<p>Made it, and in the process discovered what you need to be a successful transfer. In the order of (what I consider) most important:</p>
<ol>
<li>Essays that craft an insightful narrative</li>
<li>First semester (or first 3 semesters) college GPA +3.9</li>
<li>A strong professor who knows you well, cares, and will help you through the process</li>
</ol>
<p>Less important: SAT scores, high school GPA, extra curricular activities</p>
<p>In my opinion, the essays are far and away the most important part of the transfer process. I cannot stress this enough. It is your sole opportunity to explain why you are transferring now, and why Columbia (or insert any other school) is the right choice, for both you and the school.</p>
<p>I imagine other applicants with historically better grades than mine were turned away. I’ve read on other threads how perfect SAT students were rejected. One of them commented that he/she blew off the essay. </p>
<p>I am starting to see more and more that Columbia’s “short waiting list” isn’t so short at all.
I just wish I had a definitive answer from Columbia… Now, once again, I am anticipating and hoping. Which is the last think I want to do for the next few weeks.</p>
<p>I was waitlisted. Sort of discouraging, I was really hoping for Columbia…but all hope is not lost. I was accepted to Cornell, and still waiting on Brown, so I still have options…anything would be better than University of Florida haha. It just really sucks, been waiting for two-ish months and now…more waiting! </p>
<p>Anyone know what they actually mean by “short list.” From the looks of this thread it really doesn’t seem to be that short at all. Maybe they’re just waiting for official second semester grades? That would be awesome.</p>
<p>It definitely isn’t urgent; I was just curious as to when we would receive one. </p>
<p>On a somewhat unrelated note, do any of you know what I am supposed to tell my current college? Do I withdraw completely, and if so, when? I haven’t seen any instructions from Columbia about this, so I am a bit clueless. </p>
<p>Also, does accepting Columbia’s offer of admission and paying the $500.00 deposit to Columbia while being enrolled as a student at my current college count as double depositing? Or does double depositing specifically refer to holding multiple places at schools to which one was recently admitted?</p>
<p>you wont receive instructions from columbia on how to drop out of your current college, that doesn’t make any sense. its different for every college, so talk to your advisers & registration office to do it. like for example, its really easy to drop out of my current college cuz we boast a 30% graduation rate, so they make it super easy. just find out from your office.</p>
<p>I’m in the sort of position where I would rather my current institution not know that I might not be coming back in the fall. When do I need to tell them? Do I? What if I just don’t pay for next semester?</p>
<p>themoops:
I don’t think paying deposit to Columbia while currently enrolling in another college would be considered double depositing (well, I just thought that we’re supposed to turn in the final transcript before June 15, and it wouldn’t make sense that we withdraw now cuz at least my final grades haven’t come out at all)</p>
<p>As to the question of when to withdraw, I’m curious too…</p>
<p>I was accepted (not waitlisted), but when I talked to an adviser about withdrawing from my current university, they thought that I didn’t want to finish the semester, or that I wanted to take some time off with the option of returning…once I clarified, the adviser told me to just not register for classes in the fall, and then check in with admissions before school starts to clarify that I am transferring. </p>
<p>If I were you, I would just sign up for classes as usual and wait to hear back from Columbia… unless you have to make a payment soon.</p>
<p>Just curious, why don’t you want your school to know that you might be leaving? I felt the same way when I was applying, I was kind of embarrassed and thought the adviser would try to talk me out of it… but she was actually extremely supportive and understanding. I think maybe if you spoke to an adviser and told them about your particular situation (waitlisted, don’t want to risk withdrawing if you don’t get in), they will give you the best advice on how to proceed. After all, they can’t kick you out just because you might not stay!</p>
<p>Hmmm…I just want to let the Columbia transfer waitlist know that I am definitely giving up my place at the school if I get my own transfer. However, I also have to let you guys know that I had a dreadful time there and the Columbia student experience is a curse I wouldn’t wish on anyone, what with the urban alienation, the claustrophobic campus, the limbo state between the the city and an academic island. There’s no joy, no energy- just pressure and detachment. Even Barack Obama admits that he lived like a monk after he transferred there. Columbia really relies on the glamor of the city, but the city will always be there and it doesn’t need Columbia. There’s not enough substance at Columbia itself and if you want the substance of the city, better seek it without being bogged down by a personality-free school full of strangers. And yes, I have always felt like I’ve been surrounded by strangers at Columbia. Be careful what you wish for.</p>
<p>It’s not any particular experience, but here’s a bunch:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>During orientation week, my guide decided to skip a bunch of events with our group b/c she got tickets to the US Open. This was not common. Because of her, my group split up and wandered off, so there was no way we could do many of the activities. </p></li>
<li><p>My first academic advisor told me to take a bunch of classes that were beneath my level. I checked these out and decided not to pay attention to her. Even then, when I spoke to any professor about taking an advanced class, I found that my performance and prospects in each class were better if I did not identify myself as a freshman. There was instant condescension if I revealed that, but because I went to a top boarding school, I knew I was prepared for the coursework. Even into my sophomore year, my advisor discouraged me from taking the level of courses I knew I was capable of taking. My GPA is 3.8, so I think I did fine. </p></li>
<li><p>The food at John Jay dining hall was disgusting and yet, I paid $3000 for it for the whole year, involuntarily. Really awful. And, it doesn’t open for breakfast. </p></li>
<li><p>I am a hardcore Classics student, although this is not my major. I was extremely disappointed by the way my first Literature Humanities professor handled all the Latin/Greek texts. It was just a disaster when you combine the teaching with the enthusiasm and skills of students in the class. Other professors were better (2nd semester Lit Hum, 1st semester contemporary civ), but I found that several did not take Core classes seriously. Basically, grad students and less experienced professors handle these courses, and many do treat it like a chore, coming in with the impression that their students will need to be spoonfed. </p></li>
<li><p>My largest lecture had 400 students. It was taught in an auditorium where the professor gave very theatrical performance on a stage. The discussion section had 70 students. </p></li>
<li><p>Snooty professors in higher level courses. They’re just in their own world. One seminar I took had a professor that just insulted all of the texts that we read. Really cocky guy…but it’s just an exaggeration of what professors are normally like. There’s no pressure on them to be grounded or make sense. I love digressions, but I hate it when professors act like they’re talking to themselves instead of to students. I’m always willing to listen and pay attention, but I don’t want to listen to a professor’s stream of consciousness. </p></li>
<li><p>Clubs that start and don’t last through the year. Publications that get through one issue and fall apart by the time they get to the 2nd. </p></li>
<li><p>It’s hard to meet people. There’s no place where you can get to randomly know people. I hardly get to spend time with or even see my friends b/c our paths simply don’t cross. Many people I meet turn into acquaintances b/c there isn’t sufficient contact for us to actually become friends. Add to that the fact that most people aren’t friendly anyway - it’s chic to be jaded. </p></li>
<li><p>I started to spend more time in the city- the closer you get to Morningside Heights, the more dead the school feels. New York is so vibrant that it highlights the artificiality of the Columbia community- actually, it’s not a community, it’s just a crowd. </p></li>
<li><p>I don’t like my fellow students. So many people take one class in some random subject and think they know absolutely everything and proceed to talk about it as if they’re an authority. Intellectual culture at Columbia is basically knowing trivia- you know of some obscure topic, but not in depth and not in any constructive way. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I don’t know how many of these things will be different elsewhere, but it’s the sense of community that I’m really looking for. “Columbia” is not a real school, it’s a collective of individual experiences, some good and some bad. I guess I want a sense of belonging to a place.</p>