Columbia College
Columbia, SC · Private · 1,343 undergrads
- Admit rate: 93.9% (2,163 applicants)
- Undergraduates: 1,343 (1.0% international)
- Average net price: $18,408 (per year after aid)
- Graduation rate: 37% (within 6 years)
Deadlines
- Rolling: No deadline
Essays
Honors essay, option 1
The Theory of the Butterfly Effect states that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing can cause a typhoon halfway around the world. Choose something you have done in your life and create a story in which your small action changes the world.
Honors essay, option 2
Select a creative work—a novel, a film, a poem, a play, a musical piece, a painting or other work of art—or an academic piece or scholarly study that has influenced the way you view the world and the way you view yourself. Discuss the work and its effect on you.
Honors essay, option 3
If you founded your own college or university, what topic of study would you make mandatory for all students to explore and why? What would be the values and priorities of your institution and why?
Honors creative prompt (optional)
Tell us something about you that is not captured in the rest of the application and formal essay in the form of a 140-character tweet, a haiku, a puzzle, a drawing, a video, song lyrics, or an acronym (with explanation). Have fun.
Editor's notes
- There's no deadline, but apply early. Columbia College says earlier applicants have more scholarship options, and decisions usually come within a week.
- If you have a 3.5 GPA, apply to Honors too. The program calls the essay the most vital piece, so draft and edit it before you submit.
