Columbia University RD waitlist 2023

@jswaggy @whimsied @max1123 congratulations! Do you guys plan on committing to Columbia? And which school were you guys previously committed to?

@epichello I am pretty sure this was the second wave. There were a lot of people who were admitted on May 10th so that would’ve been the first wave.

“Never lose faith.” I have been living all my life according to that saying. It means keep going no matter the odds no matter how much you feel like quitting. Unfortunately, it does not apply here. We’ve all done our part and all that is left to do is just sit and wait. Instead of trying to evaluate the odds and analyze every comment on this thread let’s just all assume we didn’t get in at this point. Lets’ just focus our energy about the college we are committed to or the gap year we are about to take. Maybe a few of us will be surprised for the best, but at this point there is really no use in occupying our minds constantly with something so unlikely, something we have absolutely no control on. I wish us all the best of luck going forward

Most likely it’s not going to happen because last year they closed their waitlist on May 22. Columbia is also an extremely prestigious school, and while it does happen, there are very few students who would turn down their admission. Also, class size doesn’t have to be a certain exact number and due to housing restraints it’s more likely they admit near the bare minimum to fill out the class.

Okay, but also if you guys are feeling down because of all of this waitlist mess, I highly highly encourage you to read many of the student written articles about Columbia’s culture. You will find that going to school in New York City isn’t as glamorous as it seems, and that prestige breeds cliques and elitism. Columbia is also notorious for its high suicide rate and nonexistent school spirit. Sometimes I feel like the hype of waitlist is in part due to the mentality that the grass is greener on the other side, and by not being given something but having a small chance of having it, you want it way more than you would in any normal situation. If it doesn’t end up working out, don’t be discouraged; a school that doesn’t want you isn’t a school worth attending anyways :slight_smile:

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Well put @Danpo910 . I heard the same thing about CMU from students who actually went there and was glad my son declined that offer. My husband visited Columbia with S19 and said ‘I didn’t have a good feeling about that school.’
Sometimes you need to step back and just do what feels right and not be swayed by the so-called prestige of a name.

Great point @Danpo910 !!! It is rather true that Columbia has its own quirks and that’s why it offers ED as opposed to EA or REA offered by more prestigious HYPSM. Time to enjoy what we have and look forward to an awesome summer!! Life is long and IMHO grad school education defines your career path more than undergrad. Wish everyone good luck as it sound like the waitlist game is almost over!!!

Just wanted to say that I’m really happy with the school I’m committed to now. Berkeley is my favorite school and I’m really grateful I’m going. If I don’t get off this waitlist I’ll be happy

@Danpo910 Very encouraging! The points you hit on are exactly why I am debating whether I should attend Columbia if I am admitted off the waitlist. I’m from a modest, Californian middle-class family, so I feel like the elitist culture of the Ivy League wouldn’t be the best fit for me—and, of course, the cost of attending is also a factor since I’m in that middle-class sweet spot where I don’t qualify for financial aid yet would still struggle to finance an Ivy League education.

I’m happy that I committed to UC Los Angeles because it balances its academics with its school culture very well. The academics, especially in the fields I want to study, economics and political science, may not match Columbia’s prestige, but I’m nonetheless attracted to UCLA for its vibrant extracurricular, service, etc. opportunities. Deeply considering my options has taught me one extremely important lesson that I will take to heart if I go on to grad school: just because a school has academic prestige does not mean that it’s holistically perfect for you. Choose the school that best fits your academic interests along with everything outside of them.

I am hoping to study political science (international relations) as well along with film studies! I think I was so attracted to Columbia was because I am from New York and would love to stay close to family for personal reasons and I have a deep admiration for Columbia’s Core Curriculum. However, if I am not admitted off the waitlist then I am definitely going to be ok with that.

I have come to terms with the fact that I won’t be admitted, but I also love the school that I will be attending next year. I am so excited to attend Wellesley, and Massachusetts is a beautiful state. While I love Columbia and basically wrote them a love letter for my LOCI, I will meet them again in the next four years for Columbia SIPA. As a LAC, Wellesley doesn’t have a grad school, so I know that my undergrad experience will be worthwhile!

@mattthowell @compSciLover congrats on Berkeley and UCLA! I am so glad that you guys are happy with where you guys are going :slight_smile:

@compSciLover No way, you’re going to Berkeley too? Are you EECS or L&S? I’m in EECS

I have no idea how this could happen, statistically speaking, but I was accepted to Berkeley as well. However, I could not enroll due to financial reasons. I would do anything to switch with you guys and attend Berkeley. It’s such a great school I don’t see any reason why one could be upset about not being accepted to Columbia and having to enroll at Berkeley.

My daughter is in exactly the same boat as you. As much as we wanted the waitlist to work out we also know that UCLA is not a "bad " option by any means. Good luck to you, it is a world class university too with many, many exciting opportunities if you take the chance to find them. Plus the weather is fabulous!!!

Yikes - my first post and I do it wrong! This was meant to be a reply to the post by matthowell who is going to UCLA!

Yikes - my first post and I do it wrong! This was meant to be a reply to the post by matthowell who is going to UCLA!

I was committed to UPenn, but committed to Columbia earlier this week after I got in. I’m in Columbia College as a Neuroscience major

Anyone think there will be a third wave? Fingers crossed!

Hey! Congrats on Columbia. Do you mind sharing your monetary status? Did you apply for aid? And how did you receive the news?

Was there a third wave on Friday?

Any updates?