A Few Questions

Applying to College
1

Below are a bunch of miscellaneous questions I have. If you’d like to answer them, answer however many you want to.

  1. How do schools like NYU, Duke, Northwestern, or Columbia look at your grades? Do those schools just look at what GPA my hs lists or do they calculate it themselves?
  2. I am forecasting a couple of -A's while the rest of my grades are going to probably stay as A's (can't say for sure because finals are next week oog) so if I get a 3.9 this semester or a 3.8, will I have to stress even more about getting future semester transcripts to 4's? Especially if I want to get into something like Columbia or Northwestern?
  3. How far will recommendations take me? I'm very passionate about creative writing and storytelling in both literary and cinematic forms. Fortunately, I'm lucky enough to personally know a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and the director of a couple of Pixar movies. If I were to get recommendations from them, how much would that help me?
  4. How much does fluency or proficiency in several languages help? I'm currently fluent in English (ofc) and Spanish while my Russian and Italian are exponentially improving. Both Russian and Italian are also self-taught.
  5. Would it be recommended to take a CEF exam in Spanish, Russian, and Italian before college apps?
2
  1. Schools will calculate their own GPAs based on a predetermined criteria, this is to avoid any confusion between high schools with different scales.
  2. While grades are important, the difference between an A and an A- won't make or break you. Of course it's best to strive for the best you can achieve, but don't stress yourself out over a small difference like that. That being said, you cannot rely on impeccable grades either, your application should be strong in its entirety; especially for schools like Columbia and Northwestern.
  3. Any information that will reveal more about you in a positive way will help you. Having someone so well-respected recommend you would look great in addition to your strong application. Again, don't depend on a recommendation to carry you if your own work doesn't support you, but it will never hurt.
  4. Language proficiency shows a dedication to academics and learning and also reveals something about your interests and talents, being a polyglot is a great addition to your application.