Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science admitted 7.4 percent of applicants, up from 6.9 percent last year. A total of 2,363 students were admitted to the class of 2016.
The half-percentage increase follows a nearly 9 percent drop in applications to CC and SEAS this year. Last year, Columbia received a record number of applications after switching to the Common Application, leading to the record-low 6.9 percent admit rate.
The half-percentage increase follows a nearly 9 percent drop in applications to CC and SEAS this year. Last year, Columbia received a record number of applications after switching to the Common Application, leading to the record-low 6.9 percent admit rate.
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jessica Marinaccio attributed the fall in applications to a normalization of the applicant boom that resulted from the implementation of the Common Application.
“Given the increased accessibility associated with the Common Application, schools initially accepting it have typically seen a two-year increase in application volume of 10 to 25 percent,” Marinaccio said in a statement on Thursday. “Our application numbers this year appear to be normalizing to a size consistent with this trend and at a level that continues to indicate strong student interest.”
Marinaccio also attributed the decline in application volume to Harvard’s and Princeton’s return to a single-choice early action policy. Harvard accepted an all-time low of 5.9 percent, while Yale offered admission to 6.8 percent of applicants and Princeton to 7.9 percent.
Despite the 9 percent decline, this year’s applicant pool was the second largest in history, with 31,818 students applying for 1,391 seats. Columbia saw a 21.5 percent increase in application volume over the past two years.
“This, however, has never been our primary goal,” Marinaccio said. “More importantly, early indications show that the applicant pool is the most academically competitive in Columbia’s history.”
Ike Kitman, from Rockland County, N.Y., found out he was admitted today while at a family friend’s house. “I was sitting in this garage talking about old cars when I checked my phone and found out I got in,” he said. “My dad found out via Facebook. A family friend messaged him a congratulations about Columbia, and he was like, ‘What?’”
Kitman applied Early Decision in December and was deferred. He was put on Harvard’s waitlist and is still waiting to hear back from Williams College, but thinks he will most likely attend Columbia next fall.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “I’m a huge fan of the Core. I would like to be a history major, and I think it’s important for everyone to learn that information.”
The Core Curriculum was also a major draw for admitted student Michele Johnson.
Johnson, who lives in Miami, Fla., was sitting in her backyard with her mother when she found out she’d been accepted.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “I checked Columbia first—I had a few other schools to check—and it turned out to be good news. My mom was with me, so we had our mini-party right there.”
Now that decisions have been made and acceptance letters mailed out, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has shifted its focus to yield, said Katherine Cutler, director of communications and special projects of the Division of Student Affairs.
Admissions officers and members of the recruitment committees are currently planning admitted student events, such as the upcoming Days on Campus.
http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2012/03/29/cc-seas-admit-rate-74-percent
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