Columbia University, comprised of the undergraduate colleges Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, received nearly 60,000 applications for the Class of 2029 and accepted only 2,946, or between both Early Decision and Regular Decision application rounds. When applying to Columbia, you absolutely need to approach the process with a clear strategy. In creating a strategy, it’s also important to know what has been going on at Columbia recently, as the university is in a bit of an era of adjustment and, they hope, recalibration.
It’s been a wild few years for Columbia University, one of the most famous schools in the world and a member of the vaunted Ivy League. They have had students occupy campus buildings to protest global events (this was not the first time, by the way), have had , and recently announce major investments in campus infrastructure and resources. These investments an expansion of the undergraduate student body.
Don’t expect this growth to make it easier to get in, though. They’ll be enrolling only 125, 200, and then 250 more first-year students over the next three years, which won’t move the needle much given the tens of thousands of applications that they receive. The university will also be adding additional faculty positions to the departments that hold the most popular majors, which without actually naming which departments are included in this growth.
The Columbia acceptance rates for both Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, or SEAS, have been very low . Looking at 2015 through 2024, the acceptance rate fell only 2% from 6% to a low of 4%. When you apply as a first year, then, you also need to have a confident vision of your future. You don’t need to be dead set on a particular major, but you do need to know if you fall into the SEAS pool or the larger Columbia College community. Applicants cannot plan to move between schools once on campus, as they make it very difficult and often impossible to pull off, so you need to apply to the college you want to attend: SEAS or Columbia College.
After making that first decision, students will need to specify a prospective area of study on the application. This is where major selection comes into play. Choosing a major on the Columbia application is not a throw-away decision. What you select will impact how your application is reviewed and if the readers can see a place for you on campus. It is critically important, then, that you don’t simply pick the right program for you, but also the right program for you to have the strongest chance of acceptance.
We often begin working with our students as early as sophomore year to craft resumes that amplify a prospective area of study that will increase their odds of a Columbia acceptance. Below, we give you a peek into how we think about selecting a prospective major when aiming for Columbia.
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There are certain majors at Columbia, both in SEAS and Columbia College that are super popular. With the expansion of the student body, Columbia announced that they will be working to expand the capacity of these departments in allow for that interest. However, that doesn’t mean that they have room for all the qualified and capable students who want to get in. Columbia does a lot more than the five majors we highlight below, so we recommend that our students select a related — but different — major to list on their application.
Instead of Economics, do an Interdisciplinary Major
The Economics major (and related majors) is the most popular social sciences major at Columbia. This is not surprising. Columbia is, of course, in the financial capital of the country, and many would say the world. The school operates as a direct pipeline into the biggest name financial and consulting firms globally, and so the economics program is a key piece of that feeder system.
As a first year applicant, the problem with this is that there are a disproportionate number of applicants interested in only one area of study – economics – and they tend to have similar resumes. They’ve taken similar courses, done similar summer programs, and invested in similar extracurriculars. Standing out from the pack, then, is really quite difficult.
One of the most immediate ways to stand out if you are a student who has been focused on economics through high school is to dial in on one of the specialized, and more focused, Economics majors that have far fewer students in each program at a time. There are in Economics-Mathematics, Economics-Philosophy, Economics-Political Science, and Economics-Statistics to choose from, each offering an additional lens through which admissions officers review your application. We recommend choosing the one that most aligns with your interests, and then investing time before applying to strengthen the connection between your profile as an applicant and the program.
This may mean joining a philosophy club and investing in working towards a leadership role, competing in math competitions, or interning with a local political campaign or initiative. Whatever it is, don’t just do it for the months leading up to applying and then drop it. You need to commit to make this angle on your application work.
Instead of Computer Science, BS do Computer Science, BA
Computer Science is a wildly competitive program at Columbia, but h. Students can pick from seven different majors, split between SEAS and Columbia College, that all are computer science — but approached from different directions. The most difficult programs to gain access to are the Computer Science and Computer Engineering majors within SEAS. These are extremely competitive with a painfully low acceptance rate.
We suggest that students, then, consider one of the Bachelor of the Arts programs in Computer Science, Information Science, Data Science, or Computational Biology within Columbia College. Unlike the SEAS program, for which students are assessed primarily on their existing computer science credentials, the BA programs allow for a more customized application that embraces all parts of you. This empowers differentiation, which is key for any Columbia application, and makes the liberal arts program at Columbia a key piece of your ‘why’.
Of course, to sell a CC major in computer science you need to actually be doing things other than computer science which would explain why you want to do more than the major in college. We work with our students to dial in their activities well ahead of applying to show a passion for learning beyond computer science and an enthusiasm for a humanities-oriented education.
Instead of Political Science, do Sociology
In addition to being a global financial hub, New York City is also an international policy hub. With the headquarters of the UN right in midtown Manhattan, it’s not surprising that one of the most popular majors at Columbia is . Being popular as a major also means it is popular among first-year applicants, which makes getting into Columbia with an interest in Political Science immensely difficult.
We guide our student towards putting , or the study of society, down as a prospective area of study instead. Highlighting a lean towards sociology on your application isn’t hard, as most high school students have limited exposure to sociology-centric coursework before getting to college. They do, however, interface with the core themes within sociology (interactions between people, communities, and organizations) through history, civics, and social studies classes.
To strengthen sociology as a prospective area of study at Columbia, add an additional history, civics, psychology, or ethics course to your high school course load and invest time in a club that incorporates psychology, economics, entrepreneurship, or politics. What will matter most, ultimately, is how you write about these experiences. That’s where we help most.
Instead of Neuroscience and Behavior, do Biological Sciences
If you have a super strong track record of interest in Neuroscience, including relevant internships and research experience, you should definitely select “” as a prospective area of study. If you don’t have such strong credentials outside of standard coursework, though, your application won’t stand out among more specialized applicants for this popular program co-sponsored by the Department of Psychology and the Department of Biological Sciences.
Instead, you should select as your extracurriculars and impressive coursework around biology will make a stronger case for your admission than lack luster neuroscience credentials.
However, if you are a sophomore or earlier and are definitely interested in neuroscience, take this as a moment to put your foot on the gas pedal. Line up opportunities for the summer and for next year that will make a neuroscience application stand out, and you won’t have to pick an alternative when it comes time to submit.
Instead of Psychology, do Anthropology
is another of those go-to majors that high school seniors select because they have exposure to it through high-level high school courses, so it isn’t an unknown as much as many of the other majors. Lots of students select it for just this reason.
Given the high demand for the psychology program, we suggest students select a similar – but less known by high schoolers – field: . If you have strong grades in the humanities, have taken a history elective on top of required courses, and have taken psychology in high school if offered, you are a strong candidate for Anthropology. The most important factor to joining the oldest academic department at Columbia is a sense of curiosity about other cultures and ways of making sense of the world.
We, then, also love adding some philosophy, globally-minded extracurriculars like Model UN, and writing for your school paper into the mix to show that you engage with the themes that are central to anthropology and are developing a voice and perspective through writing.
Instead of Mechanical Engineering, do Civil Engineering
For aspiring engineers and those who love to tinker, is often the go-to selection for a prospective major. The number of applications for this program is enormous, so we advise students to take a different approach. Instead, select .
Selecting Civil Engineering isn’t just because it’s a less crowded field. Civil Engineering, by definition, serves others. Those who go into civil engineering build bridges, dams, and the systems that keep our society safe and functioning. This opens a door for applicants to bring a society and social good-forward message to their applications in a way that may fall flat for a mechanical engineering applicant (or be left out entirely, which is a mistake by the way).
Build your civil engineering resume by working with your local parks or forest department on trail maintenance, where you will learn about the impacts of erosion on community spaces, or by helping to build a bridge crossing a small seasonal stream alongside the town sports fields. The goal, here, is to create experiences in the field that you can write about to craft your most compelling application.
As you look towards a Columbia application, remember always that Columbia College and SEAS are separate (although sometimes overlapping) programs that cannot easily be moved between at the university. Applying to Columbia College is not a backdoor into SEAS, nor vice versa for STEM-focused applicants with a humanities change of heart.
Remember, too, that selecting the correct potential major is crucial to making Columbia a true possibility, even for the strongest of students. Selecting the wrong major for you can turn a target school into a reach, and even put this Ivy League icon completely out of the realm of possibility.
Being strategic and thoughtful in the lead up to applying, and in writing the application itself, is a crucial piece of any successful application strategy. We bring experience, mentorship, and hands-on guidance to the process every step of the way.
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