<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>I applied early to columbia, but now I am getting nervous.</p>
<p>I have good test scores. SAT:1430 SAT II: Writing:750 MATH:720 LIT:710</p>
<p>I am african american and first generation college student.</p>
<p>But my grades suck. I did not know that B's were the Ivy League equivalent to F's!!!! I have a lot of B grades. and about 6 C's. My unweighted GPA is around 3.26. Does this equal automatic rejection???</p>
<p>I have good rec letters and a great essay. Also, the director of mathat the university of chicago wrote me a rec letter.</p>
<p>I simply cant stop thinking that my grades will stop me from getting accepted. Do you all think that I have a chance???</p>
<p>If Columbia can find a good reason as to why your grades are what they are... then I think you will still have a shot. But if there appears to be no apparent reason except for lack of effort, then your grades may lower your chance of admission. But don't fret about it. I am sure you will be fine. You can never tell! Be optimistic!</p>
<p>Your scores are truly outstanding for a underrepresented minority. For being a first-generation college student, I think any issues in the grades department will most certainly be forgiven.</p>
<p>You're set. Affirmative action and first-generation "action" are both working for you. The truth is, if you're a minority or have been disadvantaged in some way, colleges are looking for reasons to accept you, not reject you. Having a mid-B average should not get in the way of your application. </p>
<p>I would not worry, as I believe that you are nearly guaranteed to get in if you have some good extracurricular involvement and if your recs are positive.</p>
<p>Joey</p>
<p>OMG joey!!!!!!
I love you. Who are you? Where are u applying? You have given me so much hope. </p>
<p>Thank You</p>
<p>I'm actually really impressed with your stats, except for your GPA. I think it's really amazing that a first-generation minority has done as well as you have. I see your GPA as being a little bit lower for a number of possible reasons. Maybe your parents, who haven't gone to college, have not stressed the importance of education. Maybe you haven't been able to afford expensive tutoring in a subject if you had difficulty.</p>
<p>Your testing are uber high in the light of your circumstances. A college adcom is going to see you as a first-gen who isn't able to afford lots of expensive test prep. Therefore, your scores are going to be seen as a great indicator of your natural ability, and ability to do a lot more.</p>
<p>I can't say anything for sure, but from what I know, you should be set. I'd love to hear how your decision comes out :).</p>
<p>I'm applying to Harvard, Princeton (ED), Penn, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Rice, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, and University of Virginia. You can check out my stats here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=7662&page=1%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=7662&page=1</a>.</p>
<p>Joey</p>