<p>I'm currently a sophomore, but I'd like to see my current chances. I want to go into the field of Biomedical Engineering?</p>
<p>SAT: 2050s (Definitely going to work on that all summer ;p)
APs: Haven't taken them YET, but junior year it's going to be Lit, Calc AB, USH, Bio, and Chem (if I don't have chem, it'll be environ sci)
GPA: 3.833 (uw) 4.41 (w)
ranked: 9th out of 398</p>
<p>Ec's:
-tutor people in math
-Green club treasurer
-french club secretary
-photography club
-RYLA Member
-HOBY Runner Up in school
-Co-founded the Interact Club
-Vice President of Interact Club
-Member of NHS
-AcDec member
-Won 2nd place in 2012 Math competition in county
-Calculus Club Member</p>
<p>Recs: Amazing. Math and science teacher already wrote one for an internship.</p>
<p>GPA could always be higher and many sophomores take APs, but stats are competitive. I always thought that if I were to ask for a chance I would talk about myself a little, not just stats. Admissions are crazy and someone could be a perfect candidate but if that person can’t write a phenomenal essay or hold a basic conversation, they won’t go as far as they might expect. Make sure you contribute to those clubs and excel in what you do. Junior year can make or break you. </p>
<p>I feel as though admissions are not as crazy as portrayed (IMHO). I just think many people just can’t a) write an essay b) be genuine c) go to Harvard, Dartmouth, etc. for a legit reason or d) som other reason that would make sense in the context of the school. And many reasons are because of general facts that can apply to many colleges. </p>
<p>If I may ask, why do you want to go to an ivy (any specific ivies)?</p>
<p>:( I didn’t want to take APs because I wanted to get the fundamentals down before I tackle APs. </p>
<p>I’m aiming for Ivies because I feel that I won’t get the same education as a state school. Also I’m really competitive with families & friends so yes. </p>
<p>But I love Columbia’s campus! Right in NYC! Couldn’t be a better place? :)</p>
<p>There are tons of fabulous schools that are neither state schools or Ivy League. I suggest choosing four Ivies, four others, and a couple of state schools. And have you seen Columbia’s campus? Or do you just love (the idea of) NYC? Because I’m sure they have enough of those students applying every year.</p>
<p>I actually think its a good idea to apply to all the Ivies, but make sure you also apply to a variety of other schools like a state school. Ivy League admissions is a crapshoot these days since they have so many qualified applicants.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be rude, but there are many great schools in NYC and schools that are comparable with the league. I feel as though the name is still a factor. </p>
<p>For me, I like Harvard because of the Widener Library (and some certain rare book selections), its close proximity to multiple museums, Oxford Street, this building that looked like a church, but really wasn’t with the names of alumni killed during the civil war (I believe; I can’t remembe the name). I also have dislikes, like that Harvard time thing that is seven minutes after the hour or something and a few insignificant gripes. But the people at Harvard are the best and they are also a large part of my liking for Harvard. </p>
<p>I think we should look at each school in the context of what it excels at and offers. I really liked Harvard, but Princeton was a no-go for me. I think if you acknowlege things specific to a school, you’ll seem more interested; no one wants to be taken advantage of, not even an ivy.</p>
<p>Honestly, work on those ECs. Too much “member,” not enough that shows you can climb out of your comfort zone, see needs, tackle them and show results. Co-founder, treasurer, secretary- all those are things you do when the 3 pm bell rings, with friends. Even prez can be just a title. I don’t know if you’re serious here, but the Ivy adcoms want kids with vision, drive, compassion, energy and commitment. Kids who show they have substance. Competitive STEM applicants have research, internships, math and science activities, etc. If you’ve got it, you have to show it. You have time to fix this.</p>
<p>For someone applying to all the Ivies (which I would definitely not advise), your SATs are low, your GPA is on the low end of competitive, and your ECs are very average. Don’t just apply to Ivies, and for that matter, don’t apply to all the Ivies. Think about what kind of school you want and then find schools that profile. Don’t just limit your search based on perceived prestige.</p>
<p>The relevant consideration here should be how common it is to take AP’s during sophomore year at the OP’s high school.</p>
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<p>Of course, the problem is that the aspects that matter beyond what the OP has shared here cannot be safely shared and/or are too subjective for anyone’s reaction online to be meaningful. </p>
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<p>If the craziness you refer to is meant to imply the seeming randomness of admission, I think the factors you mention explain a few of the cases. But in my experience, most applicants with competitive stats for top colleges do write strong essays; at the least, surely enough do so that there must regularly be subjectively (bordering on arbitrarily) founded distinction among applicants with highly compelling applications.</p>
<p>As for your idea that non-genuineness is a valid attribution for many application rejections: To whatever extent non-genuineness exists (rather high, in my speculation), admissions officers’ capacity to sense it accurately is rather questionable.</p>
<p>Not that I put too much emphasis on rankings but here is what US News thinks are the best programs for Biomedical Engineering, note that there are no Ivies in the top 10.</p>
<p>Your suggestion on how to distribute one’s applications would be too modest for many students. The unpredictability of admissions at highly competitive colleges makes casting a wide net a meaningful contributor to an increased chance of getting into any of the competitive colleges to which one applies.</p>
<p>The tough decisions on the pros and cons of each school should come after one has his or her acceptances. The marginal benefit of sending an additional application is the potential opportunity to attend that school if accepted; the only cost is the application fee and the usually brief additional essays. I don’t see a problem with applying to many Ivy League schools, or even all of them; the high student intelligence and motivation at these schools can be a major attraction. A student may not be a good fit for some of them, but he or she can discover this later. Applying to too many schools is a regret of former applicants much less than applying to too few.</p>
<p>With that said, the pressure some of the above posters have placed on the OP to justify his or her interest in Columbia is helpful for writing the “Why Columbia” essay.</p>
<p>^ Re: Ivies and other very-most-selective schools: I seriously think we have to re-examine the cast a wide net concept, as it pertains to them. There are top performers (academic and otherwise, wise enough to craft a great application) who can rightly apply to many or all Ivies. Among the national competition, they have the goods and cannot count on predictable results when final decisions are made.</p>
<p>But the more modest performers, slower out of the starting gate, who can’t show the levels of energy, vision, drive, commitment and results that top colleges cherry pick? Why? Their energy and hope will likely pay a better dividend if invested wisely. </p>
<p>Yes, “the high student intelligence and motivation at these schools can be a major attraction.” But, the kid has to show he has a rightful place in a competitive college, prove it in all parts of the CA, show it’s been a pattern over time. It has to ring with those adcoms, not just be another horse in the race.</p>
<p>most applicants with competitive stats for top colleges do write strong essays… Not necessarily. You’d be surprised. Even top hs kids have very little experience crafting such an imortant application or writing, other than for hs classes. Many fall back on what worked in hs classes.</p>
<p>Absolutely. I meant to refer to those in the former group. If an applicant simply is not competitive for a highly selective college, applying to them all in the hopes of a fluke acceptance is not worthwhile; effort is better applied to strengthening his or her applications to more realistic fits. Thanks to the Common Application, however, the lighter marginal effort of applying to more than one highly selective school makes the wide net casting more feasible with less chance of compromising on quality.</p>
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<p>Sure, the student bodies’ quality would not be where it is without high and mostly inflexible academic standards, which – because of the bevy of applicants – can enjoy high burdens of proof. My statement was meant merely to provide an explanation for an applicant’s interest in many Ivy League schools; in many ways, they are not as disparate as those touting the need to find the “right fit” may imply.</p>
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<p>Defaulting to formulaic organizational habits (often characteristic of high school writing) is indeed commonplace and unnecessary among applicants, but rarely do I find that it significantly harms the strength of an essay’s efficacy.</p>
<p>I am generally favorably impressed with the quality of applicants’ essays that I read. Granted, some of this may be self-selection among those who solicit my feedback, but top college applicants are themselves rather self-selected. Among the hundreds of admissions essays I’ve reviewed, a sizable majority have been ordinary – nothing to positively render an application salient on their own; some are excessively hackneyed or pervaded by ungrammaticality; and a small number are extraordinary. </p>
<p>I’ve been able to casually track the results of many applicants whose essays I have read: To just read the essay is, for me, less predictively helpful for admissions chances (it’s tough to meaningfully distinguish among the ordinary majority) than to know the objective stats. Neither of these means is particularly precise, though. In combination, they reveal clearly that unpredictability is high, even after the veil on the subjective submissions is partially lifted.</p>
<p>It sometimes seems that for the strong applicant – the one who has solid SAT/ACT scores, impressive EC’s, and a glowing set of recommendations and academic marks – the greatest power he or she has in increasing chances of getting into a top college is not to bump the SAT score by another 100 or 200 points, secure more leadership positions, or perfect the essay: It is, soberly, to apply to more schools.</p>
<p>^ a fine point and I agree, when fit is already “up there.” It also explains waiting on the tougher decisions til after the admit.</p>
<p>I’ve reviewed, a sizable majority have been ordinary – nothing to positively render an application salient on their own; some are excessively hackneyed or pervaded by ungrammaticality; and a small number are extraordinary. </p>
<p>Exactly. And, the wise kids, whether they’re asking your help, mine, or someone else’s, can take suggestions and reframe. I advocate kids getting someone savvy to look at their apps, when they’re aiming high. Not writing for them, but guiding as a mentor would do for any significant project. </p>
<p>It’s not unethical. One expectation at a competitive college, is that a kid will know how and when to seek appropriate guidance and/or constructive criticism. And, take the best of that advice and roll with it, on his own. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, as seen on CC, there’s the rush of overconfidence re: stats and a few hs titles and a dust storm of everyone saying admissions is a lottery or crapshoot. </p>
<p>Agree that the essay itself is less predicively helpful re: end results. But, the functional goal is to get yourself to the last round. When people say crapshoot, they’re envisioning admit decisions as random, from the get-go. They forget that, for a highly selective school, you have to advance through successive rounds of reviews. </p>