for what it's worth, this isn't out of place at columbia, and it both solidifies my opinion of the program(s) and makes me wonder why on earth so many people think so highly of the program(s).
a few years back, i applied and was given the three to five week notice. i received admission to my first choice program and withdrew my application for consideration (approximately *thirteen* weeks after it was received, so only eight weeks late!). within two days, columbia informed me that i had been "rejected" (and i use that term loosely for obvious reasons).
of course, i received another email within the next week informing me that final decisions had not yet been made and asking me to wait a little while longer...huh? clearly no one has any idea what's going on over there.
columbia obviously wants to keep its admit rate low to make its numbers look good for future, uninformed students. that's pretty sad
for comparison purposes, my first choice school (and the one i attended) clearly posts on its website when decisions will be released and actually sticks to it. it's night and day, really.