Chances for Columbia/Berkeley?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>I was just wondering what my chances of getting into Columbia/UC Berkeley are. I'm from Vancouver, Canada, and those are the only US schools I'm applying to (the only other uni would be McGill). I couldn't afford private schools that send kids to Ivies every year, and the public school system here doesn't prepare students much for US universities, so I would like some advice from those of you who know the American system and how they evaluate applications, esp. for international students.</p>

<p>My application is alright, though there is definately room for improvement. I graduated already, so my grades are pretty much set in stone, but I could always revise my essay or retake the SATs.</p>

<p>So, here goes:</p>

<p>IB final scores:
English HL-6
French HL-6 (I'd been praying for a 4)
Art HL-3 (which is WEIRD because I honestly felt it was my strongest subject, and I've pieces displayed in galleries. Of course, not everyone feels the same way so there's no point in whining)
World Cultures -7 (my teacher had a heart attack, and missed three months of school. We all thought we were screwed)
Biology SL-6 (I thought I would get a 3)
Math SL-6 (prayed for a 4)
EE-A
TOK-A
Bonus: 3</p>

<p>I don't know if anyone agrees, but all the classes I thought I would fail yielded great results, yet English and Art, the subjects in which I thought a 7 was garanteed, totally bit me in the ass.</p>

<p>SATs:
W-750
R-760
M-720
Total: 2230
I know this is pretty low for Columbia, but is there a point in retaking it? I'll probably cap out at 2300 because my math stinks, so is it worth retaking for 70 points?</p>

<p>SAT IIs:
Literature-760
Bio E-760</p>

<p>I have a TON of ECs and community services (I counted over 30), so I won't bore you with all of them. Here are the ones I'm most proud of:</p>

<p>Community Development project in Nicaragua focusing on health, education, employment, and housing. It wasn't one of those "Spend $2000 and volunteer in beautiful Costa Rica!" type things, it was an intense NGO.
Director/Producer/Actor in short film that premiered at Pacific Cinematheque
Gay-Straight Alliance executive/cofounder
United Nations Energy Conservation Award
long-term volunteer at local community centre/public library
yearbook/newspaper editor
Creative Com. poetry winner
CCA (w/ UNICEF) cofounder
autistic peer tutor
soccer team, cross country, etc.</p>

<p>I'm taking a gap year to travel, hopefully coordinate a development project, and to improve my French and Spanish. I'm also working on my first novel.</p>

<p>I had my Columbia interview this morning, it went extraordinarily well, and my interviewer said she would write me a stellar report (we graduated from the same high school and had a bunch of same teachers). However, she also said she wrote great reports for two very bright ED applicants who both got rejected. I'm just wondering, realistically, what kind of a shot I'm looking at, and what steps I could take to strengthen my app.</p>

<p>I already submitted two essays to Berkeley, and was thinking of recycling one of them for Columbia. It's rather quirky, which I'm hoping will be well-received. I won't post it here, but if anyone would like to read it, please let me know.</p>

<p>Thanks for the patience of reading through all this, good luck on your own applications!</p>

2

<p>high match/low reach for both if GPA is above 70th percentile for applicants</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/825524-chance-me-i-will-definitely-chance-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/825524-chance-me-i-will-definitely-chance-back.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>i have no clue what my gpa is, is it necessary even i’m applying with IB scores and not provincial scores?</p>

4

<p>It is VERY hard to tell with Ivies in terms of who will get in an who won’t, but you have a great profile. Don’t bother with re-taking the SAT, your scores are really decent (I’m applying to Barnard and I was at Columbia this past summer for journalism and my RA goes to Columbia and said that as long as you had above 700s in all three sections you had as good a chance as anyone)</p>

<p>I think you have a good shot at Berkeley.</p>

<p>Good luck!!</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/827313-im-first-my-family-go-through-process-can-you-please-chance-me.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/827313-im-first-my-family-go-through-process-can-you-please-chance-me.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>I’d say Berkeley is a match. All Ivies are reaches unless you’re a future Nobel laureate. </p>

<p>Please chance back. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/827280-rejected-stanford-what-my-chances-rest-my-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/827280-rejected-stanford-what-my-chances-rest-my-schools.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;