<p>My son submitted his application to Columbia University a few weeks ago, and today he received a message from Columbia to sign up for “instant decision” interview. I cannot find any information about instant decision in the Columbia web site.</p>
<p>Does anyone have detail? Do you get an immediate decision after the interview? If you are admitted, are you bound to the school like early decision? If you are rejected, can you still be considered for regular decision?</p>
<p>Im assuming this is an undergrad situation? May be with certain scores he’s a lock? although I fond this hard to believe for Columbia, but crazier things have happened.</p>
<p>Yes, this is for undergrad admission. I have never heard of instant decision until now. The interviewer is an alumni of Columbia, and he is coming to the high school to do the interviews with several prospective students.</p>
<p>Columbia University, in New York, as part of the Ivy League agreement, is forbidden from offering officail decisions outside of their normal EA or ED parameters.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to be blunt but are you sure it’s not Columbia College in Chicago or Columbia College in SC?</p>
<p>If I’m way off, please reply. I find the idea of Columbia (in NY) doing “instant decisions” to be jaw-dropping.</p>
<p>(BTW: I’m a 20+ year interviewer/recruiter for another Ivy)</p>
<p>I like blunt and to the point because I am also blunt. I graduated from UPenn; so, there is no mistake about the school I am referring to.</p>
<p>Like you, I find it hard to believe that an Ivy League school, which believes in the holistic approach to assessing applicants, will even use instant decision. Hence, I started this thread.</p>
<p>I called up my son’s guidance counselor concerning the instant decision interview. She assured me, from the email she received, that the interview is for instant decision for Columbia in NYC. Still having doubts, I called up Columbia University admission, and I was told that there is no instant decision for Columbia College or Engineering, for which my son is applying.</p>
<p>At this point, my angst has subsided. The guidance counselor is probably mistaken about the interview. The interviewer is an alumni of Columbia U (NYC) and is not an admission officer. Therefore, I am assuming this is just a normal interview for Columbia U.</p>
<p>@fullmonthy
I find it hard to believe (as you and T26E4 have said as well) that a school of Columbia’s caliber would offer an instant decision even when it would be against the Ivy League Agreement. I am guessing that it is just an alumni interview where the email might have accidentally worded it wrongly or made it confusing? Just my thoughts.</p>
<p>Thnx for the recap, fullmonty. Good to clear up the GC’s confusion. Your post was an eye-opener if what you describe was actual.</p>
<p>Good luck w/your son’s apps.</p>
<p>Yeah, seems like the alum interviewer just phrased the interview invitation awkwardly. Perhaps the alumni center should send an email to alum interviewers telling them not to use the words “instant decision.”</p>
<p>It was a communication error between the Guidance Department coordinator and the counselor. It will be an alumni interview. There were other universities coming in to do instant decision interviews. </p>
<p>On a side note … When I told the admission office of Columbia that someone is going over to my son’s high school to do interviews, the first question that was asked of me was “is this a private school?” Is it common for the Ivies to go to private schools to do interviews? I don’t recall any Ivies going to my H.S. for interviews. I suppose the Ivies like to follow the money.</p>