<p>Okay for the people who say URM status isn’t a hook and only helps if the person is already qualified, this is NOT true!!! URMS get a HUGE boost in the admission process. Schools do have ethnic and geographical quotas ( even if they say they don’t). I personally know of URMS who severely lacked ECs, good SAT and GPA who got in to Columbia.</p>
<p>^Qualified in this context is “qualified to finish Columbia’s courseload”, not "qualified to compete vis a vis with non-URM’s. If the adcoms show a CCer two completely random accepted student profiles, one URM and one non-URM, the CCer is very likely to pinpoint the URM profile. which means that URM admission does have lower standard and not just an “edge” when two applicants are equal.</p>
<p>Is “first-generation college student” status as big a hook in admissions as URM? Also, is Middle Eastern considered a URM?</p>
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<p>Oh, good. I’ve been getting worried wandering around CC and seeing all these people who have ECs that seem to say, “I’m going to be a doctor!” “I’m going to be a lawyer…specializing in environmental law!” “I’m going to be an engineer!”…and so on.</p>
<p>At the school I go to, most of the students go to college in the UK, and I was considering applying there until I realized that you have to go in with a declared major that you can’t change. Because of that, I decided to apply exclusively to the US, where (I figured) you have two years to experiment and figure out what you want to do.</p>
<p>Yet, that passion thing seems to play a pretty big role in admissions and the student who doesn’t know what they want to do can become shortchanged. I feel like people are being forced to make decisions that can have an impact on their lives earlier and earlier…</p>
<p>What ghjk said.</p>
<p>@jhwu928
Interesting point about the UK educational system; the US higher-education system has the most broad-based liberal arts curriculum in the world. Columbia, like many other top schools, takes the liberal arts very seriously, which is why they require all students to take English, philosophy, music, arts, phys ed, science, and global cultures classes.</p>
<p>@wombatsoup
The criticism of “passion” is an interesting one, given that schools started favoring students who did a few ECs and did them well over “well-rounded students” because too many high-school students were burning themselves out trying to participate in every EC and volunteering opportunity! I’m personally not surprised that schools value passion and character to such a high degree; those students just stand out more than vanilla well-rounded applicants. </p>
<p>You have to look at it from the admission committee’s POV: “what is this student going to bring to the campus community?” If someone has a great GPA (say 3.9 at a typical high school) and great SATs (say 2250), and they’re on the school newspaper, band, and the track team, why would they be an asset to the college? Admit it, if you were on the adcom you’d choose the applicant who learned about the problem of contaminated water in Africa, wrote editorials in the school newspaper about it, started a fundraising drive and got a water filtration company to donate filters to Uganda, even if he’s only got a 3.85 and a 2000 SAT. It’s just more compelling. Of course, most students don’t go quite that far, but you see why passion can be attractive to a college, especially one like Columbia that prides itself on having students aware of and involved in the world. </p>
<p>I don’t mean to worry you; when I was looking at colleges to apply to, I hated how colleges seemed to only accept you if you were saving the world (as in my example above). Luckily, you don’t have to go quite that far. As long as you can explore your interests and passions, and get involved in EC’s or volunteering/job opportunities that relate to your passions/interests, you’ll be fine. Just avoid looking like an uninteresting applicant whose main asset is doing well in school.</p>
<p>thank you pwoods:]</p>
<p>I believe that the admissions committee at a place like Columbia wants both “focused” and “well-rounded” students. My Columbia son was in the “well-rounded” bucket (valedictorian, varsity football captain, violinist, active religion explorer, mock trial, class officer, etc.). No state or national achievements (until after he was admitted). To my knowledge, none of his activities were undertaken with an eye toward college admissions. Columbia, and every other college, needs a group of kids who are still investigating. He still has no idea what his major will be, and I am very pleased.</p>
<p>There was a guy in my school who got in with full financial aid with 1830 sat score. But the thing is that he has been in America for about 2 or 3 years, won 2nd place in NYSCEF state competition, and had a 97 average out of 100.</p>
<p>they probably paid full tuition. Along with a massive donation?</p>
<p>I know a lot of athletes and the best SAT score I’ve heard from any of them was a 2000. Granted, my sample is less than ten people.</p>