<p>Since being accepted at Columbia, what’s changed in your life specifically? Are you still as involved as you used to be? Do you still have free time?
I plan on applying to Columbia next year ED, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to be as involved in activities outside of school while still maintaining a respectable gpa.</p>
<p>Activities outside of school? No, I’m not involved in any activities that I was involved in before Columbia…because those were high school extracurriculars. Now I’m doing extracurriculars at Columbia; does that count as “outside of school?” You ask what’s changed in my life since matriculating at Columbia; I think I’d have to answer everything. Compared to high school, I have different friends, a different place to live and city to call home, different extracurriculars, different classes, and so on.</p>
<p>I understand the concern that’s motivating your question—namely, whether academics at Columbia require all your time—but I’m not sure how to answer the question you’ve asked. For the record, I’d say that classes at Columbia are challenging, and you probably have to devote most of your time to them if you want a 4.0, but by no means will they take up all your free time.</p>