I grew up in the classic American suburb, complete with near-identical houses and an ice cream truck that jingled up and down our streets all summer long. It was an idyllic, safe existence and, of course, a completely sheltered one. If I had really tried, or probably even if I had just not done anything, that bubble would have cocooned me into adolescence, blissful, warm, and ignorant. I busted out of that cocoon by reading. Every day after elementary school,...

In the heat of a great discussion, I feel what psychologists call “flow” and athletes call “the zone”. I love the way my ideas constantly shift as they reform or reverse based on other people’s arguments. When I am moved to speak, something takes over, and I can express myself more smoothly and strongly than I do even in my own head. When I read about Columbia’s Core Curriculum, I knew that it would help me grow in...

My freshman year, I had the dual gift of being placed in an incredible social studies course and discovering Whatever It Takes (WIT). The class, taught by one of my favorite teachers, spent six months investigating current global issues ranging from poverty to disease epidemics. WIT’s program challenged me to look at problems- starting locally- and find the most innovative ways to solve them. When I reflect on how my identity has formed during high school, I can’t...

Columbia had several 150 words-or-less essays that I'd be happy to share on request

University Writing is required for all freshman, and I took...

My friends and I always say we can't imagine going to school any place other than New York City. There's always something to do, and in a way I feel like I'm getting a more...

Two of the biggest problems I have with Columbia are the administration and the culture of...

I did go to a private admissions counselor, but I didn't find her very helpful. She pushed me...

I knew I loved Columbia, so I applied Early Decision. Many of the other schools I liked were also early decision or single-choice Early Action, so...