Many colleges ask applicants to share a favorite book, but Columbia University is one of the only schools that wants students to share their whole reading list — and not the books assigned in school. As one of the most famous and rigorous liberal arts schools in the country, Columbia looks for students with high intellectual potential. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that one sign of an intellectual person is that they choose to read more than what they are given for homework.
If you’re considering applying to Columbia, you would probably put yourself in this boat. You like school, you love books, and you read for fun. But what should you be reading? Well, first and foremost you should read what you like. In addition to that, though, we work with students to sprinkle in books that are relevant to their proposed course of study, but that aren’t textbooks because that’d simply be absurd. Below are our top ten (unranked) books for students applying to STEM majors in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics at Columbia. Read them all or pick a few, but make sure that your answer for this supplement speaks to you and the major.
If you want to go to Columbia but don’t often pick books up for fun, send us an email. We simplify the college application process, and it may even be enjoyable.
The Girls of Atomic City (Buy)
By Denise Kiernan
This New York Times Bestseller tells the story of the women who helped win World War II from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In this book, their work on a secretive government project that was hidden from the outside world is finally revealed.
When Breath Becomes Air (Buy)
By Paul Kalanithi
When a young doctor training to be a neurosurgeon is diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, he is confronted with the painful reality of being a terminal patient. He asks, what makes life worth living? The author passed away while writing this book, making it a gut-wrenching read we recommend for anyone interested in a medical or patient-centered field.
Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization (Buy)
By Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson is the Bill Nye of the cosmos, and has helped millions of people better understand how it is that we are on a spinning ball of rock and water in the middle of an ever-expanding mass of who-knows-what. Who knows? He does. In this book, he pivots his attention to earth, applying big picture thinking to our own planet.
The Thinks We Make (Buy)
By Bill Hammack
Author Bill Hammack hypothesizes that every major invention and innovation has resulted from one fairly simple process — the “engineering method.” In this book, he breaks down game-changing discoveries and creations, and how that one method made it all possible.
Mountains Beyond Mountains (Buy)
By Tracy Kidder
Tracy Kidder turns his lens on the earliest years of iconic global health doctor Paul Farmer’s career when he first arrived in Haiti with a vision for locally-led healthcare serving one of the most isolated and in-need populations in the world.
Steve Jobs (Buy)
By Walter Isaacson
The man, the myth, the legend: Steve Jobs. Historical biographer Walter Isaacson, known for books on individuals like Benjamin Franklin, turned his attention to the man who shaped our digital lives. This biography takes a neutral look at a polarizing figure.
Cosmos (Buy)
By Carl Sagan
Originally published in 1980, Cosmos is one of the best-selling and widest-read books science books of all time. While a few decades old, this classic is still a must-read for anyone interested in space, science, or the questions the universe poses.
The Devil in the White City (Buy)
By Erik Larson
This book is a fun, fast-pasted true crime read that also dabbles in the scientific and engineering advances at the turn of the 20th century. If you want a beach or pool-side read that is still relevant to your collegiate goals, this #1 National Bestseller is a must-read.
Weapons of Math Destruction (Buy)
By Cathy O’Neil
A New York Times Bestseller that was longlisted for the National Book Award, this book examines how big data actually increases global inequities and threatens our very democracy. Author Cathy O’Neil is a numbers person, and uses math to make sense of why our world feels so topsy-turvy.
Flatland (Buy)
By Edwin A. Abbott
Flatland was written more than 100 years ago, before any of the fancy tech we use on a daily basis today existed, and yet it speaks to today in ways that are almost eerie. Regularly listed as one of the best books of all time, this short novella is a must-read for anyone interested in STEM.
Reading should be fun, so pick a few books off this list that excite you and buy them, borrow them, or plug in your headphones and press play on an audiobook.
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