<p>Ridiculous or not, dude got in to Columbia. Give yourself some credit, sonny, you were qualified. You got in.</p>
<p>lol, guys. Lay off... just voicing my opinion. Didn't think it was particularly offensive. Common sense, really...</p>
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Ridiculous or not, dude got in to Columbia. Give yourself some credit, sonny, you were qualified. You got in.
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<p>S--- happens. Proof that not everyone at Columbia is brilliant.</p>
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lol, guys. Lay off... just voicing my opinion. Didn't think it was particularly offensive. Common sense, really...
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<p>This isn't a matter of opinion. These things are facts. It is everything but common sense.</p>
<p>Well that's just a bit mean-spirited, don't you think?</p>
<p>i have to agree, whether or not you think his/her post was stupid, you're getting way too worked up over a post on the internet. he/she will think what he/she wants to no matter what you say so there is no reason to go around throwing insults</p>
<p>I think my decision of off-campus housing truly contributed to my rejection actually, I even wrote something about it on the app. Columbia basically wants you to live on campus, this isn't a commuter school. I regret what I put down now and will be killing myself forever. Although, my stats could have been a tad better. CHECK OFF ON CAMPUS HOUSiNG CLASS OF 2011!</p>
<p>Does Columbia require that you live there as a Freshman? We live in northwest NJ. If my son is lucky to get accepted, right now, he would prefer to commute. Anyone know if that is acceptable? I have read that all the Ivy league schools require Freshmen to live on campus. Hopefully, that is wrong. Thanks, Carolyn</p>
<p>Columbia will allow them to live off campus provided they are living with a parent or guardian, but they very much prefer that all first-year students stay on campus. (Which is why they have 99% on campus even though a great many students are from the Tri-State area.) Essentially, Columbia's commitment to the idea of the residential college means that not living there is going against the kind of individual growth in an academic community that the school is set up to foster. Additionally, living off-campus during one's first year when 99% of one's peers are living on campus is a quick way to feel alienated from the university. That's not to say that some students don't have perfectly fine experiences living off-campus, but it's not what the university is set up to accomodate.</p>
<p>ok, dumb question-do they mean off campus in NY, or does off campus mean anything off campus, such as NJ?</p>
<p>i'm guessing ur son is a HS rising senior and hasnt applied yet....if this is the case, he should put down that he wants to live on campus on his application. He can get permission to live off campus after he gets accepted, but saying that he wants to live at home from the beginning is a disadvantage. In my opinion, unless finances are a VERY big problem, your son should live on campus all four years or he will miss out on ALOT.</p>
<p>off campus is as far as u r willing to commute</p>
<p>"Off campus" means anything that is not a university residence hall.</p>
<p>there doesn't seem to be any one particular secret to getting into Columbia. However, I am worried that there may be some aspects of an application, such as what courses my son DID NOT take in HS, that will cause admissions to think less of him. </p>
<p>For instance, I know the school looks to see if the applicant had challenging courses. My son has verychallenging courses-5 AP's this year and all A's in them (US History, Eruo History, Eng, Bio, and Environ. Sci); he was also the first one in the school to ever take US Hist and Euro Hist at the same time. He is also taking Asian Hist-that's only an honors class. BUT, he hates math and this year went down to college prep pre cal. He knew that if he took honors it might be a C. Also, next year, he is taking Molec. Bio AP, Ec AP, Eng AP, Global Studies honors, Myth (english depart)honors and marketing elective. He doesn't want to take math again or a foreign language. He started HS taking sophmore level Spanish and math because he was in the accelerated program in middle school and took algebra I, a high school class, in 8th grade as well as spanish I. so in HS, he went right to spanish II and III. Our teachers in the spanish department were horrible. So, he concentrated on Science, hist and english with electives.</p>
<p>How big of a deal is this? His SAT was 800 verbal, 800 writing, but 690 math (will retake it). He expects 5's in all AP's this year. His GPA is 4.3. His EC's are varsity cross country/track all years, science leagues all years-top 6-7 in state each year, science Olympiad-6th in state for astronomy, first in county for general sciences last year in science fair day, forensics-state and regional level for public policy, president of history club, national honor society, taught civil war and astronomy classes in local elementary school, tutors elementary school kids, and helps out tremendously with his disabled sister. This summer he will intern at Legal Aid in NY City.</p>
<p>i find it hard to believe that a straight A student would get a C in math.....maybe a B....</p>
<p>but whatever, thats besides the point....you have to take a certain amount of math in high school...i think your supposed to take 4 years worth but it could be less...but math is important....algebra I isnt going to cut it....your son just cant run away from whatever he's bad at, it doesnt work that way and I think thats what it will look like...i'm surprised that his school doesnt have a math requirement. </p>
<p>Also, he should really think about whether he should retake the SAT....if he cant improve in math then clearly there is absoluetly no reason to take it over...and if the improvement is only like 10 points there is still no reason. </p>
<p>Of course the math thing will hurt him but i think other things will balance that out....he just better not apply as a science major.</p>
<p>he is applying as a history major. Yes, our high school, as every public school, does have a math requirement. I think you misunderstood me or I didn't make myself clear enough. He took 3 years of math in HS (alegebra I honors, geometryhonors, and precal college pre). the alegebra I honors was as an 8th grader. Most kids take that as a freshman in HS. He hopes to improve on the math SAT by 30 points. But you are right, it may not any difference.</p>
<p>I agree with Shraf that improving that math SAT by 30 points won't really make that much of a difference, as he's not applying to SEAS. As far as the math classes go, Columbia strongly suggests that SEAS applicants have taken Calculus, but for CC students Pre-Calc is ok--not great, but ok. Many of the applicants to CC will have taken AP Calc in high school, even if they have no intention of majoring in anything math-related; that said, it's extremely unlikely that not taking it will be a deciding factor. The fact that he took Algebra I in the 8th grade, while it might be remarkable at his school, is not that unusual from a national perspective, so you can't bank on that to help you much, and I wouldn't bother playing it up in the application--it will be clear from the courses he took in high school that he must have taken Algebra in junior high. </p>
<p>The other thing I would say is that if it's still possible for him to take another year of Spanish, it might do him good. Taking only two years of it in high school, even if that meant he took Spanish III, might raise a few eyebrows. Columbia is very big on the idea of global citizenship, so anything you can do in that respect is a plus.</p>
<p>I called Columbia last year and asked them that question-would taking up to Spanish III, even if 2 of the years are in HS, one in Middle School, be a problem. I was told that they will obviously figure out that he took spanish I ahead of time, and that there are times when not only will it not hurt him but it will be seen as a wise choice not to take another year of Spanish. She said that if for instance, he wanted to take more AP history classes, his concentration, or more science AP classes, that is fine. The key she said was to show that he took challenging classes and taking 5 ap's as a junior showed that. Well, that's at least what I was told.</p>
<p>regardless of what they said, your son should take spanish again. columbia is an extremely selective school. the vast majority of their incoming freshman have done more than just the requirements (i.e. taking 4 years of foreign language instead of three). and for other concerned parents, calculus is almost required when applying to columbia though they won't list it, ESPECIALLY if you are applying to the engineering school.</p>
<p>back to previous posts, you should check-off on campus housing when applying, you can always change your preference later after your son has gained admission to columbia. columbia strongly promotes the idea of a diverse community and wants all its students to live on campus not just in that respect but for other traditional college experiences.</p>
<p>you should try do to everything in your power to have the adcoms thinking that 'this is a columbia student' to have them approve your application if it is really your top choice. applying early will help tremendously too.</p>
<p>This time last year I was totally stressed that my daughter only had three years of Spanish and no calculus, and she is going to Columbia in 6 weeks. (Columbia College, of course, not Fu--she is hoping never to take another math course, ever).</p>
<p>this student has only taken 2 years of language. there are a number of factors that come into play when the adcoms decide who's in and who's not but you shouldn't risk it by not following the general steps on getting in. basically if you are an A student, and received 690 math sat, then it's enough to get you through calculus. i actually know someone who received about the same score (700) and received a 99 in my AP Calculus BC class.</p>