Chances at New York City Schools? Barnard, NYU?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Can you guys look at my grades, EC's, and tell me if I am being realistic about going to Barnard or NYU? If not, which schools CAN I get into. I'm going to be a junior in high school.</p>

<p>I'm a caucasian female.
Scores:
Freshman GPA: 97/100 unweighted
Sophomore GPA: 91/100 unweighted
SAT: 2050 (1st time on the practice test-my tutor thinks I'll end up in the 2100-2200 range.</p>

<p>My GPA was really bad this year, I struggled with anorexia, and missed most of school in the winter :/. </p>

<p>I'm taking AP Gov and AP English this year, and by the time I have finished high school , I will have taken 5-6 years of foreign language (Mandarin 1, 2, (maybe) 3, and Spanish 3, 4, 5, 6). Other than that, I have all honors. </p>

<p>EC's (kind of weak):
-black belt in Tae Kwon Do, will be an instructor, 10 hours/week during winter and spring
-track 3 seasons-(freshman spring, sophomore winter and spring), have to quit due to injury
-Tennis team-hope to be captain senior year!
-Varsity debate team-again, will most likely be captain senior year
-Tutor disabled children in Hebrew 2-4 hours a week
-Publishings in literary magazine
-Chem Olympics
-Played drums for 6 years
-Volunteered in New Orleans building houses, and working in Head Start Program
-Volunteered at a camp, and was counselor for group with behavioral problems</p>

<p>Legacy/Other:
Both my parents have a legacy at Columbia, which transfers to Barnard. I went to the Barnard pre-college program this year, and will go next year. Next year, I'll have an interview with the Dean of Admissions, and also an alumni interview. Essays are a strong point for me, so assume that will be pretty good. </p>

<p>I'm going to apply ED to Barnard-any chance? And what should I do to have a decent chance?</p>

2

<p>bump please?</p>

3

<p>Your junior year grades are going to be very important in your application. Although your grades last year don’t look unusually poor (when you were sick), if they stick out…consider writing your essay about the struggle you had in successfully overcoming anorexia. Being a legacy helps a lot at Barnard. Your attendance at the Barnard pre-college program (twice) will demonstrate allegiance to the school and true desire to attend. It’s a great school - - I’m an alumna of Barnard.</p>

4

<p>If you have a good junior year you should get into Barnard as a legacy. However, do NOT mention anorexia on your application, most schools will avoid any potential problems.</p>

5

<p>Admissions officers are real people. A story about overcoming personal adversity with a wonderful description of lessons learned about life can resonate with many. On the other hand, Redroses could also be right. Admissions officers might sense trouble and see risk instead of maturity.</p>

6

<p>I was a college counselor for 20 years, trust me, you do not want to talk about anything that falls under the category of mental illness. College admissions staff avoid anything that smacks of it like the plague. It is an institutional mandate in a time when scary things happen on campuses and mental health facilities are overwhelmed.</p>

<p>Anorexia, like many disorders, is never considered cured.</p>

7

<p>Thanks guys. My junior year grades will definitely be higher. I did NO work this year-believe me when I say I just skipped doing homework and studying, so I figure, if I study even a bit, it’ll be better. I was not planning on mentioning anorexia at all, I don’t like to be defined by it, and it is not a big part of my life anymore, and definitely not one that colleges need to know about. </p>

<p>But how does everything else sound, in terms of SAT/extracurriculars?</p>