| Full-time undergraduate program |
With any top university the application process is a pain, but there are
plenty of opportunities for you to take advantage of the system.
Interview:
If Columbia offers you a interview TAKE IT. You will be interviewed by
an alumni in which case have a solid idea of what you plan on doing and
read (actually memorize) the face book, if you are able to express why
you want to be study within the Core Curriculum (if you do not know what
the Core Curriculum entails do some more research on columbia) this will
end up impressing your alumni rep and his/her recommendation goes a long
way.
Essays
CREATIVITY. Everyone says it but not a lot of people do it. The one
aspect about yourself that you might consider boring might be your
distinguishing characteristic from every other applicant. STAY AWAY from
referring to New York City (although NYC is one of the attractions of
this particular Ivy institution the admissions officers read 1,000
essays on it). Write about your passion what drives you to strive for
excellence and then after establishing that tie in how Columbia will
assist you in your pursuit. AVOID sentences like "I want to attend
Columbia because...", "It has been my dream to go to Columbia...".
SELECTIVITY
Everyone knows about the mean SAT and GPA for Columbia. It's difficult,
there is no other way of wording it. Best advice exploit your strengths
and your weaknesses, the key is to phrase your weaknesses as being apart
of your strengths. For example, say if you weakness is time management
DON'T phrase it that way, always have a spin on your weakness so that it
appears to be a strength toward your character.
OVERALL
Best advice is for you to approach Columbia's admission process as being
yourself and communicating and articulating your personality extremely
well. Remember what distinguishes you from the rest of the applicants,
expose this to your advantage.
|
Columbia University Admission & Application Surveys
