Classes

Currently, a list of Core Curriculum classes is available in the Visitors Center for prospective students to consult while on campus. Core Curriculum courses are offered at various times throughout the day ranging from 9:00am to 4:00pm, Monday – Thursday. In addition, an online list of non-Core Curriculum classes available for visitation throughout the fall semester is available here. All students must first check in at the Visitors Center to receive a ticket and permission to sit in on a class. We ask that students report to the class 5 minutes prior to the start time to introduce themselves to the professor. In addition, all students must be able to stay for the entire duration of the class. Please note that class visits are designed specifically for prospective students who are preferably in their senior year of high school. Parents/guardians are not able to attend classes.

Lunch Visits

Lunch visits are available to high school seniors in the fall semester and high school juniors in the spring semester. This one-hour experience offers the prospective student an opportunity to learn more about Columbia with a current student and other prospective students over complimentary lunch in John Jay Dining Hall. The program is exclusively for the registered prospective student. All family members and friends accompanying the prospective student are encouraged to explore campus or our neighborhood during the one hour lunch visit. An RSVP is required.

Overnight Visits

Overnight visits are available only to high school seniors in the fall semester. The one-night experience offers the prospective student an opportunity to learn more about Columbia by staying with a first-year student host and shadowing an evening in the life of a real Columbian. Overnight visitors should be prepared to sleep on the floor of their host’s bedroom and to share communal bathrooms. Hosts may have obligations including class, studying, club meetings, and even work study positions on campus while hosting a prospective student. It is suggested that overnight visitors bring homework, reading, and a flexible attitude for the visit. The program is exclusively for the registered prospective student. All family members and friends visiting campus with the student must find alternate accommodations. If you already know a current Columbia student, you may prefer to make alternative arrangements on your own. An RSVP is required.

Interviews

Interviews are not offered on campus and are not required for admission. Volunteer members of Columbia's Alumni Representative Committee (ARC) conduct interviews throughout the world from October through February every year on behalf of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. However, because we have a finite number of alumni volunteers to interview the many thousands of candidates who will apply for admission, we are unable to grant interviews to all of our applicants and can provide absolutely no guarantee that an interview will be available in any given area.

Please note that:

• Interviews will be offered only in the area where your high school is located; if you have finished high school and are no longer nearby, an interview will not be available to you;
• The earlier you submit Application for Admission I of your application, the better your chances are for an alumni interview;
• If the Alumni Representative Committee is able to offer you an interview, you will be contacted directly by an ARC member;
• Please note that interviews are conducted only by Alumni Representative Committee members, are not offered on campus and are positively not a requirement for admission.

Candidates who are not offered an interview are not at any disadvantage in the admissions process. Because the actual assignment of interviews is not conducted by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, we respectfully ask that you do not call or write to inquire about receiving an interview. You will be contacted directly between the months of October and February if an interview is available in the same area as your high school.

Access

For more information on wheelchair accessibility, please call the Office for Disability Services at (212) 854-2388.

For More Information

Feel free to contact the Visitors Center at (212) 854-4900 for additional information.