<p>Here's my list:
[ul]A Raisin in the Sun
[<em>]1984
[</em>]Fahrenheit 451
[<em>]The Autobiography of Malcolm X
[</em>]Cry The Beloved Country
[<em>]The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
[</em>]Brother I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
[<em>]Hamlet
[</em>]To Kill A Mockingbird
[<em>]The Tragedy of Othello
[</em>]Jane Eyre, Night
[<em>]The Crucible
[</em>]The Catcher in the Rye
[<em>]The Things They Carried
[</em>]Brave New World
[<em>]Twelve Angry Men
[</em>]Song of Solomon
[*]Wuthering Heights[/ul]</p>
<p>why would you merely list your books?</p>
<p>you should have probably explained why. Since most people who are applying have read most of the books on your list.</p>
<p>^they don't give you NEARLY enough space to explain why..</p>
<p>yes they do. You choose a couple books two or three of your favorite ones and you can write about one sentence each about them.</p>
<p>I would say that is way more useful then listing books that almost every other applicant has also read/listed.</p>
<p>Cali: yes that is one tactic, but don't harangue them for not following you. Trojan, your decision to list them all out is just as fine. Showing breadth is good. But part of the question as I recall (wow it's been a long time) is What is your favorite book you read for pleasure over the last year, which sounded like a trick question to me. My thought was that they wanted depth - college level texts in any number of areas, but especially in proposed major fields. So explaining why you loved Wuthering Heights, while personal, might not be impressive. Particularly considering if anyone takes a Brit Lit class they will probably confront one of the Brontes.</p>
<p>The Physics of Superheroes ;p amazing book</p>
<p>This question is so overanalyzed by people on this board. You all are overthinking it. They're not "looking for" anything in particular. They're just getting a sense of who you are. Just answer it honestly and don't worry about it.</p>
<p>C2002:</p>
<p>1) I agree with your sentiments - being honest and letting it be done is the best way. There is way too much overthinking going on, but usually it is misdirected (i.e. Cali's response)</p>
<p>2) Yes, they are looking for something. The most obvious reason is that they are asking it. But I can also confirm from being a tour guide and hearing admissions people talking about the part in the application is that they look at it very closely. No, there is nothing particular they look for - but oftentimes it serves to affirm an intellectual bent, or higher-level pursuit of a student's intended academic interest. </p>
<p>Which leads me to 3) Yes most students overthink this question and worry about how to order their books, but frankly going back to the average kid I knew in HS, few of them would pick up Hans Morganthau over some New York Times Bestseller. So it is also a question that barring the few who try to game the system and lie (and whose efforts most likely will be unsuccessful because intellectualism is not in your books alone, imagine them in one of your interviews) allows the very strong applicant who is just being honest to come across as impressive. But on the other hand, there are a few students out there who are competitive applicants who underthink the question and are reading some impressive stuff, but probably just put down Harry Potter. And for them, I would say, suggesting they not think about it - well that might be to their detriment.</p>
<p>To that degree, though I don't think students (especially if you have already applied) ought to be obsessing over the book lists (on CC of all places too), in the actual process it is something that a student should take some time to really think about how his/her books might be received by an admissions officer that is trying to gather the right fit/match for Columbia. A student or his/her parents are paying $70 for the application, a bit of thought is wise investment.</p>
<p>My son's list was honest and eclectic. I don't recall them all, but I do remember Shakespeare and The Onion.</p>
<p>I didn't have enough space on the list so I included an additional (comprehensive one) in the supplementary materials section. It was from the past year and had 50ish books that I'd read on my own, in addition to school books.</p>
<p>from Einstein to Stephen Colbert</p>
<p>wow I put down like 4 books because I only read 4 books (nonrequired) in the past year. I didn't think it was such a big deal. Sort of like the short takes on the yale app. Just something for a little more info.</p>
<p>now the question is, for those of you who put really short answers. Did you get in? or are you all RD?</p>
<p>I (long book list) got in ED.</p>
<p>i listed my books...it was an honest answer and even included some total trashy reads. I got in ED.</p>
<p>totally* my b</p>
<p>i think you can list or explain. if they REQUIRED an explanation, though, they would have asked for it.</p>
<p>My son got in ED. I'm not even sure if "The Onion" was responsive to the question...</p>
<p>Cali101, my girlfriend got into Columbia ED. I sat by her and her family as they all held the mouse and clicked SEND. </p>
<p>The question says LIST!!!!!! LIST!!!!!! LIST THE BOOKS for Christ sake. She was going to make the same mistake you suggested; follow instructions!!!! LIST!!!</p>
<p>Disregarding the commotion of whether the question really matters or not, I just listed the books that I read, exactly how the question asks. Now that I think of it, I'm having a hard time remembering...</p>
<p>Frankenstein, Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, The Call of Cthulu and other Weird Stories, ummm I think that might be it. I didn't really get into reading until about a couple of months ago.</p>
<p>The problem with the book list is that it is largely unverifiable, so the factors to consider:</p>
<p>1) make it believable, Harry Potter in one of the slots adds to the credibility
2) make it at least mildly intellectual, choose a book or two that you found thought-provoking, examples: Snow by Orhan Pamuk, or The White Man's Burden by William Easterly
3) make it cool, you're a teenager not a 50 year old professor of history or literature example: Freakonomics, Blink
4) make it at least a little diverse, I believe I had Things Fall Apart and Liar's Poker on the same list. </p>
<p>The admissions committee will look at this list to get an idea of your intellectual and personal interests, it's contextual. It gives you the ad com an idea of who you are and is considered in their subjective decisions of how you'll fit in / contribute to columbia. Have a subset of the qualities I've listed and you're fine. </p>
<p>Almost always if you're just honest about what you've actually read you'll hit on enough of the factors to be in good shape. The book list doesn't make a successful application it only breaks an application if it is uniformly juvenile, empty or clearly fabricated. </p>
<p>You don't need to explain anything, because it doesn't ask you to, there doesn't seem to be any advantage to doing so.</p>