<p>**Decision: Accepted to Columbia College **</p>
<p>** Objective: **</p>
<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (800 CR, 770 M, 770 W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 780 Bio M, 730 Math 2 (ouch)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 96%; no GPA is calculated
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): does not rank, top % unofficially
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calc BC (4), AP English Lit (4), AP World History (5), AP Bio (4), AP Euro, AP Physics, AP English Lang, AP Stat (maybe) - school offers few APs and is bad at preparing students for them
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Overall hardest possible courseload. This year: Philosophy, AP Physics, Gr12 Physics, Gr12 Social Studies, AP Euro, Math self-study, gym (grad requirement), CALM (grad requirement)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): selected to represent country at international science competition, best in category at Sigma Xi Online Research Showcase, 2nd best in city fair (largest in Canada), won provincially competitive research student ship, silver medal at national science fair, position paper submitted to International Commonwealth Youth forum, chosen to advise minister of education
Subjective:</p>
<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Co-founder and chair of city-wide youth health group (under umbrella organization), student researcher (very heavy - 20-40 hours/week), MUN club leader/founder, editor of national youth science journal, blogged on national science blog, debate and speech (grades 10/11), editor at student run youth think tank (limited output), school science club…
Job/Work Experience: summer research program (paid 2k)
Volunteer/Community Service: Co-founder and chair of city-wide youth health group (under umbrella organization), tutored at school kind-of
Summer Activities: research and recuperating from surgery
Essays: CA touched upon a difficult challenge/life experience that i overcame - I liked it, EC essay was research (I quite liked it), why columbia (core, city - a bit laundry listy but I think it made sense from my background), media essay - quite personal, why major - really explained/walked them through. Wrote my essays literally an hour before (DO NOT DO THIS).
Teacher Recommendations: Math teacher - good, SS teacher - solid
Counselor Rec: Should be solid. He knows me very well and we had a few meetings to talk about the letter. I gave him the MIT guidelines.
Additional Rec: research mentor for more than 1.33 years. We have a good relationship and communicate frequently.
Interview: N/A
Other: submitted research abstract</p>
<p>State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: special kind of public
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 110kish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
Reflection: I feel like Columbia likes certain kinds of students and I fit that mold. </p>
<p>Strengths: ECs, marks, GC rec, addl rec, awards
Weaknesses: I apparently had a 70 in physics when my GC submitted the transcript. Thankfully Columbia called and asked about it. Unknown school, one sketchy SAT2 and maybe course rigour? I took the hardest stuff offered but I feel inadequate compared to American students. Also, only 2 years of French lololol.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I have many flaws but I am thoughtful and like to explore and also pretty far along my future field of interest as a scholar which I think Columbia liked. Admitted as a John Jay scholar.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Emory (waitlisted), Harvard (Rejected), Princeton (rejected), Yale (rejected), Penn (a bit surprising given history, but rejected). Recipient of major Canadian scholarship.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: For internationals: get your school on side and really distinguish yourself. Don’t do tacky school clubs that you secretly loathe or obsess over marks. Really pursue what you care about and excel. If you like polisci, I would encourage you to call a campaign and volunteer with them. Try to explore and develop yourself into an interesting individual. Then, write your essays while keeping in mind the ethos of the school and get people who are hypercritical to read them. Do this in advance. Ensure that your recs are solid as well. Finally, submit the application, and pray. (Also, have many safeties) :)</p>
<p>I may be attending Columbia, but it depends on FA and other Canadian programmes.
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