Barnard help!

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hi, I applied to Tufts, BU, BC, Brown last year and got accepted to Tufts and BU and waitlisted to BC and Brown. Unfortunately, due to some personal reason, I ended up taking a gap year without any commitment. At that time I didn't know the existence of Barnard but over this summer I was fascinated by Barnard- all women's liberal arts school in NYC. Also, I wanted to major in Applied math and they have cross registration with columbia. Applied math department was literally across the street. So I applied there as ED and applied to other schools again.</p>

<p>But,
I did not get accepted. I did not get deferred for regular decision. It was just straight rejection from Barnard ED.....</p>

<p>Is there any possible explanation? I remember last year I got rejected from Northeastern which was bizarre since Northeastern was my safety school. I applied to Northeastern and Barnard as a math major. Northeastern told me they had too many competitive applicants for the math major. I asked them how I can get rejected with 800 SAT math, 790 SAT math 2C, 5 in AP Calculus, 3.6 GPA from one of the top public schools in Massachusetts, and I only moved to the states from a foreign country 3 years ago. I told him that Northeastern's mid 50% score of admitted students were way lower than that. I thought I was going to get accepted to Northeastern honors program. But admissions of officer wasn't able to really give details...</p>

<p>So,,, if I go back to Barnard,
I'm very feminist and showed very clearly in my essay how I overcame adversities in my life. This is very personal so I won't write the details in this post but no one in the world can say that I did not go through a very unique, traumatic event. </p>

<p>I called the Barnard Admissions twice and spoke with the admissions officers, and emailed them. They simply said they reviewed everything including a letter that says I was unable to get accommodation or special education for my ADHD or Learning Disability since I only got tested for those a few months ago. Strangely they didn't mention that they saw my art supplement. The officer told me that Barnard admits students "holistically". She also said Barnard share information about the decision. I just feel like this was some random rejection or perhaps they rejected me because of my background and financial status? That's what I felt when I got rejected from Northeastern. That my unique, traumatic background, and financial status may have made them think I will not fit into their "rich" society or something. But at the same time I don't have any proof that they are discriminating me.</p>

<p>Please give me some more advice and help to this situation. Although I don't like the admissions office, I did a lot of research at Barnard and wish to go there. I really think I can even sue the school if I have proof that they were discriminating or unfair.</p>

<p>If anyone went through similar situation, please let me know</p>

<p>I'm very perplexed... I feel like this was just another unfair</p>

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<p>See my reply here:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/13659268-post2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/13659268-post2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>As near as I can figure out, your problem is that you lied on your application and failed to reveal the circumstances of your freshman year at Tufts.</p>

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<p>I have actually not failed to reveal my prior circumstances and have not lied to the school admissions</p>

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<p>I’m sure I’ll regret asking, but curiosity has the best of me. How did Barnard discriminate or was unfair?</p>

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<p>They weren’t, the poster was just venting because of her disappointment and frustration. The part she left out in her original post – which apparently she did tell Barnard – was that she had a rough first year at Tufts. Given how unhappy she was at Tufts (from prior posts), it is likely that there are dropped/withdrawn courses on her record - so basically Barnard would have seen both positive and negative information about this applicant and made its decision accordingly. </p>

<p>It sounds like the poster has gone through some difficult experiences in her past, and unfortunately that may color the way she views current setbacks. Sometimes it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She responded very cordially to me in the other thread, so I am thinking that her posts were merely the expression of her frustration at the college rejection.</p>

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<p>^^
I had no doubt Barnard was fair and non-discriminatory in its assessment/decision. I was curious as to what Lizzy perceived as discrimination or being unfair. Thanks for your thoughtful response.</p>

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<p>I have noticed that Calmom is the one who is extremely negative, not me. You first accused me that I lied and that I did not adjust well. In fact, it is pretty rude to make such statement with only slight assumptions. Furthermore, you posted another thread that says I most likely dropped or withdrew from courses. In fact, I adjusted pretty well in school and did not have a withdrawal or failing grade in any classes. I was unhappy that the so called SMFA dual degree program was very disappointing and that the judicial affairs do not punish students who cheat, assault, or sexually harass other students even with clear evidence for the school’s reputation.</p>

<p>And it’s even more frustrating that you think I am that stupid. If I had horrible grades or had a W or if I had indeed lied to the school, I wouldn’t be posting here to begin with since I would KNOW WHY I got rejected. You would’ve noticed that in the original thread I mentioned my financial status(somewhat). You, who knows so well about colleges should also know that I would’ve filed FAFSA and CSS unless I’m out of my mind. And FAFSA supports 8 semesters per student and any previous usage will be shown to any institute that I apply. There is absolutely no reason for me to hide that and I wouldn’t lie to a school that I REALLY want to go to.</p>

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<p>@Crewdad, I think you misunderstood what I meant. The entire post was me just trying to figure out what Barnard’s criteria are. They said they admit people not only on their grades but look at individuals holistically. My grade part with GPA and stuff perfectly fits in their range. I did art and showed much strength through my essay of overcoming certain difficulties in life. Of course I am not an olympic gold medalist. I completely get it. The purpose of me writing this post(and I admit it wasn’t written well because I was somewhat frustrated from the decision and wasn’t thinking clearly) was to hear from others what THEY think Barnard looks in their applicants. It seems like you and Calmom knows very well about the school and how their admissions work. So, please tell me what their criteria are and what kind of students they are looking for? And why you think I got rejected?</p>

<p>-p.s-My essays were NOT negative, unlike what Calmom assumed. I never waived my counselor/teacher’s recommendation and they were good. Especially my guidance counselor knew me so well in what I had to overcome. And I had a good recommendation letter from college professor and the dean as well–</p>

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<p>Lizzy, I accused you of lying because of this post:

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<p>That was not the truth. It is a lie, because you did not take a “gap year without any commitment”. You enrolled in Tufts and then you made several posts on CC complaining about all the things you hate about Tufts. </p>

<p>We can’t know what you told Barnard. But obviously Barnard rejected you, which they have every right to do.</p>

<p>The “negativity” that I referred to is from your posts here, particularly the claims you make about Tufts which don’t really seem credible.</p>

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<p>I’m not foolish or arrogant enough to believe I can predict who Barnard (or any college) will admit or reject. Any opinion I have is no more than an educated guess. There is one issue you might have overlooked: Barnard is need-aware for transfer students. It’s very feasible you were denied admission for no other reason than Barnard has limited financial resources available for transfers.</p>

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<p>Lizzy, Calmom doesn’t need me to defend her–she’s an attorney :)–but there’s a difference between being honest and negative. I’m sure if you step back and rationality review her comments, you’ll come to realize she was trying to give you honest answers to your questions/concerns.</p>

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<p>Every top college in the country, including Northeastern, actively recruits and admits students who are from extremely financially depressed families. Some through the Posse Foundation or Questbridge, others through their own internal recruiting procedures. Financial fit was not an issue.</p>

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<p>I don’t know how I missed this.

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<p>Transfers are not allowed to apply ED. Using my kiddo’s vernacular, wassup?</p>

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<p>[Deadlines</a> & Decision Programs | Barnard College](<a href=“http://barnard.edu/admissions/apply/deadlines-and-decision-programs]Deadlines”>http://barnard.edu/admissions/apply/deadlines-and-decision-programs)</p>

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<p>You might have missed that, but I didn’t. (As you noted yourself, I’ve got a legal background - lawyer tend to be very good at spotting details that don’t add up).</p>

<p>The OP could have applied to Barnard as a first year, entering student, if she had less than 24 units of transfer credit. At some point last year she posted that she had inquired about transfer to Barnard but was told that she couldn’t because she had less than 24 units. That’s why I guessed that she hadn’t finished out the year at Tufts – if she had been a full time student for 2 semester, and completed all classes, she would have at least 24 units. See: [Transfer</a> Students | Barnard College](<a href=“http://barnard.edu/admissions/transfer-students]Transfer”>http://barnard.edu/admissions/transfer-students) </p>

<p>So if she applied ED, she did so either by (a) attempting to conceal the record of her attendance at Tufts, which she now denies having done, or (b) with a record of completion of less than a full year’s worth of credit – which suggests that she dropped out or withdrew from Tufts, or at least from some of her courses, after posting here last April. Alternatively, she could have been applying to Barnard as a transfer student for spring term, in which case she would have received notification in early December… but then that would be one more falsehood in her opening post.</p>

<p>In any case, the reason I pointed out the lies is so that others wouldn’t get led into the trap of taking her post at face value. In my view, if one part of a statement is demonstrably false, I will give no credence to anything else – so I am left with a poster who claims that she was rejected from Barnard ED, but absolutely nothing else to go on. </p>

<p>I did also notice the statement, “including a letter that says I was unable to get accommodation or special education for my ADHD or Learning Disability since I only got tested for those a few months ago.” That’s an after-the-fact excuse. That is, it sounds like someone who had subpar grades got tested for ADHD over the summer, and with a “letter” in hand, presents that as a reason that the admissions committee should now disregard the subpar performance. One does not get into highly selective colleges like Barnard with a litany of excuses for weak performance in the past. At the same time, a student who had a strong academic record would be unlikely to volunteer a recently diagnosed learning disability, as it would not tend to help the application. So again, the OP seems to be misrepresenting or hiding things in some way. </p>

<p>The other statement that I find odd is, “She also said Barnard share information about the decision.” Why would an admissions rep say something like that? Why would a rejected applicant ask if information was being shared? Is there something that the applicant revealed to Barnard – or that the Barnard admissions department discovered – that she does not want revealed to other colleges? Or does “share information” refer to facts about the applicant that Barnard learned from other colleges, like Tufts?</p>

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<p>So do suspicious wives.</p>

<p>It hope Lizzy responds with the facts and the entire story and allows you and others to assist her with her future plans and goals, especially if she does have ADHD or a learning disability. However, considering Lizzy’s SAT scores, and the fact she was admitted to Tufts, having an untreated learning disability seems a stretch.</p>

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Please tell me that you didn’t learn that from personal experience!</p>

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<p>^^</p>

<p>LOL. No. I’d be a fool to misbehave. I’m very fortunate. I have a great wife who is also an amazing mother. Now, if I could just get her to ski better. ;)</p>

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<p>So if she applied ED, she did so either by (a) attempting to conceal the record of her attendance at Tufts, which she now denies having done, or (b) with a record of completion of less than a full year’s worth of credit – which suggests that she dropped out or withdrew from Tufts, or at least from some of her courses, after posting here last April. Alternatively, she could have been applying to Barnard as a transfer student for spring term, in which case she would have received notification in early December… but then that would be one more falsehood in her opening post.</p>

<p>Again, you are just assuming. I attended 1st semester at tufts as a part time and 2nd semester as a full time with good GPA and they told me my credits don’t add up to 24 and that I should apply as freshman. So I decided to apply as ED. Maybe your brain is always focused on negative things thus you see negative stuff in other people</p>

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<p>So if she applied ED, she did so either by (a) attempting to conceal the record of her attendance at Tufts, which she now denies having done, or (b) with a record of completion of less than a full year’s worth of credit – which suggests that she dropped out or withdrew from Tufts, or at least from some of her courses, after posting here last April. Alternatively, she could have been applying to Barnard as a transfer student for spring term, in which case she would have received notification in early December… but then that would be one more falsehood in her opening post.</p>

<p>Again, you are just assuming. I attended 1st semester at tufts as a part time and 2nd semester as a full time with good GPA and they told me my credits don’t add up to 24 and that I should apply as freshman. So I decided to apply as ED. Maybe your brain is always focused on negative things thus you see negative stuff in other people. </p>

<p>If I spoke to you with the same attitude you have right now, I would be saying “Calmom is probably lying about her career since her career demands a lot of time commitment and it makes no sense that she is wasting so much time talking back to a mere student whom she thinks is dishonest. Perhaps she was a failure at Barnard and the only way she feels better is to pretend as if she did well”</p>

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<p>and northeastern is actually not a top college</p>

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<p>“litany of excuses for weak performance in the past” </p>

<p>again, Calmom, if you actually READ what I wrote, my GPA is higher than the statistics shown in Barnard admissions. And again, if my grades were poor I would know that is the reason I got rejected and wouldn’t be posting such question on here. It seems like you just enjoy bashing other people. If you are truly who you say you are, why don’t you give a true answer to my question about what their criteria are? Perhaps you don’t know and your so smart brain fails to recognize the main point of the thread and all you do is being disrespectful as if a high school girl would make false rumors about her peer. </p>

<p>If Barnard is full of people like you, perhaps I made a mistake to think it is a good school and should be happy I will not be mixed with illogical, snobby failure.</p>

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<p>I didn’t say Northeastern was included among the top colleges. Perhaps I should have written the sentence more clearly–e.g. "Every top college, as well as Northeastern, actively recruits and admits students who are from extremely financially depressed families. Is that better?</p>

<p>Having said that, Northeastern is a wonderful school and one of the top 60 research universities. NEU is also need-aware. Were you asking for a substantial amount of aid?</p>

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<p>What did you need an accommodation for? Tests in classes at Tufts? What do you mean by * special education*? Also, why did you deem it necessary to inform Barnard about your learning disability and ADHD?</p>

<p>You also mentioned you came to the U.S. three years ago. Are you a U.S. citizen?</p>