Essay Analysis

Columbia University’s Supplemental Application Questions are your chance to showcase your intellectual curiosity, personal experiences, and unique perspectives beyond your academic achievements. These essays allow the admissions committee to get a fuller picture of who you are as a person and how you’ll contribute to Columbia’s vibrant community. While the answers should all represent aspect of you and your experiences, don't hesitate to throw in an answer that might surprise the adcom or throw them off balance a little bit. Be real but get their attention!

While each of the four short answers focuses on different aspects of your life, interests, values and aspirations, you can thread them together to create a multifaceted picture of yourself. Here’s how to approach each prompt while ensuring your values and interests shine consistently through your responses.

1. List a selection of texts, resources, and outlets that have contributed to your intellectual development outside of academic courses, including but not limited to books, journals, websites, podcasts, essays, plays, presentations, videos, museums, and other content that you enjoy. (100 words)

This is your opportunity to highlight what inspires you outside the classroom. Think about books that challenged your worldview, podcasts that sparked new hobbies, or documentaries that inspired you to take action. Aim for a diverse mix that showcases your intellectual curiosity, broad (or deep) interests, appreciation for different cultural media and fresh perspectives that challenge your own. You're not going to impress them by rattling off a "Great Books" list... it's got to be authentic to you. You don’t need to explain why you chose these items, but you might want to group them by theme, medium or interest area to give a sense of your intellectual trajectory.

2. A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives. Tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint, or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to Columbia's diverse and collaborative community. (150 words)

In this response, dive into a personal aspect of your identity or experience that informs your values and beliefs about the kind of world you want to shape and live in. Perhaps it's your cultural background, a significant life event, or your activism. Share how this perspective has influenced your interactions with others and how it will enhance Columbia’s community. Don't just tell them you're open to different viewpoints... give them an example of the kind of community member you already are to help them understand how you'll help build to a collaborative and inclusive environment at Columbia.

A strong answer may include an initial tension... something or someone that made you question your worldview, or a challenging interpersonal experience that made you reconsider what it looks like for you to be an agent of equity and inclusivity. Be specific... platitudes about how you're really committed to fostering an inclusive environment—without any examples about how you're already doing this in the communities you're part of—may not be fully convincing.

3. In college/university, students are often challenged in ways that they could not predict or anticipate. It is important to us, therefore, to understand an applicant's ability to navigate through adversity. Please describe a barrier or obstacle you have faced and discuss the personal qualities, skills, or insights you have developed as a result. (150 words)

Here, focus on a specific challenge that had a meaningful impact on your life, perhaps one that informed your aspirations or values. This could range from personal struggles, academic setbacks, or broader life challenges. Describe the situation and—crucially—how you learned to navigate it. Highlight the skills or insights you gained from overcoming this obstacle, emphasizing resilience, adaptability, and growth. Make it clear how this experience prepares you for the unpredictability of college life—especially one in New York City!

Avoid clichés about challenges. Be genuine and introspective, as admissions officers appreciate authenticity. Don't try to sugarcoat the challenge... if it happened because you made a mistake, or acted out of integrity with your values, that's ok! The key thing here is that you learned from it and are stronger and wiser because of this obstacle.

4a. Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia. (150 words)

[For undeclared applicants] In this essay, go deep into specific elements that attract you to Columbia. This could be the Core Curriculum, the vibrant campus culture, unique programs, faculty or research opportunities. Your answer should not be equally true of other Ivy League universities. Think about how these unique aspects of the Columbia community and experience align with your values and goals. The takeaway here is that you + Columbia = match made in heaven... not you + [insert top tier university here]. What will you get from your Columbia experience that you couldn't get anywhere else?

4b. What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia College or Columbia Engineering? (150 words)

[For applicants declaring a major] You'll take a similar approach to the 'undeclared' (4a) prompt, but here you'll want to go from you and your interests, on to how you decided to pursue X major, and then you'll move onto how that specific program at Columbia specifically is the perfect match for your personality, interests, values and goals. (Did we mention you should be specific?)

Zoom out and take a holistic look. As you draft your responses, each answer should stand alone, but you should also consider them in the context of the other answers. While you don't want to hit the same note over and over—and we love a wildcard / surprise answer if you've got a zinger that still addresses the prompt! — you do want the answers to seem like they're credibly different sides of the same coin (it's a coin that has a bunch of sides... just roll with us here). Your intellectual influences (prompt 1) may subtly relate to the perspectives you share in prompt 2, reflecting consistent values like curiosity and resilience. Your experience overcoming adversity (prompt 3) might serve as a backdrop to your desire to thrive in Columbia's collaborative environment. Finally, ensure that your reasons for wanting to attend Columbia (prompt 4) tie back to your earlier narratives, painting a specific (in case you missed that before) picture of an authentic, unique person who is eager to learn and contribute.