Columbia Class of 2016 Forum

[beepboopbeep]

Checking in. Admitted maybe an hour ago, I think it's a no brainer for me.

Do I only need to go fill out the FAFSA and application forms on my admitted students account to apply for financial aid?

Would love if someone could pm me and help with some questions I may have, thanks!

You also have to do the NeedAccess application, which is more intense than FAFSA. Truth be told, it's a motherfucker. Also yours and your parents' 2013 taxes to go along with, as you mentioned, the FinAid app and FAFSA. If you only have one parent there's a waiver application.

PM me your questions if you want, I spent a lot of time to talking to them and had a more involved financial aid app than a lot of people. Or if the questions aren't too personal about your situation, just put them up here so other people can see the answers.

[ph5354a]

$40k total (16/16/8) offer from Columbia via snail mail today!! Completely shocked, thought I was set on NYU and once again I'm more confused than ever.

Moonman, check your mailbox. I'm sure your offer is there

[beepboopbeep]

$40k total (16/16/8) offer from Columbia via snail mail today!! Completely shocked, thought I was set on NYU and once again I'm more confused than ever.

Moonman, check your mailbox. I'm sure your offer is there

When'd you send in your info? Dat 4/22 NYU deadline... boy, hope I'm in this batch of awards with y'all.

[ph5354a]

$40k total (16/16/8) offer from Columbia via snail mail today!! Completely shocked, thought I was set on NYU and once again I'm more confused than ever.

Moonman, check your mailbox. I'm sure your offer is there

When'd you send in your info? Dat 4/22 NYU deadline... boy, hope I'm in this batch of awards with y'all.

I think the deadline was March 1 and I was only a few days before that, I would guess 2/26.

Yeah, I didn't even go to CLS's ASD on April 3 because I had already gotten the monz from NYU and never expected any from CLS. I could go to the 4/22 Monday at Columbia program but OH WAIT that's the day I'm supposed to commit to NYU.

Blerg.

[beepboopbeep]

$40k total (16/16/8) offer from Columbia via snail mail today!! Completely shocked, thought I was set on NYU and once again I'm more confused than ever.

Moonman, check your mailbox. I'm sure your offer is there

When'd you send in your info? Dat 4/22 NYU deadline... boy, hope I'm in this batch of awards with y'all.

I think the deadline was March 1 and I was only a few days before that, I would guess 2/26.

Yeah, I didn't even go to CLS's ASD on April 3 because I had already gotten the monz from NYU and never expected any from CLS. I could go to the 4/22 Monday at Columbia program but OH WAIT that's the day I'm supposed to commit to NYU.

Blerg.

Ah, word. Good to hear. I think I was the very day before

I have a feeling there will be activity on this board on 4/21. You could go to the Monday thing in the morning, and send in your deposit in the evening? Are you in NYC?

[moonman157]

$40k total (16/16/8) offer from Columbia via snail mail today!! Completely shocked, thought I was set on NYU and once again I'm more confused than ever.

Moonman, check your mailbox. I'm sure your offer is there

CONGRATS!!! I am so happy for you! Nothing in the mail for me today, but hopefully soon. Is this where you will be going then?

[ph5354a]

$40k total (16/16/8) offer from Columbia via snail mail today!! Completely shocked, thought I was set on NYU and once again I'm more confused than ever.

Moonman, check your mailbox. I'm sure your offer is there

CONGRATS!!! I am so happy for you! Nothing in the mail for me today, but hopefully soon. Is this where you will be going then?

Thanks!! I'm still trying to weigh everything. I LOVED NYU but with higher firm and clerkship placement, basically equal scholarships, and lower rent near Columbia, it's going to be really hard to turn them down.

[moonman157]

$40k total (16/16/8) offer from Columbia via snail mail today!! Completely shocked, thought I was set on NYU and once again I'm more confused than ever.

Moonman, check your mailbox. I'm sure your offer is there

CONGRATS!!! I am so happy for you! Nothing in the mail for me today, but hopefully soon. Is this where you will be going then?

Thanks!! I'm still trying to weigh everything. I LOVED NYU but with higher firm and clerkship placement, basically equal scholarships, and lower rent near Columbia, it's going to be really hard to turn them down.

Great options to have, congrats again!

Did you, or anyone else who received money, send them in other offers before receiving your aid?

[kakistocracy]

$40k total (16/16/8) offer from Columbia via snail mail today!! Completely shocked, thought I was set on NYU and once again I'm more confused than ever.

Moonman, check your mailbox. I'm sure your offer is there

CONGRATS!!! I am so happy for you! Nothing in the mail for me today, but hopefully soon. Is this where you will be going then?

Thanks!! I'm still trying to weigh everything. I LOVED NYU but with higher firm and clerkship placement, basically equal scholarships, and lower rent near Columbia, it's going to be really hard to turn them down.

Great options to have, congrats again!

Did you, or anyone else who received money, send them in other offers before receiving your aid?

I didn't send in any offers. Got 40k!

[jubee]

seems like the ppl who got money so far heard via snail mail and those who didn't heard by email?

[efin12]

I didn't submit any offers and received $30k on Monday via snail mail. I thought I had submitted everything by the deadline, but found out at ASW that I was missing half the stuff, so I submitted the rest a little late.

[ph5354a]

Did anyone look at the apartments on West 115/116th? If I end up at CLS, I'm exploring leaving my dear sweet furry friend with my parents for a while to get my feet under me in NYC (*sob*).

On a related note, does UAH follow a 12 month lease, or are you able to live their on a semester to semester basis?

EDIT: looks like it's a year lease, and they allow subletting, but only for the summer months. I'm not sure I can live without my sidekick for a full year, but UAH prices are amazing!

[one_by_one]

seems like the ppl who got money so far heard via snail mail and those who didn't heard by email?

I got $$ via email but I had called to let them know about an impending deadline, so they expedited the process

[jubee]

seems like the ppl who got money so far heard via snail mail and those who didn't heard by email?

I got $$ via email but I had called to let them know about an impending deadline, so they expedited the process

cool thanks! speaking of housing, i'm kinda torn with requesting law school specific housing on the app. i think it would be nice to live with law students, but also am trying to stay on the low end of rent, and the law specific housing goes over 1100 (was hoping to keep rent between 900-1100). do you guys think the extra money is worth it? when you request law school specific and then later list max rent prices, do you think they take that into consideration at all, or they just stick you in anything law specific regardless of price?

[efin12]

seems like the ppl who got money so far heard via snail mail and those who didn't heard by email?

I got $$ via email but I had called to let them know about an impending deadline, so they expedited the process

cool thanks! speaking of housing, i'm kinda torn with requesting law school specific housing on the app. i think it would be nice to live with law students, but also am trying to stay on the low end of rent, and the law specific housing goes over 1100 (was hoping to keep rent between 900-1100). do you guys think the extra money is worth it? when you request law school specific and then later list max rent prices, do you think they take that into consideration at all, or they just stick you in anything law specific regardless of price?

I spoke to a lot of people about housing at ASW, and if you're in that price range you should really go for university housing, not law school-specific housing. I toured a 2-bedroom share and a 3-bedroom share, and they were both within a fifteen minute walk to the law school and were a pretty good deal. I also heard many people recommend the unfurnished apartments because they are bigger, plus the furnished apartments had really, really ugly furniture.

[ph5354a]

speaking of housing, i'm kinda torn with requesting law school specific housing on the app. i think it would be nice to live with law students, but also am trying to stay on the low end of rent, and the law specific housing goes over 1100 (was hoping to keep rent between 900-1100). do you guys think the extra money is worth it? when you request law school specific and then later list max rent prices, do you think they take that into consideration at all, or they just stick you in anything law specific regardless of price?

I spoke to a lot of people about housing at ASW, and if you're in that price range you should really go for university housing, not law school-specific housing. I toured a 2-bedroom share and a 3-bedroom share, and they were both within a fifteen minute walk to the law school and were a pretty good deal. I also heard many people recommend the unfurnished apartments because they are bigger, plus the furnished apartments had really, really ugly furniture.

I think if I do UAH, I'm leaning towards UAH over Law school housing. UAH is already a sacrifice for me because it would mean leaving my dog at home for the first year (*sob*), so I want to make it as cheap as possible. I don't care too much about living with law students. Even though it would be nice to make friends right off the bat, if you end up hating one of your roommates, and you have classes with them, that could be a recipe for disaster. The biggest advantages for me of UAH are: 1) ease of renting 2) proximity to campus 3) cost. I don't need to be in law school housing to achieve these, so I might as well take the cheapest option they have.

[learntolift]

speaking of housing, i'm kinda torn with requesting law school specific housing on the app. i think it would be nice to live with law students, but also am trying to stay on the low end of rent, and the law specific housing goes over 1100 (was hoping to keep rent between 900-1100). do you guys think the extra money is worth it? when you request law school specific and then later list max rent prices, do you think they take that into consideration at all, or they just stick you in anything law specific regardless of price?

I spoke to a lot of people about housing at ASW, and if you're in that price range you should really go for university housing, not law school-specific housing. I toured a 2-bedroom share and a 3-bedroom share, and they were both within a fifteen minute walk to the law school and were a pretty good deal. I also heard many people recommend the unfurnished apartments because they are bigger, plus the furnished apartments had really, really ugly furniture.

I think if I do UAH, I'm leaning towards UAH over Law school housing. UAH is already a sacrifice for me because it would mean leaving my dog at home for the first year (*sob*), so I want to make it as cheap as possible. I don't care too much about living with law students. Even though it would be nice to make friends right off the bat, if you end up hating one of your roommates, and you have classes with them, that could be a recipe for disaster. The biggest advantages for me of UAH are: 1) ease of renting 2) proximity to campus 3) cost. I don't need to be in law school housing to achieve these, so I might as well take the cheapest option they have.

Is there any UAH housing for one person, or will we have a roommate/roommates no matter what if we go with UAH?

[ph5354a]

Is there any UAH housing for one person, or will we have a roommate/roommates no matter what if we go with UAH?

From what I've seen, you can request a studio or 1-bedroom, but those are generally reserved for couples or families, though I don't think it's impossible for you to get one. They are pretty pricey though. The apartment shares are all private bedrooms, you just share the living room/kitchen/bathroom.

[JVK]

Did anyone look at the apartments on West 115/116th? If I end up at CLS, I'm exploring leaving my dear sweet furry friend with my parents for a while to get my feet under me in NYC (*sob*).

On a related note, does UAH follow a 12 month lease, or are you able to live their on a semester to semester basis?

EDIT: looks like it's a year lease, and they allow subletting, but only for the summer months. I'm not sure I can live without my sidekick for a full year, but UAH prices are amazing!

It's hard to say what kind of apartment you'll get on W 115th/116th, because there's no standard floor plan in the building. I saw one apartment that was essentially a long corridor with scattered rooms hanging off the sides, although the bedrooms and kitchen themselves were fine and spacious enough. Haha I can't say I'd want to live there, but the guy hosting the quick tour said his neighbors' apartments looked quite different.

Best you can do is to state your preferences clearly and then hope for some luck in the random housing lottery in May!

I spoke to a lot of people about housing at ASW, and if you're in that price range you should really go for university housing, not law school-specific housing. I toured a 2-bedroom share and a 3-bedroom share, and they were both within a fifteen minute walk to the law school and were a pretty good deal. I also heard many people recommend the unfurnished apartments because they are bigger, plus the furnished apartments had really, really ugly furniture.

Seconding most of this! UAH is still 4-5 blocks or less from the law school, you're really not choosing a subway ride vs. a walk across the street. The commute to the law school from any of the school-provided housing is negligible (barring the Arbor or the other ones you know you're getting yourself into).

The furnished apartments had solid furniture, but it's all the same grain of wood that may or may not fit your target aesthetic. It's practical, yes, I doubt it'll fall apart and it's not necessarily a price increase (furnished apartments in the law school housing can start at sub-$1,100 for a 3-bedroom share). That said, I don't know how the furnished v. unfurnished apartment sizes stack up next to each other. Won't advise on that until I have more complete information...

[5buildingsin1]

Got my fin aid today - big fat zero. Given the 50k at NYU and Penn and the ~90k at Uchicago, this is a bit surprising, but makes my decision easier.

Submitted app on last day to submit. #s in profile.

[gabriella97]

Got my fin aid today - big fat zero. Given the 50k at NYU and Penn and the ~90k at Uchicago, this is a bit surprising, but makes my decision easier.

Submitted app on last day to submit. #s in profile.

Did you receive your financial aid package through email or snail mail?

[5buildingsin1]

Snail, sorry forgot to specify.

[Lucky2013]

Hello guys! In today.

I'm also trying to figure out the housing situation and was wondering how unreasonable it would be to live "a bit further away" from the school... say Union City, NJ for instance.
Please bear in mind that I'm not going to live alone (significant other + pet). I also realize the commute would be an hour long with public transportation. I *think* I don't mind as long as the transportation is reliable. (I have done that in the past, although definitely not for something as intense as law school!)

Any advice/suggestions are appreciated!

[bowser]

Hello guys! In today.

I'm also trying to figure out the housing situation and was wondering how unreasonable it would be to live "a bit further away" from the school... say Union City, NJ for instance.
Please bear in mind that I'm not going to live alone (significant other + pet). I also realize the commute would be an hour long with public transportation. I *think* I don't mind as long as the transportation is reliable. (I have done that in the past, although definitely not for something as intense as law school!)

Any advice/suggestions are appreciated!

I don't know how reliable NJ transit is. MTA is pretty crappy, but usually gets you there eventually. The one person I know with a commute that long opted out and now lives on campus for 2nd semester. I would recommend living closer, unless:

You really don't have much desire to socialize with law school people.
You have excellent time management.

[jbagelboy]

Got my fin aid today - big fat zero. Given the 50k at NYU and Penn and the ~90k at Uchicago, this is a bit surprising, but makes my decision easier.

Submitted app on last day to submit. #s in profile.

Just curious, you arent going to try any negotiation with 90K from chicago?