Excitement is in the air! Letters are also in the air! Is that safe?

The results are in: the fabled class of 2020 at last has a face! Or, well, not a face, exactly, but some statistics. Bwog has information regarding the Early Decision applicants for CC and SEAS for the fall 2016 school year, courtesy of the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid.

This year, Undergraduate Admissions received 3,520 Early Decision applications to Columbia College and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, which was a 4.4 percent increase over last year (2015) and the largest Early Decision applicant pool in Columbia history.

They are releasing decisions online to students later today, at 6 p.m. EST.

As per their annual custom, the lovely folks at admissions were seen on college walk, publicly celebrating the announcement with their ritual mailing of admissions letters. Their wide grins, while still slightly alarming, appear to be more genuine this year. There was even a celebration in song! Perhaps this is what they practice while the rest of us suffer through endless icebreakers at NSOP.

And, just in case that wasn’t enough to satisfy your curiosity about the new underclassmen, here’s a statement from Jessica Marinaccio, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid:

This fall we received the largest number of Early Decision applications in our history – 3,520 students identified Columbia as their top choice among all the college options available to them. Over the last month, the admissions staff and I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the accomplished and inspiring individuals who will become part of the Columbia community. We are so excited to welcome this new and amazing group of future Columbians, knowing that their countless talents, insights and perspectives will add in numerous ways to our vibrant campus. Columbia’s Class of 2020 is off to an incredible start!

More admissions department antics: