Chance a welfare kid!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>Mixed (3/4 Vietnamese, 1/4 White)
Male
California
Average Public HS</p>

<p>GPA on transcript: 3.556
Academic GPA [no PE, etc]: (U) 3.611, (W) 3.806
UC GPA: 4.033 (for comparison)</p>

<p>I had an awful freshman year, an okay sophomore year, and a great junior year.</p>

<p>rank: 100/700 (~15%)</p>

<p>SAT I: 2260; CR 770, M 690, W 800
SAT II: Chem 800, World History 800, Math II 750</p>

<p>AP's:
10th: World (5)
11th: US and Chem (probably 5's)
12th: I plan on taking AP Physics B, AP Biology, AP US Government, AP Calculus AB.</p>

<p>I did not take the honors math and English courses offered at my school.</p>

<p>EC's:
100 hours of community service
Moderator of ratemyteacher.com for my school
President of History Club, VSA member
Private tutor during summer</p>

<p>No awards.</p>

<p>Recommendation Letters:
Will probably be average.</p>

<p>My essays will be solid.</p>

<p>My story:
My grandfather was a US soldier stationed in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. My mom and I both came to the US when I was 2 as a result of the Homecoming Act which allowed children of US soldiers to immigrate to the US. My mom has 2nd grade education and goes to ESL school in the morning. I will be the first to graduate HS in my family. My mom is a single parent and I have 3 younger siblings. We're on welfare.</p>

<p>I know my GPA and EC's are weak :(. Should I even apply to Columbia? Will applying ED help? Also, do you guys know if being 3/4 Vietnamese and 1/4 gives me URM status?</p>

2

<p>vietnamese / white is a negative, black and hispanic is a positive. I think it’ll be tough to get into Columbia but that with sat score you can probably make it to a good UC. You still have a chance to make it Columbia especially with your living situation. 3 siblings, single mom, welfare and dad as war vet to vietnam definitely helps your story substantially, you’ve proven you haven’t had it easy, but you haven’t excelled at anything, so you haven’t proven that you’ll be an asset to Columbia. The admissions committee might decide that you’ve had it hard enough and give you a break. You can discuss hardship, but don’t ever use it as an excuse, this will invariably hurt you.</p>

3

<p>yes, apply ED. Vietnamese is slightly URM, IMO. Not many vietnamese representing the asian portion of students in colleges. I also see first generation as being a bonus. Your GPA is still definitely going to hurt you, but I think if you apply ED you have a better chance. Although you need financial aid, don’t be afraid to apply ED. If you can’t afford Columbia, you can always opt out and find a better deal. Good luck.</p>

4

<p>Thanks confidentialcoll. My grandfather was a veteran (we know nothing about him). I won’t write a sob essay. I thought Vietnamese didn’t count as ORM though?</p>

<p>edit: Thanks nooob. If only I had a time machine…</p>

5

<p>Vietnamese applicants are definitely not at a disadvantage because of their ethnicity.</p>

6

<p>Hey, it looks like you were trying to pick up the slack from your freshman year. Your SAT II’s are GREAT. Two 800’s = good stuff. UC’s will love u. SAT I is not bad either. I would retake it to get a higher math, but other than that, quite solid :). Yea I know, EC’s are a pain in the butt. But given your circumstance I would be proud of your achievements. Lets face it, the upper income families have an advantage because they have mroe spare time dedicated to studying. While you are struggling just tp have enough money to survive. Emphasize your experience and struggles in your essays and colleges, even Columbia, maybe see the brilliant you.</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK!</p>

7

<p>Random - what does first generation status mean? Does it mean like first person going to college (any) from your family? Or first person going to an American college?</p>

8

<p>^I think it means first person ever to go to college. My father got his PhD from a chinese academy, my family is full of academics, so I don’t see how I qualify as first-generation.</p>

<p>To cupnoodles, your location is NYU, are you considering transferring? or do you live under a bridge that is near NYU? ;)</p>

9

<p>I’m in California. NYU is just a dream. :)</p>