<p>Hello
My brother is desperately trying to transfer from Carnegie Mellon business school to Columbia University. He hates it there, socially Carnegie Mellon sucks. </p>
<p>First generation black man, if it matters my family does have money to pay for columbia or at least half of Columbia tuition.</p>
<p>His GPA is a 3.4 right now, he has great recommendations and a good essay. His high school grades are kinda low, sat score was around 1700's but he was in the top 5 percent of his class. </p>
<p>any advice or hope would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!</p>
<p>columbia has a 3.5 gpa requirement for transfers, no idea how flexible it is, but it is pretty important to them. though they reserve the ability to accept students below that mark, in general regardless of race it serves as a barometer of progress.</p>
<p>columbia, however, does care a lot about diversity and students coming from unique circumstances. if he does well in his application and presents himself he certainly has a shot (how much of a shot/chance i would never speculate, we are taking about fractions of information that lead people to be admitted or not, it is a farce for anyone to presume someone to be admitted). but a few things of advice to your brother: he needs to get to know columbia well and explain it well before the deadline, columbia cares a lot about students understanding what they offer and what is particular about columbia. also, he shouldn’t spend time talking negatively: about his grades, about CMU this gives the impression that he is bitter or ‘ungrateful’ for the world class education he could get at CMU. it should be euphemistic or often turn toward what columbia has to offer that he could not get at CMU (balance across the arts, humanities and sciences, a core curriculum, etc.).</p>
<p>Tepper (Carnegie Business) is a challenging program, and colleges like applicants who make their student bodies more diverse. However, I really think the 3.4 might be insurmountable. Most people who transfer to Ivies, and Columbia is no exception, have a 3.7 gpa or above. Midterms might help mitigate that, but still may not be enough. If I were him I would still give it a shot, but he should be aware that it’s probably his biggest reach.</p>
<p>LOL. Definitely not an incredible life story. I live with the guy. He’s a great person, very personable, motivated, diverse interests, etc. But he is certainly not getting a full ride. (Anyway, there are no merit-based scholarships).</p>
<p>I suppose I should add an addendum to that. His case goes to show that the school is looking for a wide variety of people. And it also shows that you never know just who might end up in that variety. That is why it never hurts to apply.</p>
<p>FYI, try to use plain English. I can’t say I’ve ever heard the word “addendum” used outside the admissions context. It’s not even properly used here. “I should clarify my previous post” would work better here.</p>
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<p>Um, this is college. There is no such thing as “midterm grades” and having a grade “this semester so far.” You’re not “getting an A” in some class because you did well on the first paper or quiz. And, it’s February 8th, for Christ’s sake.</p>
<p>Columbia2002: it might be fair to complain about my using an “obscure” word. I agree: simple words good. But I certainly used it correctly. An addendum is: “an item of additional material, typically omissions.” I used “addendum” because I felt I had omitted information from my last post. Granted, it was somewhat grand for its context. But really - plain English? Is addendum spicy English? Do we really need to cave to the whims of “populist” hate-mongerers like Bill O’Reilly who criticize all those “elitists” brazen enough to spout a three-syllable word? Whatever. I don’t see anything wrong with a bit of wordplay. It is almost a necessary survival skill in a rigorous academic setting. In any case, why would you even bring this up? FYI: If you’re posting on a how-to-get-into-college forum, maybe focus your constructive criticism on those trying to get into college.</p>
<p>Columbia2002- Um this is in fact college
and there IS such thing as “midterm grades”, or “having a grade this semester so far” as you put it. I know of two school’s who definately do this because of friends who have previously applied and have in fact successfully been able to send there midterm grades to that institution. Binghamton University and University of Pennsylvania. Both these Universities do in fact have paperwork that is recommended to be given to the teacher so that the teacher can determine the “grade so far”. Im not sure if Columbia does this, but it does in fact exist</p>
<p>Its Feb 8th? Yes im glad you know your month and date.
Transfer applications, for the most part, are not due till march 15th. March 15 is plenty of time for teachers to assimulate a “grade so far” especially for Carnegie Mellon since school ends in April.</p>
<p>Everyone else. Thanx you very much for your responces and we both appreciate them greatly. I know that my brother chances of acceptance to Columbia is a reach but like all of you have pointed out, it is not impossible. </p>
<p>I come to you guys fully aware of the fact that his low gpa might hold him back, so Im asking all of you guys for some advice to improve his chances since I know you all are very smart individuals and can help,
any more advice or suggestions to improve my brother’s chances is greatly appreciated!! </p>
<p>For instance what do you guys suggest he should concentrate on most in his personal statement? </p>
<p>he should concentrate on 1) writing something of high quality, 2) telling a story that shares something about him with the reader. i think the best essays have a multidimensionality to them, they are not just about one thing, but subtly expounds on many aspects of a person. so for example - it would be telling a story about his past that clearly exposes either his values, his goals as well as showing where he is coming from. it is discussing something in the world, that in some capacity shows how he looks at the world. </p>
<p>in the end, the best personal statement is the one in which an idea is executed with precision and delicacy regardless what the topic is. so asking what topic he should concentrate on is really asking the wrong question. rather, you and he should be more concerned with how does he approach writing.</p>
<p>most students that even apply for a school like columbia write straightforward stories that lack the panache and flavor of a truly solid essay. a great essay inspires a reader and asks him or her to look at everything else differently.</p>