<p>My freshman year of high school was not good. At the end of the year, I had a 3.048 UW GPA. I was getting ok grades in everything (mostly A's with the occasional B) in every subject except for French, in which I got D's and C's and which brought down my GPA greatly. I'm currently a sophomore and I have a 3.7 UW GPA and I intend to bring it up to about a 3.9 by the end of the year (which I know I will be able to do). I also hope to get about a 3.9 UW GPA junior year and I'm on a path to take AP classes and multiple honors classes senior year as well as junior year. I want to go to an Ivy League college, specifically to Columbia. Here are some of my other qualifications:
-I just got back scores for PSAT's and i got 98th percentile compared to juniors, so I think I will get a pretty good score for the SAT's.
-My dad graduated from Columbia so he can help me and I have legacy at that school.
-My high school is one of the top public high schools in NJ.
-I don't know class rank.
-I play volleyball competitively year round and I do a lot of clubs at school.
-I hope to write a good essay.
So, with my terrible freshman year GPA, do you think I still have a chance to get into Columbia? What can I do to increase my chances?
Thank you so much!</p>
<p>Maybe, but only because of your legacy status. Ultimately, if you come out with a 3.9 in the end, and a good score, your freshman year specifically won’t matter. </p>
<p>Thank you. I don’t know if I should keep trying or just give up. Columbia is my dream:)</p>
<p>It’s good to have a dream, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the rest of your reality. You should be thinking now about other schools and not obsessing about this one alone. Put Columbia in its box and move on to the next college and put it in its box. My advice to anyone hoping for admission to the Top 25 schools: apply and get on with the rest of your applications. Consider this, too, that you make sure each school on your list is affordable by running the net price calculator and talking to your parents about costs and what they’re willing to offer you. You cannot borrow enough money to pay for any college.</p>
<p>Not all legacy admissions advantages are remotely equal. The child of an alumnus who has constantly and substantially assisted the university’s goal achievement is very likely to have a far greater “hook” than the legacy whose parent occasionally attended alumni events, financially contributed irregularly and not too generously, never assumed leadership roles in university oversight/governance or in alumni affairs, and rarely – if ever – deeply invested time and talent to help the institution. </p>