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redsoxdoc

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I got this in the mail ...

.Now that the evaluation of applicants for our entering class has been essentially completed, we find that your application falls in the category of being very highly ranked but that we are unable to offer you a place in the next class. .
.From experience, we anticipate that in the coming weeks and months some places in that class will become available for anyone of a number of reasons. To fill these placesd as they become vacant, we consult a "list of alternatives", made up of highly ranked applicants who have accepted the status of an alternate in regard to our next class..
.The rank assigned your application by our Committee clearly entitles you to this status and so we are offering it to you now. By the date indicated below, will you please let us know whether you accept this offer? A form for your reply and a envelope have been enclosed..

... anyone know of the history behind this?
Members don't see this ad.
 
That's their normal waitlist. It's rumored to be around ~300 applicants large, of which 35-60 will ultimately be accepted. Most of the movement in past years has happened in May.
 
was this in a big or small envelope?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
The school is asking if you want to remain on the waitlist (meaning that at the moment you'd be inclined to consider and perhaps accept an offer of admission from Columbia) or to remove yourself from further consideration (which might be the case if you've already been admitted to a school that you prefer over Columbia). This streamlines the process of taking applicants from the waitlist as the list has been purged of applicants who have already chosen to go elsewhere.
 
Is there a deadline to respond to the waitlist? within a couple of days/weeks? I haven't gotten anything from Columbia yet, but I am leaving town today and won't get my mail till a week later. I am still hoping that I would get waitlisted, and I am wondering if I need to respond within a certain time.

Thanks!
 
enigmaticsea said:
Is there a deadline to respond to the waitlist? within a couple of days/weeks? I haven't gotten anything from Columbia yet, but I am leaving town today and won't get my mail till a week later. I am still hoping that I would get waitlisted, and I am wondering if I need to respond within a certain time.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

my deadline to reply was 3/24, so you should have plenty of time to get back to them.
 
did anyone's letter have a handwritten message from Dean Frantz on the bottom? I don't have anything, but people have reported that in years past, and I was wondering if he was continuing that this year...
 
DulyNoted said:
That's their normal waitlist. It's rumored to be around ~300 applicants large, of which 35-60 will ultimately be accepted. Most of the movement in past years has happened in May.
Click to expand...

Can anyone back this up?
 
I got the same thing. You can have my spot.
 
Adiel said:
did anyone's letter have a handwritten message from Dean Frantz on the bottom? I don't have anything, but people have reported that in years past, and I was wondering if he was continuing that this year...
Click to expand...

Not me, but he did sign it by hand!
 
where do we send letters of interest? to the dean c/o office of admissions?
 
Does anyone know if you can defer for a year if you get in off the waitlist at Columbia? (I got all waitlists and am thus accepting a job for next year and re-applying, unless I could somehow get in off a waitlist and defer...)
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Any current columbia students lurking this forum? If you could please post what you did if anything to get off teh waitlist. Thanks!
 
NotMeNow said:
Any current columbia students lurking this forum? If you could please post what you did if anything to get off teh waitlist. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'm not a current student but I know 3 ppl that were on the waitlist that are happy MS1's at Columbia now.

First guy: Sent a Letter of Intent before receiving a decision. Was waitlisted. Sent another Letter of Inent and was accepted in May-ish.

Second guy: Was waitlisted and sent a letter of intent. Was accepted soon after.

Third guy: Was waitlisted. Sent a passionate Letter of Intent and offered to meet with Dean Frantz (essentially a 2nd interview). They granted him a 2nd interview and met with Dean Frantz for like 1 hour. Was accepted like a month after.

Columbia seems to look favorably on people who express a lot of interest in the school. Hope that was helpful!
 
current P&S 1st year. Columbia was my first choice, so after getting waitlisted, i basically updated Dean Frantz with LOI, research paper (i was working on my thesis), and letters updating him with how much i wanted to be there, blah blah blah. I was given another interview by Frantz at the end of May and was offered a spot after the 30 min talk. I know lots of my classmates got in from the waitlist. Frantz appreciates your enthusiasm. Good luck!
 
hairyhuang said:
current P&S 1st year. Columbia was my first choice, so after getting waitlisted, i basically updated Dean Frantz with LOI, research paper (i was working on my thesis), and letters updating him with how much i wanted to be there, blah blah blah. I was given another interview by Frantz at the end of May and was offered a spot after the 30 min talk. I know lots of my classmates got in from the waitlist. Frantz appreciates your enthusiasm. Good luck!
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info everyone!
 
Are we responsible for any of Columbia's financial aid paperwork (apart from FAFSA)?
 
Hey all... So... Yeah. I'm now very actively on the waitlist. I'm trying to compose my letter of intent right now. More waiting :(
 
Buuuump. Did anyone get a letter back after accepting the waitlist spot? Mine had a paragraph about sending notes "later in the Spring" with subsequent updates in "one month intervals." Is this because I called them three times in one day, or is this the same response that everyone gets?

also, re: jaromic's question- we have to submit all the paperwork to Columbia within 2 weeks of an offer of acceptance.
 
SBBunny said:
Buuuump. Did anyone get a letter back after accepting the waitlist spot? Mine had a paragraph about sending notes "later in the Spring" with subsequent updates in "one month intervals." Is this because I called them three times in one day, or is this the same response that everyone gets?

also, re: jaromic's question- we have to submit all the paperwork to Columbia within 2 weeks of an offer of acceptance.
Click to expand...

Hey I got that waitlist confirmation letter too. Seems like they do everything by mail, even though it's an awful lot of wasted paper and money lol. I was a little discouraged by the fact that he implied if you didn't send updates and interest letters then you're essentially hopeless, I guess I gotta start drafting my letter of interest with my non-existent updates heh. At least those Penn acceptees are going to open up some spots!! :) :luck::luck::luck:
 
SnoPearl said:
Hey I got that waitlist confirmation letter too. Seems like they do everything by mail, even though it's an awful lot of wasted paper and money lol. I was a little discouraged by the fact that he implied if you didn't send updates and interest letters then you're essentially hopeless, I guess I gotta start drafting my letter of interest with my non-existent updates heh. At least those Penn acceptees are going to open up some spots!! :) :luck::luck::luck:
Click to expand...

In lieu of updates, I'm just going to reemphasize the stuff that was in my application and blather on about how much I love Columbia. I work here... I've volunteered in two Columbia hospitals... I went to undergrad here... I'm still active in parts of the Columbia community... So, I'm just going to keep elaborating the various reasons that I should go to Columbia until they give up and admit me. Or slap a restraining order on me.
 
I got a handwritten note from the Dean on my waitlist confirmation letter...is this standard? He said he liked my note (it was an update/letter of interest), but the waitlist won't move for "a while." Etc. Etc. Just curious.
 
he routinely writes on the letters. i probably got three of those from Frantz when i applied.

wait lists are horrible. i sat on that waitlist until the day i matriculated at another school. i got a letter in october saying they were sorry that a spot had not opened up.
 
So today I received a reply from Dean Frantz after sending a LOI last week. Basically it looks like a modified form letter of some kind, maybe dictated to Ms. Napolitano. Says my application is "under active consideration" and that they will keep my candidacy "very much in mind". This is exactly the same language they used on the letter they sent me back in December after I wrote thank-you's to my interviewers and the admissions office staff.

He also added something about how they cannot schedule any additional interviews "at this time"-- I had requested an interview with Dean Frantz in my LOI, figuring it couldn't hurt to swing for the fences, so to speak.

Should I be concerned here? :(
 
same thing here... what do we do now? write another letter in a few weeks? make a call? be patient? this stinks
 
Yeah, I'm debating whether to send a letter now or in a few weeks when it's closer to May 15th. Have you guys already completed your financial aid applications at Columbia?
 
SnoPearl said:
Yeah, I'm debating whether to send a letter now or in a few weeks when it's closer to May 15th. Have you guys already completed your financial aid applications at Columbia?
Click to expand...

Columbia seems to start admitting off the waitlist around the end of April (most movements happens in the last two weeks of May). I'm hoping to send my letter right after Columbia's second look (hopefully people will start withdrawing after that?). That is... IF I EVER WRITE THE DARN THING.

I haven't done my financial aid at Columbia. It's due two weeks after you receive your acceptance. I'm hoping to have stuff done by the end of next week...
 
i sent a similar letter of interest but did not ask for a second interview. he responded, in the same way as all he did to al of you but with no mention of seconde interview. i will ask for the second interview in may, it is prob too early for him to think about these htings.
 
SBBunny said:
Columbia seems to start admitting off the waitlist around the end of April (most movements happens in the last two weeks of May). I'm hoping to send my letter right after Columbia's second look (hopefully people will start withdrawing after that?). That is... IF I EVER WRITE THE DARN THING.

I haven't done my financial aid at Columbia. It's due two weeks after you receive your acceptance. I'm hoping to have stuff done by the end of next week...
Click to expand...

Oh end of April is pretty early, I guess I have to get crackin on that letter too... Let's set a deadline for ourselves - how about end of next week? :p
 
i would wait until closer to end of april / beginning of may to send off the letter. i have spoken with some p&s 1st years who told me that the decisions are made around then and that having a letter come in at that time is the way to go.
 
SnoPearl said:
Oh end of April is pretty early, I guess I have to get crackin on that letter too... Let's set a deadline for ourselves - how about end of next week? :p
Click to expand...

Yes, the end of next week sounds like an excellent deadline! Maybe that'll help me finally FINISH my LOI. I just keep making new drafts. It's like writing my personal statement :scared:

cgbg, how did you compose your letter? I'm obviously not asking for a copy of your LOI, I'm just curious what writing strategies you used to get a draft that you were happy with.

Now, should I mail my letter via snail mail or should I deliver it in person? Maybe I can bring a little box of twelve chocolates and a note with twelve reasons why I want to go to Columbia.
 
hey all, i'm a first year. revisit starts tomorrow...there's gonna be a ton of accepted students all over this place. you guys want me to give the worst impression ever? ;-)
 
Pagz09 said:
hey all, i'm a first year. revisit starts tomorrow...there's gonna be a ton of accepted students all over this place. you guys want me to give the worst impression ever? ;-)
Click to expand...

Heh, you don't have to scare away the prospectives... Although, if you could convince Dean Frantz that all the prospectives HATE Columbia and tell him that he should start thinking about the waitlist... That'd be super :D
 
i'm curious to know accepted students' thoughts on the revisit weekend and, as a applicant on the alternate list, if any of them are leaning elsewhere.
 
The revisit weekend was awesome. Columbia did a really good job of showing us the school and giving us a real sense of what it's like to go there. I'm now leaning towards going there because of the weekend.

BUT many of the kids I talked to were pretty undecided! So don't give up hope! I think there will be movement on the alternate list just based on the uncertainty of several of the kids I talked to.
 
And if you haven't done so yet, definitely get cracking on those letters. My best friend got in off the waitlist last year in late April!


SnoPearl said:
Oh end of April is pretty early, I guess I have to get crackin on that letter too... Let's set a deadline for ourselves - how about end of next week? :p
Click to expand...
 
Dean Frantz generally responds to written letters, right? I sent my letter a short while ago and haven't had a response yet... I imagine that he's really busy. That's okay, he'll get another letter from me very soon. Veeerrry sooooon..... *menacing cackle*
 
Can someone elaborate on these 2nd interviews?
 
it has sounded to me like some people request interviews with dr. frantz, since, according to rumor, he has a strong influence over the decisions. if you met with him for your first interview, i'm not sure how likely he would be to meet with you again, or if they would offer you a 2nd interview with a different admissions committee member.
 
ess said:
it has sounded to me like some people request interviews with dr. frantz, since, according to rumor, he has a strong influence over the decisions. if you met with him for your first interview, i'm not sure how likely he would be to meet with you again, or if they would offer you a 2nd interview with a different admissions committee member.
Click to expand...


I never requested one; but he called me and offered one to me! So I am very excited!
 
NotMeNow said:
I never requested one; but he called me and offered one to me! So I am very excited!
Click to expand...

Do you live near NYC? Is it formal like the first one was? How far away was it scheduled for?

I'm curious since I'm also on the waitlist. Appreciate it.
 
NotMeNow said:
I never requested one; but he called me and offered one to me! So I am very excited!
Click to expand...

Congrats on the 2nd interview offer! My friend who was on the Columbia WL last year tells me that Dean Frantz offers 2nd interviews to people that he is on the fence about. There are no guarantees, and he will tell you that he is sort of obligated to accepted people from the WL that are somehow affiliated with Columbia via legacy or donations, but it'll just be another casual interview where he talks with you, so there's not much to stress about. Good luck!!
 
illixir said:
Do you live near NYC? Is it formal like the first one was? How far away was it scheduled for?

I'm curious since I'm also on the waitlist. Appreciate it.
Click to expand...


I don't really know much about the interview, I assume it is formal (I'd be dumb not to wear a suit), and Im not from NYC (4-5 hours away), but columbia is by far my first choice and I would love to go there so I'm more than willing to pay\take time to travel to nyc. He had a few dates available, mine is in early may.
 
SnoPearl said:
Congrats on the 2nd interview offer! My friend who was on the Columbia WL last year tells me that Dean Frantz offers 2nd interviews to people that he is on the fence about. There are no guarantees, and he will tell you that he is sort of obligated to accepted people from the WL that are somehow affiliated with Columbia via legacy or donations, but it'll just be another casual interview where he talks with you, so there's not much to stress about. Good luck!!
Click to expand...


Awesome, Thanks for the info. I'm more excited than stressed! Right I figured that he must be seriously (re)considering my application -- but there are no guarentees (that's one thing i've learned from this entire process). I did send in a very strong letter the week before. So maybe that helped.
 
Aaaand I'm going for a second interview :D

I think the second interviews are a sign that there'll be some waitlist action soon! Don't worry if you don't have a second interview- judging from previous years' threads, most people get in without one. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!!!
 
SBBunny said:
Aaaand I'm going for a second interview :D

I think the second interviews are a sign that there'll be some waitlist action soon! Don't worry if you don't have a second interview- judging from previous years' threads, most people get in without one. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!!!
Click to expand...

WOOHOO!!! Good luck! :luck: :luck: :luck:
 
SBBunny said:
Aaaand I'm going for a second interview :D

I think the second interviews are a sign that there'll be some waitlist action soon! Don't worry if you don't have a second interview- judging from previous years' threads, most people get in without one. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!!!
Click to expand...


Good luck!!! :luck:
 
SBBunny said:
Aaaand I'm going for a second interview :D

I think the second interviews are a sign that there'll be some waitlist action soon! Don't worry if you don't have a second interview- judging from previous years' threads, most people get in without one. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Yay congrats on the second interview!! I just got a second interview offer today too, even though I didn't ask for one (his letter mentioned that I had suggested this... lol form letter). I definitely don't have time to go down there before May 15th, so it's probably not worth it.
 
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