ED Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>I really doubt anyone any quantify these responses but many of you seem to know the ins and outs of Columbia so here it goes. (CC focused, they probably apply to both but I'm not applying to SEAS) </p>

<p>How much does Columbia focus on SAT IIs?</p>

<p>Columbia mentions they take either the highest ACT composite or individual SAT I scores and converts them into some magical number. ACT is sometimes referred to as "easier" to pass, so is this really true? If so, does anyone know of the index they use (sounds like they have an equation involving scores and GPA, and I'd be interested to see how much they weight SAT/ACT vs IIs)</p>

<p>Does ED give applicants advantage, because of the admit percentage, or is it harder because the applicants eat, sleep, and breathe Columbia? </p>

<p>Columbia seems to really love URMs, so is it much harder to get in if you're a pretty common ethnicity?</p>

<p>I know Harvard and ND are notorious for reserving % of applicant pool for legacies/donors. How much does this apply to Columbia (I heard their alumni association isn't super strong, so would it bring it down)? </p>

<p>In the "why Columbia" blurb, they seem to hate saying "I love NYC and ivies!" but it seems like "I love the core!" is really common. In your opinion, is it better to talk about specifics that really appeal to you (i.e. majors, profs, organizations) in exchange for not mentioning the beloved core? It appeals to me but I thought I should focus on more specifics of why I love Columbia.</p>

2

<p>can* not any, sorry</p>

3

<p>....bump....</p>

4

<p>SAT IIs are important. More so than AP scores, but not on the level of SAT Is or your academic record.</p>

<p>ACT is just a different style which works better for some people. There are conversion charts online which are pretty 'accurate'.</p>

<p>There are multiple reasons for the higher ED accept rate. One is that it's just a self-selected group of amazing applicants who know they are a good fit for Columbia. Two is that they are slightly more likely to accept an applicant in the ED pool than if they applied RD because ED gives Columbia the security of knowing that student will show up on day one - Columbia would prefer to have more control over their student body than not, even if it means perhaps paying a small price in accepting a few applicants in ED who might otherwise be waitlisted in RD. </p>

<p>There are no quotas for ethnicities, but yes, like most places, if you are white or asian, it will not be as easy for you as if you were black or hispanic.</p>

<p>Columbia doesn't reserve a % for legacy, but legacy can be a tiebreaker when they are evaluating two equally qualified applicants.</p>

<p>I think you should talk about unique specifics in the "Why Columbia" blurb.</p>

<p>Hope that helps.</p>

5

<p>What, in your opinion, is the point where SAT IIs hurt an app?</p>