Absolutely, thanks for clarifying.
Since you are full pay and Columbia University is your “dream” school, let me mention two items:
- Of the 4 undergraduate colleges at CU, as a traditional student with your intended major means you can apply separately to two colleges: Columbia College and Barnard College.
All university students attend the same classes, use the same facilities, join the same clubs - and graduate together with the CU diploma.
By applying at both CC and BC, your application will be reviewed by different admission teams. Barnard College will seek out exceptional young women, applying criteria that is distinct from the other colleges.
- If you feel certain about definitely wanting to attend a certain (highly selective) college if admitted, then applying Early Decision will drastically raise the odds. Per example, at BC, 60% of the class is admitted ED, leaving only 40% of the class spots for the vastly larger RD application pool.