<p>So I am currently a freshman at Bard College in kinda-upstate New York. I had a pretty good but not remarkable high school career - 3.6 GPA unweighted, 2220 SATs, two fives on AP tests, 33 ACTs, acted in a whole bunch of plays, participated in sports for a couple years, did community service, worked during the summers. Nothing outstanding, but a little ahead of the norm, especially considering that I came from a really, really bad high school. My GPA is what dragged me down, and the fact that I was never one of those people who did every action with a thought towards college - I was just bumbling along and going about my business.</p>
<p>I applied to Bard, UBC, Pitzer, USC and Yale. Didn't get in to Yale (and wasn't really interested), got in everywhere else, came to Bard. It's a really, really good school, and I'm amazed by how much I've learned already, but it's a small, isolated campus and I can't stay here for four years. I don't think I can stay here for two years. How easy is it to apply as a transferee to Columbia as a Sophomore? I have legacy (my father went there, and my family has a history of Ivydom) and by the looks of things I am going to be doing pretty well in my classes here. </p>
<p>So, first of all, I'd just like to dialogue with some of you about getting into Columbia as a transfer. Second of all, how important are extracurriculars in college for transfers? I'm pretty active, and spend a lot of time biking, studying, and working out, but I'm not the head of any clubs or in any sports. Should I be padding out my resume like a lot of people did for high school, or is that less important for college? And presuming I do pull off a 3.8 or a 4.0 this year, how much will that do for my high school grades?</p>
<p>One last thing: I'm going to be headed down to the city soon, and was wondering whether it would be worthwhile to head over to Columbia and talk to admissions. Would they actually help me, or just tell me "Work hard and apply in the spring?"</p>