<p>For what it's worth, US News once again ranks Columbia 4th among national universities, following only Harvard, Princeton and Yale.</p>
<p>Wow. It’s so intense. It would be such an honour to attend Columbia.</p>
<p>Last year, Columbia had a lower acceptance rate than Yale or Princeton 
What is this coming to?</p>
<p>It’s coming to the fact that Columbia is where it ought to be, and once was: at the top of the heap in American higher education. This is a reclamation of Columbia’s historical position. When it displaces Yale and Princeton in that group, it’ll be fully restored.</p>
<p>tylrrvera, remember that the US News data always lags a year or two. Last year’s data was not used in the current rankings.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say it’s a “reclamation of a historical position.” I remember a professor during my first semester telling us quite clearly that Columbia is now better off than it’s ever been - academically, financially, etc.</p>
<p>The lower acceptance rate is due mostly to switching to the Common Application (a 32% increase over last year). More broadly, there’s also the factor of Columbia’s location. As demand for urban lifestyles has surged in the younger generations, schools in major cities have seen a significant uptick in applications. I wouldn’t read too much into it. NYU has seen a similar surge.</p>
<p>That’s why they call it Columbia University in the City of New York - marketing to the audience.</p>
<p>Any speculation of us breaking into the HYP stronghold?</p>
<p>That’s why they call it Columbia University in the City of New York - marketing to the audience.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/]FORDHAM.EDU[/url”>http://www.fordham.edu/]FORDHAM.EDU[/url</a>]</p>
<p>“The Jesuit University of New York.”</p>
<p><em>facepalm</em> ARGH.</p>
<p>^
I’m not quite clear what your point was, but your post reinforced my point that schools in NYC use the city as a selling point and that plays a large factor in applicant pools. So, no need to beat yourself up.</p>
<p>
I think the school has been using this way back in the early 1900s, way before schools had to use slick marketing gimmicks to get applications. Also, there are quite a few schools named “Columbia” in case you don’t know…</p>
<p>Also,
. The opposite can also be said. I know many people who would never apply to a college like Columbia because of its location in a city. This argument works both ways…</p>
<p>It was actually chartered as “Columbia College in the City of New York” in 1784, when it was reopened and renamed from King’s College after the revolutionary war.</p>
<p>Morningside Heights has gotten so much nicer (safer) in the last twenty-five years, there is undoubtedly a growing demand to be there.</p>
<p>Columbia certainly has a metropolitan appeal… I think any aspiring student would easily find it a match because of its liberal studies, financial aid, location, prestige, etc.</p>
<p>
I’m not sure why you’re being defensive, Smart Guy. Columbia itself said the 32% increase in applications was due in large part to its switch to the common app and its location in New York City. </p>
<p>You can speak anecdotally, but there’s no denying the fact that urban schools’ reputations have fallen and risen over the years with the fate of their cities. Rural or small town schools struggle to attract and retain top faculty and students because, especially with the new generation, people want to live in cities. It’s a long-standing issue - nothing new. The fact that it’s now safe to live near campus has a huge impact on who decides to apply and attend.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t say it’s a ‘reclamation of a historical position.’ I remember a professor during my first semester telling us quite clearly that Columbia is now better off than it’s ever been - academically, financially, etc.”</p>
<p>Well, yes. The caliber of incoming students and the endowment grows every year. But if you back to, say, the 1930s, there was a time when Columbia was considered the top university in the United States, more or less. It’s really impossible to compare Columbia then to Columbia now, since the landscape of higher education has changed so much as to be unrecognizable, but there was a time when Columbia was on top. It started declining in prestige after WWII, and lost everything as the city declined in the postwar period. The 1968 protests were a turning point—Columbia was seen as almost worthless in the 1970s, and really only started regaining prestige in the 1990s.</p>
<p>Went to visit Columbia last summer, it is amazing! As an international applicant, I have to say, that I was very impressed with the way Columbia’s main quad is integrated in the city. It’s like you’re entering a different world. On the downside tough, I think, that I wouldn’t be able to focus on my studies there. Being so close, but yet so far from all the NYC buzz would feel like torture… :/</p>
<p>IMHO, one of the big pros of Columbia lies in its “social” surroundings. Many people have told me, that if you work you butt off, Columbia can give you great exposure on the job market from an early age on. They should definitely explore the fact, that they’re living right in the centre of the Western World. With the UN’s HQ and Wall Street so close, they have to be #1 in international studies and economics/financial studies…</p>
<p>@guyfromportugal
I am a senior at Columbia and I felt the same way as you when I first visited Columbia during my high school days. However, a few things to keep in mind. </p>
<p>Columbia is in a very unique location. Morningside area is amazing. I love being 2 minutes away from riverside park, 10 minutes away from central park, and 10 minutes away from times square. Trust me when there is a lot of work (and believe me… there is a lot of work in columbia) you will definitely be able to focus on your studies. I love columbia libraries and study areas. It is great that it has a campus unlike NYU because you really feel isolated from the rest of the city and feel like a part of the large study group.</p>
<p>At the same time unlike it is in many other colleges, when you have free time and want to do something fun there is Plenty to choose from on and off campus :)</p>
<p>Job opportunities are amazing as well. I am a computer science major but have been working on wall street since freshman year. I work full time during summers and part-time during school. And believe me having that weekly income is a blessing (especially since it pays much more than any other job you would find on any other campus).</p>
<p>Long story short… You would love Columbia. You will be able to focus on studies, have amazing job opportunities, and never be bored when you want to unwind.</p>
<p>Thank you for the insight, ericsebast! That feeling of being in the middle of a metropolis, but at the same time being isolated was exactly what I felt when I toured the university! Morningside is definitely great and it has a different feel from downtown. </p>
<p>A part-time job in a New York firm would be great for me, does Columbia have an office, that helps you out with those things or did you have to look it up for yourself?</p>
<p>I think columbia is a great school, but I disagree with US News on how it is ranked 4. They are saying that columbia is better than MIT and Stanford, which I find extremely difficult to believe. In reality, it is probably ranked 6 or 7</p>