columbia university personal statement

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What is the personal statement?

Many applications for research opportunities require a personal statement. This is an opportunity for you to show your critical thinking skills in a creative format. It is where you get to add your voice to the mix of materials that reviewers see when you apply for fellowships. Use the personal statement to highlight positive aspects about yourself that may not be apparent in other parts of your application.

The personal statement is your place to ask and answer questions about your past, present and future, including:

• What has brought you to this point in your life?
• What have you learned from your past experiences?
• What do you want to do with your studies?
• How will this fellowship help you pursue you goals?
• Why should this fellowship want to invest in you?

The personal statement should not be a simple list of your activities and accomplishments. Instead, try to craft a narrative that shows the review committee reader that you have the qualities the fellowship is looking for.

How to write a personal statement

You can approach the personal statement in many different ways. Some students like to start with an outline, while others start by brainstorming. The main points are: What are a few things you want people to know about you? Why is this fellowship right for you?

Writing improves with successive drafts. It is not unusual to write several drafts of the personal statement. As long as the fellowship rules allow it (and most do), you should bring your writing to the URF advisers. We can discuss your ideas at any stage and talk in-depth with you about your statement. We don't try to fit you into a mold. Instead, our goal is to help you write a statement that you feel best represents you!

Keep these ideas in mind as you write:

• Use specific examples from your life to highlight your positive qualities--the more concrete the better.
• Include stories from your life, your favorite quotes, or anecdotes that reveal how you define yourself and see the world
• Show your reader that the issues that move you are important. Get them to want to "fight the fight" with you.
• Describe the ways you want to make an impact in the world.

Once you have written your personal statement, invite friends and family to read it. Do they think it portrays the person they know? Selection committees value authenticity above all other qualities. Make sure your statement reflects your true values and aspirations.

Related Articles

• Letters of Recommendation
• Applying for a Research Opportunity
• Applying as an International Student
• Research Proposal
• Resume or CV

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Inside the Graduate School Application

As with the job search, your graduate school application process  starts long before you actually apply . This may include taking prerequisite courses and standardized tests, or building relationships with faculty. So, plan ahead!

If you’ve clarified your goals and researched programs , you are probably ready to dive in! Remember, these applications may be time-intensive, so start early. As a rule of thumb, be sure to allot at least one month to prepare them. Even better, start working on your application materials the summer before you apply.

Showcasing Your Metrics and Motivation

In your graduate school application you’re aiming to show the admissions committee two things:

• Your motivation : why you’re interested in this school, in this field, at this time
• Your metrics:  that you’re ready for graduate-level work

What’s in the Application

Each element of the application adds a new dimension to your motivation and metrics. Here’s what they are and how they fit into the application as a whole

Personal Statements and Statements of Purpose

Some graduate programs will ask you for a personal statement, and others for a statement of purpose. What’s the difference?

It depends on your field and program of interest.

• Statement of Purpose. If you are applying for a masters or PhD program, you will likely be asked for a statement of purpose. This statement shows your experience, interests, and goals in the field. These should, in turn, make clear your fit for the department. You’ll also want to clearly articulate your motivation for pursuing an advanced degree, and how it will influence your career path. For PhD programs , this statement will center on who you are as a scholar and researcher. Remember, the committee wants to know how you’ll contribute to their academic community.
• Personal Statement. If you are applying for a medical or law degree, you’ll probably be writing a personal statement. A personal statement usually has a stronger narrative element, which may integrate an anecdote or scenes from your experience. As with the statement of purpose, you’ll want the reader to come away with a clear sense of your commitment to the field. In addition, you will aim to showcase the qualities you have that will help you succeed in that program or that field.

Keep in mind, this terminology and guidelines are not set in stone. Pay attention to what topics or questions the application asks you to answer in your statement, and be sure to address them. And when in doubt, consult your advisers and mentors. Your preprofessional adviser will be able to provide insight into statements for graduate programs in medicine, public health, law, or business. For programs in the humanities, social sciences, or sciences, your professors will likely have the most valuable advice.

Whatever type of statement you’re asked to write, take advantage of the opportunity to bring your story to life. Make sure your essay is concise and clear, and does not simply restate your resume. Check out the recording and slides from our Design Your Next Steps workshop, How to Get Started on Your Graduate School Personal Statement for more tips and strategies for your statement!

Finally, begin drafting early—ideally, the summer before you apply. This will ensure that you have plenty of time to seek feedback from professors and advisers and to revise your statement. 

Resume or CV

Your resume or CV will help show the committee your academic achievements, work, and extracurricular experiences. They are another piece of the story you craft to show the admissions committee why you want to attend their program and what experiences have prepared you for it. These documents can also be a place to put in something fun about yourself to remind the committee that you have additional interests.

Follow the instructions about which type of document to submit. As with your essays, you can seek field-specific feedback from your faculty mentors or preprofessional adviser and generalist feedback from CCE advisers and the Writing Center.

Letters of Recommendation

You will likely be asked to submit two to five letters. Usually at least one academic reference is required.  Identify people who know you and your work well as the graduate school wants to learn about you through the recommendation letter. Did you connect with a professor in class or through a research experience on campus? If you have time, you can begin to develop a relationship before you build your application. Visit professors during their office hours to speak with them and let them get to know you and your interest in graduate school.

Remember, faculty members write letters of recommendation as a courtesy. Occasionally, if a professor is uncomfortable writing a letter, they may decline. If this happens, you should look for another reference rather than try to convince them to change their mind.  In some cases, an employer or supervisor may serve as a reference.  

Recommendation letters are valued by graduate schools since these letters can speak to both your motivation and your metrics. Focus on what you can do to make it easy for your recommender to write a tailored letter that strengthens your application. Make sure that you provide your recommenders with any information they will need to write a strong letter specific to your unique story and interests. 

This information may include:

• How you know each other
• If the recommender is a professor, the grade(s) you received in their course and a sample of your work, if applicable
• Why you are interested in the graduate program
• What you hope to bring to the program
• Your application deadlines
• Your transcript
• Your application materials, like: your resume or CV,  your personal statement or statement of purpose, a writing sample
• Your contact information
• Instructions about how to submit the letter of recommendation
• A stamped and addressed envelope so that the recommender may send the letter directly to the school(s) you are applying to, if the letter will not be submitted online

Because at least one of these letters will be from a professor, it’s ideal to build relationships with faculty during your time in school. You can do this by taking multiple classes with the same professor, attending office hours, writing a senior thesis, and even seeking out research opportunities with them, like independent studies.

Finally, give your recommenders plenty of time to write your letters. We suggest requesting requesting recommendations at least one month before the deadline. Be sure to always thank your recommenders. After you apply and hear back from schools, update them on your status.

GPA and Transcript

Your GPA and transcript demonstrate your academic preparedness for the program. If a particular issue affected your grades, you may want to briefly explain it in your statement or an addenda essay. If so, explain it concisely—do not be defensive.

Current students and recent alumni can order transcripts through  Student Services Online  (SSOL). If you graduated before 2001, you can request your official transcript from the registrar . There is no charge for either service. You may want to request that your transcripts be sent out after your fall grades have been calculated into your GPA.

Test Scores

Many schools require specific standardized tests for admissions, such as the GRE , MCAT , GMAT , or LSAT . Another metric, these tests may be more or less important depending on the program. In addition, depending on the test, a significant amount of studying may be necessary. It may be easier to take these tests while you’re in student mode, rather than years after graduation.

While planning your application process, identify test dates and how long it takes to score results. Consider taking your tests over the summer before you apply, or even the previous spring. This will build in time in case you want to retake them.

Application-Related Resources

• Undergraduate Research and Fellowships : This office at Columbia has great worksheets and resources for brainstorming your story, tackling your research proposal, requesting letters of recommendation, and preparing for interviews.
• Admissions Essays:  You can find tips for writing personal statements in our resource, How to Get Started on Your Graduate School Personal Statement. 

Testing Information

• Graduate Record Exam
• Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)
• Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)
• Miller Analogies Test (MAT)
• Princeton Review

Related Resources

Thinking about graduate school this timeline will help you plan.

Use this timeline to kickstart your grad-school planning! It will help you think through what to do each year to prepare for your graduate education.

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M.S. Program Application FAQ

How do i apply to the ms program.

To apply, submit an online application . Once you register with a valid email address, you can log on as frequently as you need to fill out your application data. Submit the application when it is complete.

What is the full application process?

Details of each step are included within this FAQ and within the online application, but in summary:

STEP 1: Complete and submit an online application: Refer to the SEAS Admissions Page

STEP 2: After you submit the application, reference requests are sent to your recommendation providers.

STEP 3:  Your application will be assigned to the faculty on the MS Admissions committee and pass through several stages of review.

STEP 4: Official decision notifications will be sent out via email.

Is the GRE required for admission?

Who should i contact to confirm the receipt of my official documents.

Due to the high volume of inquiries, requests to check the receipt of materials cannot be granted. Refer to the online application portal at SEAS Admissions.

What are the application deadlines?

Official deadlines are posted by SEAS here: https://www.gradengineering.columbia.edu/graduate-admissions/application-requirements

Fall 1st priority deadline: January 15 Fall 2nd final deadline: February 15

We strongly encourage all applicants to meet the 1st deadline.

Spring deadline: October 15th

If you have any questions, please email .

Can I apply for admission to the summer semester?

No, we do not accept students in the Summer and Fall admitted students cannot begin in the Summer.

What are the admission requirements?

You should have an undergraduate degree in computer science or a related discipline.

If your undergraduate degree is in a different field, you are required to have completed at least four computer science courses covering foundations of the field and basic programming, and two mathematics courses. Please refer to the CS@CU MS Bridge Program for the courses needed.

If you do not have this foundational coursework but still feel you are qualified for the MS program, then your qualifications should be clearly outlined in your application through your resume, statement, and reference letters.

If you are interested in pursuing this foundational coursework at Columbia then you may be interested in the CS@CU MS Bridge Program here .

Do I have to take these prerequisite courses at Columbia University?

No, you do not need to take the coursework at Columbia, but the courses must be completed at an accredited university.

If you are interested in pursuing this foundational coursework at Columbia then you may be interested in the CS@CU MS Bridge program which incorporates all the foundational/bridge coursework and the MS coursework into one program. Learn more about CS@CU MS Bridge Program here .

Do you offer a path to take this foundational/bridge coursework at Columbia University?

You may be interested in the CS@CU MS Bridge program which incorporates all the foundational/bridge coursework and the MS coursework into one program. Learn more about CS@CU MS Bridge Program here .

Is there a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) for application?

While there is no minimum GPA requirement to apply for admission consideration, the program is highly selective. Successful applicants typically have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Information regarding converting your GPA can be found on the Graduate Student Affairs website .

I applied previously, can I reuse my old application materials?

Applicants who were previously admitted and did not attend may reactivate their applications for one of the two terms following their original application. Candidates who do not request reactivation within the year are required to submit a new application.  Please be aware that candidates who reactivate their applications are essentially reapplying for admission, as admission will not be guaranteed. Columbia does not defer admission .

Applicants who were not previously admitted are not eligible to reactivate their application. Instead, they must complete an entirely new application for admission.

For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit their website .

TEST SCORES

What are the gre and toefl institutional codes for the columbia university department of computer science how do i send ielts scores to columbia university.

Use the Columbia University code 2111. It is not necessary to enter the department code.

Please have your official GRE and TOEFL scores sent to us directly by ETS , using the Columbia University institutional code 2111. It is not necessary to enter the department code.

For IELTS scores, enter your TRF number on the application for admission. Our office downloads IELTS scores that have been transmitted to our e-download account. Please contact your test center and​ request that your scores be sent to ​the IELTS e-download account. You may select Columbia Engineering, by searching for Columbia University under “List of Organizations subscribing to the E-TRF Query” and then selecting “The Fu Foundation School.” We will not accept paper IELTS test report forms.

Please refer to the SEAS Standardized Test Scores FAQ for more information on this process. For follow-up inquiries, we encourage you to contact [email protected] directly.

Do I have to take the general GRE Test before applying?

Please see the official application requirements online here: https://gradengineering.columbia.edu/graduate-admissions/application-requirements

Is there a minimum General GRE Test score?

No. Most admitted applicants, however, have scores of 750 or higher on the Quantitative section of the test. If you are not able to convert the score into the current version please refer to the ETS website for concordance table information.

Is the GRE Computer Science Subject Test required?

Is the toefl test required.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS) or Pearson Test of English (PET Academic) official scores are required. See the SEAS policy for more information on possible exceptions or contact [email protected] to discuss it further.

What TOEFL test scores are required?

For Internet-based TOEFL test, we recommend a total score of 101. For IELTS, 7 is the recommended score for admission.

My TOEFL, IELTS, and/or GRE scores will expire right around the time of the MS application deadline. Do I need to retake the exam?

Yes. All standardized test scores need to remain valid through the start of classes. If your scores will expire prior to this, we strongly encourage you to retake the exam.

How long are my TOEFL, IELTS and/or GRE scores valid for?

TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid from two years from the date the test was taken. GRE scores are valid for five years. However, per SEAS policy, all standardized test scores need to remain valid through the start of classes. See the SEAS policy for more information.

I have entered my TOEFL/IELTS and GRE test scores on my online application. Do I still have to submit an official score report to Columbia?

Yes, you must report your scores on your application and must request ETS or IELTS to send official scores directly to Columbia University. Do not send these to the Department.

I have sent my official TOEFL/IELTS and GRE test scores to the specified address. Do I still have to report the scores on my online application?

Yes, you must complete the test score sections of the online application. Do not send these to the Department.

My transcripts are not in English. What should I do?

SEAS Graduate Student Affairs administers this policy; please see their website on this topic and send follow-up questions directly to their team .

My course grades on my undergraduate transcript are based on a different scale from Columbia's. What can I do?

Personal statement, what should i write about in my personal statement.

The purpose of the Personal Statement is for you to share more about your past experiences and to discuss how these experiences have contributed to your personal and professional growth. It allows the applicant the opportunity to explain to the admission committee the distinct qualities and commitment they can bring to the Columbia Engineering community.

A few topics that you may want to address in your Personal Statement include:

• Describe the reasons you are interested in this program and discuss any relevant past experience.
• If you have relevant work or research experience, please indicate how it helped you decide on your career path.
• What are your post-graduation plans or career goals?
• What do you hope to gain from this program?
• What about this program excites you?
• If there are any special circumstances that need to be brought to the attention of the Admission Committee, please include that information.

What are recommended formatting and word count guidelines for the personal statement?

The purpose of the Personal Statement is for you to share more about your past experiences and to discuss how these experiences have contributed to your personal and professional growth. It allows the applicant the opportunity to explain to the admission committee the distinct qualities and commitment they can bring to their department and to the overall Columbia Engineering community.

We recommend that your Personal Statement be between 250 and 1,000 words. Your application will not be negatively impacted should exceed this recommendation.  Please do not email us to request permission to exceed this recommendation, no permission is necessary.

If possible, the following format is preferred:

• All margins should be at least one inch, and the left and right margins should be equal.
• Text should be double spaced.
• The preferred fonts are 10-point Arial or 12-point Times New Roman; however, any legible serif or sans-serif standard font may be used. Do not use script or ornamental fonts.
• Your name should appear in the Header or Footer of every page.

It is integral to the admissions process that you write and submit this Personal Statement on your own. Any evidence of plagiarized materials may result in denial or revocation of admission.

• Describe how your background has prepared you to pursue an advanced degree in the field of engineering or applied science at Columbia University.

Follow-up questions can be sent to the SEAS Graduate Admissions team: [email protected] .

RECOMMENDATION LETTERS:

What is the deadline for the arrival of the recommendations or other materials supporting my application.

Your entire application, including recommendation letters, should be complete by the priority deadline.

My recommenders cannot submit their letters of recommendation electronically. Can I have them sent as hard copies via mail?

We require electronic submission of recommendations. Email [email protected] with any related issues.

Can my recommenders send letters of recommendation from their non-institutional email addresses (e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo)?

You should use the professional email address/contact information for all of your recommendation providers. Email [email protected] with any related issues.

My Recommendation provider does not have a current business card, what should they do?

They can upload a current employee ID or badge. Email [email protected] with any related issues.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT DOCUMENT:

Do i need to submit the financial document along with my application.

International students will be asked to submit the financial statement after they are accepted into the program through the I-20 application process. There is no need for you to submit it before the decision is made.

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS:

I'm having problems entering data, completing the interview, and/or uploading documents in the online application system; what can i do.

SEAS Graduate Student Admissions administers this policy; please see their website on this topic and send follow-up questions directly to their team .

BEING FORWARDED TO THE MS APPLICATION POOL FROM THE PHD APPLICATION POOL:

I applied to the phd program, but i have received a notice that i have been admitted to the ms program. what does this mean.

Your application to the PhD program was unsuccessful, but since you indicated that you would like to be considered for the MS program, your application was forwarded to the MS application pool for consideration.

I applied for the PhD program, was unsuccessful, and have been offered a place on the MS program. If I join the MS program, can I reapply for the PhD program later?

Yes, after entering the MS program, you can apply for the PhD program the following year, and transfer into the PhD program if you are successful.

When will I receive a decision on my application?

The Masters Committee reviewers evaluate all applications and make admission decisions. As soon as that decision is made, you will be notified by email to the address specified on your online application. We cannot respond to requests for updates on decisions.

I submitted my application a while ago and still have not heard about a decision yet. Has a decision been made?

If you have not received the email notification yet, that means the application is still being evaluated. As soon as a decision is made, you will be notified automatically via email. Due to the high volume of applications, we cannot respond to requests for updates on decisions.

If I am denied admission, may I receive feedback on the reasons behind the decision?

Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications received, the Department cannot provide specific feedback on the decisions made.

FUNDING INFORMATION:

Are there funding opportunities.

US students are encouraged to apply for scholarships, merit fellowships, and loans. Visit the FFSEAS Official Financial Aid and Educational Financing for more information. International students are advised to pursue fellowship programs available through their countries of origin.

REACTIVATION:

I have been offered admission to the ms program, but my situation has changed and i want to enroll in a later semester. what should i do.

You will have to reactivate your application and pass the review process again. Your online application and official documents are held for a maximum of 12 months from your original submission date and can be reactivated once within this time without repaying the application fee.

I want to apply for admission for the Fall or Spring semester in one year's time or more, but I cannot see my semester of choice in the online system. What can I do?

Applications are only accepted up to a maximum of two semesters in advance. Check back at a later date when your semester of choice will be activated to receive applications.

I was denied admission. Can I reactivate my application?

No, you cannot reactivate your rejected application. You can reapply to the program by creating a new online application with all materials resubmitted. Please be aware that you will need to pay the application fee again when you create a new application.

I am reactivating my MS application. Do I need to submit my test scores?

If you have previously applied to the CS graduate program and submitted official scores the first time through ETS and those scores are still valid, then you do not need to resubmit them with your current application. If your test scores have expired as of the new application deadline, you need to retake the exam and submit those new scores.

COLUMBIA VIDEO NETWORK:

What is columbia video network (cvn).

CVN is the graduate distance learning program of Columbia University’s School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS). CVN enables students globally to pursue residency-free, fully accredited engineering courses and degree programs completely via the Internet, allowing students to view their lectures anytime and anywhere.

If you are interested in the distance learning program, please visit their website here .

It is not possible to transfer between the in-person and CVN CS MS within the first semester.

REGISTRATION:

Domestic students and those without visa restrictions may pursue the CS MS part-time – there is a maximum of 5 years to complete the degree. Course availability changes by semester. Please refer to the Directory of Classes .

Second MS Degree: Applicants with existing MS degrees are not prohibited from applying to the CS MS. All degrees should be listed in the application process.

CONTACT US:

We receive an enormous volume of email with application-related questions, so we ask that you please read this website carefully before sending us an email . If you do not find an answer to your question, then contact us by email .

Find open faculty positions here .

Computer Science at Columbia University

Upcoming events, coffee and questions.

Wednesday 2:00 pm

Protecting the Core: Building Secure and Trustworthy Operating Systems

Friday 11:40 am

CSB 451 CS Auditorium

Vasileios Kemerlis, Brown University

Last day of classes

Monday 10:00 am

Class Day Graduate Ceremony

Sunday 3:00 pm

South Lawn, Morningside Campus

In the News

Press mentions, dean boyce's statement on amicus brief filed by president bollinger.

President Bollinger announced that Columbia University along with many other academic institutions (sixteen, including all Ivy League universities) filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York challenging the Executive Order regarding immigrants from seven designated countries and refugees. Among other things, the brief asserts that “safety and security concerns can be addressed in a manner that is consistent with the values America has always stood for, including the free flow of ideas and people across borders and the welcoming of immigrants to our universities.”

This recent action provides a moment for us to collectively reflect on our community within Columbia Engineering and the importance of our commitment to maintaining an open and welcoming community for all students, faculty, researchers and administrative staff. As a School of Engineering and Applied Science, we are fortunate to attract students and faculty from diverse backgrounds, from across the country, and from around the world. It is a great benefit to be able to gather engineers and scientists of so many different perspectives and talents – all with a commitment to learning, a focus on pushing the frontiers of knowledge and discovery, and with a passion for translating our work to impact humanity.

I am proud of our community, and wish to take this opportunity to reinforce our collective commitment to maintaining an open and collegial environment. We are fortunate to have the privilege to learn from one another, and to study, work, and live together in such a dynamic and vibrant place as Columbia.

Mary C. Boyce Dean of Engineering Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor

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How to Write the Columbia University Essays 2023-2024

Located in the heart of New York City, Columbia University is one of the world’s leading institutions for research and commitment towards education. With its 265 years of history and ideal location, Columbia has had a major influence in history and continues to be at the forefront of innovation to this day. Offering both a rigorous curriculum as well as ample opportunities to explore one of the largest cities in the world, Columbia attracts thousands of top-performing students from all over the world.

Columbia University requires all applicants to answer one short question about the books and media that have piqued their interest. All applicants have to answer three short essay prompts as well. If you’re applying to Columbia College or Columbia Engineering, you’ll have an additional prompt. And finally, Dual BA, School of General Studies, and Postbac Premed Program applicants have to submit an essay for their respective program.

Columbia receives tens of thousands of applications from strong students each year. To stand out among the crowd and showcase your individuality, you’ll want to develop authentic supplemental essays. In this post, we’ll discuss how you can write a stellar supplemental essay for the various prompts below.

Check out these Columbia essay examples from real students  to inspire your writing!

Columbia University Supplemental Essay Prompts

Short answer list prompt for all applicants.

For the list question that follows, there is a 100-word maximum. Please refer to the below guidance when answering 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.

List Prompt: List the titles of the books, essays, poetry, short stories or plays you read outside of academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (100 words)

Essay Prompts for All Applicants

Prompt 1: 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)

Prompt 2: 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)

Prompt 3: 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)

Columbia College and Columbia Engineering Applicants

What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at columbia college/columbia engineering (150 words), trinity college dublin and sciences po dual ba applicants only, describe how your experiences, both personal and academic, have shaped your decision to pursue the dual ba program. why is an international academic experience important to you as you consider the ways in which it may influence your future, successful essays should not only identify and describe specific elements of the dual ba program that meet your needs as a student, but should also explain why the academic courses you have chosen for your time at trinity college dublin and columbia university are compatible with your aspirations, academic or otherwise. (750-1000 words), school of general studies applicants, tell us about your educational history, work experience, present situation, and plans for the future. please make sure to reflect on why you consider yourself a nontraditional student and have chosen to pursue your education at the school of general studies of columbia university. successful essays should identify and describe specific elements of the program, academic or otherwise, that meet your needs as a nontraditional student. the admissions committee is particularly interested in situations in your life from which you have learned and grown. this may include past academic experiences, professional accomplishments, or turning points and transformative events: new beginnings and personal achievements, but also events that may have affected your education, such as health and family challenges, personal obstacles or even issues with the justice system. our expectation is that your reflection on your experiences will demonstrate your potential to add a unique perspective to the columbia classroom. (1500-2000 words), postbac premed program applicants, please submit an essay of approximately 500 words discussing your decision to pursue a career in medicine or an allied health profession. a successful essay will not only describe the factors that contributed to your decision, but will give us a sense of you as an individual by discussing why you want to pursue this career and how you feel you will contribute to the profession. (500 words), list prompt, 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).

Don’t worry! There’s no preset list of right and wrong answers. Columbia isn’t going to automatically reject you if you don’t include The Grapes of Wrath (or any other specific work for that matter) in your list. Instead, they’re curious about your interests, your intellectual development, the way you think, and the ways in which you’ve challenged yourself in your media consumption. So be honest about the stuff you’ve read and watched while selecting your examples judiciously.

Here’s a helpful hint: think of the list as a “capsule wardrobe.” In a capsule wardrobe, each piece of clothing is distinct and cool on its own: you can have a graphic tee, a leather jacket, a white tank, and a few pairs of jeans. And while each has its own character, each also contributes to the cohesive whole – your style. Putting two items together into an outfit can bring out interesting elements and commonalities in both.

The same goes for the books or movies in a list. Each should be interesting on its own, but should also contribute to the overall picture of your intellectual style. A great list includes items that illuminate each other and communicate with each other – like matching a hat with your socks. Some more style tips:

1. List items that build on each other. Key word: synergy . In the same way that wearing two matching items together can say a lot about your fashion taste, including two similar items in your list can communicate a sustained interest in a topic. For example, if I include both Macbeth and Throne of Blood in my list of films, I’m showing my readers: “Hey! I’m interested in exploring how the same story has been adapted by different cultures and artists!” Neither Macbeth nor Throne of Blood could demonstrate this on its own – but together, they become greater than the sum of their parts. Synergy!

2. Show multidimensionality. Beware! You can potentially demonstrate a sustained interest in a topic without indicating growth. For example, a litany of true-crime podcasts will feel a bit one-dimensional and start to lose its impact if they’re all too similar. Instead, pick works that indicate how you’re interested in the multiple facets and intellectual levels of a subject. If you combine the true-crime podcast Serial and Criminal Perspective with the journal Psychological Review and a blog on forensic psychology, you can paint yourself as someone with layered interests who wants to learn more about the world and a particular field.

3. Don’t overdress. It’s tempting to include the most impressive, arduous books you’ve read in an attempt to show you are a Serious Person. But too many straight-laced tomes can make you look like you’re overdoing it – kind of like showing up to a coffee shop in a suit. Instead, balance your hefty items with some more easygoing ones. Euclid’s Elements of Geometry and Russell’s Principles of Mathematics are going to look a lot more palatable if you sprinkle some Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in there. You want to balance your intellectual pursuits with your distinctive personality.

4. Don’t underdress. A pinch of fluff can add a little flavor and dimension to your lists. Nobody’s going to fault you, for instance, if you include It’s Always Sunny or The Da Vinci Code on your lists of favorite things. However, you should make a point not to include items that are too juvenile, and not to overload on items of questionable intellectual merit.

5. Recognizable brands can be effective. Hitting on a few respected “pop culture” items makes it more likely that you and the person reading your application will have something in common. And, psychologically speaking , similarities on paper can often go a long way in non-personal interactions. Just make sure to pick an item that has both critical and popular merit , like Pink Floyd’s The Wall or Avatar: The Last Airbender – something about which you and your potential interviewer could have an intellectual debate.

6. Dress for the job you want. Certain shoes can be impressive, but bad for dancing. Similarly, you should be careful not to confuse an “impressive” piece of media with a “relevant” one. War and Peace, Don Quixote, A Brief History of Time , and Ulysses are definitely impressive books, and you may have loved them, but if you’re interested in studying marine biology, they might not be all that relevant to your application. Include enough to show you’re diverse in your interests, but conserve the most space for items that speak to your personal academic and career interests.

7. Moderation. You’ve probably figured this out by now, but creating your lists is going to be a delicate game. You have to find the happy medium between intellectual and casual, specialized and well-rounded, fiction and nonfiction, differing types of media, and so on. Don’t throw together these lists last-minute simply because they’re not full-blown essays. It’s a different format, but you should be as careful with these as you are with essays. The lists can be just as revealing of you as a person and just as important to the admissions process as a full essay is.

8. Also… be honest! If you get an interview, you’ll probably be asked about some items on your lists. You don’t want to be caught off guard by something that you yourself wrote . There are few things more detrimental to an interview than not knowing anything about something you purported to have read/seen.

All Applicants, Prompt 1

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).

This is a good example of a “Diversity” essay . Columbia wants not only students who will contribute to campus diversity because of their unique backgrounds, but also students who will be inclusive and benefit from a community of diverse people and perspectives. Your essay needs to convey how you will contribute to diversity and benefit from it. There are four questions implied by this prompt, and answering each of them in turn will create a strong and thorough answer.

1. What makes you diverse?

The first step is to figure out what makes you a diverse applicant. You might talk about more classic examples of background like your race/ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, or country of origin. However, diversity comes in all shapes and sizes, so you can also demonstrate a unique background in things like your hometown, socioeconomic status, an illness/disability, or even an interest or hobby.

For example, a student who has a lot of food allergies might joke that he won’t be able to enjoy the dining halls like his peers, but because of his allergies he has learned to cook for himself and to find unique food substitutions other people would never think about.

2. How has your background impacted your development?

In order to establish the emotional connection that will strengthen your essay, you need to show admissions officers how you have been impacted by the community or background that makes you diverse. Including how you have been impacted will demonstrate how you previously benefited from being part of a community, how your new perspective will allow you to contribute to Columbia’s community, and how you evolved as a result of your background.

For example, maybe you were really shy until you started participating in a community theater where you came out of your shell and let your voice be heard. At Columbia, you will not only encourage others to join theater so they can gain confidence, but you will also use your newfound confidence in public speaking to call fellow students to action regarding issues you are passionate about, like raising the minimum wage.

3. How will you contribute to diversity on campus?

Here, you need to explain how the background or community that has shaped your identity will make you an addition to diversity on campus. This is where you convince admissions officers that they want you to enrich their university.

For example, you might talk about how you wish to start your own on-campus Spanish-language publication, so students like you can read the news in their native language. Or maybe as a first-gen student, your family and culture instilled in you the value of a college education, so you will form study groups to help enrich your classmates’ educational experience. Providing concrete examples of how you will contribute to campus will really show admissions officers how you’ll fit within the campus community.

4. How will being surrounded by diversity on campus help you?

The last thing you should address is what you will personally gain from being part of a diverse community. If you’ve already discussed what you gained from your previous engagement with diversity, you should choose a different trait or skill you hope to acquire at Columbia. For example, a student who’s never left the state he was born in might describe how he wants to meet people from other countries to learn about cultural differences and gain a better understanding of other nationalities without the stereotypes found in movies and TV.

Keep in mind that this essay should exemplify your positive traits and qualities you’ve either developed, hope to develop, or hope to share with others. With that in mind, there are a few things you should avoid in your writing:

• Don’t just list all the facets of your identity/background. If you make a laundry list of things that contribute to your identity without elaborating on any of them, you risk running out of space before saying anything substantive.
• Avoid writing solely about negative experiences. Your background may have led to some adversity in your life, which is normal, but college essay prompts generally aim to identify experiences that had positive outcomes or lessons. Not everything has a “happy ending,” but keep in mind that writing a negative essay is harder to execute well.
• Avoid cliché topics. There’s nothing wrong with having moved across the United States or having emigrated from another country; however, the problem is that these are very common topics, which makes it harder for you to write a unique standout essay. If you write about a more common experience because it was integral to your growth, make sure to share your specific emotions and stories to help your essay stand out, rather than discussing the general challenges you (and others) have faced.

A truly focused essay that addresses the four aforementioned questions while steering clear of the things we recommend avoiding will allow you to go into more depth and elicit a far stronger reaction to your writing!

All Applicants, Prompt 2

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).

This is the classic Overcoming Challenges essay , which is common for a reason—colleges want to admit students who can push through adversity, just as Columbia explains in the prompt.

Picking your topic:

This is probably the hardest part of this essay, as students sometimes think they need to write about a tragedy, and many will not have experienced tragedy.

You want the barrier or obstacle you write about to be significant (i.e. more than getting a bad grade), but it doesn’t need to be completely life-altering (though, of course, it can be).

To help you brainstorm a topic, consider these questions:

• What experiences have changed your perspective or your day-to-day life?
• In which situations did you initially struggle, but that struggle helped you build confidence? (Keep in mind though that your topic doesn’t ultimately need to have been “successful”. You can write about an ongoing challenge or a failure if you have learned something from it).

Some example of good Overcoming Challenges topics that we’ve seen in the past include:

• Persuading the school board to dedicate the high school track to a coach
• Taking care of a sick parent
• Getting your position switched last-minute in Model UN

Tips for writing your essay:

This topic lends itself well to creative storytelling. To start your essay, bring us into the moment(s) you were experiencing the barrier/obstacle. Show us your emotions and thoughts.

In the next part of the essay, make sure to explain why the challenge was important to you, and then outline the steps you took to manage the situation. Were you ultimately successful? Why or why not?

Finally, the last third of the essay should focus on how the barrier/obstacle allowed you to grow and mature.

Your essay doesn’t need to follow this exact format or space allotment, but it should include these basic elements.

Mistakes to avoid:

This is a tricky essay because it’s easy to make mistakes in topic selection and writing. Here’s what you should look out for:

• Focusing too much on the story and not enough on the lessons you learned. Because you’re writing about a significant challenge, it can be easy to focus the whole essay on what happened and not cover how you responded and how it helped you grow. Those last two points are the most key, and you should make sure to allot enough space for them.
• Being too negative in the essay. You do not have to have ultimately succeeded in face of the barrier/obstacle, but you should ultimately have gained something positive from the situation (a new value, perspective, skill, etc.). If you find a positive impact to talk about, then you may want to choose a new topic.
• Writing about a cliche topic . Admissions officers have seen too many essays about sports injuries, and they’ve also seen a lot of essays about tragedies like death and divorce. You can still write good essays on these topics, but it’s easier to stand out if the essay has a different angle (i.e. a sports injury helping you discover a new passion vs. the typical storyline of working hard to overcoming the injury and getting back on the field).

All Applicants, Prompt 3

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).

This is a question that a lot of schools ask; in fact, it’s so common that we’ve put together a whole guide on how to answer it. Check out CollegeVine’s guide to writing the “Why This College?” essay for some in-depth tips and examples! As you sit down to write this essay, you should definitely have Columbia’s website and any other materials you might possess open.

Specificity is crucial here. Vague platitudes about Columbia’s virtues – such as “Ivy League academics,” “shared classes with Barnard,” and “location in the heart of New York City” – aren’t going to cut it here. Instead, such superficial phrases signify that you did inadequate research. To set yourself apart from everyone else, you need to clearly delineate your academic interests and values, as well as the exact resources and programs at Columbia that will help you thrive. Proper nouns, concrete goals, precise examples. Specificity.

1. Provide a tangible connection to Columbia.

A “tangible connection” comprises specific elements of the university that appeal to you, and you should set aside ample time to research this. Look on Columbia’s different websites, and carefully explore the links that pertain to particular majors ( Columbia College (CC) ; Columbia Engineering (CE) , research centers , courses, and professors ( CC ; CE ). Hint: it may be worth your while to read Columbia’s magazine , which contains updates on its educators’ most recent work. Many departments also put out their own e-newsletters, so be sure to sign up to those that pique your interest.

Don’t do a small or moderate amount of research and decide it’s “good enough.” For example, it’s tempting to list a few things you like about a program based on the first couple of blurbs you read on its webpage. A student might concoct a passage like this:

“As someone interested in studying Mideast politics as well as literature, Columbia’s Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies program sounds like a great place to blend my interests and study from renowned professors like [insert name].”

This example looks fine at first glance, but it’s pretty superficial and definitely not the best response. Instead of just name-dropping professors and programs, you should articulate your future with them like you’re fantasizing about your wedding, down to the last beautiful detail. A much more specific passage about Columbia’s MESAAS would sound like:

“When reading about the last Adab Colloquium, I was intrigued by how Columbia’s Middle East Institute recruits authorities from other universities, like [Name], to better immerse Columbia students in the diverse voices of Middle Eastern literary studies. The frequency of colloquia provided by the MEI shows that Columbia is dedicated to expanding Middle Eastern studies in the U.S., and that I would find ample guidance as an MESAAS student there.”

It’s immediately evident that crafting the second statement required much more probing, revision, and familiarity than the first.

2. Describe your intangible connection as well.

How is Columbia a place that aligns with your values, dreams, and goals? How do you vibe with it? For example, if our hypothetical student continued to write about MESAAS and MEI, he would state explicitly how it draws him in, and how it aligns with his philosophical and societal intentions:

“Additionally, I’m impressed by how the MEI provides students with the opportunity to volunteer with talks and activities at local high schools. As someone who grew up in a small town in Illinois, my grade school education about culture in the Middle East was misinformed and sometimes dangerous. I would love to study and volunteer in a department dedicated to combating misinformation and offering resources to underprivileged teachers.”

A clearly outlined path and a strong personal philosophy will indicate to admissions officers that you’re likely to succeed at Columbia.

3. Engage with faculty and students, if possible.

Your response to this “Why This College?” prompt is the perfect place to talk about specific interactions, like sitting in on an awe-inspiring seminar during a campus visit, hearing a professor speak, or seeing how Columbia has prepared a friend for his career.

However, always be sure to tie these experiences into your own goals and interests! Don’t just name-drop a certain Professor Smith. Instead, take the opportunity to find a personal connection to Prof. Smith’s research and to mention how great Columbia is for supporting people like her. Your format should be:

Program/Individual/Major -> Columbia’s Values -> My values

If you want to learn more about a specific professor or their subject/research/work, don’t be afraid to politely email them or contact their department. Many professors love to talk about their work and their interests, or would at least be happy to put you in touch with current students you could talk to. You might also want to look for online colloquia or talks, which are (Fortunately? Unfortunately?) more widely available due to the pandemic. Doing this will better inform you about the school and give you a great edge for this prompt. And more importantly, you’ll probably get great advice for your higher education journey in general.

Note: the earlier you prepare for this prompt, the more time you will have to do deep research – and the more research you do, the better your essay will be!

Columbia College and Engineering Applicants

This is an example of the common “Why This Major?” essay that you may have already seen during the application process. Columbia wants to know about your interest in the majors you will have listed earlier in the application. They also want to see how your previous experiences contribute to this interest and how you may use your major in the future. This type of prompt isn’t the hardest to answer as long as you hit on some important points.

Before writing, there are a few things you should think about:

1. What genuinely draws you to this field of study? Don’t be disingenuous here. Writing answers you think the admissions committee wants to see will not benefit you in the long run.

2. What are things you enjoy specifically about the field you want to study? Saying that you love reading is a superficial statement. Instead, aim for specificity: “I enjoy reading novels that explore themes of power and corruption.”

3. How do you think this field of study/major will help you fulfill your life and career goals?

4. What did you enjoy most about this subject both in school and in your own free time?

5. Is there any emotional state or mindset that you experience every time you explore this field? If so, what draws you to this state of mind?

Think particularly hard about questions 4 and 5, as these two questions will remind you of anecdotes that can elevate your explanation of your connection to the major.

It’s fine if you haven’t totally decided on a major yet. Columbia gives you space on its application to provide three majors you might be interested in; you can pick some things you’re really fascinated by so you’ll have plenty to write about.

You only have 150 words to work with, so you shouldn’t be too flowery or elaborate in your writing right at the start. You don’t want to spend 100 words writing a beautifully crafted introduction to the major just to be left with 50 words to answer the actual prompt.

There’s no need to set up an elaborate preface like: “I was in eighth grade, and it was a cloudy day in mid-March. I wasn’t very confident or skilled in computers.” Instead, try starting in medias res , diving right into the middle of an emotional moment: “The screen glared blue. My program crashed. I buried my face in my arms and sobbed.” This structure is better for immediately grabbing your reader – a necessity in short essays like these. CollegeVine’s guidelines for college essay writing include a great primer (or refresher!) on in medias res storytelling.

Load up on your knowledge and expertise. Just because you’re weaving an engaging narrative doesn’t mean you should neglect the “area of study” part of this prompt. It’s crucial to demonstrate to Columbia that you’re not just passionate about your interest – you’re a seasoned expert. This means being specific about a certain subtopic, technique, operation, phenomenon, or term that you find fascinating. Don’t just say “programming encourages me to think in creative ways.” A better proof of this assertion would be a time you used a specific programming technique to creatively solve a specific quandary:

“Frustrated and desperate, I looked at all the data I still had to sort. Hadn’t Archimedes said that he could lift the whole world with a finger, if he just had the right lever? THINK, I told myself. And then I realized I had a lever – a processing array.”

Try to incorporate something about Columbia’s specific take on the major. For example, maybe you love psychology and you’re more interested in cognitive behavioral perspectives than psychoanalytic ones. Columbia College’s psychology major has a greater focus on cognition and behavior than on psychoanalysis, so this is something you’d definitely want to mention.

Be sure to avoid writing the following things in your writing:

• Empty flattery about a subject – Anyone can call a field “cool” without saying anything substantive about it.
• Disagreeable reasons for picking a major – Admissions don’t want to hear that you only want to study a major for money, prestige, or due to parental pressures. They want people who are dedicated to their respective fields, who want to realize their potential, and who want to contribute to the betterment of the world.
• Starting the essay with an irrelevant anecdote – Don’t try to write an enticing introduction that doesn’t cleanly transition into the “Why This Major?” part of the essay. Stories are engaging and effective, but only when relevant.

Finally, note Columbia’s timeframe: “past,” “current,” and an implicit “future.” Although they explicitly ask about your past and current experiences, you should definitely conclude with a trajectory towards future pursuits. Present yourself as someone with a firm philosophy of developed beliefs and mature interests you want to explore in college and beyond. Anticipate future problems you’re eager to tackle – state them explicitly. You don’t need to mention Columbia explicitly in this “future” portion of your essay – you’ve already discussed it enough – but Columbia should be your unspoken future setting. The admissions committee should see this essay as foreshadowing what you will accomplish at Columbia.

Dual BA Applicants

This prompt is asked of students who are applying for Columbia’s prestigious dual degree programs , either with Trinity College in Dublin or Sciences Po (Paris Institute of Political Sciences) in various regions of France. The prompts for both programs are the same, with only the name of the partner university differing, so they can be approached in a similar way (scroll down for distinct tips for each). 

Note: this prompt is similar to the previous prompt discussed, which inquires after applicants’ interest in areas of study, so feel free to read through that previous section for additional insight and tips. 

It’s a marathon essay, not a sprint. Note that the length – 750 to 1000 words – allows you a lot of space. It’s better to fall on the longer end of this range than the shorter end, because Columbia wants you to delve into as much detail as you can, and feel less pressure to be pithy. The onus is a little less on vivid storytelling, and much more on thoughtful analysis and complex intellectual engagement. Demonstrate your proficiency by being thorough, considering multiple angles, and utilizing specific terms. You can be a bit more technical, logical, and sophisticated, especially since these programs have a broad, international focus. 

The same rules apply here as the rest of your Columbia essays: be specific, be active, and conduct a high degree of research. Studying abroad appeals to a lot of people – 10-16% of all undergraduates do it. Consequently, stating simply a “desire to explore other perspectives” or “passion for international cooperation in research” isn’t going to set you apart from the pack. You should concentrate your efforts in identifying key elements of your specific program and how they fit with your concrete goals and higher moral callings. You should hit on both the “tangible” and “intangible” items we mentioned earlier in the “Why Columbia?” prompt.

Brainstorm with a T-chart. Well, you don’t have to, but we recommend it. It will be a great way to sharpen your thoughts before writing, so that you can plunge into your essay with a much clearer idea of what you want to include. It could look something like this: 

It’s a lot of work, but break it down and tackle it bit-by-bit. 

Tips for Dublin Applicants:

• Attend one of the several online information sessions about this program in the fall . Check back to see if any more are added. These sessions would be a prime opportunity to have your questions answered. You can also use them to get in touch with current students and alumni. If you can procure an insight that benefits your essay, even better. Mentioning something you learned via an information session will also demonstrate your committed interest in the program. 
• Research your major at both Trinity and Columbia. The Dublin program allows for a wide variety of majors, so you should look at the webpages and publications of your target departments. Cite research projects or department mission statements that appeal to you. A super strong essay will identify a common thread between departments on both sides of the Atlantic. 
• Is there a cultural factor? For example, do both New York and Dublin have strong local theatre communities that would allow you to explore your love of Shakespeare outside your academic setting? This is the kind of goal-oriented specificity readers are looking for. It’s so much easier for them to admit a student who already has a strong blueprint going forward. If they can envision you already as a member of the program, then half your battle is already won. 

Tips for Sciences Po Applicants: 

• Attend one of the several online information sessions about this program in the fall. Check back to see if any more are added. These sessions would be a prime opportunity to have your questions answered. You can also use them to get in touch with current students and alumni. If you can procure an insight that benefits your essay, even better. Mentioning something you learned via an information session will also demonstrate your committed interest in the program.
• Pick a French campus program . Based on the geographic region of your political interests, you’ll have to select a certain Sciences Po campus . Be specific in your application: you could be studying Indonesian policy at the Havre campus in Normandy, or North African societies at the Riviera campus. Look at the sample programs on the Columbia webpage above. It’s also worth it to delve into the websites for each campus, and subscribe to e-news from each. That will give you the most recent updates about exciting research going on there. 
• Mention any language goals , such as taking classes in Arabic and French in addition to English. The Sciences Po program places a firm emphasis on international cooperation through learned languages. 
• Have a global focus. The Sciences Po program is aimed at forming the next generation of international leaders, so you should really lean into a goal or issue with a broad provenance. “Tax law” is broad, but not necessarily global or targeted. “Americans need to work with Mideast countries to streamline cross-border taxations, which will ease tensions and encourage economic development in struggling border communities” is better.
• Don’t forget your personal connections. Just because the Sciences Po program is so vast doesn’t mean you should neglect your own story in favor of large-scale discussions. Tie them both together by talking about what experiences led you to your path of study. If I was the student interested in tax law above, I might describe family struggles with complicated tax codes, or volunteer work with a local business. 

The School of General Studies exists to afford nontraditional students the opportunity to complete their bachelor’s degree with flexibility. The typical GS student falls into one of three categories:

• People who have interrupted their education with a gap of a year or more.
• People who have never attended college and are older than typical beginning undergraduate students.
• People who, for personal or professional reasons, can only attend college part-time.

If one of these (or another nontraditional path) describes you, this essay is your chance to tell your story.

Before you begin writing, we strongly recommend that you organize your thoughts and outline your essay. Unlike typical college essays, this prompt is essentially asking you for a condensed autobiography. It has a very large word count for a college essay, but this is because you need a lot of space to hit every point the prompt mentions.

You’re asked about your educational history, work experience, present situation, and future plans – this order isn’t accidental. Typically, even for nontraditional college students, early education precedes work experience, both of which lead to the present situation, which then leads into the future. The prompt lends itself very well to a collection format in which multiple chronologically ordered anecdotes will tell your story.

You can’t talk about everything meaningful that has happened during your entire life, so you’re going to have to choose anecdotes judiciously. A good idea is to choose anecdotes that are related or that naturally transition into each other to establish a theme. This theme will vary greatly between applicants depending on the trajectory of their individual lives.

For example, one student may have had an unconventional education due to travel for high-level athletic competitions. This student may write an essay with a positive tone, filled with anecdotes about her competitions and accomplishments. Another student may have had an unconventional education due to recurring hospitalizations for an illness. This student may write an essay with a serious tone that emphasizes how he has grown to overcome adversity.

Even though your essay will have an overarching mood, you should aim to keep a balance between accomplishments and adversity. Writing an essay with too many positive achievements may come off as a bit arrogant whereas writing an essay with too many negative events may seem like it’s trying to elicit pity. Besides, the prompt specifically asks you for both personal achievements and educational challenges. Your essay should reflect how your highs and lows both had a profound impact on your values, beliefs, lifestyle, and/or worldview.

To begin, unless it was truly unconventional, don’t spend too much time talking about your early education (kindergarten to middle school). These are formative years that generally follow the same kind of trajectory for most people. Of course, if you were homeschooled, changed schools multiple times, or something of that nontraditional nature, feel free to mention how these circumstances changed who you have become.

With respect to educational history, what you should focus on is your high school years and any experience with college you may have already had. Write about factors that make you an nontraditional student. Maybe your grades weren’t ideal because you had to work a job while attending high school to support an ailing family member. Admissions committees understand that everyone comes from a different walk of life with different circumstances. Don’t be afraid to be sincere about complications you may have faced, but be careful not to make hollow excuses. You have to take responsibility for things that are within your control.

The same idea applies to work experience. Any experiences that have contributed to your growth while simultaneously altering what would have otherwise been a traditional experience are fair game. Perhaps you already finished college and began working in a field related to your major, but decided that it isn’t what you want to do. Explain why you’ve switched gears and elaborate on your plans for the future.

Once you’ve gone over the events that have informed who you are today, it’s time to write about what you’re doing and where you want to go. The prompt asks you to delineate how “specific elements of the program, academic or otherwise, […] meet your needs as a nontraditional student.” This is where a huge amount of research will be helpful. Look into Columbia’s webpage for your desired major to see how you can work specificity into your essay. Also consult the course search tool to find program features that appeal to you (you can pick a department to see all the courses it offers).

For example, an applicant who has already worked for two years as a pharmacy assistant might want to pivot to a different scientific field. An excerpt from her essay might look like this:

I had always loved chemistry, so I jumped at the chance to work a chemistry-related job right out of high school. I became a pharmacy assistant, which mostly involved filling prescriptions but not actually doing any of the chemistry itself. I didn’t mind it, especially because I needed to provide for my young son, but one recent experience opened my eyes to a whole new world of chemistry. One night, someone tried to break into the pharmacy, but couldn’t get in because of our specialized glass. I was fascinated by this glass’s ability to withstand a lot of force, which inspired me to pursue chemistry and physics more rigorously.

Materials science quickly became my new favorite thing. I would love to secure a job in this field so I can fulfill my passion while creating a more stable future for my son. The Chemical Physics major at Columbia’s School of General Studies will allow me to pursue employment in materials science. Courses like Quantum Chemistry and Materials Chemistry IIA are essential to learning how to craft high-density glass. Additionally, the flexibility of scheduling at the school lets me continue working at the pharmacy, so I can keep paying my expenses…

Be sure to provide as much detail as possible about your current situation and about how you got there. Columbia wants to know who you are, where you wish to go, and how your life experience will add to the GS community.

This is a slightly more specific version of the academic interest or “Why This Major?” prompt. The admissions committee wants to understand your interest in the medicine and allied health fields, how your background supports that interest, and what you intend to do on this career path.

Before you begin writing, ask yourself a few questions to guide your response:

1. What are your authentic reasons for wanting to pursue a career in medicine or allied health?

If you’re applying to this program, you should have a genuine interest in medicine to some degree. If your reasons are primarily money, prestige, and/or pressure from your parents, this is already a bad sign, and you should really consider if this decision is right for you.

2. What are specific examples of things you enjoy about medicine or allied health?

Instead of thinking “orthodontics” or “audiology” generically, think “treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders” or “diagnosis of presbycusis.” Specificity is key to a successful essay.

3. How might a career in medicine or allied health help you achieve your life and/or career goals?

Figuring this part out will give Columbia a clearer picture of what motivates you and will show the admissions committee that you have a career plan (or at least an idea of where you’re going). Again, avoid writing about things like money or status. Universities want students with deep academic interests, people who wish to realize their potential and to improve the world or their community in some way. Saying that you want to make a lot of money is too one-dimensional and self-serving, especially for an aspiring medical professional.

4. What has been the best part of your experience in a health field, both within and outside the classroom?

You don’t want to just tell Columbia that you want to pursue a career in healthcare. You also want to show them that your experiences thus far have prepared you to thrive in a field that’s known for being intense, emotionally as well as intellectually.

5. Do you experience a particular emotional state or frame of mind every time you explore this field of study? What about this state of mind appeals to you?

Your answers to questions 4 and 5 should help you recall relevant anecdotes, which will be your greatest asset in writing this essay. Bear in mind that medicine and allied health are very broad fields, so your personal motivations and your essay can take shape in vastly different ways.

Consider the following hypothetical applicants:

• Lucy spent a lot of her childhood sitting in her mother’s medical office. For years she would see kids come and go, each treated by her mother. After graduating college and working for a few years in the field she got a degree in, Lucy realized that she truly wants to be a pediatrician like her mother.
• James was a civil engineer for a year and a half before he had an accident on the job. His jaw and teeth were damaged, but an oral surgeon was able to restore them so well that the damage was nearly unnoticeable. Grateful for modern surgery and now deeply interested in the field, James now wants to become an oral surgeon to pay it forward.
• Michael got a bachelor’s degree in data science and ended up working in a medical office. His job mainly consisted of creating predictive models to identify people at greater risk for adverse health outcomes, but having worked with so many medical professionals gave him a change of heart. Michael admires how the doctors he worked with improve patients’ lives in a very direct way, so he now wants to become a doctor himself.

Treat this prompt as an opportunity to tell your story. Show the admissions committee where you’ve been, where you are now, and where you want to go. You may have heard the old writing trope “Show, don’t tell.” Rather than saying that you like the medical field, use anecdotes to showcase your specific passions and motivations.

Where to Get Your Columbia University Essays Edited

Want feedback on your Columbia essays to improve your chances at admission? After rereading your essays over and over again, it can be difficult to find where your writing can be improved. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also sharpen your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Master of Architecture

M.s. advanced architectural design, m.s. computational design practices, m.s. critical, curatorial & conceptual practices.

• Ph.D. Architecture
• New York/Paris

Intro Program

M.s. architecture and urban design, m.s. urban planning.

• Ph.D. Urban Planning

M.S. Historic Preservation

• Ph.D. Historic Preservation

M.S. Real Estate Development

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Application Process & Requirements

The 2024 admissions deadline for PhD and Master’s programs has passed and the applications are closed. The application for 2025 admissions will be available in September.

Applications for the non-degree programs Intro to Architecture and Shape of Two Cities: New York Paris are open and reviewed on a rolling basis.

Columbia GSAPP is committed to attracting the best talent from a wide range of geographic, cultural, and economic backgrounds, and employs a holistic application review process that considers multiple factors with the intent of creating a class enhanced by diverse voices. Applicants are considered for their academic merit, potential, and individual experiences, and are selected to shape the best possible educational environment in the School’s studios and classrooms for the student body at large.

Each degree program offered by Columbia GSAPP has unique admissions requirements. Please select your program of interest below, and carefully review the program-specific application deadlines, processes, and requirements, as well as the admissions policies. If you need any additional help, please reference the FAQ page or contact the Admissions office at [email protected] .

Prerequisites

Application Deadline: January 3, 2024

All Master of Architecture students must complete prerequisites before the start of the program. Please review the M.ARCH Prerequisites webpage for full details.

All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.ARCH program.

All applicants must have fulfilled a minimum of 45 credit hours of general studies in the arts, humanities and/or science at their undergraduate institution.

History/Theory Course Sequence: All applicants must have completed a 3-point survey course in architectural history at an accredited college or university dealing with any of the following periods: classical to Renaissance, Renaissance to modern, or modern.

Building Technologies Course Sequence: All applicants must have completed a 3-point course in general physics or two 3-point calculus courses at an accredited college or university.

Applicants who have no prior background in architecture must complete a course in architectural graphic presentation (this could be one term of architectural studio or a studio in the visual arts such as drawing, painting, or sculpture) as a prerequisite for the Core Studio Sequence, before registering in the M.ARCH program.

Application Steps

• 1. Online Application
• 2. Letters of Recommendation
• 3. Personal Statement
• 4. Transcripts
• 5. Portfolio
• 6. Resumé/CV
• 8. English Proficiency Requirement
• 9. Dual Degree Option
• 10. Application Status

Online Application

Create and complete an online application.

A fee of $75 (payable by Visa or MasterCard) is due at the time of application submission.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required for all degree program applicants. GSAPP does not have a special form for letters of recommendation. Recommenders may scan and upload recommendation letters to the online application. Letters received directly from applicants will not be accepted.

Letters of recommendation are due by the application deadline.

Personal Statement

Transcripts.

An academic transcript/record from each university attended and credit earned is required for all applicants. All transcripts must be received by the application deadline. Applicants should upload a digital copy or scan of their transcript/s to the online application. We allow digital copies of transcripts for review purposes only.

Please note that the applicant may upload unofficial transcripts at the start of the application process. Once an applicant has been admitted and has indicated acceptance of our offer of admission, certified and secure online official transcripts must be submitted directly to Columbia from the applicant’s prior institution(s)’ Registrar Office. Please note that incoming students for the 2024 year will be contacted with specific instructions on electronic submission from prior institution(s) for receipt of these documents. Only if a prior academic institution is unable to submit certified and secure online official transcripts, an official transcript in a sealed envelope must be sent directly from that institution’s Registrar Office to Columbia. Columbia will use its verification vendor to verify the applicant’s degree and transcript with the prior academic institutions and/or the relevant country’s Ministry of Education. Applicants will be asked to consent to participate in this verification process by submitting an authorization and release form.

GRE test scores are optional for the 2023-2024 Admissions cycle.

MSUP applicants who do not have strong analytical background or professional experience are encouraged to submit GRE results to supplement their application.

Applicants who have prior score results may submit them as part of their application. GRE scores are considered valid for five years after the test date.

Applicants should contact ETS to have official test scores sent to the GSAPP Admissions Office via Institution Code 2164. GRE scores are valid for five years after the test date. At this time there is no minimum required GRE score for admission.

English Proficiency Requirement

All applicants whose primary language is not English must submit English Proficiency Exam scores (with the exception of Introduction to Architecture applicants).

Applicants whose primary language is not English and who have successfully completed two years of study in an English-speaking institution may waive the English Proficiency requirement.

Columbia GSAPP accepts TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo test results. Self-reported scores must be verified by requesting official scores to be sent directly to GSAPP.

TOEFL: Applicants should contact ETS to have official TOEFL test scores sent to the GSAPP Admissions via Institution Code 2164, Dept. Code 12. Scores sent to any other institution code will not be accessible to GSAPP staff. TOEFL scores are valid for two years after the test date.

IELTS and Duolingo: Columbia GSAPP accepts IELTS and Duolingo test results as alternatives to TOEFL scores. Institution school codes are NOT required for IELTS and Duolingo.

Please see the Admissions FAQ page for additional details.

Dual Degree Option

The following programs are approved for dual degree within GSAPP: - M. ARCH & M.S. CCCP - M. ARCH & M.S. UP - M. ARCH & M.S. HP - M. ARCH & M.S. RED - M.S. UP & M.S. HP - M.S. UP & M.S. RED - M.S. HP & M.S. RED

The following programs are approved for dual degree with other schools at Columbia: - M.S. UP & Master of Business Administration (with the Business School) - M.S. UP & Juris Doctor (with the School of Law) - M.S. UP & Master of Science in Social Work (with the School of Social Work - M.S. UP & Master of Science in Public Health (with the Mailman School of Public Health) - M.S. UP & Master of International Affairs (with the School of International and Public Affairs)

Program requirements, including suggested course sequences can be found here .

Application Status

Prospective students are strongly encouraged to review application policies and procedures before submitting an online application. The GSAPP only accepts applications online.

Applicants may check the status of their application after submission by logging into their account with their email address and password and reviewing the status page.

Application Deadline: January 15, 2024

• The M.S.AAD program is a second/post-professional degree in Architecture. All applicants must have a first professional degree, B.Arch, M.Arch, or equivalent degree (5 years, eligible for licensure) by the time they start the M.S. AAD program.
• 7. English Proficiency Requirement
• 8. Application Status
• The M.S. AUD program is open to both pre- and post-professional students, and encourages applications from a range of backgrounds interested in exploring urban design. All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. AUD program. Please note that the M.S. AUD is not a professional architecture degree and does not in itself qualify for licensure.
• 4. Resumé/CV
• 5. Transcripts
• 6. Portfolio
• The M.S. CDP program is open to both pre- and post-professional students, and encourages applications from a range of backgrounds. All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. CDP program.
• 5. Portfolio M.S. CDP
• 6. English Proficiency Requirement
• 7. Resumé/CV

Portfolio M.S. CDP

A digital portfolio is required for admission to the M.S. CDP program. The digital portfolio should be in a single PDF document, 20 PDF pages or less (including the cover pages and table of contents, if applicable), and should not exceed 32 MB. The digital portfolio should be optimized for viewing on a standard size computer screen. Digital portfolios must be uploaded at the time the application is submitted. Portfolios should contain reproductions of original drawings, prints, graphic design, or sculpture.

The M.S. CDP portfolio can be architectural design, computational design or multi-media, and include text.

The M.S. CCCP program applicants must have a minimum of a four-year bachelor degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. CCCP program, including no less than 4 classes in architecture, architectural history, or a related form of aesthetic or cultural practice.

Applicants who do not hold a B.Arch or M.Arch degree or the equivalent should demonstrate a substantive interest in architecture and/or urbanism through providing evidence of work in history, theory, criticism, research, design, editing, events-coordination, visualization, exhibition work, or curatorial practice.

Visual acuity and interest in undertaking independent research and original projects are crucial for all applicants and the submission of a portfolio of writing or visual material is intended to provide the admissions committee with evidence of an applicant’s areas of interest and/or skills as well as preparation in the field he or she intents to pursue. It is not, however, necessary to have extensive experience in order to be admitted, but in the absence of such a background it is very important that the character and strengths of a prospective student’s work and research interests are documented and conveyed.

• 5. Portfolio M.S. CCCP

Portfolio M.S. CCCP

A digital portfolio is required for admission to the M.S. CCCP program. The digital portfolio should be in a single PDF document, 20 PDF pages or less (including the cover pages and table of contents, if applicable), and should not exceed 32 MB. The digital portfolio should be optimized for viewing on a standard size computer screen. Digital portfolios must be uploaded at the time the application is submitted. Portfolios should contain reproductions of original drawings, prints, graphic design, or sculpture.

M.S. CCCP applicants have the option of submitting writing and/or visual material to fulfill the portfolio requirement.

The M.S. HP program is multidisciplinary in nature and expects all students to engage in preservation in depth from many perspectives. Applicants are expected to demonstrate a commitment to historic preservation as a profession and students should have a basic knowledge of the history of architecture.

All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. HP program.

Part-time Option Columbia GSAPP now offers a part-time option for the MS in Historic Preservation degree . Specifically designed for active practitioners in the field who wish to maintain professional positions while studying, this option is based on the same academic requirements and allow students to complete a MSHP degree over the course of four years (eight semesters) instead of two years (four semesters) of full-time study. Please see the application requirements below, and select the part-time option within the online application form.

• 5. Resumé/CV
• 8. Dual Degree Option
• 9. Application Status

All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. RED program.

M.S. RED applicants may hold undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide range of fields. While graduate and professional academic preparation in development-related disciplines, such as architecture, finance, law, urban design, historic preservation, civil engineering, or urban planning is highly desirable, it is not essential for admission to the program.

• 6. GRE/GMAT

GRE test scores are optional for 2024-2025 admissions.

MSRED applicants who do not have a strong background in finance, statistics, or analytics, and who do not have at least two years of relevant professional experience, are encouraged to submit GRE test scores to supplement their application.

GRE Applicants who chose to include optional test scores should contact ETS to have official test scores sent to the Admissions Office via Institution Code 2164. Scores sent to any other institution code will not be accessible to GSAPP staff. GRE scores are valid for five years after the test date.

GMAT Applicants who chose to submit optional test scores may submit GMAT scores in lieu of GRE scores. Applicants should contact GMAC to have official test scores sent to the GSAPP Admissions Office via Institution Code: QF8-73-53. Scores sent to any other institution code will not be accessible to GSAPP staff. GMAT scores are valid for five years after the test date.

*Applicants who wish to report an unofficial score are required to request an official transcript for verification in order to complete the application. Official scores sent directly from a testing agency are considered official. Scores uploaded by applicants are considered unofficial and will not fulfill application requirements.

The M.S. UP program prepares students from diverse academic backgrounds for careers as professional planners. Applicants typically, but not exclusively, have majored in architecture, engineering, sociology, political science, geography, economics, or urban studies; many also come from backgrounds in the humanities and pure sciences. The admissions committee reviews all applicants comprehensively, considering their undergraduate academic achievements, personal statement, and related experiences.

All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the M.S. UP program. Once a member of the GSAPP Admissions Office completes a preliminary review, the M.S. in Urban Planning program office assigns each application to three reviewers including a minimum of two full-time Urban Planning faculty members. The program seeks applicants with strong critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills. The application deadline is January 15, 2023 for entry in the Fall 2023 semester, and the GSAPP Admissions Office notifies applicants with decisions in March 2023.

Please note that deadlines for dual degree programs outside of GSAPP are set by their respective schools. Separate applications need to be submitted to each program and applicants need to be admitted by both schools to pursue a dual-degree program. Please consult each respective school’s website for details. Part-time Option Columbia GSAPP now offers a part-time option for the MS in Urban Planning degree . Specifically designed for active practitioners in the field who wish to maintain professional positions while studying, this option is based on the same academic requirements and allow students to complete a MSUP degree over the course of four years (eight semesters) instead of two years (four semesters) of full-time study. Please see the application requirements below, and select the part-time option within the online application form.

• 3. Personal Statement MSUP

Personal Statement MSUP

Ph.d. in architecture.

Application Deadline: JANUARY 4, 2024

The Architecture Ph.D. Program is administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). All application instructions, deadlines and procedures are available on the GSAS website .

Eligibility for admission to the program is generally limited to students holding a Master of Architecture degree or a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree plus a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in the field of architectural history and theory. Students who hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in another field are considered for admission if they can demonstrate a strong background in architectural history or related disciplines of the built environment.

All prospective students must apply using the online application. Printed applications are not available.

A complete application includes:

• Transcripts of all previous post-secondary education
• A statement of academic purpose
• A curriculum vitae or résumé
• Three letters of recommendation from academic sources
• For international students: Examination scores to fulfill the English Proficiency Requirement
• A sample of scholarly writing, 30 pages
• Payment of the application fee

Please contact the GSAS with all admissions questions.

For program questions, applicants may reach out to PhD committee faculty regarding particular research interests.

Ph.D. in Historic Preservation

The Historic Preservation Ph.D. Program is administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). All application instructions, deadlines and procedures are available on the GSAS page .

Eligibility for admission to the program is generally limited to students holding a Master of Historic Preservation degree. Under certain circumstances, students who hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in another field are considered for admission.

• GRE scores are waived for 2022 admissions

Optional Portfolio: Applicants are encouraged to submit an optional portfolio if it speaks to their research interest in experimental preservation approaches that explore material intersections of the PAAST (Preservation Art Architecture Science and Technology) with urgent contemporary environmental and social issues. For more information on the Optional Portfolio, please review the FAQ .

Ph.D. in Urban Planning

Application Deadline: DECEMBER 14, 2023

The Urban Planning Ph.D. Program is administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). All application instructions, deadlines and procedures are available on the GSAS page .

The applicant must hold a master’s degree in urban planning or in a related discipline and have excellent academic credentials (a grade average of B+ or better). In addition, the applicant is required to have completed at least 90 points of undergraduate liberal arts courses in the social sciences, humanities or natural sciences, and the equivalent of the core courses provided in the master’s-level curriculum in the Division of Urban Planning, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Fellowships are awarded in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success. Graduate fellowships include teaching and research assistantships.

• GRE scores are optional for 2024 admissions
• A sample of scholarly writing, 8-10 pages

For program questions, applicants should reach out to the Chair of the PhD sub-committee.

New York / Paris

Application Deadline: Rolling Admission (January–July)

The New York/Paris program is designed for students who have completed their sophomore year at an accredited college or university, or students who have received a bachelor’s degree. Previous study in architecture, planning, or preservation is not required. Undergraduate students must have the written support of their home institution.

• 2. Personal Statement
• 3. Letter of Recommendation
• 5. English Proficiency Requirement
• 6. Application Status

Letter of Recommendation

One letter of recommendation is required for New York/Paris program applicants and Visiting Scholars. GSAPP does not have a special form for letters of recommendation. Recommenders may scan and upload recommendation letters to the online application. Letters received directly from applicants will not be accepted.

Application Deadline: Rolling Admission (January–June)

The Intro Program (Intro to Architecture, Intro to Historic Preservation, Intro to Real Estate, and Intro to Urban Planning) is a 5-week, 3-point intensive course (non-degree, not for credit towards a degree, and not eligible for full-time student status).

• Participants have the option of choosing a focus on Architecture, Historic Preservation, Real Estate, or Urban Planning, which may be selected in the application form.
• Into to Architecture will be held both online and in-person, allowing students to choose their preferred mode of study; Intro to Urban Planning and Historic Preservation will be held in-person; Intro to Real Estate will be held online.
• Admitted students are invited to apply to the Hilyard Robinson Scholars Program . Recipients receive full tuition scholarships for GSAPP’s Intro to Architecture summer program.
• Applicants should have completed an undergraduate degree or currently be enrolled at an undergraduate institution.
• 2. Transcripts
• 3. Optional Recommendation
• 4. Application Status

Optional Recommendation

Non-degree program applicants to Introduction to Architecture and Special Students have the option to include letters of recommendation, but they are not required.

GSAPP does not have a special form for letters of recommendation. Recommenders may scan and upload recommendation letters to the online application. Letters received directly from applicants will not be accepted.

Decarbonization at Scale

The 2-week, 2-credit course seeks to foster a curiosity and solutions-driven mindset through a series of actions – open dialogue, consultation, exploration, and reflection – and to create a dynamic feedback loop that leads to transferable and scalable outcomes.

“Decarbonization at Scale” is open to current and recently graduated Master’s degree students in the United States or Canada. Candidates must either enter the final year of their Master’s degree studies, or have graduated in 2024.

The application is open to students in the fields of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, Urban Planning, Historic Preservation, Structural/Civil/Construction Engineering, and Real Estate Development.

Application Opens: February 15, 2024 Application Deadline: March 22, 2024

• 1. Application Status
• 2. Online Application
• 3. Transcripts
• 4. Two Letters of Recommendation
• 5. Motivation Letter
• 6. Reflection Paper
• 7. Four-page Portfolio

Two Letters of Recommendation

Two letters of recommendation are required for “Decarbonization at Scale” Holcim Foundation Fellowship at Columbia GSAPP: 1 academic recommendation and 1 academic or professional recommendation.

Recommenders complete an online form and upload recommendation letters directly to the online application. Letters received from applicants are not accepted.

Motivation Letter

A 200-word maximum motivation letter is required for “Decarbonization at Scale” Holcim Foundation Fellowship at Columbia GSAPP. Please address the prompt:

• What do you hope to gain from the Holcim Fellowship at Columbia GSAPP?

Reflection Paper

A 800-word maximum reflection paper is required for “Decarbonization at Scale” Holcim Foundation Fellowship at Columbia GSAPP. Please cover both of the themes below:

• The reasons for self-leadership and collaboration within future careers.
• Value of contextual learning for reaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advancing the construction industry.

Four-page Portfolio

A digital portfolio is required for admission for admission to the “Decarbonization at Scale” Holcim Foundation Fellowship at Columbia GSAPP.

The digital portfolio should be in a single PDF document, 4 PDF pages maximum, and should not exceed 32 MB. The digital portfolio should be optimized for viewing on a standard size computer screen. Digital portfolios must be uploaded at the time the application is submitted.

Visiting Scholar

Application Deadline: Rolling Admission

Persons who wish to use the facilities of the University to pursue their own research may be named visiting scholars.

In order to be eligible for visiting scholar status, applicants must be currently affiliated with an accredited academic institution.

“Visiting scholar” is a courtesy title and does not signify a formal association with the University. Individuals named to these titles may not claim a University affiliation for the purpose of applying for grants and contracts and should not represent themselves in their publication and correspondence as having a University affiliation.

Visiting Scholars are not eligible to take courses at GSAPP for credit.

We only accept a limited number of Visiting Scholars and are unable to provide an invitation letter until an applicant has submitted an online application and has been approved by the Provost’s office.

• 2. Personal Statement Visiting Scholar
• 7. Application Status

Personal Statement Visiting Scholar

A personal statement is required for admission to each program (with the exception of Introduction to Architecture). In approximately 500 words, describe your background, your past work in your intended field of study, and your plans for study and a professional career.

The statement must include the applicant’s affiliation with an accredited academic institution. Applicants must demonstrate a solid academic reason as to why they must be in person at Columbia to conduct their research. They must also specify which on-campus resources and archives will be accessed as part of their research.

Special Student

Application Deadline: August 15 or December 1 of each year

Individuals may be eligible to take courses in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. These students must be admitted by the Office of the Associate Dean of Admissions as Special Students (non-degree candidates).

Studios and visual studies courses are not open to Special Students. Courses in the Real Estate Development program are also not open to Special Students. Lecture classes are open to Special Students with the permission of the Associate Dean of Admissions and the faculty teaching the course.

Special Students receive library and computer access for the semester(s) in which they are enrolled. They receive a transcript from Columbia University with the course name and grade(s). Special Students pay the current per-point rate for degree programs for the course.

If a Special Student wishes to apply for matriculation in any of the graduate degree programs at a later date, the student must submit an application for that program by the deadline. The Admissions Committee does not treat the applicant preferentially. In some cases, students who take courses as Special Students and are admitted to a degree program may be awarded advanced standing. Those who wish to apply for degree candidacy are therefore urged to do so at the earlier possible time.

• 4. English Proficiency Requirement
• 5. Optional Recommendation

Prospective students must submit an application online to be considered for admission. Only one application per admissions period is accepted. Multiple applications to different programs will not be processed unless they are applications to an approved dual degree program.

Applicants are expected to use their full legal name when completing the online application.

All candidates have the opportunity to complete a GSAPP scholarship application included with the application for admission. GSAPP scholarships are based on a combination of merit and financial need. This form must be submitted through the online application. Candidates will not have access to the scholarship application once their program application has been submitted.

GSAPP does not grant deferrals, nor does it conduct spring term admissions. Candidates will only be considered for the semester listed on their application.

Files or materials sent during previous application periods are not saved for future applications. Those wishing to re-apply must re-submit all of the required application materials for their new application to be considered complete.

Note that the applicant must submit all materials directly, not through an agent or third-party vendor, with the sole exception of submissions by the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Program and its three partner agencies IIE, LASPAU and AMIDEAST, and by the Danish-American Fulbright Commission (DAF), Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), and Vietnam Education Fund (VEF). In addition, the applicant will be required to attest to the accuracy and authenticity of all information and documents submitted to Columbia. If you have any questions about this requirement, please contact the admissions office at GSAPP.

Failure to submit complete, accurate, and authentic application documents consistent with these instructions may result in denial or revocation of admission, cancellation of academic credit, suspension, expulsion, or eventual revocation of degree. Applicants may be required to assist admissions staff and faculty involved in admission reviews in the verification of all documents and statements made in documents submitted by students as part of the application review process. 

Columbia University in the City of New York

Columbia College | Columbia Engineering

• Personal Statement

Law schools require applicants to write a personal statement as part of the application. The purpose of the personal statement is to gather additional information about the applicant outside of their academic performance, LSAT score, and extracurricular activities.

The most important consideration in writing personal statements, no matter what the topic, is the impression applicants create of themselves. The personal statement is an opportunity for an applicant to distinguish themselves from all the other applicants.

Some law schools will have additional essay requirements or optional questions. The Office of Preprofessional Advising recommends that applicants, if appropriate, answer all optional essay questions. Additional essays give the admissions committee more information about their applicants. Failure to submit optional essays may result in an applicant being viewed as uninterested in the school.

The Office of Preprofessional Advising staff members are available to give feedback on personal statements.  For current undergraduates, consultants are also available at the Undergraduate Writing Program , 310 Philosophy, to work with you one-on-one.  This is a free service and they can be contact via  email  ( [email protected] ).  You may also schedule an appointment online . 

Alumni/ae can receive feedback on their personal statements by sending their statement as a Word attachment (saved as Last Name, First Name Law School PS) to Niki Cunningham  ( [email protected] ). Please allow 7 business days for feedback and please do not send multiple drafts before receiving feedback. Please also include your name on document.

Tutors in the Undergraduate Writing Program are also available to assist CURRENT undergraduates in writing their personal statement. The service is FREE and is highly recommended, as the Office of Preprofessional Advising cannot read personal statements for current students.

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5 Columbia University Supplemental Example Essays (2023)

If you want to get into Columbia University in 2023, you can make sure you have the best chances of getting accepted by writing powerful essays.

In this article I've gathered 5 of the best college essays that got accepted into Columbia University to help you improve your own essays.

You can see how real students answered Columbia's writing supplement section and Common App personal statement.

What is Columbia University's Acceptance Rate?

This past year 60,377 students applied to Columbia and of those 2,253 were admitted for the Class of 2026.

That gives Columbia an overall admit rate of 3.73% , or in other words about 1 in 25 students are offered admission.

Columbia University Acceptance Scattergram

Admissions into Columbia is clearly highly competitive, but there's an upside:

The more selective a college is, the more your application essays matter.

What are Columbia University Supplemental Prompts for 2023?

This year, Columbia requires applying students to respond to several "list" questions, short answers, and short essay prompts.

Here are the Columbia writing supplement questions for 2023:

Columbia Writing

The questions on this page are being asked by Columbia University Applicants are asked to respond to Columbia-specific questions to tell the Admissions Committee more about their academic, extracurricular and intellectual interests. These questions allow us to better understand your intellectual curiosity, habits of mind, love of learning and sense of self. These questions also allow the Admissions Committee to learn more about you in your current community and why you feel Columbia’s distinctive experiences in and out of the classroom would be a good fit for your undergraduate education.

For the three list questions that follow, there is a 75 or 125 word maximum. Please refer to the below guidance when answering these questions:

• 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.

For the three short answer questions, please respond in 200 words or fewer.

For additional guidance, visit our website.

Please note that the third short answer question will not appear until you have selected Columbia College or Columbia Engineering in the "Academics" section of Columbia's application questions.

List the titles of the required readings from academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (75 words or fewer)

List the titles of the books, essays, poetry, short stories or plays you read outside of academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (75 words or fewer)

We’re interested in learning about some of the ways that you explore your interests. List some resources and outlets that you enjoy, including but not limited to websites, publications, journals, podcasts, social media accounts, lectures, museums, movies, music, or other content with which you regularly engage. (125 words or fewer)

A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and live in a community with a wide range of perspectives. How do you or would you learn from and contribute to diverse, collaborative communities? (200 words or fewer)

Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia. (200 words or fewer)

For applicants to Columbia College, please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the areas of study that you previously noted in the application. (200 words or fewer)

For applicants to Columbia Engineering, please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the areas of study that you previously noted in the application. (200 words or fewer)

5 Columbia University EssaysThatWorked

Here are 5 of the best essays that worked for Columbia University.

Below you can read answers to the 2022-23 Columbia writing supplement, as well as past year's prompts. I've also included personal statement essays from admitted Columbia students.

Columbia University Essay Example #1

Columbia university essay example #2, columbia university essay example #3, columbia university essay example #4, columbia university essay example #5.

Prompt: List a few words or phrases that describe your ideal college community. (150 words max)

Filled with activity around the clock. A place to come home to.

Trying to get past locked doors (literal and metaphorical).

Offering intellectual freedom and curiosity, without forcing specialization. Accommodating students who are unwilling to wait to make a difference. Willing to look critically at itself.

Socially conscious and politically active.

Never taking its eye off the national or global stage.

Buzzing with so much life it flows beyond the campus into the outside world.

So much life that sometimes it intimidates, that it yearns for more hours in the day. With too many options to choose from, Too much to do in four years.

Filled with clever eyes that see new ideas in the lessons of history.

Diverse of origin, of culture, of opinion, of religion, of personality, Diverse like an international center of thought and ideas and passions. An urban wonderland.

Supporting of extraordinary ambitions.

Prompt: List the titles of the required readings from academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (150 words max)

Survival of the Sickest - Sharon Moalem

What a Plant Knows: A Field Guide to the Senses - Daniel Chamovitz

The blockade of immune checkpoints in cancer immunotherapy - Drew Pardoll

The Physical Universe - Arthur Beiser

Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

Sexual Politics and Religious Reform in the Witch Craze - Joseph Klaits

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers - Paul Kennedy

The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli

On World Government - Dante Alighieri

Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945 - Tony Judt

Learn the secrets of successful top-20 college essays

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Prompt: List the titles of the books, essays, poetry, short stories or plays you read outside of academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (150 words max)

A Most Incomprehensible Thing (the mathematics of relativity) - Peter Collie

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Hayao Miyazaki

Weapons of Math Destruction - Cathy O’Neil

Algorithms to Live By - Brian Christian

Giant of the Senate - Al Franken

The Sublime Object of Ideology - Slavoj Zizek

The Theoretical Minimum - Leonard Susskind

Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World - Tim Whitmarsh

The Casual Vacancy - J.K. Rowling

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller - Italo Calvino

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

The Feynman Lectures on Physics: Volume 1 - Richard Feynman

Meditations - Marcus Aurelius

The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

Pale Fire - Vladimir Nabokov

Justice by Lottery - Barbara Goodwin

History: A Very Short Introduction - John H. Arnold

Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II - John Dower

Prompt: We’re interested in learning about some of the ways that you explore your interests. List some resources and outlets that you enjoy, including but not limited to websites, publications, journals, podcasts, social media accounts, lectures, museums, movies, music, or other content with which you regularly engage. (125 words max)

The Economist

The New York Times

Reddit - /r/programming /r/machinelearning /r/lifeprotips /r/iwanttolearn /r/politics /r/science /r/physics /r/economics Hacker News

The Atlantic

The Washington Post

Paulgraham.com

Waitbutwhy.com

whatif.xkcd.com arXiv.org - arXiv-sanity.com

Scientific American

Flowingdata.com

StackExchange

Prompt: For applicants to Columbia College, please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the field or fields of study that you noted in the Member Questions section. If you are currently undecided, please write about any field or fields in which you may have an interest at this time. (300 words max)

Studying computer science gives me the opportunity to be in a field that evolves so quickly I can always be on the forefront and do cutting-edge work. This summer at an ad-tech company, I moved the data science team’s analysis programs to a novel cluster-computing engine (Kubernetes), which can manage and distribute tasks across thousands of computers at once. Kubernetes is so new that barely any information has circulated about it. Because of this novelty, I was able to publish the first existing documentation of a data science pipeline in Kubernetes.

Computer science can also automate the manual drudgery of life. For example: to manage my clubs, I’ve written a program that checks for emails from members with excuses for missing meetings and automatically logs their absences.

Since computers have become the platform for every science, coding allows me to contribute to numerous fields. When I started at Einstein College of Medicine last year, I knew nothing about computational biology. Our project showed me that basic programming was all I needed to find fascinating results in the mostly unstudied mountains of genomic data.

As a person, I’m drawn to seemingly impossible challenges, in particular, the quest to teach machines and create mechanical consciousness. When I started taking online courses in AI, I became fascinated by the gradient descent method in machine learning. The method casts complex input data (e.g. photos) as thousand-dimensional surfaces and attempts to descend to the lowest points (minima) of those surfaces. It works best on data with underlying patterns, like pictures of human faces. This indicates that, in some way, the very nature of what a ‘face’ is, what unique structure is shared by nearly all faces, is found in the minima that AI models descend towards. My dream is to do foundational artificial intelligence research.

If you're trying to get into Columbia, you'll need to stand out from the competition. These 5 Columbia essays that worked showcase successful examples of responses to the Columbia writing supplement for 2022.

What did you think of these Columbia essays?

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Princeton Admitted Essay

People love to ask why. Why do you wear a turban? Why do you have long hair? Why are you playing a guitar with only 3 strings and watching TV at 3 A.M.—where did you get that cat? Why won’t you go back to your country, you terrorist? My answer is... uncomfortable. Many truths of the world are uncomfortable...

MIT Admitted Essay

Her baking is not confined to an amalgamation of sugar, butter, and flour. It's an outstretched hand, an open invitation, a makeshift bridge thrown across the divides of age and culture. Thanks to Buni, the reason I bake has evolved. What started as stress relief is now a lifeline to my heritage, a language that allows me to communicate with my family in ways my tongue cannot. By rolling dough for saratele and crushing walnuts for cornulete, my baking speaks more fluently to my Romanian heritage than my broken Romanian ever could....

UPenn Admitted Essay

A cow gave birth and I watched. Staring from the window of our stopped car, I experienced two beginnings that day: the small bovine life and my future. Both emerged when I was only 10 years old and cruising along the twisting roads of rural Maryland...

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Toroidally focused ultrasonic flaw detectors

• Acoustic Methods
• Published: 28 July 2011
• Volume 47 , pages 308–310, ( 2011 )

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• A. V. Shevelev 1 &
• Zh. V. Zatsepilova 2  

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New-type toroidally focused ultrasonic flaw detectors, whose application provides an appreciable increase in the flaw detection rate with retention of high sensitivity to flaws, are considered. The construction of a flaw detector is presented, the sizes of a gauge for the formation of the toroidal surface of a lens are given, and the technology of the manufacturing of a toroidal lens is described.

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Elektrostal Polytechnic Institute, Branch of the National University of Science and Technology “MISIS”, ul. Pervomaiskaya 7, Elektrostal, Moscow oblast, 144000, Russia

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Original Russian Text © A.V. Shevelev, Zh.V. Zatsepilova, 2011, published in Defektoskopiya, 2011, Vol. 47, No. 5, pp. 19–22.

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Shevelev, A.V., Zatsepilova, Z.V. Toroidally focused ultrasonic flaw detectors. Russ J Nondestruct Test 47 , 308–310 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1061830911050093

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Received : 14 January 2011

Published : 28 July 2011

Issue Date : May 2011

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1134/S1061830911050093

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