so many letters

Destiny awaits!

The admissions staff is shipping the acceptance letters out to the Class of 2016 high school seniors.  As per tradition, they are out on college walk marching boxes of letters into the shipping trucks.  Admissions will be posted online tonight at 5 pm.  Freak out, high schoolers!

As always, it was one of the largest and most accomplished applicant pool.  The admission rate is up by .5 from last year’s 6.9 percent.  Jessica Marinaccio, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, gave the following statement about this year’s admissions:

Total number of applicants: 31,851

Total number of students admitted:  2,363

Admit Rate: 7.4%

Statement from Jessica Marinaccio, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions:

“We are proud to release acceptances to Columbia’s Class of 2016, chosen from one of the largest applicant pools in Columbia’s history and hailing from all 50 states, Washington, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands as well as nearly 80 countries around the world. When selecting a class we look not only for students who are academically and personally accomplished, but also for students who are the right fit for Columbia. The students admitted today embody this goal: they share the questioning intellectual spirit, desire to influence the world around them and the diversity of experience, background and voice that characterize our vibrant current student body. We saw each of these admitted students as a tremendous match for Columbia, and we now turn our attention to helping them learn about us in the hope that they see the same fit.

Throughout April we will welcome admitted students and their families to campus to meet current students, engage with faculty and administrators and explore New York City. Given that admitted students hail from all over the world and that not every student in our socioeconomically diverse class can afford to visit campus, Columbia alumni will also host “Welcome Receptions” in cities around the United States and abroad. Current students will connect with admitted students through Facebook, online chats and phone calls, as well as on campus. We hope that these opportunities to get to know Columbia better – whether on campus, in their hometowns or remotely – will allow these extraordinary students to see themselves as future Columbians just as we did.”