Columbia University in New York City

Columbia University is recognized as one of the great Ivy League schools on the East Coast of the United States. Located in the heart of New York, this highly selective university offers students a world renowned education. It is the oldest university in the state of New York and the fifth oldest university in the United States. Columbia received over 33,000 applications in the 2013 application cycle and accepted approximately 2300 undergraduates for freshman admission. They accept about 7% of  applicants, thus making admission to Columbia very competitive. The total enrollment at Columbia University is a little over 28,000, with 6,000 students making up the undergraduate  population. 

The title at the top of the Columbia website is “Columbia University in the City of New York”. Located right in Manhattan, Columbia offers students a beautiful and contained  campus with all the offerings of New York City. For students who desire a college experience in an urban setting, Columbia is an excellent choice. With a subway station just outside campus, students have easy access to all parts of Manhattan. The close proximity also benefits Columbia students in terms of access to internships and jobs in the area. 

Kings College in pre revolutionary New York

Columbia was first founded in 1754 as Kings College through a charter granted by King George the Second. Kings College was located on Madison Avenue in New York City and educated such historical figures as Alexander Hamilton who was the first Secretary of the Treasury and John Jay, an important international diplomat in post-revolutionary America. In 1784 Kings College was renamed Columbia University and in 1886 the campus was moved to its current Morningside Heights location. 

The Morningside Heights campus takes up approximately six city blocks or 36-acres and is iconized by its beautiful central quad. A focal point in the quad is the Butler Library. This is the largest library at Columbia and its pillared facade is a beautiful addition to the campus. Undergraduates at Columbia are grouped into two colleges. The liberal arts based Columbia College and the science focused School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Columbia is surrounded by several other colleges including: Barnard College, Manhattan School of Music, and the Bank Street School of Education. 

Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus

Education at Columbia is intense and rigorous. The unique aspect of Columbia’s education of undergraduates is its extensive Core Curriculum. For undergraduates (particularly during their freshman and sophomore years) the Core Curriculum is a series of required classes in a variety of disciplines. These classes are taken regardless of one’s major or educational interest. Core classes are often year-long and are taught by professors in small section and discussion groups. One of the most well known courses in the Core is called “Literature Humanities”. In this course, students read and  analyze many classic works of literature including Dostoyevsky, Homer, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen. While all students are required to take classes within the Core, students in the Engineering wing of Columbia are only expected to take half of the Core Curriculum’s offerings--this is due to the extensive list of required courses that Engineering students must take.

Columbia University has some of its strongest programs for undergraduates in its liberal arts based education. Programs in english and history as well as political science and economics are ranked highly in the world. Many consider the Core Curriculum as the basis for the great interdisciplinary and unique Columbia education. Columbia also has excellent graduate programs in its law, business, medical, and journalism schools.

Applying to Columbia starts with the Common Application. This includes a personal statement essay and other general information about the applicant (extra curricular activities, grades, test scores, interests, etc.). The Columbia Supplement is an additional piece of the application and generally requires one essay about the students’ reasons for applying to Columbia--Why Columbia?--, and another essay about the students’ interest in applying to either Columbia College or the School of Engineering. Columbia also requires counselor and teacher recommendations and an official school transcript. Finally Columbia requires standardized tests, the SAT with two subject tests or the ACT with writing tests. Once an application has been submitted,  applicants names are given to interviewers in the applicants’ area and many students are offered the opportunity to interview with a Columbia alumnus. Columbia offers generous financial assistance and in 2007, Columbia replaced the loans in financial aid packets with grants, so students are not over encumbered with loans when they graduate. More than half of Columbia students receive financial aid and the average financial aid package offered is $30,000. Columbia does not offer merit-based scholarships for undergraduates.

Columbia offers housing guaranteed for four years, due to the high cost of living in New York City. Approximately 10-15% of students in Columbia are members of fraternities or sororities. The university offers many club and activities to its student population. One that was very interesting to me, as a member of El Cerrito High School’s Debate Team, was the oldest club on the  Columbia campus, known as the debate Philolexian Society which was founded in 1802. This group participates in speech and debate events all over the country. 

President Obama was
educated at Columbia University

Columbia University is a school with its name found all over American and world history. Columbia has had the honor of educating three U.S. Presidents (including President Barack Obama), 26 leaders of countries around the world, 9 Supreme Court Justices, the first female Secretary of State, as well as a total of 79 Nobel Prize winners. In the arts, graduates include: composers Rodgers and Hammerstein, authors J.D. Salinger and Langston Hughes, and painter Georgia O’Keefe. 

Columbia is a school rich in history, high academic standards, and with a legacy that stands strong today. Situated in the heart of New York, Columbia offers students the diverse and opportunity-filled urban location of New York City,  while providing them with a beautiful campus, access to world renowned professors, exposure to challenging and varied educational offerings, research and internship possibilities, and the opportunity to study at one of the world’s top universities. I am incredibly honored and excited to attend Columbia University’s “Constitutional Law” program this summer and experience all of the great things that Columbia and New York City have to offer!

Columbia offers an Ivy League education in the heart of New York City.