Smiles all around!

It’s become more impressive to become a Columbia student than ever. According to Admissions, only 6.89% of freshman applicants were admitted to CC and SEAS this year. That’s a record low admissions rate for the University, narrowly edging out the 6.92% admissions rate of two years ago. The University received 33,531 applications—more than last year, but not quite as many as two years ago—and only admitted 2,311 students.

Decision letters have already been sent out to applicants, who can also just log onto this handy Admissions website at 5 pm (EST) tonight to find out whether they’ve been admitted.

Newly admitted members of the Class of 2017 should rejoice. Newly terrified prospies of the Class of 2018 may want to consider Princeton, which had a much higher admissions rate (7.29%) than we did this year. (The other Ivies haven’t released admissions data yet.)

Bwog is thrilled for the latest crop of Columbians, and we look forward to stalking their Facebook group seeing them on campus next year!

Update (3:30)—Bwog was on College Walk to watch the joyous celebration as dozens of workers from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions carried out boxes of envelopes. Officers said that it’s the most exciting time of the year, also shown by their huge smiles and their rousing rendition of “Roar, Lion, Roar,” despite the light rain. A smaller batch of international decisions was loaded after the U.S. decisions into a different vehicle a few minutes later.

Apparently, the number of applicants is so large that not all of the envelopes can fit inside the Hamilton office, so many were stored on a squash court in Dodge. One member of the group loading letters also said that she was in labor last year at this time. Class of 2017 RD, you’re Columbia’s newest babies, and your birth will happen in only an hour and a half. See some pictures below of the beginning of your delivery:

According to Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jessica Marinaccio, the Class of 2017 is an amazing bunch of people:

“We are proud to release acceptances to Columbia’s Class of 2017, representing the culmination of many months of outreach, conversation and deliberation. These students have been chosen from the one of the largest and most selective applicant pools in Columbia’s history, hailing from all 50 states, as well as Washington, DC, the US territories and nearly 70 countries around the world. The class admitted today offers much more to Columbia than just academic credentials and impressive achievements. They embody the fundamental character of Columbia University, sharing a deep engagement with local and global issues, a spirited devotion to intellectual inquiry and an eagerness to add their unique perspectives to our diverse student body. These students – leaders, innovators, scientists, engineers, artists and humanists – were admitted after clearly demonstrating the ways in which they will enrich our unique community; over the next few weeks, we will focus our efforts on showing them how a Columbia education could in turn enrich their lives.

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. Columbia alumni will also host ‘Welcome Receptions’ in many cities around the United States and abroad. Current students are looking forward to connecting with their potential future classmates through a variety of outreach efforts as well as on campus. Our community of students, alumni, faculty and administrators are united in our enthusiasm to meet and welcome this remarkable cohort of future Columbians.

Update, 3/29: The other Ivies have now released their admissions stats:

Harvard: 5.8%
Yale: 6.72%
Us: 6.89%
Princeton: 7.29%
Brown: 9.2%
Dartmouth: 10%
Penn: 12.1%
Cornell: 15.2%