<p>From: Canada
Rank: (we dont rank)
Ethnicity: Asian female
GPA: 3.8-3.9
SAT: (Low, but i will take it again in oct)
SATII: Math 800 (taking physics in nov)
PSAT: n/a
ACT: n/a
AP: n/a (going to take calculus, physics and compsci this year)</p>
<p>Competitions/awards:
- Medal of ARML (American Regional Math League) Team High Scorer
- Canada top 20 in the 40th Canadian Mathematical Olympiad 2008
- 1st in Canada in Western Science Olympic
- 3rd in North America in Four by Four Math Competition
- Gold Standard in the Hypatia Mathematics Contest</p>
<p>EC:
- 600 volunteer hours</p>
<ul>
<li>been to Moscow, Russia for International Mathematics Summer Conference</li>
<li>invited to IMO (International Mathematics Olympiad) Training Camp</li>
<li><p>Invited to Canadian National Math Camp </p></li>
<li><p>Executive of the Multicultural Show</p></li>
<li><p>Executive of the Art Committee of UCCP (Under-privileged Children's Christmas Party)</p></li>
<li><p>Model of “Viva Las Vegas” Fashion show 2007</p></li>
<li><p>secretary of computer science club</p></li>
<li><p>member of science club</p></li>
</ul>
<p>etc..</p>
<p>About myself, i know what my problem is, i'm really weak at English, i will try my best to have a good SAT score
but other than SAT, is everything else ok?
it's pretty obvious that im really passionate about math and im not a sport person..</p>
<p>hi, AnonAnnay:
thank you, ur comment meant a lot to me..
i’m rly struggling with SATs those days..
now, i feel rly motivated ^-^</p>
<p>ok, for math, i have a few books to recommend you
i started with Art of problem solving, there are 2 volumes, the first one is easier, and the second one is more for contests (more likely pre-olympiads)</p>
<p>then, if you want to get into olympiads, there is a book called “problem solving strategy”, this is a really good book and it’s a little bit hard
but if you put time and effort into it, you can get a lot better!</p>
<p>im thinking of applying for chicago, uPenn, Berkeley, Stanford and MIT as well..
though, my chance for getting into Stanford or MIT is not very high..</p>
<p>i want to study business/finance related programs</p>
<p>take it from a current Columbia student, the fact of the matter is that you can’t ask, “what are my chances?”. Yes by the looks of your stats you seem like you would be a fine candidate but so are half the people columbia rejects. Ivy Leagues get TONS of appicants that are smart enough and have good enough grades and test scores. what it comes down to is originality and individuality. I had three friends in my high school class that all had better grades/test scores than me and we all applied to columbia. i was the only one who got in. why? because i worked hard on my essay and i got recommendations of teachers that TRULY knew me.</p>
<p>proof that it’s a crapshoot and not a numbers game: i got admitted to Stanford, Brown, Penn, and Columbia… yet waitlisted at Cornell which is statistically WAY easier to get into than the other three. the admission process is SUBJECTIVE, not OBJECTIVE.</p>
<p>don’t waste your time on this site. just write your essays and have a little bit of faith.</p>
<p>FYI- Columbia finacial aid sucks! I’m leaving after this semester because of it</p>
<p>This chance threads on this site aren’t <em>supposed</em> to tell you if you get in or not: it gives you an indication of where you stand relative to what past and current students have seen at Columbia. Of course we can’t tell you if you’ll get in or not. Of course you might get rejected. You can ask James Minter, head of International admissions if you’ll get in and he won’t know the answer. Why? Because in all likelihood he hasn’t seen the rest of your peer group.</p>
<p>But Pjb’s right about the essay: that’s usually the kicker, unless you successfully cloned dinosaurs or soemthing. </p>
<p>Also, Password: Columbia doesn’t have an undergraduate business program, although <em>lots</em> of students find their way down to Wall Street and the consulting firms. The closest thing Columbia offers you to a business major is Economics in CC and FE/IEOR/EMS/Technological entrepreneurship in SEAS. </p>
<p>Still, that shouldn’t deter you: Business can be learned on the job, theoretical mathematics can’t.</p>
<p>Hello, pjb:
Thank you very much for yours advices.
Those are truly helpful tips than a pure percentage indicating my chance.
About my essay, I think I’m going to talk about my experience in Russia.
If possible, will you tell me what you have talked about in your essay?
It’s alright if you dont want to.
I won’t waste as much time on this site anymore. Thanks again.
I hope you enjoy your new school!</p>
<hr>
<p>Hello, cerberus:
Thank you. I know many schools don’t offer the business program that I desire unless I go into the grad school. So I’m thinking of majoring in Economics.
You are right and I do definitly have the chance of getting rejected, now I think about it, the most important part for everything is the experience. I will try my best and balance my way out! ^_______^</p>
<p>Your math things will definitely help you. They are brilliant. Your application looks very good, and you seem pretty much in(but admissions is a crapshoot, even the best of the best gets rejected).</p>
<p>Sorry I don’t have much advice to give to you about business since I am not studying it, but I have general knowledge about Columbia admissions.</p>
<p>While everything else looks very good, the only gap I see there is the SAT, which is one of the most important parts of an application. I am not sure what your past SAT score was, but you said that they are low and you also mentioned something about your English being weak. What I notice with many immigrants who are learning English is that they tend to stick to their own language and read less English or speak less English. I’ve volunteered in an ESL class for a very long time and so I know that those are very detrimental and terrible to English learning. I am not sure if this is your case, I am just mentioning this because it might be. Your English does not seem so bad though, just make sure you work on your SATs, because even people who have been born here have problems with it. Since you only have one month to study, put your concentration into your SAT more right now than anything else. I heard that the admissions might be more understanding with newer immigrants with SAT so do not worry too much. But seriously, now, put SAT first. You will need a decent SAT score, I’m worried because you said your English is weak.</p>
<p>I never really found Columbia’s Financial Aid bad. Since you said you live in Canada, I’m assuming you are a permanent resident, not a Canadian yet? I believe they are need-blind to permanent residents of Canada also(I’m not 100% sure about this; make sure you double check this), which means they won’t take consideration of whether you need financial aid or not. And they will meet your need.</p>
<p>I am currently at Columbia and I love it. and New York City is the best city you will ever be at!!! It’s so exciting. Visit Columbia if you can. In my opinion, it’s a best way to get a feel of the university(with a nice tour, Columbia is gorgeous) and I guarantee it will help talking and asking questions to admissions(it helped me a lot at least). I strongly recommend that you visit.</p>
<p>Got a little long, but good luck with your apps! I was scared few years ago back when I was applying too. Start your apps early(especially essays!) so you don’t cram or send it right before the deadline(possible problems can occur so make sure you leave few days before you plan to submit) and it’s so much more refreshing to be done with your applications earlier.</p>