Very challenging academics with a lot of support. Lots of opportunities to do whatever you want.

Amazing.

Now it is on the common app with a supplement. They offer early decision. There are essays, interviews, required tests.

4

2011

There is a Core Curriculum, and a modified Core for the Engineering school. Class sizes vary. Research opportunities are possible, but can be hard to get. Tons of notable faculty. Lots of study abroad opportunities. Workload varies, but is generally pretty intensive.

The food is pretty bad and housing is mediocre for the most part, but everything else is amazing!

ED and RD options available. Common application, supplement. Contacted for an interview if necessary.

1

2014

There are many general requirements here at Columbia as the Core is the major initiative in academics. There are classes ranging from writing to the study of art and music. Engineering also has its own core that has a focus on the basics in math and the sciences. This is all done to give you a background in whatever field you choose to pursue. The workload is quite large as there is ALWAYS work to be done. But they amount of resources here is incredible and you can always get help if you seek it.

Housing at the school seems very nice for the location and the fact that our school is a bit older than many others. The library system is one of the best and the neighborhood is really calm and had many places to eat. There are even places open late into the night which is excellent for students who work late into the night.

When I applied the Columbia application was unique and different than the other colleges that I applied to. It asked you questions about why you felt the school was for you and even questions about what types of books and publications you liked to read.

1

2014

Core Curriculum (taken by all students in Columbia College) - Masterpieces of Western Literature (2 semester Great Books curriculum), Contemporary Western Civilization (two semester Western political philosophy curriculum), Frontiers of Science (plus two more semesters of science), University Writing (one semester writing seminar), Global Core (two semesters of non-Western classes), foreign language (4 semesters)

Has some of the nation's foremost scholars in most disciplines, but notably I have personally worked with Gary Okihiro and Andrew Delbanco.

Research assistantships easily attainable if desired.

Classes range from seminars to 200-person lectures, depending on which classes you sign up for.

Grading is tough, there's a lot of work, but it works out.

Most majors require around 30 credits, concentrations require between 15 and 25 (depending on the course of study).

Few study abroad opportunities through school, but possible through other affiliated programs.

Housing is pretty nice for NYC housing, and the dining halls are relatively decent. Very safe. Overall, very crowded; we don't have much space for each student, in the dining halls, student center, in the dorms, etc.

When I applied - (binding) Early Decision, unique application, 1 essay question and many interesting short answer questions about ourselves.

1

2014

We have a fantastic and rigorous Core curriculum - it is the academic trademark of our university. Core class have under 20 people in them. Otherwise, it's pretty typical - you can have a major and/or concentration(s), and take electives.

Great quality of life. The workload can be a little too demanding, but the NYC atmosphere, amazing diversity and general attitude on campus is positive.

CommonApp, supplement, early decision and regular decision

1

2014

Core curriculum of humanities, arts

2 semesters science and 2 semesters PE required

academic advising

supplement to Common Ap

I applied regular decision

Need blind and full need met (no official merit aid)

4

2011

The unique part about Columbia is the Core Curriculum. A lot of people criticize it because it's outdated, but I'm a strong proponent of the belief that you can't progress forward without knowing your past. The Core is meant to make you well versed in multiple areas and branch you out into areas you may not have seen yourself in before. It is trying to apply the timeless lessons of humanity to modern day life and see how and if we have progressed as a society.

Columbia has its own application, but will switch over to the Common Application for the Class of 2015 admissions cycle. When I applied, there was one essay where students had the chance to convey themselves as well as short answer questions that asked more personal interests, such as what you like to read, what music you listen to, what movies you watched, etc. And of course, there was a Why Columbia? question. Interviews are available to all students as long as the alumni could meet the demand, but because of the number of applications and the limited number of interviewers, interviews aren't always possible. Columbia does have an early decision program in place where a large portion of the student body comes from, and then of course the regular decision pool. Columbia's application process is on a need-blind basis and doesn't offer any merit based aid.

1

2013

Columbia is famous for the Core Curriculum. Especially in Columbia College, all students take a few classes that give an excellent general level of education. These classes range from literature classes, like Literature Humanities (first year course that covers works from Plato to Virgina Wolf) or Contemporary Civilization (sophomore course in philosophy) to classes dealing with art and music history, as well as an overview of the science currently being pursued at Columbia and a first year writing seminar. The school of engineering also teaches a modified version of this core, which takes some of the liberal arts aspects of the Columbia College Core and combines them with required classes in mathematics as well as natural sciences. Alongside the requirements for the specific major, all students have to complete the Core Curriculum of their respective schools in order to graduate. These core classes are also unique in the sense that they are mostly seminar style with an exceptionally low number of students being present in each class. Alongside the small classes, professors tend to be very accessible even though they also pursue their own research. All professors are required to hold office hours, in which students can ask further questions or simply chat with their faculty. In terms of competitiveness, Columbia is a world class institution and students tend to try very hard to do well. This does not, however, impact the atmosphere in the classroom or the interaction between students. It has never happened to me, that I was looking for help from my peers and didnt find it, but students do tend to encourage each other to reach their potential and beyond.

Living in New York City has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Columbia's campus is in Morning Side Heights on the west side of Manhattan. Especially by NYC standards, housing is incredibly cheap and has an excellent cost to benefit ratio. Columbia has a huge number of single rooms that even first year students can live in if they so chose. We are in the second safest police precint in all of Manhattan and I can honestly say that there has not been a single time that I felt scared or even the slightest bit threatened during my time at Columbia. It is so wonderful to be located in the middle of Manhattan, but to still have a campus in the traditional sense with lawns and gates that give us a proper campus feeling. I feel like we literally get the best of both worlds. We are also constantly ranked in having one of the most beautiful college libraries in the US and I couldnt agree more.

The Columbia application was special in the sense that Columbia was one of the few schools I applied to that did not use the CommonApp. This allowed the application to be much more personalized for Columbia's purposes, which gave the process a much more unique feeling. Similarly, I have heard that there is essentially no change in the questions that are asked every year, so even while applying I felt like I was a part of a much bigger tradition than with a school that changes either the structure or questions of the applications on a yearly basis. I also feel like the length of the application is very fair. Columbia will not ask a ridiculous amount of questions, but I could see a distinct purpose to each of the questions that was asked. One of the hardest things for me was the very tight word or character limit for the short answer questions, as the responses of the students are cut off at the exact character count.

2

2013

We have an extensive and unique Core Curriculum at Columbia. It spans about 2-3 years and takes up about half of your course load. We have a large list of majors, as well. Classes are very small, most are around 20 students or less. This makes the professors very accessible and caring. There are many research opportunities here as well as internship opportunities because we are located in New York City.

We have great housing here. I live in a large double and next year will be getting a suite. It is reasonably priced considering the fact that we are in New York City. We have tons of libraries on campus, some of which are open 24/7. Our campus feels incredibly safe even though we are in such a large city -- our neighborhood, Morningside Heights, is very friendly.

Columbia does not use the Common Application. It has its own application with questions specific to Columbia (i.e., our Core Curriculum) and personal questions (favorite books and movies). Some students are offered interviews near their homes. There is Early Decision and Regular Decision. Financial Aid is need-based.

1

2013