Columbia’s admissions and financial aid officers and gathered outside of the back entrance to Hamilton today at 3:30 PM to mail decision letters to this year’s set of Early Decision applicants. It was a quick event, and mostly consisted of smiling admissions officers waving around Priority Mail envelopes. Braving what appears to be the coldest weather since January, Bwog took these photos for you so you don’t have to give up your seat in Butler Library.

According to Dean of Admissions Jessica Marinaccio, this year’s Early Decision applicant pool was the biggest ever, topping last year’s 3,126. The letters in the photos are mostly headed for domestic students; there were only a handful of international letters.

Decisions will be posted online tonight at 5 PM EST. Good luck to all applicants, and to the class of 2018: welcome to Columbia!

Update (5:00): The official stats from admissions are below:

  • We received 3,298 Early Decision applications to Columbia College and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, which was a six percent increase over last year and the largest Early Decision applicant pool in Columbia history.
  • We are releasing decisions online to students at 5 p.m. EST on December 12, 2013.

Statement from Jessica Marinaccio, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid:

Today is one of the most rewarding days of the year for our staff as we welcome the first members of the Class of 2018 into the Columbia family. We are confident that these students, having made exceptional contributions in their schools and communities, will continue to do the same when they arrive in Morningside Heights this fall.

Over the last several weeks, my staff and I have spent many hours reading about and discussing the 3,298 students who comprised the largest Early Decision applicant pool in Columbia’s history. While our decisions were not always easy, we are thrilled to celebrate today the individuals who have demonstrated that they are ideally suited for Columbia. They will come to Columbia from all over the country and around the world, bringing their singular insights, passions, questions and stories to enrich every corner of our campus.

It has been a privilege to get to know these students through their applications, and we wish them and their families great joy in the happy news of their acceptance to Columbia.

Images via Kevin Chen