for anyone who has done this program, what did you think? good experience?

Pretty much everyone who sends in all parts of the application & can pay the fee is accepted until the program fills up.
On recommendation from someone who took both the Columbia program + SCI_Arc program, i took M+M at SCI_Arc.

But if you are interested in attending Columbia full time, i think summer programs are a good way to get to know more about different schools.

Is the Columbia intro arch program have any specific area of concertrartion..for example more computer based than hands on model making and drawing? or is it just a very general introduction without a specifc focus?

anybody know what the limit of people they accept is?

there's absolutely no computer work whatsoever. there's virtually no theory or history. but the summer lecture series is a good supplement to all that, and if your crit is decent s/he'll offer some background lectures. point: if your crit sucks, your experience could suck, too.

my crit was amazing, and i felt i got a good overview/feel of what grad school at columbia might be like.

i think there were roughly 100 students.

So what kind of studio projects do students undertake? Do you know what they teach in the seminar classes? The website dosen't really say much.

would you say it's a worth while introduction to architecture for someone who dosen't have any previous experiance? I don't plan on going to Columbia but i'm interested by the fact it's in New York and the school has a good reputation.

I did the columbia thing with levasser up there. The kind of stuff you make will depend entirely upon your critic. For example, we started out doing a study where we concentrated solely on learning the properties of selected materials -- manipulating them, hybridizing them, etc. etc., in order to come up with something new and random. Then in the 2nd half of the semester we had to design a bar/bathhouse at a specific site we chose in chinatown, while in some way incorporating our previous project. I suppose the important thing to know is that you are only really going to be concentrating on conceptual models, and aren't going to have to worry about incorporating MEP or HVAC systems or any of that other stuff. I think that confused some people at first. It's only one month, for god's sake.

As for the other studios, the kids next to us were making polyurethane casts of dumplings. So YES, your experience will vary widely, depending on your crit.

Thanks alot W_O and levasser your comments were very helpful.

What was the columbia student housing like? Clean? close to the department?

are materials and supplies used covered by the tuition?

I didn't deal with housing, but the people I know who stayed there said it was perfectly fine. Its' as close to campus as you can get.

As for materials/supplies, NOTHING is covered. I spent at least $500 extra on supplies. They will tell you that you'll only spend $200-300, but no one I know managed to stay within that budget. Try to scrounge for materials on the street...seriously. You can find some interesting stuff.

If you have no experience with studio, you'll find the program really intense but greatly rewarding. If you are not an architecture major, but maybe only art history/ arts, it will definitely spruce up a potential portfolio for applying to M Arch programs.  I completed the Columbia Summer Program and Pratt program in 2009, and the Columbia program definitely prepared me more for my masters program. It gives you a real taste as to what studio is really like. 

I currently live right next to campus on Amsterdam, 2 block away from Avery Hall. If you are looking for housing for the summer, let me know. I'm looking to find 2 people to sublet for the summer since I will be doing a internship in Beijing.