It feels weird introducing Columbia, like, come on, this school canonically exists both in the Marvel and Sex and the City Universes (yeah, both Miranda and Spider-Man are alums). However, just in case, Columbia is a private Ivy League research university in New York City. Founded in 1754, Columbia is the fifth oldest institution of higher education in the US. They have extended their test-optional policy again this year. However, once we said "Ivy League," you should have probably been able to guess that it is hard to get in. Last year, their acceptance rate was around 3.8%. If you want to get into Columbia, you need to be the complete package, and part of that is writing a great supplement.
Buckle up; this one is a long one. Columbia asks a lot of questions, and it's important that you make each answer shine! Let's break it down.
List a selection of texts, resources and outlets that have contributed to your intellectual development outside of academic courses, including but not limited to books, journals, websites, podcasts, essays, plays, presentations, videos, museums and other content that you enjoy. (100 words or fewer)*
First, make sure you follow their guidance on how to format this question:
- Your response should be a list of items separated by commas or semicolons.
- Items do not have to be numbered or in any specific order.
- It is not necessary to italicize or underline titles of books or other publications.
- No author names, subtitles or explanatory remarks are needed.
That last bullet point is important. You just need to list titles here. You should not explain what they are or why you love them. Keep it simple. That being said, some texts are better to list than others. Let's start with some things to avoid.
Don't list anything that every high schooler has to read for class, for example, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Lord of the Files, 1984, etc. Even if you enjoyed them or read them outside of class, they make you look like you don't read for pleasure. We love listing novels and even classic novels. However, instead of Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, and Fahrenheit 451, we would rather see For Esmé—with Love and Squalor, Flowers for Algernon, and Galapagos.
Try to keep clear of lists that are all YA books. Columbia will not be impressed with Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, or The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy. They just aren’t intellectual enough. We would also steer clear of anything too controversial, especially in the pop culture realm. For example, we would love for you to list some podcasts, but we wouldn't be so excited to see Joe Rogan or Red Scare.
You should have a mix of sources here. Just by reading your list, we should learn a little bit about you. At the very least, it should be obvious what you hope to study in college based on this list, and ideally, it should also highlight some of your other hobbies or interests.
For example, maybe you are interested in studying economics, you speak Spanish, and you love to cook; your list might include The Daily, Why Nations Fail, Don't Trust Your Gut: Using Data to Get What You Really Want in Life, Corazón tan blanco, Yerma, Salt Fat Acid Heat, etc. Not everything has to connect. Your list could also include the NYT Crossword, Crying in H Mart, SF Moma, and The Stuff You Missed in History Class.
A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives. Tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to Columbia's diverse and collaborative community. (150 words or fewer)*
So, we kind of hate this question. It's not actually a bad question, but answering it in under 150 words is not easy or even really fair to you. Mainly because to answer this well, you need to tell a story. It needs to be a short story, but one that brings us into a community or experience that you have learned a lesson from. Your biggest tip is to choose something specific. If you try to cover everything about you and your lived experience, it simply will not fit. Think of a specific time that you learned from someone close to you and how you would bring that skill/lesson with you to Columbia.
In college/university, students are often challenged in ways that they could not predict or anticipate. It is important to us, therefore, to understand an applicant's ability to navigate through adversity. Please describe a barrier or obstacle you have faced and discuss the personal qualities, skills or insights you have developed as a result. (150 words or fewer)*
Everyone has overcome a challenge. All you have to do here is tell that story. Some will be easier than others. Again, choosing something on the smaller side will help you fit your story into this micro-word count. This doesn't need to be a traumatic event or something that has altered your soul. Maybe you had stage fright before a play and had to get more confident to get over it. Maybe you over-scheduled yourself for one semester and had to learn how to say no. Maybe you were part of a dysfunctional team and stepped up as a leader. You want to talk about the issue, how you overcame it and what skills you used. It can be that simple.
Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia. (150 words or fewer)*
Usually, when you see a question that asks, "Why do you want to go here?" You should write about academics; however, this one is different. When you select Columbia College or Columbia Engineering in the "Academics" section of the supplement, a new question about what you want to study will appear below this question. So this question is more about vibes, on-campus life, and giving Columbia-core. Fittingly, this is a great time to talk about the Columbia Core and how it aligns with what you want from a college experience. Talk about a Core Class you would be excited to take that isn't in your major. (If you aren't excited about the Core, pro-tip: Don't apply. So much of Columbia's academic experience is centered around the Core. If you are looking for an Ivy League school with a flexible curriculum, we have another one of these blogs about Brown.)
We also recommend talking about at least one extracurricular or club that fits in with your current extracurricular passions (this also allows you to talk more about yourself and your interests.) For example, if you play the Erhu, you could write about wanting to join the Columbia Chinese Orchestra. They want to know how you will integrate yourself into the Columbia community. Show that overlap!
Depending on which school you choose in the Academics section, one of two questions will appear. Either:
What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia Engineering? (150 words or fewer)*
Or
What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia College? (150 words or fewer)*
You should answer these questions the exact same way. First, you want to tell a story about how you fell in love with your intended major... Sorry, area of study. For example, if you hope to study Russian literature, maybe your grandmother took you to a production of Uncle Vanya as a kid, jump-starting a passion for reading Russian classics. Think of it as a short academic origin story. We want to know why you want to study what you want to study. After you introduce your intended area of study, you need to back up why you want to study it at Columbia. You should mention specific higher-level classes, professors and opportunities that drew you to applying to Columbia. For each opportunity, you should talk about how it connects to your interests and past experiences. This essay is short, but you must to convince them that Columbia has the best academics for you and that you would fit seamlessly into their academic community.
There is also an optional research supplement that you can upload. If you have done research, we recommend including this. If you want to showcase your research, you will need to upload an abstract. However, before you do, please check their instructions on supplementary materials. There is a specific way you need to upload it. If you have questions about whether you should upload this or how to do so, reach out! We would be happy to help.
Ok, so that was a lot of questions. They are short, but don't let that fool you. They may actually take you more time to answer, especially if you are naturally verbose. A lot of your time on this supplement will most likely be spent editing. Give yourself enough time! We beg of you.
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