<p>I was always wondering who the admissions officers are and who are the people in adcoms. Are they alumni, faculty, etc?</p>
<p>They're all full-time employees who do admissions-related stuff all year (reading applications, campus visits, etc.). Some just happen to be alums, and I suppose a Columbia alum who can represent the school well would have some sort of an edge in getting hired. Most of them seem to be fairly young and enthusiastic; most of them seem to be 25-35, and they don't generally look like some crabby 60 year old man who would be the admissions officer in a movie.</p>