How Command Education Senior Mentors Make Students’ Columbia Dreams a Reality: Q&A with Dagan

Dagan: The students who really thrive at Columbia—the ones who made my own experience there so meaningful—are intellectually voracious. They don’t cloister themselves within their specific discipline or program; their interests are wide-ranging and interdisciplinary, and they want to explore new ideas, enter new fields, and make new connections. This is really at the heart of the Core Curriculum, which requires students to take a rigorous set of foundational courses in literature, science, philosophy, and the arts, regardless of their major. This means that students establish a shared intellectual foundation and cultivate intellectual curiosity beyond their niche area of study. While Columbia admissions officers want to see that an applicant has excelled in their intended field, they also look for compelling evidence of crossdisciplinary exploration, critical thinking across a wide range of subjects and topics, and an interest in forging creative connections.

It is also important to note that moving at a breakneck speed through the Core Curriculum while excelling in your other courses is unbelievably difficult. A strong applicant to Columbia will need to demonstrate that they are not only capable of handling the challenge, but that they would thrive on it. Columbia students find a kind of joy in the intense intellectual struggle that comes with Columbia academics—the idea of parsing through Hegel at 2 a.m. in Butler Library or discussing Kantian aesthetics over lunch is thrilling to them. While lots of applicants may apply because of Columbia’s brand name, only a very distinct type of student is energized by the prospect of discussing Nicomachean Ethics or exploring the reception of literature in Wagner’s musical works—and that’s exactly the type of student Columbia is looking for.

Dagan: The biggest misconception is that there’s only one type of Columbia student. A lot of students think, “I had really good test scores and I won awards, so I have what they’re looking for,” or “I’ll never get in because I don’t have a perfect GPA.” But that’s just not how Columbia admissions works.

Yes, Columbia looks for academic excellence, but more than that, they want students who have pursued intellectual depth and genuine curiosity over time. It’s not just about being at the top of your class—it’s about how you think, what ideas excite you, and how you’ve demonstrated your passion for learning in ways that go beyond the classroom.

When I applied, I was a good student, but I did not have what might be considered “Columbia grades.” What set me apart was that I had a deep and evident commitment to exploring ideas that had interested me all throughout my high school career—maybe even as early as middle school—and I sought opportunities to learn more both inside and outside of the classroom. I think the admissions officers saw that.

There’s no single mold for a Columbia student. What matters most is that you bring a unique and intellectually compelling perspective to the table.

Dagan: A good Columbia application will talk about New York City and the Core Curriculum—because, of course, these things are key parts of the experience. A great Columbia application, on the other hand, will identify some idiosyncratic element of the Columbia experience that no other student would think to write about.

For instance, I mentored a student who wrote about the history of Butler Library—it was built in the 1930s and has a storied history, housing gems like the mantle from the room where Edgar Allen Poe wrote “The Raven.” She wrote a beautiful essay about its architecture and the history of the collections, tying these thoughtful details about the space to her excitement about studying there when it’s quite late at night. Thousands of students have likely written about Columbia’s libraries in their essays, but the way she described her enamorment with its unseen history and details that others fail to notice made her essay unique and original.

There are so many other distinctions and quirks that make Columbia Columbia—from its location in Morningside Heights, which has such a rich community, to the history of the Core Curriculum—which spans over one hundred years. The more students can approach these things with a hunger to learn more and imaginatively engage with the university’s history and culture, the more eyecatching their application will be.

Dagan: Because admissions officers look for attention to detail and thoughtful consideration of all that makes Columbia unique, working with someone who is intimately familiar with Columbia can make a world of difference in a student’s application. First and foremost, I help students discover the niche, idiosyncratic parts of the Columbia experience that align well with their interests and goals—from professors whose work aligns with a students’ research interests to particular clubs on campus, an initiative within the city, or a Columbia tradition that resonates with them, I work with students to go beyond the superficial and find their unique “why Columbia.” Given my wide network within the Columbia faculty, alumni, and student community, I can also plug students in with others who share their interests and can provide a more personal perspective on the school and its offerings beyond what a student would find on the website.

Dagan: While it may not be comforting to hear, I would first say that students shouldn’t underestimate how selective the university is—it truly is as competitive as it seems. Students should brace themselves for the possibility of rejection, knowing that a rejection isn’t a sign that they are unintelligent or unqualified. Every cycle, highly qualified, immensely talented students get rejected simply because of the sheer number of applicants. Applicants should also remember that often, admissions decisions come down to the more granular elements of a student’s candidacy such as demographics and institutional priorities, rather than a student’s actual skill set or perspective.

Finally, for students applying and those on campus who are intimidated by the prestige, remember that Columbia ultimately wants students who are passionate, interested, and curious—and this includes all kinds of people. Ultimately, it’s not about your stats or numbers on your transcript. Admissions officers want to know: what are you into? Who do you read? What’s got you excited right now? What have you been thinking about? The university of course attracts Type-A overachievers who are class presidents and valedictorians; but it also attracts that kid who has been reading Aristotle alone in his room and listening to podcasts about Stoic philosophy in his free time, or the student who has a quirky love of bird watching that turned into an interest in evolutionary biology. That diversity is what makes Columbia such a special place.