<p>Columbia may be less flexible than some other super-selective schools, due to the administrative barrier for transferring between SEAS and College (relevant if you are interested in both engineering and non-engineering majors). You may want to investigate how much of a barrier it actually is in practice (ask on the Columbia forum). The Columbia Core is less of an issue, as there is overlap for SEAS and College in terms of courses that can apply to both.</p>
<p>A relatively small percentage of LACs offer engineering (and some that do just have a general engineering major which may or may not have your desired subarea as an option within it), so if that is a strong interest, choose carefully.</p>