<p>As always, I am amazed at the enterprising nature of the kids who frequent CC. In checking the Columbia website, someone came up with the bright idea that they could discover their decision last night (rather than waiting for emails today at 5 pm) by checking with Fed Ex to see if a package was scheduled for delivery to their home address. Based on Columbia’s practice of sending Fed Ex packages to the acceptees, this appears to be an accurate indicator of admission. I’m sure the Fed Ex operators didn’t know what hit them last night!
On another note, looking at Columbia’s acceptance rate for the college (as opposed to SEAS, the engineering school) makes me very, very happy that my daughter applied ED. Acceptance rate for ED was 23.2%; rate for RD was a miniscule 7.9%. Overall, acceptance rate was 9.6% for Columbia College, which is brutal.<br>
Best of luck to all those waiting!</p>
<p>For any Columbia applicant who did not receive a positive response from Fed Ex. This is some kind of “Dear John/Jane”</p>
<p>They may be having a Sex and the City moment from when Berger broke up with Carrie on a post-it note.</p>
<p>Genius! pure genius…</p>
<p>Incredible.</p>
<p>A similar tactic was used on MIT admissions day last year (all acceptances to overseas addresses were sent using DHL), except an international student figured out how to get the entire list of all such packages, and there was a big brouhaha about how inappropriate it was. (Last year, DHL agents would read out, upon request, the names and locations of anyone receiving a package sent from the MIT account, after someone posted that account number in a CC thread, sigh… They will no longer do that.)</p>
<p>As I posted in another thread, immediate gratification is not a <em>requirement</em>. I do believe that it is a virtue to learn patience.</p>
<p>It would be great if these poor kids could be more Zen about it. They just seem to really suffer through this. Ah, but this seems like a problem of the ages…</p>
<p>7.9!?</p>
<p>Oooo. It’s not looking good for me tonight!</p>
<p>“It would be great if these poor kids could be more Zen about it.”</p>
<p>Also goes for us parents…</p>
<p>M&Sdad-Very true…I can’t even imagine their stress however. Four years is a lifetime. And this one 2 week period seems almost as long, I bet.</p>
<p>does every kid in NYC just automatically apply to Columbia?</p>
<p>I also read that FedEx trick on the CMU board posted by an international applicant. So the word must be out…</p>
<p>I’m also struck by the % of CC kids who actually get in these top schools. You may underestimate how truly hard it is to get into a school like Columbia by reading CC results… the %'s accepted seem to be higher on CC (at least it’s above 7.9). Either CC kids are top applicants or rejectees don’t post their rejections. Regardless the stress must be incredible (especially comparing where your friends did/did not get in when you go back to school).</p>
<p>Not UPS?..what can Brown do for you?</p>
<p>A few decades back, my college girlfriend and I had both applied to transfer to the same school. We were spending the summer on opposite coasts when the letters came out; because of her proximity to the school, she received her admissions letter three days before I did. </p>
<p>We had a pact that we would only transfer if we were both accepted, but I could sense that she was wavering. (In any event, I wasn’t sure I could bear the pressure of having her give up her dream school for me.)I had one of those “flash-bulb” moments when the post-man dropped that big envelope through the door.</p>
<p>Did I have a “zen” outlook about it? Absolutely not. I remember calling the admissions department, pleading with the secretary for a hint. (“I know you’ve already mailed it. Can’t you just give me a hint?”) No luck.</p>