Hi Guys! Ive applied to CLS (regular dEadline) but not received any e-mail yet. Just one more question to those who have been already admitted: Was your toefl score in line with their request? Could somebody tell me if there is any chance to be admitted to CLS wiht a lower TOEFL score?
Thanks

HI Aishisha,
my TOEFL score is 114, so it was not a problem for me.
However, a friend of mine was admitted to Columbia (and Harvard as well) last year with 107 points, but only 23 in speaking section (I think that the minimum requested is 25); so I don't think TOEFL is a decisive factor as there are more important things (CV, reccommendation, academic results, etc.),

Couldn't agree more Miki. Once you reach the minimum score required , Toefl stops playing a major role in the application's big picture.

Thanks a lot for your opinions guys!...I guess I have strong CV, strong letters of reference... but my TOEFL, despite my efforts (and the fact that I studied and worked abroad), does not reach at all the minimum required! I am still keeping on studying in order to take the test again before they can make a decision...I do not Know how much they can wait for my new score...by the way, I have the impression that something with the ETS does not work properly...I took the test twice and I thought to have done pretty well..but indeed my scores were terribly low... Did u have similar problem with the toefl test in the past?... U know, I really do not whether continue to hope or start to think at a solution different from beginning my LLM this year!

As far as I am concerned, I don't think that TOEFL plays a major role in the admission process. I don't think Columbia would reject a strong candidate with good qualifications and great potential just because he/she is slightly below the required TOEFL score. I think these universities have intelligent people in their admission committees who know that TOEFL doesn't say much about one's command of the English language. Especially, the speaking section in iBT TOEFL is a mess and everybody knows that. And in the writing section, if you don't have great typing skills, you can't do much even if you your writing is first-class! I think people at Columbia are well aware of these facts and they will emphasize more on the fact that you studied and worked abroad using English for you everyday communication. Consequently, in my opinion you don't have to worry as long as you have good credentials.

I totally agree with L&E-pil. For instance, when I tried the TOEFL in July the microphone wasn't working very well so I thought that I would have performed poorly in the speaking section....to the contrary I got 28.
So I reached the personal conclusion that chance does play a key role with the TOEFL exam and I think that this is widely known by the admission committees of U.S. Law Schools
In the end you still have a lot of chances!

To make things funny.. I took the test in 2006 in NYC when IBT was first starting in the US, my speaking score was 29 and my listening section was only 23. Can I better speak than listen? That's the question that I still cannot answer..:) And it still worked as I got the admission to CLS with this score. So, do not worry too much.

Hi everybody,

Just to keep you informed. A friend of mine who applied in the regular cycle received the acceptance e-mail today.

Does anybody else received it? Does anybody received a financial aid offer??

I got an admissions decision today, having been deferred from early review to regular cycle.

Good luck to you all!

Congratulations PA!

Good luck to those who have yet to receive decisions.
Any word on when financial aid decisions are going to be made?

Congrats PA.

I was also deferred from early to regular, but so far no news. Keeping fingers crossed

Hi,

Any is there any fresh graduate who has heard from Columbia?

Either conditional offer or otherwise ?

Hi,

Any is there any fresh graduate who has heard from Columbia?

Either conditional offer or otherwise ?

I applied to columbia last year as a fresh graduate, and i had a negative response from them in mid february.

Hey NMBR.
I'm Also a fresh Graduate (1 Year of training), got a reject a couple of days ago from Columbia. :(...

So where else did u get admitted last year? and if possible when and how did you received the notification?

FYI - I Applied to SLS, HLS, CLS, NYU, Chicago, Boalt, Upenn & Cornell.
So far, Got Accepted to Cornell, Defered to regular cycle at UPENN and rejected by columbia.

Shalom & Good luck to all.

Hi,

Any is there any fresh graduate who has heard from Columbia?

Either conditional offer or otherwise ?

Hi elelem!

could u please explain to me what do u mean for conditional offer?
Iam actually trying to understand whether it could be possible got the admission decision on probation...i mean if they can accept u only if u accomplish certain conditions within a some time...
Thanks

Hi,

Any is there any fresh graduate who has heard from Columbia?

Either conditional offer or otherwise ?

Hi elelem!

could u please explain to me what do u mean for conditional offer?
Iam actually trying to understand whether it could be possible got the admission decision on probation...i mean if they can accept u only if u accomplish certain conditions within a some time...
Thanks

The policy of "conditional offer" is common among U.K. universities I think, where applicants tend to apply without having completed their undergraduate studies yet or without having taken the TOEFL. So, the university makes an offers on the condition that you will receive your LL.B. until i.e. June or that you will submit a TOEFL test until i.e. July. Based on Columbia's eligibility requirements, I think "conditional offer" is not possible. Columbia says that you should already hold an undergraduate law degree in order to apply -students in their last year of undergr. studies are not disallowed to apply, but they are obviously discouraged at least in Columbia's case. In any case, a fresh graduate already holds by definition a LL.B., so he would not receive a conditional offer in this case. As far as the TOEFL is concerned, I think that you cannot submit a TOEFL score after the Dec 15th deadline, so a conditional offer, which would urge the applicant to submit a TOEFL score until a certain date otherwise he would lose the offer, is not possible.

Thanks L&E-pil!
U went actually straight to the point...the TOEFL...of course...which still remains my main problem...So u think it is not useful any more to try to take again the TOEFL in order to get an higher score, giving that I have not achieved the minimum they require?

Thanks L&E-pil!
U went actually straight to the point...the TOEFL...of course...which still remains my main problem...So u think it is not useful any more to try to take again the TOEFL in order to get an higher score, giving that I have not achieved the minimum they require?

Thanks for your patience... I do not wanna seem anxious but indedd Iam...and this toefl stuff is getting me crazy...!
Ok .... just keep on crossing our fingers...