Anthro

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm a junior, and will most likely be applying ED to Columbia University next year.</p>

<p>My questions is..</p>

<p>Obviously everyone who applies to Columbia-calibur schools are straight A students, w/ great SAT scores (or at least most are.. I suppose some just apply for the heck of it).</p>

<p>I'm a 97/98 student, top 5% of my class, and mid 2200 SATs.
I think that all of that seems pretty average in terms of the Columbia applicant pool.</p>

<p>I don't have any extraordinary talents, or have won any state or national awards (aside from National Merit semifinalist). I'm a member of several clubs @ school which I hold leadership positions in.</p>

<p>However, I was wondering if developing my essay along the following guidelines would show maturity, uniqueness, or passion; or if it would just be another run-of-the-mill essay:</p>

<p>It may seem obscure, but I hope to pursue Anthropology in college.</p>

<p>I dabble in art, and have taken a studio art course to create many of my own pieces.. I write for the Culture Corner of my school newspaper as a Feature Editor.. And I absolutely love the Museum of Natural History (yeah, I'm a loser.. I'm thinking of revisiting there for my birthday this coming weekend.)
What really made me sure of my drive for anthropology was a summer course I took @ Brown. It was only two weeks in length, but I loved the subject matter, I learned to be independent (I had never been away from home before for more than a day or two), and I came away having learned so much about anthropology & varying world cultures.</p>

<p>I think these activities all mesh well with what I hope to pursue.. I like to believe that they show an interest and appreciation for things outside of what I know.</p>

<p>Thank you to anyone who read my rambling post, and I appreciate any opinions on whether this seems to show a type of uniqueness that everyone speaks of, or is rather ordinary.
Thanks.</p>

2

<p>display your passion for anthropology and your willingness to learn more about it in your essays. basically your stats are ball-park in a columbia application pool; write amazing essays and you'll have a good chance of getting in.</p>

3

<p>Heh, I'm similiar to you, except a bit worse in academics and even worse in the ECs part. Frankly, I think you have a great chance if you concentrate on anthropology. I plan to write on how chaos/order/faith has affected my mental state.</p>

<p>But if you're a junior, how do you know you're a semifinalist? All I got so far is info that I'm simply in the running.</p>

4

<p>They announced that I'd be a semifinalist at my school, actually.. Which must be purely speculation, since the National Merit people don't officially notify the schools until September I believe.. But I think depending on the score, it can be determined in advance. (My score was 223, and last year's cutoff score in NY for Semifinalist was 218)</p>

5

<p>anthropology? sweet~!</p>

6

<p>What kind of course work do you do as an anthropology major?</p>

7

<p>There are all these interesting courses that you can take @ Columbia for Anthropology.. I don't remember them, and the book that I have outlining them is downstairs.</p>

<p>There are different branches of anthropology, like physical, biological, cultural (the one I would prob. most want to concentrate in).
I suppose anthropology is a good major for studying abroad.. To view, first-hand, a culture's lifestyles and ways of living. </p>

<p>I don't know an insane amount about anthropology in regards to college, but it's definitely something I would like to explore.
And hopefully at Columbia too.. An amazing school + in my home state, less than an hour away from home.
I hope my love for the subject will stand out...</p>

8

<p>I wanna major in anthro (it interests me) but I don't know what it entails (cultural)</p>

9

<p>You can probably pick up a catalog at a local college that outlines different types of courses for an Anthropology major. Or you could talk to a guidance counselor, or someone from your high school, and see if they have some input.</p>

10

<p>I'm 17...but I want a college student's perspective on like how hard the course work was, what the work actually is, and if they like it (what they expected)</p>

11

<p>Oh, so do I. That'd be sweet.
Hopefully I find someone who's an anthropology major sometime soon (although that's probably wishful thinking).
And I'll be 17 in five days. =)</p>

12

<p>you should look at penn also, is is very strong in anthro also</p>

13

<p>Oh, maybe. Columbia's always been my first choice, especially because it's in NYC.</p>

<p>Do you think I would be able to develop a unique, mature essay that would stand out? My ECs are mediocre, so unless my essays really show something unique and have force, my chances at these schools are bleak.</p>

14

<p>Im also looking at anthro as a major, im a junior in HS right now as well. I really knew nothing about the subject until a few months ago when i started my college search, but it now interests me more than any other major ive considered. Im the kind of person that wants to know why we are the way we are today, and I think that studying anthropology will give me a better understanding of how cultures that existed hundreds, even thousands of years ago influenced our culture today. I also hope to go to med school, and i think that anthro will give me a very different persective on medicine that the standard bio major. Im glad to see you all are considering anthro as well, I think the world will be better off with more anthro grads! BTW, if anyone wants to throw out some suggestions of top anthro programs, feel free to do so...</p>

15

<p>your idea for your essay shows promise. But be careful that it doesn't turn into a puff piece on the field of anthropology and why it is so wonderful. Remember the essay is supposed to be about you and what makes you special.</p>

<p>The adcoms at MIT have a webpage that introduces them and gives a few hints about applying to top schools. The page is great reading and is at <a href="http://matt.mitblogs.com/archives/meet_the_admissions_officers/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://matt.mitblogs.com/archives/meet_the_admissions_officers/index.html&lt;/a> Here is a quote
[quote]
Advice about applying to college/MIT: Two things - first, put yourself - your true self - into all of the subjective parts of the application, especially your essays. When readers feel a human connection to an application, it makes them search even harder for a reason to admit you. In other words, we don't connect with pieces of paper, we connect with people. So make sure that your application is a compelling window into who you really are. Second, maintain perspective throughout the entire process. Hopefully everything will work out and you'll get into MIT or another top-tier school that you love. But if not, remember that there are many roads to happiness and fulfillment.

[/quote]
Lastly, I feel its necessary to add a splash of cold water here. By your own description your ECs are a weak point, and the rest of your stats are standard for a school like Columbia. You wonder if a great essay or two will push you in. Problem is, a lot of kids with your stats AND great ECs are darn good writers too. You're not just competing against kids from your HS or region, but top schools like Columbia have a national draw and you're competing against the best in the whole country!</p>

<p>So by all means if this is your dream school apply ED; it's well known ED boosts your chances. But don't spend this summer dreaming of what classes you're going to take once you're in. This is the time to investigate alternatives, to come up with a list of match and safety schools that you'd love to attend. If you look at your reasons for choosing Columbia, assuming they don't just boil down to the prestige factor, then you can find other schools that share those factors.</p>

16

<p>True.
My school caries much prestige though, and sends several students to Columbia each year. Hopefully if I am the only one from my HS to apply ED, the prestige of my school (plus I'm sure all admissions people at Columbia have heard of my HS, since it's only about a half-hour away) will help me.. My friend appled ED to Columbia this year and was accepted (although he probably could've gotten in anywhere, he was just amazing). Hopefully not having a "hook," like being the best at one particular thing, won't hurt me too much. (Plus, on CollegeBoard, it says that Columbia placed more emphasis on essays than on ECs and talent/ability.) My grades and SAT scores are about standard (maybe a tad bit on the higher side) in a Columbia applicant pool.. So hopefully my other factors -- Interesting essays, from NY, presigious private school -- will be enough to push me in.</p>