Columbia c/o 2017 Applicants (2013-2014 cycle) Forum

[lastsamurai]

Really sorry to see so many regulars get the hold. I'm sure you guys will get in a month from now so I wouldn't be too worried

On another note, this looks like the first time Columbia is using this type of strategy so what do you think separates the people who already got Hammies/Butlers from all you above 75ths people?? Especially Lastsamurai who clearly has strong ties to NYC..

my old theory is that they assume we will all have gotten into HYS or $$$ from t10, but don't want to/have the butlers/hammys to lure us away. Simply put, perhaps we are not worth the cost.

Yeah I'd say we're like the second tier after those with amazing stats and softs. We generally avoid YP at the mid T14 so are in the running for big scholarships there but also might snag HYS, so it ultimately makes sense for Columbia to try to figure us out a little better.

What doesn't make sense is to sit on my application for 5 months to only then hold me. If they wanted more information, I wish they had asked earlier.

Either way, CLS remains one of my top choices, and I hope that they can turn around a decision early enough to make them an option.

[ejan1621]

Heldddd. Around both 75ths, have a pretty good tie with NYC (just, ya know, i grew up here, live here now, and was accepted into one of their phd programs recently that im most likely going to). Disappointing but hopefully will get some good news soon for all of us.

[lastsamurai]

Heldddd. Around both 75ths, have a pretty good tie with NYC (just, ya know, i grew up here, live here now, and was accepted into one of their phd programs recently that im most likely going to). Disappointing but hopefully will get some good news soon for all of us.

Oh man ejan...not you too! I don't see how they could possibly think that you weren't interested in coming...

[ejan1621]

Heldddd. Around both 75ths, have a pretty good tie with NYC (just, ya know, i grew up here, live here now, and was accepted into one of their phd programs recently that im most likely going to). Disappointing but hopefully will get some good news soon for all of us.

Oh man ejan...not you too! I don't see how they could possibly think that you weren't interested in coming...

Ugh I know! But to be fair to CLS, I only told them about my acceptance like a month ago so that's really no time whatsoever for them to update my application . I'm also not as YP territory as you all, so who knows - maybe they just didn't like me so much.

[jingosaur]

Held



>50th GPA >75th LSAT

[jace8819]

So, I have my Skype interview coming up next week. Anyone who has already lived through this anxiety have any tips? Was there a general trend behind questions being asked? It says there is no need to prepare for it, but I feel like that is a trap...

[charlie.black]

Quite the little bloodbath we have going on.

[charlie.black]

Charlie, I feel like we do everything together...

Held!!

Seriously Columbia? This is just dumb.

Been quite the ride this cycle. Glad its finally closing up. (but seriously...the waiting has been awful)

[lastsamurai]

Charlie, I feel like we do everything together...

Held!!

Seriously Columbia? This is just dumb.

Been quite the ride this cycle. Glad its finally closing up. (but seriously...the waiting has been awful)

If you two wanna go ahead and withdraw, I certainly wouldn't mind

[metroidbum]

.

[whippersnappery]

Wow! Columbia, what are you doing? I'm sorry to everyone who got held. Anyone else above medians who went complete September through November still not heard anything?

[yomisterd]

Sorry to all those held. When did ya'll go complete?

[Vursz]

Adding another to the pile of "Held" apps. Well above both 75ths, submitted/complete in Sept/Oct.

[The-Specs]

If you two wanna go ahead and withdraw, I certainly wouldn't mind

Is this your first choice, even over HLS?

Sorry to all those held. When did ya'll go complete?

9/21

It just makes me wonder what in my application was so confusing that it took them over 5 months to decide to not decide.

[EquallyWrong]

Wow! Columbia, what are you doing? I'm sorry to everyone who got held. Anyone else above medians who went complete September through November still not heard anything?

Still waiting, more than mildly bemused by all this. I could get the hold email before the day is out, they seem to be committed to putting off their decisions for another month or so...maybe they just decided to hold every single outstanding (in both senses) application and go on vacation.

[lastsamurai]

If you two wanna go ahead and withdraw, I certainly wouldn't mind

Is this your first choice, even over HLS?

It's not exactly black and white for me at this point. Wish I could give you an answer. I do know that with some finaid it would be incredibly difficult to turn down CLS.

[jace8819]

It seems as though most of you getting holds have already been "complete" for a long time, maybe this doesn't really represent a change in your status so much as it indicates that Columbia finally had the decency to inform you of what pile they had your applications in for the last several months. No decision in five months, four months, etc. is the exact equivalent of having your applications held, they are simply letting you know that is why you haven't already heard back from them. So, in many ways it is simply them saying, "hey guys and gals, we haven't forgot your applications or lost them, we are just still thinking..." I wouldn't read too much into it, or else you might start seeing ghosts where none exist.

[AFP]

It seems as though most of you getting holds have already been "complete" for a long time, maybe this doesn't really represent a change in your status so much as it indicates that Columbia finally had the decency to inform you of what pile they had your applications in for the last several months. No decision in five months, four months, etc. is the exact equivalent of having your applications held, they are simply letting you know that is why you haven't already heard back from them. So, in many ways it is simply them saying, "hey guys and gals, we haven't forgot your applications or lost them, we are just still thinking..." I wouldn't read too much into it, or else you might start seeing ghosts where none exist.

It may just be them confirming a status that already existed, but it also means we won't hear anything else for at least a few weeks. Columbia isn't going to send out Hold emails, then accept/WL/ding you a few days later.

Also, it's my understanding that Columbia has never done this to people with stellar numbers in past cycles. If correct, that indicates that they're trying a new tack, in which case TLS speculation is warranted.

[The-Specs]

Seeing how my cycle has turned out with the T5 (WL at Chicago, Held at Columbia, Rejected at Stanford, In at Harvard, rejected at Yale) I wonder if my JS1 was just phenomenal or if my PS/DS just really struck a chord with JS. It just all seems so strange.

[lastsamurai]

^that does seem a bit strange specs...would think that at least one other would've bitten after H. It's like you got YP at CC and didn't quite make the cut for YS, but H fit just right

[neprep]

Seeing how my cycle has turned out with the T5 (WL at Chicago, Held at Columbia, Rejected at Stanford, In at Harvard, rejected at Yale) I wonder if my JS1 was just phenomenal or if my PS/DS just really struck a chord with JS. It just all seems so strange.

Meh, the only thing that seems strange about that is the WL at Chicago.

Being rejected by Stanford and Yale but accepted by Harvard is common (there were some stats about that on here somewhere) and being held at Columbia is becoming almost de rigueur for strong applicants.

[The-Specs]

but H fit just right

This sounds like the last line of a Legal Goldilocks story.

[Gary]

Seeing how my cycle has turned out with the T5 (WL at Chicago, Held at Columbia, Rejected at Stanford, In at Harvard, rejected at Yale) I wonder if my JS1 was just phenomenal or if my PS/DS just really struck a chord with JS. It just all seems so strange.

Meh, the only thing that seems strange about that is the WL at Chicago.

Being rejected by Stanford and Yale but accepted by Harvard is common (there were some stats about that on here somewhere) and being held at Columbia is becoming almost de rigueur for strong applicants.

The WL at Chicago isn't that surprising since I think you're a splitter right Specs? And Chicago had like a 3.9 GPA median... Which is crazy high

[neprep]

Seeing how my cycle has turned out with the T5 (WL at Chicago, Held at Columbia, Rejected at Stanford, In at Harvard, rejected at Yale) I wonder if my JS1 was just phenomenal or if my PS/DS just really struck a chord with JS. It just all seems so strange.

Meh, the only thing that seems strange about that is the WL at Chicago.

Being rejected by Stanford and Yale but accepted by Harvard is common (there were some stats about that on here somewhere) and being held at Columbia is becoming almost de rigueur for strong applicants.

The WL at Chicago isn't that surprising since I think you're a splitter right Specs? And Chicago had like a 3.9 GPA median... Which is crazy high

Yeah, that's true. Other schools with inexplicably high GPA medians: Penn and UVA.

[The-Specs]

Seeing how my cycle has turned out with the T5 (WL at Chicago, Held at Columbia, Rejected at Stanford, In at Harvard, rejected at Yale) I wonder if my JS1 was just phenomenal or if my PS/DS just really struck a chord with JS. It just all seems so strange.

Meh, the only thing that seems strange about that is the WL at Chicago.

Being rejected by Stanford and Yale but accepted by Harvard is common (there were some stats about that on here somewhere) and being held at Columbia is becoming almost de rigueur for strong applicants.

The WL at Chicago isn't that surprising since I think you're a splitter right Specs? And Chicago had like a 3.9 GPA median... Which is crazy high

Yeah, that's true. Other schools with inexplicably high GPA medians: Penn and UVA.

All fair points but i didn't get YPed at Penn or UVA.