Columbia - Question - 04-22-2024 | Clear Admit LiveWire

April 22, 2024 4:45pm ET

Question about Columbia

If we are waitlisted (R1) for the traditional 2-year program, could we ask admissions to be considered for the J-term at this stage? Would that increase our chances?

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grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1153 This is an interesting question. On the surface, my thought is that you could write a letter to the admissions team in which you explain your desire to join CBS, reaffirm your fit, detail some recent accomplishments/updates on your candidacy, AND mention that if they are unable to find a spot for you for the fall of '24, you would be open to starting in January as part of the J-term group.

With that said, there are a couple of really important caveats here:

1. J-term tends to be for candidates who have very clear, highly feasible career plans - often related to their current or past experiences - and who don't need an internship to make it all happen. It is also a program that often has slightly older, more experienced candidates joining - again due to the fact that most in the program are looking to make subtle pivots and accelerate their careers as opposed to wholesale changes. From the school's website: "The primary requirement for the January-entry term is that you do not feel you need an internship. This tends to attract students who wish to remain in the same industry (including sponsored students), entrepreneurs, and students in family businesses."

2. Why do you think you are on the waitlist at CBS? Without knowing this information, it's very difficult for me to offer detailed advice. For instance, if you have landed on the list because you have poor grades or a subpar test score - or not enough work experience - pitching yourself for J-term may not really work. In short, before reaching out, you may want to take stock of your candidacy, ensure that your career goals fit the above description, etc.

One final thing to keep in mind here is that if you do offer to shift to J-term, you may be sending mixed signals to the school should you fail to gain admission and need to reapply this fall for the traditional program again... As such, it would be good to know what your plan B is at this point - e.g. if you are holding other offers of admission, or if you will be reapplying next cycle should this fall through.

Best of luck and thanks for the question!
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