2011-2012 Bulletin – PDF - SEAS Bulletin - Columbia University

20
Undergraduate Admissions
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
212 Hamilton Hall, MC 2807
1130 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027
Phone: 212-854-2522
Fax: 212-854-3393
E-mail: ugrad-ask@columbia.edu
www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/
admissions
Admission as a First-Year
Student
Each autumn The Fu Foundation
School of Engineering and Applied
Science enrolls approximately 300 highly
qualified men and women, chosen
from a wide range of applicants. All
become full, active participants in a
rich and diverse university setting.
Therefore, the Admissions Committee
is interested in achievements not only
in mathematics and science, but also in
other fields: English, the social sciences,
languages, and the arts. Considerable
value is placed on personal qualities
and attributes like diversity of interests,
special abilities, maturity, motivation,
curiosity, and independence. Secondary
school records and recommendations
are carefully evaluated to ascertain the
content and difficulty of the applicant’s
preparatory studies and the degree
to which this preparation correlates
with standardized tests. Of importance
also is the candidate’s participation in
extracurricular or community activities.
Here the emphasis is placed on the
depth and significance of involvement
rather than on the number of activities.
For its final selection, the School seeks
students with unique achievements and
talents as well as diverse economic,
social, and geographic backgrounds.
Accordingly, Columbia Engineering
prescribes no standardized course of
study for secondary school students
applying for first-year admission.
The School does, however, strongly
recommend the following academic
preparation:
• Four years of mathematics
(preferably through calculus)
• One year of physics
• One year of chemistry
• Four years of English
and recommends as well:
• Three years or more of a foreign
language
• Three or four years of history and
social studies
The Application Process
Students are strongly encouraged to
apply online. Columbia utilizes The
Common Application and requires
a supplement. Both are available as
of August 1, 2011, on the Office of
Undergraduate Admissions website. If
you do not have access to the Internet,
please call the Office of Undergraduate
Admissions at 212-854-2522 to request
an application.
The Common Application and
supplement should be filled out and
submitted as early as possible along
with the $80 application fee or an official
fee waiver request.
All parts of the application must be
postmarked no later than January 1.
(See below for Early Decision deadlines.)
Decision letters are mailed out in
early April.
The Early Decision Program
Candidates for whom Columbia is the
first choice may apply under the Early
Decision Program. In order to qualify for
this program, all application materials
must be postmarked by November 1.
In mid-December, Early Decision
applicants receive notice of their acceptance,
denial, or deferral to regular decision
status. Applicants admitted under
the Early Decision program are obligated
to accept Columbia’s offer of admission
and must withdraw their applications at
other colleges if they are provided with a
financial aid package that enables them
to attend Columbia.
Required Standardized Testing
Please go to the Office of
Undergraduate Admissions website for
our standardized testing requirements.
You must register with the appropriate
testing agency well in advance of the
date on which you wish to be tested.
Please note that scores reported to
Columbia’s School of General Studies
(2095) will not reach our office and
will not be considered for evaluation.
Columbia reserves the right not to
evaluate a candidate whose scores
are not reported directly by the testing
agency. Please do not utilize the “rush”
service in sending your test scores to
Columbia. Doing so does not speed up
the processing of your test scores. We
obtain all testing via a secure website
to which we are provided access by the
appropriate testing agency. Scores that
are sent via the “rush” service are sent
to us in paper form, which we are no
longer able to process.
engineering 2011–2012