2013-2014 Columbia University Application Thread

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SixStringPsych said:
That's all it said? That's weird. I thought the lengthy "thank you for your continued interest in P&S blah blah" email went out to everyone after sending in updates.
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I also sent an update in and only received a short confirmation from the admissions office..... hoping that this doesn't mean anything
 
zoomx3 said:
I also sent an update in and only received a short confirmation from the admissions office..... hoping that this doesn't mean anything
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WOW maybe that means Columbia likes me better than all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Disclaimer. This is an N = A few response. People are withdrawing in mass right now. Some were waiting for merit aid etc. and since that ship has sailed, most have moved on. People that got merit aid from others schools are gone too.
 
Meredith92 said:
congrats on your decision! just to clarify- how do you know that the merit aid ship has sailed? I thought it was late april for Columbia?
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Oh, Idk then. I just didn't feel like waiting anymore regardless lol. I know some aid has went out.
 
merit aid is usually earlier i think. many schools have already given out whatever they can. man, i guess that means loans loans loans for me 🙁
 
Don't forget that MSTP deadline was April 15. Every year, there is a lot of movement in MSTP before regular MD programs.

edit: april 30
 
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my package really was less than i was hoping for. 🙁 and i guess merit aid is not happening for me. its gonna be hard to justify living in NYC again. everything is so damn expensive here. I think im gonna go back to the proud state of Texas and live like a boss. but, always will be a lion at heart <3
 
That's odd, I thought they were sent out all at once haha. It came to you in an email?

Really sorry your package wasn't as expected though.
 
Yeah, merit scholarships have indeed gone out already (well, at least some of them). I was informed of mine a few weeks ago.
But, chin up guys. Its likely that some people with merit offers will still withdraw. Thus, that money could still find its way to any one of you.
 
There actually are merit awards at Columbia? What do they range from?
 
from what ive been told, they are predominantly for URMs. not sure about the amount though
 
yea my friend got some merit earlier, he didnt tell me whether it was partial or full. hes a URM is that matters
 
To add to the anecdotes, I'm at P&S on a partial merit aid scholarship, I'm not a URM, and I received my scholarship at the very end of April. I know you all have waited far too long in this process already, but my sense is that patience remains the name of the game!
 
Anyone who was waitlisted not get their WL letter? I have yet to receive anything at either my home or current address.
 
Anyone know when most of the financial aid awards come out and how they're released? This is my last school to hear from.
 
mariambaby3 said:
Anyone who was waitlisted not get their WL letter? I have yet to receive anything at either my home or current address.
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I never got one either... should I be concerns?

However, I do live in Canada... and Canada Post frequently loses my mail
 
mariambaby3 said:
Anyone who was waitlisted not get their WL letter? I have yet to receive anything at either my home or current address.
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wuzman said:
I never got one either... should I be concerns?

However, I do live in Canada... and Canada Post frequently loses my mail
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I'm pretty sure they send letters to everyone, so since you guys still haven't received them by this point, I would probably call them.
 
What's the big deal? As long as you accepted the waitlist position online through the portal who cares about the letter
 
RoareeTheLion said:
I dont think that would be reason for concern though.
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SixStringPsych said:
What's the big deal? As long as you accepted the waitlist position online through the portal who cares about the letter
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We're still not certain if this has happened this year, but in previous years, Dean Nicholas personalized the letters of applicants who were ranked higher.
 
nemo123 said:
We're still not certain if this has happened this year, but in previous years, Dean Nicholas personalized the letters of applicants who were ranked higher.
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I still don't really believe it is something he has ever done. It just doesn't make any logical sense. It would mean he's either:

a) Trying to secretly communicate to the top ranked candidates that they are more likely to get in than others
b) Truly believes that these messages will increase the yield of top ranked waitlisters once offered spots

Neither of these seem possible or true.

My theory is that when he's in the office and sees letters going out, he chooses a few from the stack to sign.
 
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His personalization is an indication of rank, but again many people without personalization get in. An unranked wait list just means they focus more on getting a balanced class (ie if 20 women withdraw today theyre going to favor women on the list versus men). Personalization means youre near the top of some desired category, but if no men withdraw then personalization is going to mean less if youre a guy.
 
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mmmcdowe said:
He personalization is an indication of rank, but again many people without personalization get in. An unranked wait list just means they focus more on getting a balanced class (ie if 20 women withdraw today theyre going to favor women on the list versus men). Personalization means youre near the top of some desired category, but if no men withdraw then personalization is going to mean less if youre a guy.
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I think the previous poster was questioning if the personalization even happened this year.
 
Can you let us know what it means to have an unranked wait list and also have personalization that signifies rank?
 
mmmcdowe said:
It shouldnt, the one person that i know who got off the waitlist thus far didnt have personalization. The list is mobile.
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Has Dean Nicholas actually acknowledged that he personalizes the messages for those with higher rank? It just doesn't make sense to me. What is the point of him going out of his way to do that? I see zero advantage for the school.
 
I don't think there is an actual list of applicants in order of who they will accept next. I think it's more that they have "groups" of applicants on the waiting list based on their stats and such. Therefore if one applicant withdraws with say a 4.0, 43 ORM, then they would look in the pool of applicants with similar stats to replace that person based on how similar and how much interest the applicants have expressed.

The personalized note may signify that you are "ranked" highly within your group but if no accepted student who would have been in your group withdraws, then you won't be accepted off the waitlist even if they liked your application a lot. Therefore, it's not truly ranked in the order of acceptance, but they do know who they would like to accept off the waitlist if a corresponding spot opens up. I'm not a student here or anything, I'm just trying to rationalize this process.
 
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