@yuelotus I’m from Oakland, CA and I’m planning on being a Human Rights and English double-major:) What about you?
@electrichapel9 I have not taken any political science courses, but it is assumed that all Barnard and Columbia courses are difficult. Some people just excel at STEM while others excel in the humanities.
I am from Long Island, NY! I live about 40 minutes away from Barnard 
I plan to major in international relations and then a minor in film studies.
@yuelotus Barnard doesn’t offer a minor in film studies, but I can answer any questions you might have about the major!
@ibsadgurl My daughter was IB diploma and got in last year. Her roommate (also a freshman this year) was IB diploma as well.
@vinylraincoat Thank you so much! I am considering a double major then, but I feel like the pressures of college academics may be too overwhelming so I will have to think about it more if I ever get accepted. Acceptance is looking unlikely for me. Although I expressed how much I love Barnard and why I would be a good fit there, my stats are quite week. I have good ECs (no international or national award though), pretty strong essay, stronger supplements, and strong rec letters. My grades are average (may even be a bit below average) despite being ranked 20/404 in my class (top 5%) and taken 12 AP courses. My SAT is lower 25th percentile though 
and I did not have time to do an interview. I’m looking forward to a rejection so my best bet is just to go to a local uni for a year and then transfer.
Are all of your classes at Barnard or do you take film classes at Columbia as well?
Also, I don’t know what kind of background you come from but if it’s anything like mine, did you have any difficulties getting used to the environment at Barnard/Columbia? I don’t come from a top private or public school like Exeter or Stuyvesant, so I am not really used to being around really high-achieving and intellectual peers. I’m a low-income first gen Asian American so this college process is very new and intimidating to me and my parents. My fear is that IF I somehow get accepted, I will have some difficulties adjusting. Luckily, being from NYC/LI, this competitive environment is not completely unknown. It does feel a bit disorienting though.
@yuelotus I am not double majoring, but those who do double major don’t really seem to be more stressed out than other students. Barnard has very flexible general education requirements; courses can count for a general education requirement, the modes of thinking requirements and/or the major.
In terms of your application, Barnard values passion over everything else. Of course, they will only except students who are academically qualified, but if you show how passionate you are about a field of study in your application, then that’s what will make your application go from the waitlist pile to accepted. I am transfer student, so my application experience to Barnard is a bit different, but my high school stats were very weak (3.3 GPA, 1750 SAT). I did very well my first two years of college, though, and I proved in my essay that I want to change the world (which is the type of student Barnard wants as alumni).
All of my film classes are at Columbia, and most of the classes required for the Barnard Film Studies major are at Columbia. I have one additional class at Columbia this semester and two at Barnard.
In regards to your question about the transition to a school like Barnard, I found it very difficult at first. Granted, my experience is also very different than yours; a spent two years in college before coming to Barnard. Even for someone who is already used to college-level work, the Barnard/Columbia environment was a huge shock to me. The students are very driven and care deeply about their work. It can be very intimidating to be in a class full of people who were valedictorians of their high school, but you get over it after a while when you end up getting the same grades as them (or higher!). Sure, I have met quite a few people who graduated from Exeter and Stuyvesant, but you really can’t tell who is from where when you are in class. Most people are very serious students, so there is no divide. Barnard 100 percent understands how disorienting this type of academic environment can be, and I guarantee you that most students feel this sort of “imposter syndrome.” I had about five professors tell me during my first week on campus that yes, it is overwhelming, but I deserve to be here. It takes a while for that idea to sink in, though.
When I get very stressed about schoolwork, I go to office hours, which are a great resource. Most professors are very happy to help students and really appreciate when students show they care about the subject rather than just online shopping during class.
Let me know if you have any other questions! At first, I had a very hard time with the transition to Barnard (and I still have a lot of hard days when I don’t feel worthy of being at a school like this), but I truly feel like the education I’m getting and the opportunities I have are unparalleled. You’re supposed to be challenged in college anyway. It just took me a while to accept that.
And just remember that no matter where you end up going to college, it is where you are meant to be! You never know what opportunities await!
Less than a month!!
Will decisions come out on Dec 11th?
@Eezzww I know!! Less than 3 weeks ahhh!!!
@blackcats2023 I believe so…
@vinylraincoat wow, thank you so much! I am excited/nervous to hear back on Dec. 11th even if I don’t end up getting accepted, I know for sure that I am going to reapply as a transfer student. Do you know more about the Athena Film Festival? Do students often participate in it? This is one of the things I wrote about in my supplement and I am really interested in participating in it if I get accepted.
A little over two weeks until decisions!
How did you guys figure that December 11 is the day that ED results come out? Aren’t those results usually on Fridays?
@JenJenJenJen they do it on the same tuesday every year. we haven’t officially heard from admissions the date (though they’ll probably post about it soon on twitter) but we’re assuming it will be the same timeline as recent years.
So I checked my CSS profile a few minutes ago and it said awards are coming out on December 15th…do you think that ties into when they announce results?
Can you guys like tell me if I have an actual chance? I applied ED.
[aB]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): Not taken
ACT (breakdown): 27
SAT II: Spanish: 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 20/588
AP (place score in parenthesis): Not taken
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB Diploma Candidate
Senior Year Course Load:
Theory of Knowledge
IB English 7-8 (HL)
IB Spanish 9-10 (HL)
IB Biology 5-6 (HL)
IB Psychology 1-2 (SL)
IB History 3-4 (HL)
IB Math Studies 3-4 (SL)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None
[aB]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars:
Member, Film Society
Member, Drama Club/ School Plays
Primary Caregiver
President, Mock Trial
Member, STEP: Student Expedition Program
Member, AGUILA: Youth Leadership Program
President, National Honor Society
Member, Link Crew
Job/Work Experience:
Sonic Drive In (8 months)
Mother Bunch Restaurant (October-present)
Volunteer/Community service: My NHS club does a bi-annnual blood drive and I run said blood drive.
Summer Activities: Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institute
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Why Barnard: (8/10) I thought it was pretty decent. I talked about specific clubs that interested me and their communities for women of color. I also mentioned a professor that I would be interested in being taught by
Women in History: (8.5/10) I picked Aurora Guerrero which is a hispanic filmmaker who focuses on doing films that reflect her own hispanic background and how I someday want to do more or less the same to add diversity to the entertainment industry
Common App: (9?/10) I talked about films and how they affected my life and why they mean so much to me. Basically why I chose film as a path I would pursue and how someday I will use it to reflect on my culture and heritage.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10/10, I chose my junior year chemistry teacher and I really got along with him. He saw that I was really passionate about films and thought I should pursue film as a career.
Teacher Rec #2: 7.5/10, I chose my senior year math teacher. She likes me and I guess we both have the same taste in films. We often talk about them during class. I was a bit hesitant to ask her, mainly because she’s a senior year teacher.
Counselor Rec: 6/10 She know me pretty well. No special relationship or anything but she’s the counselor to all the IB kids in the school and we all know each other pretty well and she knows us all.
Additional Rec: 10/10. I chose my advisory teacher. I had her for my freshman year world history class. Throughout high school I really bonded with her and I just love her and I really thought she’d say some nice things. We’re really close.
Interview: N/A
[aB]Other:**
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Film Studies
State (if domestic applicant): Arizona
Country (if international applicant): (Born in Mexico but a legal resident in AZ)
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Woman
Income Bracket: 90,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM Hispanic I guess.
[aB]Reflection:**
Strengths:
Weaknesses: I got 2 C’s and a D junior year. It was a really bad year but I wrote an essay on the “additional information” section to explain what happened. Just a really bad year for me. My GPA is pretty low compared to other people’s as well as my ACT score of 27.
General Comments:
^^^I forgot to put my strengths. Here they are:
Strengths: I feel like I was very passionate in my essays and in a way they really reflected my personality. Also, my recommendations, I feel like, are pretty good. I picked teachers that like me and really knew what I was into.
I’m really nervous because as of right now DECISIONS ARE 2 WEEKS AWAY!!! THAT’S NOTHING!
@IWantNYC I am no expert at all but I think you have a decent chance. Your stats are definitely not on the strong side, but the fact that you demonstrate strong interest and passion for your intended major might get you in. Your pride in your background fits in with what Barnard likes also.