<p>This is an E-mail from Zvi Galil (who you will not receive e-mails like this from, since he's leaving for Tel Aviv U) regarding SEAS applications for the class of 2011:</p>
<p>Hi All,</p>
<p>SEAS is hot. (Don't hold it without gloves, you may get burnt.)
We now have final numbers of Early Decision.
Last year we had a record. This year's new record is 51% higher.
This is beyond anyone's expectations.
As for regular applications, we are "only" 40% higher than the number
of last year at the same time. It is too early to predict
the final number, as most applications arrive early January.</p>
<p>Every Thanksgiving I read the piece below, which is now
17 years old, and laugh again. Every few years I send it to
the students. So if you have received it from me, it perhaps
means that you have been here too long... Anyway, you
can delete it as any other spam.</p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>Dean Galil</p>
<p>(There was a Dave Barry Thanksgiving piece here)</p>
<p>this informaiton is entirely true, its emailed to all seas students from the dean.
as for FE, I think columbia is trying to make it into a highly selective undergrad program. this year they only accepted 20 ish students into FE (deparmental presentation) considering the size of the OR deparment this is an extremely small number...</p>
<p>but then again columbia's MSFE was good to start with. and the undergrads basically can take the same/similar classes as the masters students.</p>
<p>I don't think columbia is trying to make it a highly competitive concentration. the fact is that it is such a new program that columbia doesn't know whether or not it will work, and it is very hesitant about establishing new concentrations. columbia will continue to increase the number of slots available in Financial engineering in the upcoming years rapidly. although there were only 20 slots, less than 40-50 people applied.</p>
<p>I totally agree that Columbia isn't attempting to make FE into a "into a highly selective undergrad program." They're just "beta testing" it this year. Once it's official, they'll make it like any other major at Columbia -- open to all.</p>
<p>Columbia isn't going to be like some big state school where you have to apply to majors even after you've been accepted. That's a joke, and no good private school will even attempt such crap.</p>
<p>in fact, my understanding is that the budget allocations for departments get based on how many students are signing up for that department. it's a zero-sum game, and the money goes where the students want it to.</p>