"Have you visited the Columbia Campus?"

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
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<p>Like I said, the Big Boys don't care about your demonstrating interest because they already know that you and 20,000 other applicants are VERY interested. From the Yale website:</p>

<p>Applying</a> to Yale College | Frequently Asked Questions | Office of Undergraduate Admissions</p>

<p>Excerpt:
"I have visited campus three times. Does that count in favor of my being admitted?
Not at all. Unlike some schools, we do not track your contact with us or your visits to Yale. Similarly, it is not necessary to be in regular contact with the Admissions Office. Admissions officers are happy to answer your questions, but excessive e-mailing, for example, can be very distracting. "</p>

<p>If Columbia chooses a different approach, well I'm sure they have their reasons.</p>

22

<p>
[quote]
Like I said, the Big Boys don't care about your demonstrating interest because they already know that you and 20,000 other applicants are VERY interested.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You're saying that if I applied to Yale and wrote that I loved Harvard and that Harvard was so much better than Yale at everything (including football), they would honestly overlook that? There's a difference between "demonstrating" interest by visiting a campus and demonstrating interest in an application. I'm pretty sure that Columbia focuses (like Yale) predominantly on the latter.</p>

23

<p>
[quote]
Like I said, the Big Boys don't care about your demonstrating interest because they already know that you and 20,000 other applicants are VERY interested. From the Yale website:</p>

<p>Applying to Yale College | Frequently Asked Questions | Office of Undergraduate Admissions</p>

<p>Excerpt:
"I have visited campus three times. Does that count in favor of my being admitted?
Not at all. Unlike some schools, we do not track your contact with us or your visits to Yale. Similarly, it is not necessary to be in regular contact with the Admissions Office. Admissions officers are happy to answer your questions, but excessive e-mailing, for example, can be very distracting. "</p>

<p>If Columbia chooses a different approach, well I'm sure they have their reasons.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You totally missed the point. Being rich enough to afford to visit New Haven 3 times and being an annoying d'bag who has nothing better to do than constantly bug the adcoms is not the meaningful demonstrated interest that I described in my earlier post. The sort of conduct that Yale doesn't care about has nothing to do with whether Yale is a good fit for you. Your post does nothing to disprove that Yale looks to meaningful indicia of interest and fit.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Columbia2002, could you be any more condescending? I'm sorry I was so terribly wrong, all I did was repeat what I had been told on this board. I apologize if I was mistaken.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Why would you repeat -- as fact and without warning -- what you've read on a message board that is predominantly posted on by high school students? Why wouldn't you say "I'm not sure if it's true because I'm just a high school student, but I read on these boards that ________"? Why would you think you're being helpful if you post something you have no idea whether or not to be true?</p>

<p>
[quote]
"It must be one of those insecure lower-tier schools - worried that applicants are only mildly interested."</p>

<p>I'm sure it's very worried, because obviously, having to turn away 90% of applicants who spent days or even months crafting their essays, filling out a seperate application, and researching on the school despite a large student body shows that it doesn't get enough people applying.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>At least for Columbia, most of those 20,000 applicants who fill out a separate application for Columbia and would be thrilled to attend Columbia really have no true interest in attending Columbia when you boil everything down. Most applicants are applying for the wrong reasons -- Ivy league school, in NYC, prestige, etc. -- and really don't have a clue what Columbia is all about beyond a superficial notion that there's something called a Core where you read some books and become well rounded. Just because they're interested in attending Columbia because it's a prestigious school in NYC doesn't mean that they're truly interested in Columbia. So Columbia looks for the people who are actually interested in Columbia, and merely sending in an application isn't sufficient to indicate that you are so.</p>

24

<p>
[quote]
At least for Columbia, most of those 20,000 applicants who fill out a separate application for Columbia and would be thrilled to attend Columbia really have no true interest in attending Columbia when you boil everything down. Most applicants are applying for the wrong reasons -- Ivy league school, in NYC, prestige, etc. -- and really don't have a clue what Columbia is all about beyond a superficial notion that there's something called a Core where you read some books and become well rounded. Just because they're interested in attending Columbia because it's a prestigious school in NYC doesn't mean that they're truly interested in Columbia. So Columbia looks for the people who are actually interested in Columbia, and merely sending in an application isn't sufficient to indicate that you are so.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>true. i got a good laugh out of one of the admission people's jokes. she was talking about how she gets so many apps that talk about how greaet it is that clumbia is NEAR NYC and how much people love NYC. She had to remind us that Columbia was IN NYC.</p>

<p>Besides, if you love NYC so much, just go to NYU.</p>

25

<p>To Columbia2002: What you say is true, mostly. I agree that its Ivy status and prestige are the wrong reasons. </p>

<p>However, is it wrong to want to go to Columbia partly, not solely, based on the fact that it's located in NYC? Because of all the many unique internship and work/learning experience opportunities available due to its location in NYC?
And for the art museums in NYC for people who are interested in that area of study as well as their core major? </p>

<p>It's hard to stay away from mentioning Columbia's location in NYC as one of the reasons why many people like me have applied to Columbia.</p>

26

<p>^nyc is a big reason to attend columbia, it just can't be the primary reason because there are so many other nyc schools available. a combination of reasons to attend columbia should whittle it down so that columbia is (one of) the only school that matches the reasons.</p>

27

<p>
[quote]
However, is it wrong to want to go to Columbia partly, not solely, based on the fact that it's located in NYC? Because of all the many unique internship and work/learning experience opportunities available due to its location in NYC?
And for the art museums in NYC for people who are interested in that area of study as well as their core major?</p>

<p>It's hard to stay away from mentioning Columbia's location in NYC as one of the reasons why many people like me have applied to Columbia.

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</p>

<p>Agree with confidentialcoll. I will also have to add that you have to be more specific than some crap like "NYC will give me access to great learning opportunities at my fingertips" which is said by a lot of applicants.</p>

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<p>^Oh, of course I didnt put that on the why CU section. that's just general a list. but all this is making me nervous about my application. I put down that "the internships offered by CIVISTAS and the opportunities to work with many New York City architectural firms through the manhattanvile long term project such as Body-Lawson Associates and Davis Brody Bond Aedas"
Is that okay or did I need to be more specific, maybe about what specifically in CIVISTAS I want to get out of?</p>

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<p>
[quote]
"the internships offered by CIVISTAS and the opportunities to work with many New York City architectural firms through the manhattanvile long term project such as Body-Lawson Associates and Davis Brody Bond Aedas"

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The syntax here could be better: the internships offered by CIVISTAS and the opportunity to work with many New York City architectural firms, such as Body-Lawson Associates and Davis Brody Bond Aedas, through the Manhattanville long term project</p>

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<p>^ lol I guess I have to worry about syntax now... :)</p>

31

<p>"ever tried getting through an interview showing that you don't care, yet you're good enough? It's exactly the same with an application which makes you write essays. and even if, miraculously, hyps doesn't care about interest, how does caring about interest put you in a tier below?"</p>

<p>I've interviewed a kid like that. And it wasted my time. </p>

<p>Perhaps it's different for international students: their visiting campuses is more a function of income and getting to know the prestigious college campuses if they have the time and the resources. </p>

<p>That being said, I don't think visiting is the sole indicator of interest. Even after visiting, many kids apply just because of the ivy/nyc status. </p>

<p>It's more effective, I think, for both the adcoms and the interviewers to see whether an applicant has done more to research the school than merely visit.--look at specific programs, activities, professors, classes. The depth of someone's knowledge of the school, beyond the campus tour, is more indicative of interest. I think visiting the campus is a mere accessory. </p>

<p>I'll bet there are tons of applicants who visit the campus and still pull the "Columbia's got a pretty campus in NYC and that's why I want to go there" stunt--won't help.</p>

32

<p>Yeah, I absolutely agree.</p>

<p>I reckon your interest seriously comes through the "why Columbia?" portion of your app. I reckon the average applicants will probably throw in the Core Curriculum, NYC or World Leaders Forum.. But given that the question asks specifically about which one aspect of Columbia appeals to you most and why, I think it's the specifics and the details that come across to them as real interest.</p>

<p>It's too bad most people apply for the prestige. I was talking to a friend of mine who goes there and hearing it all from her, there seem to be a million genuine reasons to go to Columbia that are all nothing short of amazing.</p>

33

<p>C02 is doing a great job in this thread.</p>

<p>What I would add is my opinion, but: if you ask me, the value of that question to the reader (the admissions officer) depends not just on your socioeconomic status but your location as well. If you're a poor kid but you live in the Bronx, there's no real excuse for you not to have taken the subway down to visit at some point. Even poor people have a few hours off at some point. If you're poor and live in Jersey, they might raise an eyebrow if you haven't visited, but if you're rich and live in Jersey and haven't visited, they'll probably assume you don't care to know all that much about Columbia. If you're poor and live in Chicago, obviously they wouldn't care that you haven't visited.</p>

<p>In nerd terms, it's a 3-dimensional gradient, where X is "how close to Columbia you live", Y is "how much money your parents have", and Z is how much the admissions officer gives a crap. And Z is roughly = X + Y.</p>

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<p>"In nerd terms, it's a 3-dimensional gradient, where X is "how close to Columbia you live", Y is "how much money your parents have", and Z is how much the admissions officer gives a crap. And Z is roughly = X + Y."</p>

<p>FYI, you'll need to measure X in 1/distance, otherwise Z for a rich international student would be off the charts.</p>

35

<p>They probably have that question on the application just to strictly weed out liars. They probably have a whole system built around looking through sign up sheets and visitor passes so I would answer wisely. </p>

<p>(in case you didn't know, I'm joking)</p>

<p>This is my favorite post

[QUOTE]
im only a sophomore in hs, but out of all the colleges i've visited (like 11 or so...), Columbus is AMAZING when it comes to facilities, location, and overall layout/architecture.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

36

<p>If Columbia is the school you want to go to, and you are interested, you should take a trip, do the tour, meet people, meet professors, shake hands, maybe find a way to participate in some student run volunteer activity that you can put on the resume...bring your parents so they can see how intense and demanding it will be for you, so you will have their support while there... I think "Do it up!"</p>

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<p>sarcasm is so rife on cc...</p>

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<p>okay in all honestly, my two MAJOR reasons for applying to columbia were because of the core and nyc (which when combined with SEAS make it very, very unique) - no other school with columbia's academic strength has this qualities. so aren't those like. legitimate reasons lol..</p>

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<p>actually those reasons are illegitimate</p>

40

<p>^lol who the hell are you to claim my own personal reasons for wanting to attend a school are illegitimate. ..................................... my question was rhetorical.</p>