Application "on hold" at Columbia... advice needed Forum

[spinsta]

Dear all,

This is my first post, so be kind!

I just found out today that my application at Columbia has been placed on "hold." I assume that this is the same as waitlist? Is it different? Also, does anyone know what kind of percent chance you have for acceptance from a "hold" position at Columbia? Or at Harvard, Yale, Stanford (I haven't heard anything from them for over 4 months, so I assume I will be waitlisted)?

[tucanran]

I got told my application was on "hold" yesterday as well. It is not the same at the waitlist. The waitlist means that the admissions office has made a decision on your application. "Hold" means they have yet to make a decision and are kind enough let us know about it. This is from the Columbia Law website:

Committee Decisions

In addition to its “admit” and “reject” decision categories, Columbia Law School maintains both “hold” and “reserve” groups of candidates. When an applicant is placed in the hold category, the Admissions Committee has opted to postpone making a decision on his or her candidacy at the time of initial review; in other words, the Admissions Committee has not yet made a determination on the application, and it will be reviewed again by the Committee later in the admissions season. Hold category applicants can expect to receive a decision on their candidacy (admit, reserve, or reject) by the end of April. Unlike applicants who are “wait-listed” at some law schools, candidates placed on reserve at Columbia are at no point ranked ordinally. Rather, each application on reserve is reviewed
again in its entirety by the Admissions Committee on a periodic basis during the summer months, as openings in the entering class materialize. Upon each review, some candidates will be offered or denied admission, while others will be asked if they wish to remain in consideration for any future openings in the class later in the summer. The difference between the hold and reserve categories is that the initial review process is completed for candidates placed on reserve. Reserve candidates will not be reevaluated for admission until the summer months, as openings in the entering class materialize. Applications placed on hold are still being actively reviewed by the Committee, and hold candidates should expect to receive a decision (admit, reserve, or reject) by the end of April.

[spinsta]

Tuc - Thanks for the info - any idea about statistics? I love Columbia and the wait is killing me!

[Jason64128]

through a little comparative analysis ive come up with a conception of it as being sort of like 3 strings of applicants they "like," and I believe that the other universities that don't send out on hold notification have a similar system, without the officiation

first stringers are those who get the rolling admissions offers
second stringers are people they like but then go in a maybe pile until about March (after they know they've made all the first string offers) and then the process begins again for them. This is where I apparently am with Columbia and Harvard, but who can tell where one stands in the queue. It's kind of like a pre-waitlist since they may or may not have left a percentage of their seats available for this group and a large number of these people will be waiting for first stringers to withdraw.
finally the third string are those whom they like, but not enough to make it into the other two groups, these people get the waitlist offers in april.
and everybody else is rejected

Or, I could be full of shit, I don't know. That is just my theory

[Bklyn]

It comes in a business envelope, cream colored, via regular mail. I just received it yesterday also and I am in the NYC area. It allows for further information (updated Resume etc.) to be submitted or provides contact information for withdrawing your application. It appears to be me that this might just be a way of saying our applications are not auto-admit, but we are still in consideration depending on how the remainder of applications and already extended offers of admission pan out. Or that's my optimistic way of looking at it. Either way, it's just official that we gotta wait awhile more. (Decision is guaranteed by April 20 in the letter)

[ilovemarcjacobs]

on hold too. I wonder what the chances are of getting in without submitting additional info. I haven't been in school in awhile so no news on that front. Planning to send an LOCI soon but just wonderin.....

[amyLAchemist]

I am on hold as well. Thanks for starting the thread....

Anyone else swinging by CLS next week?

[caoyun]

I am on hold as well. Thanks for starting the thread....

Anyone else swinging by CLS next week?

I plan to at some point in the next couple weeks. I'm about an hour out of the City by train, so its not a hard trip for me.

[WAHiker]

I'm curious to hear how your "swinging by" goes- wondering if they really even notice.
I got the reserve letter yesterday and am thinking of flying out to deliver my LOCI in person if doing so may be value-added.

[Adrian]

So what are you guys going to submit? I am thinking about writing a LOCI, giving them my grades from last semester, and possibly updating my Resume because I have done a lot of stuff since I applied. I may get lazy but these are my plans as of now. Damn hold

[amyLAchemist]

Resume and letter. I already sent a transcript at the end of fall quarter.

[zero1]

If these schools already have my fall grades, is an updated resume and LOCI the only thing I can do?

I haven't reached a decision yet but it could be a waitlist or whatever.

[maddy]

i did a LOCI and a new letter of recommendation.

[MimiP]

I'm curious to hear how your "swinging by" goes- wondering if they really even notice.
I got the reserve letter yesterday and am thinking of flying out to deliver my LOCI in person if doing so may be value-added.

I stopped by last week unannounced and spoke with the Associate Dean of Admissions for about 10 mins. He was cordial, but confessed that acceptance into Columbia from the reserve list is dependent on the makeup of the students who have accepted their admission. If our profiles, transcripts, and/or field of study are desired in order to complete the dynamic of their class, then we have a high percentage of being accepted. If not, then we don't. Simple as that. He did say that any additional information sent can be valuable (LORs, resumes, etc...).

Hope this helps!

-Mimi