<p>I'm trying to get an accurate read on the school/who they accept. If you have been accepted, would you mind sharing your stats/story?</p>
GS is pretty cagey about admissions stats. I’ve heard that the acceptance rate is ~20% and that GPAs and standardized test scores are scattered over a really broad range. Meaning, there’s conventionally competitive candidates (2300+ SATs; excellent recs; 3.9+ GPAs at community colleges or high schools) and people who couldn’t get into their local safety school but through a variety of really cool, unlikely events accomplished awesome stuff or have shown awesome potential.
Hopefully some folks chime in with more details. But, on a high level, hopefully that helps.
Actually, stats for GS are completely accessible through the CollegeBoard Database.
–Columbia GS–
CR: 650-760
M: 670-760
WR: 670-760
GPA: 3.89/4.0
For comparison,
–Cornell–
CR: 650-740
M: 680-770
WR: NOT REPORTED
GPA: NOT REPORTED
"Admission to Columbia GS is highly selective and “extremely competitive.” Admission standards are among the highest in the nation: The SAT score range (25th -75th percentiles) for admitted students is 650-760 for Critical Reading, 670-760 for Math, and 670-760 for Writing, comparable to that of Brown and Cornell.”