If you’re just like me and really couldn’t figure out what the difference between these two were, grab your reading glasses cause I did the work so that you don’t have to. Let’s say you have of dreams going to an Ivy League school in New York and your admissions officer caught you off guard by asking “which Columbia do you wanna go to?” It is confusing to the general public and I can’t blame you for that, well, this article is made just for you. Lets find out more about Columbia college vs Columbia engineering.
Columbia University has 3 major campuses ; The Columbia college, The fu foundation school of engineering and the School of General Studies. We will be focusing on the first two which are Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. Columbia College is Columbia’s undergrad liberal arts college founded in 1754 and by liberal arts we all know they’re referring to the humanities, social sciences and natural science. Columbia engineering, also known as Fu foundation school of Engineering and applied science or SEAS, if you’re feeling lazy, is the university’s engineering school that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in fields like; Applied mathematics and applied physics, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, computer science, civil engineering and so on. The engineering school was founded in 1863, the SEAS faculty are well known for the development of Fm radio and masers. During the application process there will be no distinction between the two schools; which means you’re not allowed to pick between both school during admissions, 95% of accepted students make it to the top 10% of the graduating class, do note that the acceptance rate at Columbia College is said to be at 6% and the acceptance rate at SEAS is at 7-8% which some say is easier to gain an admission into despite only offering engineering courses.
University ranking
Columbia university is ranked #2 in national universities
No 7 in best value schools.
Ranked 21 by college simply.com.
Application duration
October through March, yearly.
Application requirements
- Get between a 3.91 and 4.12 GPA
- Between a 14770 and 1560 in your SAT’s but you’re advised to score higher than that for a chance to get an interview
- Between a 33-35 ACT
- Application fee of 85$
- Background information
- Counsellor recommendation
- Personal essay
- Application is to both Columbia college and Columbia Engineering
- Writing supplements
Core Curriculum
The question on your mind would be what is a core curriculum and why is it so important to know about? Core Curriculum is a group of courses that students must complete in order to earn their degrees, it’s a series of named courses and general requirements that are meant to be done by the end of the academic year and Columbia University was the first to incorporate this standard in 1919.
College students are expected to take core courses like frontiers of science, music, art, literature, university writing and contemporary civilisation. Humanities is taken by all first year students in Columbia College.
Columbia Engineering students are expected to take half of humanities core, the curriculum is set to be meticulous, the courses to be taken by SEAS students include; Literature humanities, global core, music humanities, art humanities and university writing. There are also other engineering requirements which include; calculus, chemistry, the art of engineering and many others. Students in all colleges are required to pass a swimming exam before receiving their diploma. The core Curriculum in Columbia College has heavier requirements than SEAS.
Cost of living
Residence halls cost between eight thousand dollars to nine thousand dollars and financial aids for housing are available on the university’s website, students thinking of living outside of campus should do well consider the high cost of housing in New York and if you’re convinced you still want to live off campus to be able to explore the inner worlds of Manhattan I would advise to take multiple roommates to avoid pilling up your student loans.
Estimated expense
- Tuition- 65,524$
- Mandatory fees – 3,016$
- New student fee: 616$
- Books and personal expense – between 3,000$ to 4,000$
According to statistics almost 50% of undergraduates at Columbia University received grant awards, financial aid or scholarship awards.. The admissions processes are blind in order to give people from different socioeconomic backgrounds a chance to be able to gain admission into the university, please note that the university does not grant any type of sports scholarship. Financial aid applications run through November to mid February.
Post graduate programs
Columbia Engineering offers a wide range of graduate programs such as;
- The masters of science programs
- Doctoral programs which range from computer science to material science and engineering, applied physics, applied mathematics and many more.
If you’re looking to be involved in student research programmes which can lead to opportunities to develop skills outside the classroom and maybe win an innovation award in sustainable developments, data science, nanotechnology and more. Columbia Engineering would be your best bet but if you’re looking for a place where you can learn about the real world from different perspectives or a place for theoretical practices and study Columbia College is the place for you. If you want to get degrees in both colleges that has been made possible with the 3-2 combined plan program and the 4-1 program which are well explained on the university’s website. There isn’t really any difference between both colleges apart from the courses they offer so apply this with a grain of salt when you’re filling out the application form.
Columbia Alumni Salary
The average starting salary of a Columbia college graduate starts from $79,000per year, the undergraduates with high paying starting salary is computer science with a starting salary of $96,400 per year, the next highest paid being nursing majors with $85,600 per year and the lowest paying graduate salary is a visual and performing arts major with a salary of $17,500 per year, do with this information what you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I have to choose my core courses while applying?
No, you’re allowed to explore your options before you make a choice.
- Are interviews mandatory during the application process?
Yes but sometimes might not be able to happen if an interviewer is unavailable at the time of your interview due to the limited number of interviewers, this does not affect your admissions process in any way.
- What are the writing supplement questions?
Supplement questions include a list of books or journals you have consumed or enjoyed, ways in which you have served your community, why you took an interest in Columbia College or Columbia Engineering, if area of study is indicated, reasons why you chose it.
- What if I am not certain about the major I want to do?
Choosing a major isn’t important in your first year so you’re allowed to explore as many options as you want before making that life changing decision.
- How do I access student loans and are student loans the same thing as financial aids?
There is a list of financial aid and scholarship programs stated on the Columbia University website and note that student loans are not financial aid, don’t get these two confused at. Please note that Colombia does not grant athletic scholarships of any kind.
