How I got into Columbia University against all odds
My college application process was different in every way from most of the people I go to Columbia with, and that’s due to where I’m from.
My college application process was different in every way from most of the people I go to Columbia with, and that’s due to where I’m from. My Southern California high school had over 4,000 students, and of a graduating class of 1,000, there was only one who went to a top private school, that was me.
I’m not going to claim I got in because I was in any way smarter or better than my classmates in high school, but I will defend the fact that I was more driven toward reaching what I believed was my potential, to go to Columbia.
Starting my Junior year, the teachers in my “magnet” program explained to us the college application process, and we even began writing applications for the CSUs and the UCs. It was at this point that I first looked at the Columbia application, and after a quick read through I was fully convinced I would never be able to get in, but I was even more encouraged to try.
I started by telling my parents that I wanted to go to Columbia and I needed their help applying, and it was the shock of my life when they both sternly said no because it was too far, too expensive, and probably too hard to get into. Their unwavering rejection of what I thought to be my destiny was hard on me, and that summer I almost gave up on Columbia and myself.
Nonetheless come application time I still had my heart set on Columbia, and I needed some form of guidance in that endeavor, so logically I consulted my high school guidance counselor. My guidance counselor was even less supportive of my efforts to apply to Columbia, and scoffed at the idea that a student from our school would ever have a chance of getting into Columbia. I was immediately shot down by my counselor who said he was more occupied helping students apply to schools that they had a chance of getting into, and because he thought it was a waste of time to apply to Columbia he wouldn’t help me with the application.
The people I was supposed to rely on come application season had let me down, and it became my burden to figure out the application process and to write a good application.
Because I was so lost in the process, I had trouble finding a place to break into the application, so I did what any student does when they can’t solve a problem, I googled it. I found hundreds of high school students comparing applications, revising each other’s essays, and generally just helping each other. The community of applicants just as lost as me on the internet was reassuring, and it was even better knowing I had a space to discuss applying to Columbia. If it weren’t for the help of complete strangers all around the world, I don’t think I would have had the same understanding of what the admissions team was looking for. With the help of students that I met online, I completed my first draft, and I had a decent understanding of the intent behind the questions the admissions team asks.
Sometime in September, I was accepted into a pre-application program at Columbia, and there I learned exactly what to do if I wanted to get in. I can’t stress enough how formative the pre-application programs can be for students who are devoted to one school. At the program, we spent time sitting down with actual admissions officers and we could ask them anything about the application and decision process. I pounced at this opportunity, and probably irritated every admissions officer I met with a barrage of questions, but by the end of the program, I had a well-structured idea of exactly what I would have to submit if I wanted to be accepted. From that program I tweaked my application (pretty much started from scratch) and come time to apply I was confident that I was submitting the application that gave me the best chance of being accepted.
My main takeaways from the college application process is summed up to two key points: 1. do your research about the school and its students — you should be an expert on any school you apply to, 2. try to understand why the application is asking the questions it does. The second part is trickier, but the idea is that the admissions office writes every question with an intent to learn something about you and if you know what they’re looking for you can just give it to them. Admissions officers aren’t wasting time with applications and every detail counts, be meticulous, be unique, and convince them that you are a Columbian through and through.
Nicholas is a content creator at Mascot. He studies Computer Engineering at Columbia University.
Mascot is a free IOS app designed to connect college applicants in group chats. Find the right groups for each college you are applying to and meet your future classmates today!
