, I think you cannot include more than 2 recommendation letters. And the essay is mandatory, without it, your application would be incomplete and consequently, not reviewed by the Admission Office. Hope this helps!
Did anyone hear back yet?
Not I.
Same … No updates yet… applied on feb-6th…
No updates yet, applied January 15th. Maybe today was not the day after all? Maybe results will be released on March 1st as per their email?
Yeah I guess so. We can look towards Monday! That’s not very far away anyways.
The admissions officer I spoke to in August said the acceptance rate is 30-38% which I assume takes into account the range of programs. Sounds reasonable to me. If the rate was astronomically higher and they were already lying about it then why wouldn’t they just say 20%? Or 10%?
The Columbia GS site also directs us to Peterson’s and The Princeton Review under “Additional Statistics” and the acceptance rate is 35% and 33% on those sites, respectively.
gs.columbia.edu/content/statistics-and-facts
From the articles I have read, it seems that transfer applications have skyrocketed at more prestigious universities, which indicates to me that this year the rate will be somewhat lower.
Regardless, GS is so self-selective and has such a unique rubric for admission that it’s almost not worth trying to quantify your chances. They look for people with cool stories and can handle the rigorous academics. That’s all you really need to know and, quite frankly, those are the type of people who I want to go to school with anyway.
As the decision date rapidly approaches, all we can do is hope that our applications resonated with the officers who evaluated them.
Here’s hoping.
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Hey, I also find that odd. When I called they told me the acceptance rate was 18-20%, but a friend of mine who got accepted for the fall 2020 semester was told the acceptance rate was 30-40%. Guess we will never really know.
Also, I just submitted my application, fingers crossed and good luck to everyone!
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That may very well have been the case for the Spring 2021 cycle.
A New York Times article came out recently that is pretty informative. I tried to post the link but it won’t let me this time. Look up:
“Interest Surges in Top Colleges, While Struggling Ones Scrape for Applicants”