<p>I applied ED to Columbia and I did not apply for financial aid. Is this "good" or "bad"? I know financial aid does not determine admissions. I'm guessing it's a little on the "good" side than the "bad" side, probably like .1% good...since colleges don't like giving financial aid away.</p>
<p>aren't they need-blind? I know that's only on paper, but......</p>
<p>Jesus christ. I know this website is for those of OCD backgrounds just by its nature, but this is taking the whole process to new heights. Do something with your life! Stop asking hypothetical questions! Don't you have something better to do than waste your life on this message board asking questions that have no implications and no purpose whatsoever? Didn't you tell columbia that you loved learning? Well, act like it! Or, at least, go outside! talk to friends! read! play guitar! </p>
<p>I don't mean this in a <em>mean</em> way necessarily, but if you are pinning your hopes on one college and allowing the rest of your life to pass for granted- if for only partially- you are doing yourself a large disservice...</p>
<p>It is need-blind. The adcoms that read your app have no clue whether or not you applied for financial aid.</p>
<p>Columbia is one of the ten richest universities in the nation. They have no problem giving you tons of financial aid if you need it. And because of this, and together with the fact that Columbia has no problem getting tons of extremely qualified students, it and other colleges like it have completely need-blind admissions. Full stop. No more questions, they don't know (or even really care) whether you applied for financial aid.</p>
<p>Financial aid at Columbia is the WORST. Instead of scholarships, they give you loans. MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Williams, and Johns Hopkins all had better finaid packages than Columbia.</p>
<p>What blah said is correct -- it won't hurt you one bit. If anything, having Columbia think that you are poor (parents with crappy jobs, first one to go to college, from a bad area, etc.) will help your chances because Columbia doesn't want a class full of rich kids.</p>
<p>Static's post is quite inaccurate.</p>
<p>Are you joking? How is my post inaccurate since I got into all of these schools last year and I compared the finaid of each school against one another. Columbia was the ONLY school that forced me to take out loans.</p>
<p>Hi static,
my daughter also got into MIT, Stanford and Cal, and Columbia gave her the most money. MIT was pretty close to Columbia, Stanford's was okay, and Berkeley, our "public" school, offered the worst package!
It just depends, I suppose, on the applicant. We were both pleased with Columbia's package.
p.s. you know Victoria. she shared with me the funny story re: the alma mater during your admit weekend visit to Columbia in April. I hope you are doing well at Stanford, you were going to do fine wherever you wound up.</p>