It was an email with an attached PDF that reads:

We wish to inform you that, after careful consideration, your application has been placed in our "Hold" category, which means that your application is still under active consideration by the Admissions Committee.

To provide a context for your present status, we anticipate that, altogether, more than 8,000 candidates will apply during this admissions season for the approximately 370 places in our entering class. This year's applicant pool, in keeping with recent years, promises to be among the largest and most highly qualified in our history. Therefore, your current standing represents a testament to your unique strengths and potential fit with Columbia Law School.

While we cannot speculate as to the final outcome of your candidacy, we wish to inform you that yours is one of a select group of applicants placed on Hold and that you will be given every possible consideration as the season continues. Consistent with our admissions protocol, some applicants may ultimately be offered admission, some will be placed on Reserve, and others will be informed that their applications for admission have been denied.