Dear Columbian:

We would like to invite you to join the Alumni Representative Committee (ARC), which is now open to alumni of all Columbia University schools in a few targeted regions. ARC supports the aims of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by reaching out to applicants to Columbia College and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). ARC members serve as local ambassadors of Columbia, sharing their experiences and helping to provide more information to the Admissions Committee by personally interviewing applicants.

This University-wide expansion of the ARC program will enhance the contact prospective students have with members of the larger Columbia community. Specifically, new ARC members increase the opportunity for applicants to have alumni interviews as part of their application process. ARC members provide us with useful information regarding applicants: their suitability and preparation for Columbia and New York City and, for non-native speakers, their English language ability. Many applicants will have questions of their own about the student experience at Columbia, and alumni are in a unique position to share their own histories.

Columbia College and Columbia Engineering receive more applications from abroad every year, and we hope to welcome you to the Alumni Representative Committee as we review applicants to the class of 2013. Please note, the deadline for interviews is February 9 for applicants to Columbia Engineering and February 22 for applicants to Columbia College.

In addition to the ARC, there are many ways to stay engaged with the University. We hope you will also connect with your fellow alumni around the world through Alumni Clubs, use the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) online resources to network, or attend CAA programs throughout the world. For more information on benefits and resources available to alumni, please visit the CAA Web site at alumni.columbia.edu.

Thank you for volunteering your time and resources to support our efforts.

The ARC Team
Alec Milton
Director, Alumni Representative Committee

Kirin Liquori
Coordinator, ARC International Alumni Outreach

More Information About ARC

How to become an ARC member:
1. You must have a UNI and password to access the ARC Web site (if you do not know your UNI and password, please e-mail the Office of Alumni and Development at udar@columbia.edu and include your name, school, date of birth, and graduation year).
2. Non CC and SEAS alumni, please e-mail your UNI to arcinfo@columbia.edu so that we can add you to the ARC online system. We will respond with instructions on how to navigate the ARC Web site and request interviews. (CC and SEAS alumni can log in to the ARC Web site directly.)

Purpose of the ARC interview:
The primary purpose of the ARC interview is to provide information to the Admissions Committee about the applicant and to convey your experience at Columbia as a student living in New York City. The Admissions Committee looks to the ARC interview report for insight regarding the applicant’s:
~ability to express himself or herself in extemporaneous spoken English
~interest in and knowledge of Columbia’s unique educational philosophy (e.g. the Core Curriculum)
~preparation and suitability for Columbia’s undergraduate experience and New York City
~maturity, intellectual curiosity, and tolerance for diverse opinions and background

Policy for Graduate School Alumni:
All graduate school alumni who join the ARC must become familiar with the basic aspects of the Columbia University undergraduate experience. Please review our office literature online, with special attention to the highlighted titles on the right side of the page.

Conflict of Interest:
If you are an alumnus of a Columbia University graduate or professional school and currently involved in any recruitment or evaluation process for your undergraduate alma mater, then you may not join the ARC. If your undergraduate alma mater is a college or university other than Columbia, we consider it a conflict of interest to engage in formal outreach activities for multiple institutions. Prohibited activities would include staffing college fairs and interviewing prospective students for Columbia and another undergraduate institution. The conflict of interest rule does not apply to activities you perform on behalf of a graduate school alma mater.