<p>Hey, I'm gonna visit Columbia, along with a couple other east coast schools during spring break. Just wondering if you have any advice on what I should do during my visit, and/or I should try to talk to anyone there (admissions office, etc.), along with the questions I should ask, to try to get my interest heard.</p>
<p>Try to take in as much of NYC as you can. I absolutely loved and was one of the main reasons why I like Columbia so much. (Besides the academics and reputation, of course)</p>
<p>Take the tour, but I’ve heard mixed reviews about it–definitely speak to the admissions office, and try and see if you can hang out with a student slash have a student host you and take you to a class or something</p>
<p>Okay. I hear that it’s vital to introduce oneself to the admissions office, tell them your interest in the school and then constantly e-mail them. Is this true?</p>
<p>
No. Use your common sense in distinguishing between expressing interest and annoying them.</p>
<p>If you’re trying to see if you like the school, the best way to get a flavor for it is to have “real” experiences. You can take the tour, but you can also wander around the campus on your own and observe. You can stop random CU students and ask them questions, and these students are more likely to tell you what it’s really like than your tour guide.</p>
<p>Take a tour, don’t bother speaking to admissions office, it won’t help you. If you speak with students on campus be careful, there’s a lot of randomness, and if someone’s having a bad day or is really busy they might blow you off.</p>
<p>Okay, so you recommend me NOT to try to introduce myself to the admissions office?</p>
<p>yeah if talking to the admissions office won you any favors they’d be swamped with kids wanting to talk to them, it can only hurt you if you make an idiot of yourself.</p>
<p>I see no reason not to be friendly, ask a few subtle questions which don’t have a “go look at the website” kind of answer, thank them kindly, and leave. A good impression - especially to the admissions officer in charge of reviewing apps from your region - can’t hurt at all.</p>
<p>The suggestion to arrange an overnight visit is an excellent one. Call the office well in advance and ask if such things are a possibility. Doesn’t matter the time of year, it’ll give you a sense of the Columbia experience that no prepackaged admissions propaganda can match.</p>
<p>As for other stuff to see, “Go see NYC” isn’t very helpful. Around the Columbia area you might take a look at:</p>
<ul>
<li>Cathedral of St John the Divine</li>
<li>Hamilton Deli on Amsterdam betw 115th & 116th</li>
<li>in nice weather, Broadway between 111th and 115th will have nice sidewalk cafes. Good food and good people watching.</li>
</ul>
<p>Beyond the neighborhood, </p>
<ul>
<li>spend a little while wandering around the west village during the day - Bleecker St, etc.</li>
<li>take the NBC studios tour at Rockefeller Center (don’t bother waiting for an hour to go up the Empire State Building)</li>
<li>Go to the TKTS ticket booth, and get a half-price ticket to some broadway show. Right now I think Avenue Q tickets during the week are very easy to get, I hear the show is only filling half the theater.</li>
</ul>
<p>etc.</p>