Columbia University is located in Manhattan in Morningside Heights. Part of the Ivy League, Columbia boasts a 5% acceptance rate. The urban campus is home to 6,200 undergrads and is comprised of three schools: Columbia College, the Fu Foundation School of Engineering, and the School of General Studies. It’s affiliated with the prestigious, historically women’s college down the street, Barnard. Here are some tips for tackling the supplement, which includes several prompts:
List the titles of the required readings from academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (75 words or fewer)
Our students who have been accepted to Columbia have been extremely academic in nature. They are kids who enjoy reading in their free time and discussing ideas. Some might even describe them as cerebral. This first question is pretty self-explanatory. It’s one of the rare instances in which you can just make a list. They’re not looking for an explanation here. List out the titles of the books, essays, poetry, short stories, or plays you read in academic courses that you enjoyed most during high school. We always assign our younger students reading throughout the years. If you are a good fit for Columbia, you will most likely be excited by this supplement.
A word of advice: we also always say that a school’s supplement tells you more about the school than almost anything else. So, if you’re struggling here and you don’t have an answer, Columbia might not be the school for you.
We’re interested in learning about some of the ways that you explore your interests. List some resources and outlets that you enjoy, including but not limited to websites, publications, journals, podcasts, social media accounts, lectures, museums, movies, music, or other content with which you regularly engage. (125 words or fewer)
This prompt is essentially asking for your cultural and media diet. Again, Columbia is telling you their values. They value people who are well-read and enjoying learning about and exploring their interests. Our students who have been accepted to Columbia usually run out of space on this question. List everything you read, listen to, watch, or see on a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly basis.
A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and live in a community with a wide range of perspectives. How do you or would you learn from and contribute to diverse, collaborative communities? (200 words or fewer)
There is no right answer to this one. You might want to highlight your empathy, understanding, flexibility, willingness to listen, or ability to share. We are big on having our students tell stories. This is a good place for one because you have the space to do it. So, the best response to this prompt would be a story that exemplifies how you would learn from and contribute to the community. This doesn’t need to be (and shouldn’t be) a story that’s very grandiose, emotional, or existential in nature. It can and should be quite simple. Don’t talk about going on a community service trip to a foreign country or on a teen tour, either. Those activities are not only cliché, but they scream privilege when what Columbia is after is thoughtfulness and commitment to learning.
Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia. (200 words or fewer)
Ah, the age-old “why [x school]” question. We advise our students to develop and flesh out an academic niche throughout high school. What we mean by this is colleges want to recruit students who are experts in highly specific areas. The way to answer this prompt is to demonstrate why you and Columbia are a perfect fit because of your academic area of interest. First, you should tell the origin story of your niche. Let’s say you’re a rising American Politics star. Tell the admissions committee how you became interested. This should be a simple story. Perhaps you did a presentation on Vietnam-Era policy in 8th grade. Then, do a deep-dive into Columbia’s academic offerings. Talk about the major you’d like to pursue and the specific (upper-level classes) you are interested in taking, the professors and their research, etc. Most people also mention the Core. Next, discuss the relevant clubs/activities available at Columbia that match your niche. Then, write a conclusion.
Research Supplement (Optional) Before completing this section, kindly review our instructions on supplementary materials. Have you completed research with a faculty member or mentor in an academic discipline such as science, engineering or other academic interests (e.g., humanities, social sciences or languages)?
As we’ve said (probably too many times), Columbia is telling you who they are through their supplements. It’s a super academic and bookish school. Obviously, many (and most) people get in without having done any advanced research. But very few colleges even have an optional research supplement at all. We are only mentioning this because one of the most frequently asked questions about how to build a college list is ‘how do you get to know a college?’ We think this is as good a proxy as any.
The Columbia supplement is longer than many others, but looking through it is a good way to find out whether or not it’s the right fit for you. If you find yourself slogging through the supplement or struggling to come up with responses it might not be the best place for you. If you. If you’re really into writing the supplement, this might be a natural fit.
Need some help with your college supplements? Reach out to us. We’re experts at helping kids match with their dream school.