Hi, I’m currently in high school and I’m starting to get ready to see which universities are right for me. I remember first finding out about Columbia around 3 years ago. Right from the start, I fell in love with everything about the university, the Core Curriculum, the urban setting, the statue of Alma, the amazing professors and ultimately, the need to go out and make a change in the world that the student body possesses. Columbia has become my dream school and I’ve been wanting to go there ever since. However, admission to Columbia is extremely tough and extremely selective, worrying me quite a bit as to whether or not I am capable of even thinking about going to school there. Below, I have listed my stats. I would love to hear everyone’s opinion about my chances and how I could improve my application/stats. Thank you so much.
SAT I (breakdown): 1500 (New SAT)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.79
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP Classes: Taking AP Government and Politics, AP Physics I, AP English 11, AP World History, AP Calculus
Senior Year Course Load: Plan on taking AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP French 5, AP English 12, G/T Symphonic Band/Marching, G/T Intern/Mentor
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not much, AP Scholar, 2nd place at Maryland State Piano Competition, 4th at National Theatre on Ice with skating team, 4th for bridge building at Regionals for Science Olympiad, Girl Scout Silver Award (appeared on local news channel)
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NHS, Sapphires Figure Skating Team (Team Captain), Columbia Figure Skating Club, Figure Skating, Women’s Choir, Concert Choir, Marching Band (Section Leader), Orchestra, Student Executive Committee (Howard County Student Learning Conference), Orchestral Pit for Theatre Productions, Science Olympiad (Officer), Future Doctors of America (President/Co-founder), Red Cross Club
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring elementary students, babysitting neighbors, internship at local doctors office.
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteering at local library, Success in Style (secondhand stores/organization to help people prepare for job interviews), Red Cross Volunteer (Blood drive ambassador), NHS, help out school’s music department
Summer Activities: Terp Young Scholars program @UMD (earn 3 college credits) Kinesiology , annual competition for figure skating out of state, internship at local hospital, normal volunteer opportunities
Additional: I took a course called Independent Research at my high school where I was able to research the effect of social media on the transgender community. I attended Gender Conference East, a conference for the transgender community. I also worked with local support groups and created a lesson plan for my school. I am very big on social activism if that counts for anything
Intended Major: Neuroscience (Pre-Med)
- Wondering if my race will cause any issues, such as lowering my chances of getting into a university simply because I am a part of a stereotype (Asian doctor)
!!! - Also, I have a large amount of music extra curriculars. Will this negatively impact my application since my intended major is neuroscience?
Other
State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Public High School
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~120,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A