Chances at Amherst, Williams, Columbia etc.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey, I'm a white male from NY and I really really want to go to either Amherst, Williams, or Columbia. I have a bunch of safeties and matches but these are my favorite schools. I applied ED to Amherst and got deferred. What are my chances RD at these places? Here are my stats:</p>

<p>GPA: around 3.85 UW
SAT I: M 740 V 720
SAT II: Physics-800, Math IIC-780, Chemistry-730 (taken as Freshman), Writing-670 (retaking in January, I know I can get higher)
Rank: No ranks at my school (top 10% definitely, might even be top 5%)</p>

<p>Since Freshman year, I've taken all the hardest (Accel./Honors/AP) courses at my school, which is an extremly competetive public school (top 3 public school on Long Island). Here is my course breakdown:</p>

<p>Freshman year - Global History I A, English 9 A-, Spanish 2 accel. B+, Comp. Sci. A, Math II accel. A-, Chemistry accel. A-</p>

<p>Sophomore year - Spanish 3 Honors A, English 10 Honors A, AP Comp. Sci. A, Math III accel. A, Physics Honors A, AP Euro. Hist. A</p>

<p>Junior Year - English 11 Honors A, Spanish 4 Honors A, Precalculus Honors A, AP Biology A-, AP U.S. History A</p>

<p>Senior Year - I am currently in 5 APs: AP Chemistry (expecting an A 1st semester), AP Spanish (expecting an A- 1st semester, AP English (expecting A or A- 1st semester), AP Calculus AB (expecting an A 1st semester), AP Economics (expecting an A 1st semester)</p>

<p>AP Exams: Euro. Hist.- 5, Comp. Sci. AB- 5, US Hist.- 4, Biology- 4</p>

<p>EC's and awards
Varsity Baseball (10, 11, 12)- 2004 All-Nassau County, 2004 Team MVP, Captain 12
Baseball (general)- I play baseball all-year round (fall and summer leagues) and plan to play in college (explanation later). It takes up alot of my time but it is and always will be my first love.
Varsity Basketball (11, 12)- 2004 Scholar-Athlete, Captain 12, I also play in fall and summer leagues.
HGP (literary magazine; 10, 11, 12)- Section-editor 11-12
National Honor Society (11,12)- President 12
Science Club (9, 10, 11, 12)- Officer 11-12
Spanish Club (10, 11, 12)
Mathletes (9, 10, 11, 12)
National Merit Scholar
AP Scholar with Honor
Elected to both National Young Leaders Conference and National Youth Leadership Forum on Law (could not attend due to conflicts with sports)</p>

<p>Community Service
9th grade- volunteered at my town's public library (around 10 Hours)
10th grade- none
11th grade-volunteered as Special Education Student Aide (around 20 hours)
12th grade- same as 11th grade (5-10 hours)
Overall I'd say 30 or so hours which I know is not alot but sports and schoolwork take up so much of my time.</p>

<p>I got 2 great recs from teachers I know very well, and a good rec from my GC. I also feel I wrote good to very good essays (my english teacher liked them also).</p>

<p>Ok, here is where I want to explain my baseball situation and other things. I was offered a recruiting spot at williams which I turned down because I really wanted to go to Amherst. At Amherst the coach could not give me a spot because he had already committed to 4 other players, but he did write a letter to admissions for me and they know that he wants me to play there. At Columbia I was told I could play but I would have to gain admission on my own. Also, at Amherst my grandfather went there and has been a contributor for many years, although less so now. Also my cousin went to Amherst and wrote me an excellent supplementary recommendation.</p>

<p>Do you think I have a shot at RD for Amherst, Williams, or Columbia?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>Oh, I forgot to mention that I have held a part-time job the past 2 summers. Please help me evaluate my chances. Thanks again.</p>

3

<p>I don't think that turning down the recruiting spot at Williams bodes well for your chances - you basically just told them they are not your first choice. I do think you have a shot at Amherst, and grandad in the background won't hurt. Sports are definately your strong suite, and if you bring up your writing SAT II, your board scores are in pretty good shape.</p>

4

<p>I'm surprised you didn't get in frankly. Amherst is very tough these days though.</p>

5

<p>Anybody else...What about Columbia?</p>

6

<p>By the way thank you to ohio mom and samp, but does anyone else think I have a decent shot at these schools? Thanks.</p>

7

<p>Bumppppppppp</p>

8

<p>I tend to agree with Ohio_Moms assessment of you and Williams.</p>

<p>regarding Columbia,</p>

<p>Are you close enough to the campus that you have visted, sat in on classes, stayed overnight as Columbia is really big on you making contact with them especially if you live with in communting distance. living in Nassau county, if you haven't made contact and shown interest it is virtually a kiss of death</p>

<p>Columbia is so different from both Williams and Amherst in terms of location and student population. If you attended columbia could you live and die by the core curriculum where the other 2 schools give you a little more leeway?</p>

9

<p>Thank you sybbie, I appreciate your advice. I have visited Columbia on more than one occasion. On my first visit I registered at the admissions office and then I sat in on the infosession and took a tour. I also spoke to the baseball coach, Paul Fernandes, and I wrote that on my application. My second visit was a baseball showcase there on a weekend during September, at the end of which I spoke to Coach Fernandes again. He told me I could play there but first base was not one of their primary needs this year so I would have get in on my own. In terms of the core, I think I would be able to survive considering I have had core classes for four years in high school and the only class I don't like is foreign language.</p>

<p>Anybody else?...I would really appreciate as much thoughts/advice as possible.</p>

10

<p>Bumppppppp...Anybody else chances? Thanks</p>

11

<p>One reason why you might have gotten deferred from Amherst is because it's a "very verbal place", and your academic strong suit seems to be in mathematics and the sciences. I'm not saying that your English and writing skills are weak at all. But then, could the Math/Physics stuff have given you an edge in terms of offering diversity? I'm not really sure, but my gut instinct is that you need to further demonstrate great ability in terms of written expression. I suggest you take further steps to do so - it will greatly help your candidacy for the RD round.</p>

<p>No offense, but turning down that recruitment spot at Williams was an extremely serious mistake. You might get into Columbia, you might not. At this point, you might get into Amherst (I would have expected you to get in ED however), you might not. You would have gotten into Williams with that recruitment spot. But you effectively told them that they were NOT your first choice, as ohio_mom said. It seems to be one of your very top choices in any event - why not at least give yourself every possible advantage in the admissions process? Your lack of demonstrated interest may even cause the coach to drop a note to the admissions office ... which would not bode well for your candidacy.</p>

<p>If I were you, I would call up the coach and tell him that Williams is a very top choice for you, and ask to be put on his list. Show interest in Williams. I honestly believe that spot is your very strongest chance for getting admission into one of those three institutions. Amherst and Columbia are far from sure things, and I advise that you take the wonderful opportunity you have been given to be almost certainly admitted to a truly excellent school. Of course, it's your choice, but I'm merely saying what I would do.</p>

<p>Joey</p>

12

<p>Thank you very much for your advice Joey. I would agree with your observation that I am more of a math/science person even though I only got 740 on the SAT I (I got an 80 on math for the psat tho). So to help my chances I am planning on taking the SAT II in writing over in January, which is eligible for RD. I may not be able to get 750+ on it, but I know I can get 700+, since the first time I took it I did not finish my essay. In terms of the Williams situation, I totally agree with you that it was a mistake, but at the time I really thought I had a decent shot at amherst ED with my legacy and baseball help (so much for that tho!). However, I have contacted the Williams coach and he did tell me that usually when students choose Amherst over Williams he tells them to stick with Amherst. Yet he did not tell me all was lost by any means and he said he would know more in February when he received my information. I also would like to add that after this experience, I am now fully prepared to commit to Williams if the coach would still give me a chance. Do you think that would be realistic? </p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

13

<p>Williams and Amherst are a very different kettle of fish than Columbia. They are excellent schools, very friendly and nurturing, with a small student body and a beautiful country setting. Williams offers a more cohesive student body experience while Amherst classes are often open to the 5 surrounding colleges. The flip side is that Williams is isolated and Amherst is but 2 miles away from the college town that rocks like none other in NE (Northampton) with frequent shuttle bus service.</p>

<p>Columbia is part of a large university in the biggest metropolis in America. The campus is surprisingly inviting...Can this really be Manhattan? The undergraduate dorms, classrooms and libraries are all set together surrounding a very large, manicured lawn. It thereby feels more like a liberal arts college than a large university. The curriculum is very challenging, but with less elective course choices in the first two years. Their part time internships will connect you with the leading arts, scientific, engineering, etc., institutions - as long as they are based in NYC. (Compare that to the internships available in New Haven and Cambridge.) Besides, Barack Obama (Class of 1983) eventually parlayed his Columbia degree into Harvard Law School admission...and the rest is history!</p>

14

<p>Honestly, if you got deferred at Amherst with your grandad in the background, I would not expect to get in. Columbia being harder than Amherst and with scores on the low side and not being top of class (most unhooked are top 3 in class or so) is also not probable.</p>

<p>Since the Williams coach seemed to really want you I would check in with him. Maybe one of his recruits fell out.</p>