- Joined
- Mar 5, 2002
- Messages
- 94
- Reaction score
- 0
hi sdn-people~
i'm currently a first year at columbia. this forum was a great help to me when i was on the waitlist last year, so i thought i would throw in some input for all of you going through the same thing.
here?s is the long version of what happened to me:
i interviewed in mid-january at almost the very end of the interview season. i sent a brief thank you card and letter of interest, but because of the timing i don?t think these items made it before decisions were made. i received the ?highly ranked? letter in mid-february; as far as i know, everyone who is waitlisted receives the same letter, and only a small number of interviewees are rejected post-interview. at this point, i sent my ?columbia letter of love? to dr. frantz, where i said that columbia was my first choice, why i wanted to go to columbia, etc. a few weeks letter i received the standard form letter response. at the bottom there was a handwritten note from dr. frantz saying that he was ?optimistic about my chances.? he listed his phone number and said that i should ?keep in touch.?
i called dr. frantz some time after that. although his secretary is not incredibly friendly about callers, when i spoke with him he said not to be ?shy? about calling, and to make sure to say that you are a waitlisted candidate when you call. of course my cell phone disconnected multiple times during the phone call and i had to keep calling back, but i won?t get into that...
i mentioned that i would be in the area and that i could stop by for a visit; i.e., one of the famed ?second interviews.? i was surprised that he actually remembered who i was....many members of our class have gone to talk to him this year, and he still remembers random things they said on their applications. he said that he didn?t think a second visit was ?necessary?, but agreed to schedule one because i was already planning to be in the city.
i met with dr. frantz for about 45 minutes in early april. some things he said about the admissions process:
-they over-accept a small amount in the initial round of acceptances. (i assume this means that they send out somewhere around 200 acceptances for 150 spots.) they do take a significant number of people off the waitlist.
-?some people like to sit on the waitlist thinking one day they might get a call from columbia, but in reality, we only accept the people who show us they want to come here.?
-they like to be certain that people will say yes if they are offered a spot at P&S; because of this, they get some of their best students from the waitlist
i would say that the feedback you get from dr. frantz is a very good (probably the best) indication of your chances of admission, especially if you are waitlisted. (regardless of how you feel about this system....it?s the way it works!) throughout the interview, i remember he would say things like, ?i really think you will enjoy it here at P&S?, ?where can i reach you by phone? i really like to call people when they are accepted?, ?at this point i would say that your chances are very good?, etc. although i was doubtful at the time, in retrospect i do think he is selective in what he chooses to say to applicants.
i sent a short thank-you card and the first week of may i got a voicemail message from dr. frantz asking me to call the admissions office. when i called back he actually asked me if columbia was still my first choice when he offered me the spot.
so in the end it took one letter, one phone call, one visit, & one thank you note to dr. frantz.....i don?t think you need to be obsessive, just clear about your objectives.
random thoughts/suggestions:
-all communications should be sent to dr. frantz directly. his office is right in the admissions office, so you can just send correspondence there. if you schedule a second interview, you should request to have it with dr. frantz.
-the letters you send are very important, and they do get read. in the interview dr. frantz actually referenced some things i mentioned in my letter. if you have very specific reasons for liking columbia, or if you have gained insight about the school from talking with students here, don?t be hesitant about mentioning these things.
-there is a big emphasis on extra-curricular activities here; if you have unique talents or hobbies you should mention them. many members of our class are very accurately described as ?well-rounded? people with diverse interests. check out the P&S club website and mention some specific ways you think you could add to the first year class.
-this seems to be common to all new york schools, but you should express a desire and/or reason to live in new york. your reasons can include having family members & friends close by; there is a couple in our class who was admitted after writing a joint letter of intent. this is especially true if you are from california...don?t be surprised if you are asked your status at every UC school where you have applied.
-you must say that columbia is your first choice (if it?s true). again, if you are from california, it is a very powerful statement to specifically say that you would turn down other schools (even UC schools!) if you were accepted to columbia.
-the first people are generally admitted off the waitlist in early may. most people are taken off the waitlist in may or early june, with a few being accepted over the summer. the last person was accepted the week before classes started this year. i believe most of the waitlist acceptances are given over the phone, with the acceptance packet following in the mail.
i apologize for the length of the post, but i hope some of you find it helpful! i definitely sympathize with what you are going through....just imagine what it?s like to have your significant other burst into the room with a huge acceptance packet right after you find out you?re waitlisted.
if you still have questions, try visiting the new discussion board on our class website. this is just my take on the whole thing, and i?m sure there are plenty of other 1st years who would be happy to share their experiences & nostalgically relive the whole admissions nightmare. if you get the chance to come here, P&S really is a great place!
best of luck to you all!
i'm currently a first year at columbia. this forum was a great help to me when i was on the waitlist last year, so i thought i would throw in some input for all of you going through the same thing.
here?s is the long version of what happened to me:
i interviewed in mid-january at almost the very end of the interview season. i sent a brief thank you card and letter of interest, but because of the timing i don?t think these items made it before decisions were made. i received the ?highly ranked? letter in mid-february; as far as i know, everyone who is waitlisted receives the same letter, and only a small number of interviewees are rejected post-interview. at this point, i sent my ?columbia letter of love? to dr. frantz, where i said that columbia was my first choice, why i wanted to go to columbia, etc. a few weeks letter i received the standard form letter response. at the bottom there was a handwritten note from dr. frantz saying that he was ?optimistic about my chances.? he listed his phone number and said that i should ?keep in touch.?
i called dr. frantz some time after that. although his secretary is not incredibly friendly about callers, when i spoke with him he said not to be ?shy? about calling, and to make sure to say that you are a waitlisted candidate when you call. of course my cell phone disconnected multiple times during the phone call and i had to keep calling back, but i won?t get into that...
i mentioned that i would be in the area and that i could stop by for a visit; i.e., one of the famed ?second interviews.? i was surprised that he actually remembered who i was....many members of our class have gone to talk to him this year, and he still remembers random things they said on their applications. he said that he didn?t think a second visit was ?necessary?, but agreed to schedule one because i was already planning to be in the city.i met with dr. frantz for about 45 minutes in early april. some things he said about the admissions process:
-they over-accept a small amount in the initial round of acceptances. (i assume this means that they send out somewhere around 200 acceptances for 150 spots.) they do take a significant number of people off the waitlist.
-?some people like to sit on the waitlist thinking one day they might get a call from columbia, but in reality, we only accept the people who show us they want to come here.?
-they like to be certain that people will say yes if they are offered a spot at P&S; because of this, they get some of their best students from the waitlist
i would say that the feedback you get from dr. frantz is a very good (probably the best) indication of your chances of admission, especially if you are waitlisted. (regardless of how you feel about this system....it?s the way it works!) throughout the interview, i remember he would say things like, ?i really think you will enjoy it here at P&S?, ?where can i reach you by phone? i really like to call people when they are accepted?, ?at this point i would say that your chances are very good?, etc. although i was doubtful at the time, in retrospect i do think he is selective in what he chooses to say to applicants.
i sent a short thank-you card and the first week of may i got a voicemail message from dr. frantz asking me to call the admissions office. when i called back he actually asked me if columbia was still my first choice when he offered me the spot.
so in the end it took one letter, one phone call, one visit, & one thank you note to dr. frantz.....i don?t think you need to be obsessive, just clear about your objectives.
random thoughts/suggestions:
-all communications should be sent to dr. frantz directly. his office is right in the admissions office, so you can just send correspondence there. if you schedule a second interview, you should request to have it with dr. frantz.
-the letters you send are very important, and they do get read. in the interview dr. frantz actually referenced some things i mentioned in my letter. if you have very specific reasons for liking columbia, or if you have gained insight about the school from talking with students here, don?t be hesitant about mentioning these things.
-there is a big emphasis on extra-curricular activities here; if you have unique talents or hobbies you should mention them. many members of our class are very accurately described as ?well-rounded? people with diverse interests. check out the P&S club website and mention some specific ways you think you could add to the first year class.
-this seems to be common to all new york schools, but you should express a desire and/or reason to live in new york. your reasons can include having family members & friends close by; there is a couple in our class who was admitted after writing a joint letter of intent. this is especially true if you are from california...don?t be surprised if you are asked your status at every UC school where you have applied.
-you must say that columbia is your first choice (if it?s true). again, if you are from california, it is a very powerful statement to specifically say that you would turn down other schools (even UC schools!) if you were accepted to columbia.
-the first people are generally admitted off the waitlist in early may. most people are taken off the waitlist in may or early june, with a few being accepted over the summer. the last person was accepted the week before classes started this year. i believe most of the waitlist acceptances are given over the phone, with the acceptance packet following in the mail.
i apologize for the length of the post, but i hope some of you find it helpful! i definitely sympathize with what you are going through....just imagine what it?s like to have your significant other burst into the room with a huge acceptance packet right after you find out you?re waitlisted.
if you still have questions, try visiting the new discussion board on our class website. this is just my take on the whole thing, and i?m sure there are plenty of other 1st years who would be happy to share their experiences & nostalgically relive the whole admissions nightmare.
if you get the chance to come here, P&S really is a great place!best of luck to you all!
