<p>So in school today, a boy was bragging about how he recently found out that he got accepted into Columbia. However, I highly doubt that claim because 1) he has pretty low test scores and grades overall and 2) doesn't Columbia notify students around march/April? He brought in a box package thing he received in the mail (I haven't really inspected it; I'm not even sure that Columbia sends out "boxes" to admitted students). He applied RD so it couldn't have been an ED admission package.. I'm just completely puzzled. There are many other highly qualified students in my class that applied to Columbia and they haven't heard a thing. I just want to make sure that this whole thing is valid because his boastfulness is really putting a damper on the whole admissions process and a lot of people's visions for their future. What do you think? Is he lying? Is he telling the truth?!</p>
<p>…perhaps a likely letter</p>
<p>Any of the above scenarios are possible. A likely letter does not come with a package, however. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if he applied to Columbia College in Chicago and didn’t know it? I’ve seen that happen.</p>
<p>My first guess would be he’s lying. It’s not unheard of by any means, sad to say.</p>
<p>Likely letters are sent by email, not regular mail (according to past threads on columbia likely letters). Unless that was changed this year.</p>
<p>As with T2E4, I would say he’s lying. First of all, likely letters go to the very top of the applicant pool, the clear admits that are so strong, they don’t even need to be compared to the rest of the pool. A kid with low test scores and grades, even if he/she’s a legacy whose parent donates, would most likely go to the admission committee rounds.</p>
<p>I would add my voice to those who think he is lying. Unfortunately, there always seems to be a small group of people who choose to do such things. Though that being said, it’s possible that he has some special part of the application that isn’t communicated to his school peers…</p>
<p>No non-athlete without stratospheric academic chops is going to get a Likely Letter. Period. These are the ones that Columbia puts out the red carpet for – because they are worried this kid will get snatched by rival school. Does this describe your subject? Not by your description. </p>
<p>In 20+ year of interviewing, I’ve only interviewed one. She had, in hand a Likely Letter from both Yale and Harvard. Four years later, I saw her name in the local paper. Rhodes Scholar.</p>
<p>He’s more than likely lying. Likely letters, from what I’ve seen, don’t come in a box. You also said he doesn’t have great grades, which would automatically be a red flag if he wasn’t an athlete.
I’m sorry that you have to deal with that. It’s a bit sad, actually.</p>
<p>During our ED decision week at our school, this girl literally made everyone who got deferred feel depressed because she said she “got in” to Princeton, Harvard, and Cambridge all in the matter of two days. It’s also really funny because any average-minded person could easily check the decision day with the click of a button on Google and see that she was lying. It gave me a good chuckle.</p>
<p>
How do you know he didn’t apply ED? … if he did apply ED then the box with an ED admission might make sense.</p>
<p>no, columbia does not send boxes. my friend who’s at columbia tells me that they send you an acceptance letter, poster, info packets, etc. nothing so large enough for a box. he’s clearly lying.</p>
<p>ED admit, I don’t know about this situation but I can confirm that I have not gotten a “box” of any sort, just a flat set of letters and a poster. Perhaps I’m not special enough :P</p>
<p>He very well could be telling the truth. Is he an athlete? A kid from my school just got into Columbia - clearly because he is a good football player - despite having grades that are relatively low for the school.</p>
<p>i don’t think he really needed to be all that good at football considering columbia was 1-6 this year…</p>
<p>Every year Columbia posts photos of the procession from the Admissions Office to the mail truck of the acceptances for the upcoming class. The band leads the way and they make a big deal out of it. They are large envelopes (10x12) with lots of material in them. Certainly not boxes.</p>
<p>I received a likely letter (email) in that wave a week or two ago. A few days later, I got a big envelope with a reprint of the email and a book (“Columbia Blue”). Perhaps this is the package he had?</p>
<p>I was just about to say the same thing until I saw metalpawn’s post. I got a likely letter followed by a large envelope package with the actual likely “letter” and a book introducing Columbia. I am not an athelete, a legacy, and I would consider myself your typical “good” applicant that would simply be in the running for admission, not stelar by ivy league standards by any means. Although, I am hispanic, so that is what probably helped me out.</p>
<p>Columbia College Chicago has the coolest box they send with their acceptances. It has fancy stationary and it is a nifty package. They also have rolling admission. They also are not as selective as Columbia University in the City of New York. They both cost about the same!!!</p>