What Students Say
Likes
- Good amount of electives and courses offered.
- Very learned and experienced Professors.
- Lot of cultural and social activities to engage students.
Dislikes
- The coursework becomes hectic with 4 subjects per semester.
- The tuition fee and cost of living in New York are a bit more expensive than any other college.
- Very competitive group of students.
Course Curriculum
10
- Yes, the course curriculum is tough, as four subjects per semester get very hectic.
- The courses are inclined more towards theoretical knowledge.
- Classes are 1.5 hours long and typically two classes in a day are scheduled. Most classes have 80-100 students
- There would be around 30-40 Indian students in a batch of 200 students in the MSCS program.
Admission Experience
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I applied for the following universities:
- CMU – Rejected
- Georgia Tech – Rejected
- UC Irvine - Admitted
- Princeton – Rejected
- UIUC – Rejected
- UCSD – Rejected
- UPENN – Rejected
- NYU - Admitted
- Columbia - Admitted
- UMass Amherst - Admitted
- Maybe the colleges were looking for something which I did not offer in my SOP and Resume. Some colleges had a high GRE and TOEFL cutoff which I might not have cleared.
- I chose Columbia because of its reputation, quality of education and courses they offer in my program.
- The admission process required students to submit a Statement of Purpose, a TOEFL score and attempt a video interview.
- They did not ask for the GRE score, only the TOEFL score with a cutoff of 100 marks.
- The admission process was smooth; it required us to pay $4000 to secure our admission seats within two weeks of the acceptance letter. The college had lots of information given on their website, which made things easier to understand. The administration was very prompt in answering all the queries during the process.
- I applied for Fall intake and aimed for an early decision. I gave my GRE and TOEFL exams in July and August 2023.
- I started my application preparation in September 2023 and completed it by October 2023. I got my acceptance in February 2024 and joined college in August 2024.
Faculty
10
- The teaching methodology is very good. The professors are very well experienced in their courses and subjects. There are a lot of assignments and exams, which help us test and implement what we learn in the class. Some professors have their own startups and research labs where students work as part-time or full-time professionals.
- One of the professors has made the curriculum with up-to-date technology and courses, which is really nice and makes us prepared for the industry.
Campus Life
10
- The campus is very big and gated. Lots of buildings for different departments. We have very big libraries and study halls, which helps during exam time. Every community celebrates their festivals and cultural programs are held almost every month. Lots of free food events and wellness events are held to keep students engaged.
- There are boat cruises and DJ parties once a semester to enjoy and relax. The ISSO organization takes students out in New York to see famous places and landmarks around the city.
Part Time Jobs
- Most students are able to secure a TA position in college.
- RA positions are difficult to get. The pay range is $22-$25/hr.
- Other on-campus jobs include library, gym and reception jobs. Maximum a student can work is 20 hours in a week.
- It is easy to get jobs in the second semester.
- As an international student, it is not allowed to work off-campus; hence, most students take up TA/RA positions in college. Take up assistant jobs like in the gym, library, or admin offices.
Placement
8
- The average per-hour wage for software engineers is $50-$55/hr. After completing an MSCS degree, there are job opportunities in the software industry. Like SWE/SDE/AIML roles, there is also a possibility to take up R&D or Data Scientist positions. Major recruiters are Amazon, Meta, Google, Goldman Sachs, Intuit, Tencent, Microsoft etc.
Accommodation
Off Campus
8
- I live on Off-campus housing. I found my housing through an app called StreetEasy.
- My house is fully furnished and has a monthly rent of $1600.
- New York requires guarantor services to secure housing which was tough and costly to get.
- My accommodation is 4 mins walk from the campus building.
- Most students live around the campus area, Morningside Heights only, as it is closer and within walkable distance to campus.
Exams
- TOEFL, Statement of Purpose, LOR, Resume, Transcripts
- A Video Interview was required for the application, where they asked us to record our responses to three questions within 1 minute.
Fees
- The fee is semester wise and for each semester, it's around $34000, which includes tuition fees, health insurance and college activity fees.
- The tuition fees are credit-based, around $2500 and in every semester a student should complete 12 credits minimum.
- Monthly expenses range from $1800-$2000 which includes rent, groceries, utility bills and transportation.
Scholarship
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No, Columbia does not provide any scholarships nor have I heard any of my batchmates get it.
