COLUMBIA

From the Undergraduate Admissions office:

The Columbia University first-year class of College and Engineering students is chosen from a large and diverse group of applicants. Columbia employs a holistic approach in assessing candidates in order to evaluate which students are the best matches for Columbia's unique educational experience.

In the process of selection, the Committee on Admissions considers each applicant's academic potential, intellectual strength and ability to think independently.

The Committee also considers the general attitudes and character of the applicant, special abilities and interests, maturity, motivation, curiosity and whether they are likely to make productive use of the four years at Columbia. 

Engineering students will take half of the humanities Core: they can elect to take either Literature Humanities or Contemporary Civilization or a Global Core course and either Art Humanities or Music Humanities.

They must also complete University Writing and the Physical Education requirement. In this regard, all students at Columbia are fully integrated into the philosophy behind the Core-critical thinking, debate, respect for ideas-and the unifying educational experience which is a hallmark of Columbia. 

Columbia Engineers will also take courses specifically designed to better prepare them for their lives as innovators and entrepreneurs. These courses will prepare students in the six major areas of technical and professional inquiry: engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, economics and computer science. The level of inquiry will depend on an individual student's prospective major choices.