Accepted!
I am so surprised because although my grades a re really god (4.0 unweighted) my SAT scores are abysmal (1290, yup I know shame me!!) but to whoever is applying this year RD or next year (cus I stalked these pages!) don’t let that psych you out because Barnard does not seem to care very much about SAT scores, they want a well rounded individual who (gets good grades) but beyond that is passionated and committed to what they do and dare to put themselves in positions of leadership and take initiative. They are not looking for the cookie cutter person. I am a dancer, who wants to choreograph, but I am also fascinated with biology, which at most schools would be an impossible double major, but Barnard likes people who want to learn as much as they can. Ultimately the admissions process is partially a game of chance, and even if u r a perfect candidate the odds are still against everyone (thats what I had been telling myself for a month before getting the letter!) anyways long story short, cant wait to meet all you brilliant Barnard ladies, next year and good luck to everyone is this insanely crazy time!
Barnard accepted 3 students from the school I work with and deferred/rejected 3. None of the accepted students appear to have been hooked, but each of the accepted ladies was noteworthy in some way, be it an exceptional accomplishment, unusual circumstances, special talent etc. While none were hooked, it appears that Barnard is looking for women who stand out in some way. Agree with the other posts in that all the students were exceptionally talented. It must have been a very different call for Barnard to decide who to admit.
@chuckyma People are accepted for all sorts of reasons. I for one, as well as many others, did show Barnard a lot of love - interview, visited, social media, etc. As for the PCP, if you do some research (although I’m not sure about Barnard), these college summer programs are really just a way for the Universities to make a lot of money. https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurareston/2015/07/01/college-summer-programs-for-high-schoolers-are-they-worth-it/#726df6f44b57. Despite that, YES these programs can prove fruitful ONLY if the student is going for the right reason, not just because they think it will give them an edge during the actual college process. Hint, it doesn’t. Also, I’m confused as to what you mean by “hooks.” Regardless, yes I do think Barnard is looking for geographic diversity, but so is every other college. I agree with you though, I’m sure many of the young women who were deferred or denied had amazing essays, and I know they will go on to other amazing colleges/universities and do great things. I think it is unfair of your to try to conclude how Barnard’s admissions Committee made their decisions. We cannot possibly know the guidelines that Barnard, as an institution, placed on them. Lastly, my college counselor told me two very important things: 1) The criterium changes every single year (if not more regularly than that) 2) They are not necessarily denying you as a person, rather they most likely see somebody who they feel will be a better fit.
should we or is there a facebook group?
I’m in the same boat as SarahYasmine! Accepted with a 4.08 (weighted), 1290 SAT and 29 ACT. I agree with everything she says, Barnard definitely seems to like people who want to learn as much as possible and are well-rounded. For example, I’m terrible at math, and my math SAT shows it (it was 590! 5 9 0!!!), but I was always down to work hard to learn more, and that shows in my good grades in advanced math classes throughout high school. For reference, with AP Calc this year (my teacher for this class actually wrote one of my recs), I have actually done well, which is probably what showed that I’m not a total math disaster.
Character also seems to be a very important trait, since that is something that I think stood out in my essays, interview, and recs! I was also fortunate enough to have gotten a rec from an ambassador that I had an internship with during the summer, and my teacher recs helped back up what I told my interviewer about myself. Also my interview was on Halloween during school hours… so she got to see my “stereotypical latin grandma” costume… not sure if that helped but oh well. Best of luck to all the prospective Barnard women, and remember that although it’s cheesy, everything does happen for a reason! 
Who has received their fin aid package?
my D got financial aid note together with acceptance letter late last week.
I also do not know what “hooks” means here. Can anyone clarify?
My imperfect understanding is that a hook is something that benefits an applicant outside of the general pool. An all state Oboe player for a school that needs one, a basketball center, an alum’s kid, an international student from a country never before seen. Not all schools use hooks and others do. One that I think is pretty common is for children of faculty.
Ah. That makes sense, I guess.
I’ve also heard but don’t know that some schools might use hooks but have a limited number. Powerhouse football schools will hook in top players but they have a quota. Overall freshman class can only be x% hooked.
@chuckyma I did PCP, and I was accepted. Before I even read my acceptance notification online last Tuesday, 3 (3!!) PCP grads from this summer texted me that they got straight up denied. 1 more of my friends from PCP was deferred. It’s not a guaranteed in whatsoever.
I agree with whoever that summer programs are mostly for colleges to make money. Technically, colleges cannot give you advantages for simply being able to afford an expensive summer program. It does, however, demonstrate interest. And there are many many ways to show interest to a college (open house, college visit, interview, emailing reps, etc). I did all of those PLUS pcp.
Last year a girl from my school with a 33ACT and 4.2 GPA didn’t get in to Barnard. This scared me. However I realized she showed no interest and had relatively weak extracurriculars/leadership positions and essays.
I strongly believe Barnard stresses the potential your application demonstrates as a future female leader, in their opinion.
My stats were lower than my friend’s from last year but I was accepted. I showed an immense amount of interest, my essays were extremely personal about the struggles I have overcome in my life and how I developed feminist values throughout my life. My teachers told me personally that they wrote me very good and specific recs because I have great relationships with them and we highly respect one another. I also have about 7 leadership positions in and out of school, mostly centered around social justice and promoting diversity.
I am not an athlete, I am Caucasian, I am from a huge city so no geographic diversity; I do not think I got in for any of those reasons you were describing. I am simply a slightly above average girl academically with very good extracurriculars, essays, and recs (overall personal qualities) in my opinion. I even applied for a considerably large amount of financial aid, just to prove that my family is not some kind of benefactor and have no connections.
I hope my honest response helps some future or deferred applicants. Anyone please feel free to message me privately and I’ll give you my phone # if you want more advice or just to talk
@Nataliavas13 Wonderful post. I wish you the best and am certain you will love Barnard.
juuuust wondering if any rejected kids (if you’re still reading this thread) are thinking about appealing? is that a viable option bc that’s what someone from my school did but for a different college.
@gdgoon Barnard decisions are final and unless you could demonstrate that there was some sort of material error in your application, they won’t entertain an appeal. There really are many fine colleges out there and I’d strongly encourage you to focus on them.