Region of residence: midwest
White female
Senior
GPA: 3.98 UW, 4.77 W
Top 10%
ACT: 34
High school: around 2000 people, not very competitive, most go to state schools
Candidate for IB Diploma–HL: Chemistry, English, Spanish; SL: History, Visual Art, Math; generally only around 10 people at my school do IB and only the diploma program is offered; took almost all honors classes freshman/sophomore year, taking AP physics as well
ECs: started American Sign Language Club, volunteer at art museum and help teach children art/lessons (2 years, I generally go twice a week), school tutor, some other volunteer work: total hours: around 170; did volleyball my freshman and sophomore year as well
Jobs: I’ve had 2 jobs, worked all this summer, plan on working this year as well
Languages: Accelerated/IB Spanish for 4 years, learning Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Italian on my own
Major: undecided, but I’ve liked classes that I’ve taken related to psychology, anthropology, art history, and linguistics
If anyone could help me out I’d really appreciate it! I know my standardized test stuff and GPA fits into the range, but I’m not sure what my chance of getting in really is.
Forgot to add that I might apply ED. It depends on if I find another college I like more (at this point the only options for that is Vassar or Barnard).
I wanted to bump this to see what people think and also say that Columbia is by far my top school. At this point a big concern of mine is financial aid and how much debt I will have after. Would attending my state school for undergrad and then going to Columbia for grad school be better than Columbia for undergrad? I would also like to mention that I plan to study abroad and possibly work abroad, or at least stay in a place like NYC where there is a large international presence.
Myth #1. I need to get into a higher ranked school because it’s better. Not true. Schools are uniquely different in many different ways. Ranking a school is like comparing apples and onions and calling one “better.” Apples and onions are BOTH tasty, but are used for different purposes. The best school is the most affordable school that fits your ambitions and personality.
Myth #2. The school is very selective, which means it must be a better school. Not true. Selectivity has nothing whatever to do with educational quality. It’s merely a function of supply and demand. In fact, hyper-competitive is not generally a good trait for young future professionals to learn. The professional workforce relies on collaboration.
Myth #3. It’s worth going into extra debt if it’s a big name school. Absolutely not true! This thinking leads to life-long financially crippling decisions. Unfortunately, it’s all too common for parents to co-sign large amounts of debt to their kids so they can graduate from a “big name” university. What they end-up with is a $120,000 bachelors degree and and an entry level job. A $100,000 job from a financial consulting firm sounds good, except that it’s in New York City. If the job were in Memphis, the cost of living would equate to $45,000 a year. Employers don’t pay any higher than market rate for an entry level job. A higher salary means that the employer can attract an experienced professional to do the job.
Myth #4. I want a specific major, and this school has it, so it’s worth going if I can’t afford it. Not true. The average college student changes their major at least twice. I changed mine more times than I can count. Getting hung-up on a specialized occupation is putting the cart before the horse. Settling on a major most often means taking classes until you find something that really interests you. Take your time. Choose a school with flexibility. I went to college KNOWING that I wanted to be a doctor. I ended up being a computer programmer.
The mantra on CC is always" $$ first, last & always, especially if you are looking at grad school. For a high achiever (like you!) there are a lot of choices. You don’t say what you think your future path is / what sort of grad school, which would be helpful to know when answering your question about undergrad/grad. Also, what level of debt are you looking at?
There will be nothing like your undergraduate experience in your life so, no, not all colleges are the same. Going to your State U will be like a continuation of high school and not transformational. Still you need to make sure Columbia is for you, you can afford it, and then of course get admitted.
Let me ask: what is your basis for saying this? So are you saying that no student has a transformational experience at a state school? That can only be found at a private school, no matter the private school? Does that statement apply to schools like Michigan, UVA, UCLA?
Actually, because you asserted it as a straight-up fact (it WILL be like a continuation of high school and NOT transformational) it is easy to demonstrate that your statement is untrue: one example suffices.
My home state of Va offers an easy example: UVa and W&M are sufficiently different that no matter what sort of HS the OP attends, one of them will not be a ‘continuation’. As for whether a State U can be transformational, I doubt that I am the only person on CC who can point to a transformative experience at a State U.
Ime, moving from a large-ish independent schools to a small LAC is most likely to feel like a continuation of HS- I know a number of students who have had that experience.
Again my opinion, and the comparison is Columbia vs State U. As for UVA I still see posters who actually attend UVA talk about how much they dislike it and the same issues in high school plague them at UVA. I’ll stand by the statement that State U is a continuation of high school, same kids (just a little smarter), same issues. For applicants needing/wanting a different experience then a continuation of high school, then I strongly recommend elite colleges like Columbia or top LACs.
It doesn’t matter if some UVA (or wherever) students on CC complain. State U’s are larger, many, many kids don’t hang with hs classmates or even run into them often. So no absolute statements are possible.
As for OP and this thread topic, best chances are when you have an idea of what a college looks for, you’ve reviewed your hs experiences/resume for self match, and present that understanding in the app/supp. The rest depends on where you are, local competitors, institutional needs, and more.
@collegemom3717 the net price was around $40,000/year, which is a lot, especially since I plan on going to grad school and either living abroad or in New York
I’ll say this as an (multi legacy) Alumna of UVA, whose daughter was accepted, as were many of her peers from their instate IB program (and I was one of 4 from our HS back in the 90s before all this online bs): Depending on your school, YES, the higher tiered state U’s will just be a continuation of your high school peer group at the state level (class/cash). There were more accepted to UVA from her peer group (about 50 IB candidates) than I could have ever imagined. D went to visit a HS bestie (the other went to American) and there were so many “average” people she disparaged throughout school at UVA that it was appalling (to her). It’s the same people. I thought we were stereotypical back in the 90’s, no…this is even worse.
Apply where you want to go. Of course, include safeties as you can shine anywhere, but pick places that will make you feel inspired. My D’s scores were not at all in the safe spots for Ivies, but she got in, and that was her writing and the impression she made. If you can afford the app fees (or have waivers), try for it all, but know that you can still thrive in the typical high achiever schools, just be aware of the continuing HS type social structure.
*of course this is all said while encouraging you to be aware of EFC and parental contributions
@interestedtraveler7, if the net price is $40K, how much of that is debt? if that is all debt it is $160,000 college debt (assuming that you graduate in 4 years). For that you can get a Porsche 911 GT3.
I have done test-drives in at least a dozen cars, but so far only the Porsche truly felt right.
Except: I can’t afford a Porsche. It is not helpful for me to fall in love with a car that I can’t afford.
You are looking at humanities subjects that don’t pay particularly well out of the gate, and for which subsidized grad programs are rare. Your ability to take good internships and less well-paying but better for your career starter jobs will be affected by the need to make loan payments.
Hypothetically, what if you get into Columbia- but you can only do it if you take out $40,000 X 4 in debt? what if you can’t afford it at all?
I agree with @collegemom3717. $40k a year is far too much debt for a bachelors degree. That kind of debt can and will sink whatever career hopes you have, especially if you plan to go to graduate school. That’s assuming you could get the financing in the first place. Your first criteria in college selection is affordability. That’s a precondition before you even start shopping around. Try scholarships. You get the same education without the debt.
“the net price was around $40,000/year, which is a lot, especially since I plan on going to grad school and either living abroad or in New York”
Plans can change so I’d apply to Columbia ED, read the fine print that you can get out of it if the FA package is not good, and then continue your Vassar and Barnard, your state school app and see what happens. If you know 100% that you’re going to grad school, then go in-state, save the money for grad school, living abroad or in NYC. You’re going to need a lot of money for those things.
I have applied to some high dollar scholarships (and now that I have a break in schoolwork I plan on applying to some more). I also don’t think I’m going to apply to CC–I plan on applying to the Dual BA program. Also, I got into the Honors program at a state school so I have that as a backup.