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| Admissions Director Eric Furda |
Rachel Handwerger of Providence, RI, chose Columbia
Engineering because she will be allowed to continue her studies in
foreign languages and the arts, but the clincher was "when I walked out
of the subway station and saw the campus, I knew, at that moment, that
Columbia was the right place for me."
Not only did Rachel choose it, so did 174
other early decision applicants, a record number that has increased 257%
since 1994. Early decision binds a student to attend Columbia if they
are admitted. As a result, those who apply early have selected the
Engineering School as their first choice and are eager to become part of
next year's class.
Rachel is typical of the 118 early decision
applicants who were admitted. She has many extracurricular activities:
she ice skates, co-founded a skating magazine, Glint, and was an
accredited photographer at the Goodwill Games. Other admittees include
students who play football, wrestle, specialize in Latin dances,
rock-climb, perform in theater productions and work in soup kitchens.
They represent all areas of the continental United States and Hawaii,
Hong Kong, Italy, China and Singapore.
In addition to their extracurricular
activities, the admitted early decision students have excellent
scholastic qualifications. Their mean SAT scores increased 15 points
more than last year's, to a 1383 combined score for mathematics and
verbal.
The applicant pool for regular admission has
risen just as dramatically as for early decision, in both quality and
numbers. This year, almost twice as many seniors applied to The Fu
Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science as in 1995. In
addition, increasing numbers of women are applying. The number of women
applicants, 641, is almost double that of six years ago.
"Each year, I am impressed by the quality of
the applicants we have to choose from," said Dean Zvi Galil. "We are
pleased to welcome 'the best and the brightest' to the Class of 2003 and
look forward to providing these exceptional young people with the
opportunity for not only academic success but also personal growth. Just
as their parents are, we are concerned with fostering the development of
the whole person, and this School, set within the great University that
is Columbia and the great city that is New York, will provide this
environment."
What makes Columbia special to engineering
applicants varies, but the attraction of New York City is a factor, noted
Director of Admissions Eric Furda. "You can't divorce Columbia from New
York," he said, "and I believe it is a major factor in why students seek
to come here. The city presents tremendous opportunities for
technological research, for internships-it is all here in the city."
Another factor Mr. Furda cites is the student's
exposure to the core curriculum while taking advantage of the School's
investment in facilities and programs. Steven B. Diamond, of High
Technology High School in Lincroft, NJ, echoed this in his application,
writing, "I find Columbia's unique combination of the hard sciences and
core liberal arts most appealing." Mr. Furda cites labs such as the
Botwinick Gateway Laboratory and programs such as biomedical engineering
as desirable offerings that attract students. Steven and Rachel both
have indicated that bioengineering is the field they wish to pursue.
Fortunately for students such as Rachel and
Steven, the anxious waiting for acceptance to Columbia Engineering is
over. But for the more than 2100 other high school seniors who applied,
the Columbia Engineering mailing sent in the beginning of April will
spell the difference between joy and despair. Only 177 spaces are left to
be filled.
"Selectivity of exceptionally qualified
candidates promises to be at an all-time high," said an obviously happy
Mr. Furda.
Alumni interviewers of applicants to the School think that this is again a banner year. From neophyte interviewers to veterans of a decade, the alumni assessment is that qualifications of applicants seem to know no upper limits. One ARC member, Arthur S. Graham, Jr., who interviews College and Engineering applicants who live in Westchester County, NY, said he is seeing more outgoing students with varied extracurricular activities-and more women. The statistics (see main story) support these observations. As part of the admissions process, alumni volunteers who have joined the Alumni Representative Committee (ARC) are assigned to interview and evaluate applicants. Alumni are able to see only about 50% of the candidates. To join fellow alumni in your area as an ARC member, follow the link to alumni from http://www.seas.columbia.edu. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will contact you. For ARC members, the ARC Handbook and Evaluations Forms are available for downloading from the website also. |
Dress
For Success
What should the well-dressed engineer be wearing? The
answer was presented live and on video in Low Rotunda as the Class of
1999 gathered to see the latest in career dressing from Nautica, Garfield
and Marks and Saks Fifth Avenue. The event, organized by Conrad Lung CC
'72, father of Jennifer Lung SEAS '01, presented fashion savvy clothing
for young professionals. It was sponsored by the School, Columbia
College, Barnard College, Asian American Alliance, and the Asian Columbia
Alumni Association
In a presentation worthy of the fashion
industry, a huge video wall of television monitors reflected giant-size
images of the runway fashions. A roving cameraman projected images of
attendees in the audience before the show began. Wardrobe specialists
spoke about how to put together an effective wardrobe for women and for
men.
The School sponsored the reception following
the event, where Dean Zvi Galil selected six lucky winners of career
outfits by Nautica. In six tries, Dean Galil picked the three male and
three female winners from the co-mingled tickets, leading him to give
homework to his engineers: figure the probability of that happening.