***COLUMBIA CLASS OF 2019 E.D. RESULTS ONLY***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>It's almost time!</p>

<p>Please use the following format while posting the results. Kindly discuss only on the other ED forum, and use this one only for results. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!</p>

<p>[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted - CC[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted - SEAS[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred - CC[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred - SEAS[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected - CC[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected - SEAS[/color][/size]**</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:</p>

<p>General Comments:</p>

<hr>

<p>Just remove the 'a' in the bold, size and color in your decision. </p>

2

<p>MODERATOR’S NOTE: Please only post results using the given format so that this thread can serve as a valuable resource for future applicants. There is another thread provided for discussion, congrats, etc. <a href=“Columbia ED Class of 2019 - Columbia University - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/columbia-university/1633644-columbia-ed-class-of-2019-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;
Non-result posts will be deleted.</p>

3

<p>•Decision: Accepted - CC
Objective:
•SAT I (breakdown): 720 W 680 CR 680 M
•ACT:
•SAT II: 690 US History 720 Math 1
•Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
•Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 12/492
•AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics B (5), English Language and Comp (5), US History (5)
•IB (place score in parenthesis):
•Senior Year Course Load: AP: Physics C (both Mech and E&M), US Government, Macroeconomics, English Lit, Calculus AB, Pre-AP Computer Science
•Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, National Achievement Outstanding Participant</p>

<p>Subjective:
•Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS, NFHS, NSHSS, Philosophy Club, PoliSci Club, Varsity Orchestra (Secretary), JV Tennis, French Club (President), Academic Teams(President) including-Spelling(Team Captain), two writing teams, and Debate-, School Newspaper(Artist and Writer), Student Council for international teen leadership summit
•Job/Work Experience: Nada
•Volunteer/Community service: help run academic meets at the high school, volunteer often at regional tennis center, volunteered in West, Texas, after disaster
•Summer Activities: international teen leadership summit
•Essays: 9/10
•Teacher Recommendation: 10/10 and 9/10
•Counselor Rec: 9/10
•Additional Rec: N/A
•Interview: Eh, 8/10</p>

<p>Other
•Major: Anthropology/Creative Writing
•State (if domestic applicant): TX
•Country (if international applicant):
•School Type: Public
•Ethnicity: Black
•Gender: M
•Income Bracket: Low
•Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM</p>

<p>Reflection
•Strengths: Strong and Varied EC’s, creativity in essays, lots of smaller awards
•Weaknesses: Some late document submissions, some essays were first drafts
•Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I can never be sure, but my ECs and how I wrote about them were pretty strong, I liked my Why Columbia, and I’m proud of all my essays
•Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: University of Texas at Austin
General Comments: Accepted through QuestBridge’s National College Match program, and super pumped to be part of the Columbia Blue! I didn’t expect to be accepted (who would?), but I’m absolutely the happiest guy on Earth today. Good luck to all applicants!</p>

4

<p>[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected - SEAS[/color][/size]**</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2150 CR 660 M 770 W 720
ACT (breakdown): 33 English 30 Reading 33 Math 35 Science 34
SAT II: Math II 800 Physics 690 Bio E 690
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9ish (school only does weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 37/538 (not too concerned with the rank because I transferred)
AP (place score in parenthesis): 11th grade: Calc AB (5), independent study: Calc BC (5), Environmental Science (4), Statistics (5), Chinese (5)
was the only one in our school who takes Calc BC test as a junior
12th grade: Studio Art Drawing, Bio, US Gov’t, Physics 1
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Studio Art Drawing, AP Bio, AP US Gov’t, AP Physics 1, Health, Multivariable Calc (at Penn)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): No major awards…Some minor ones include AP Scholar with Distinction and Questbridge National College Match Finalist</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Academic Language Program (ESOL) Student Council (president), Math Club, Science Olympiad, NHS
*I’ve only been at my current school for 1.5 years.
Job/Work Experience: Nail technician, 10 hr/wk
Volunteer/Community service: Tutoring 3 hr/wk
Summer Activities: Mostly working. Attended a Biomedical Research Academy on a full scholarship at Penn in the past summer.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Probably 7…Talked about how I overcame a language barrier but other than that nothing special.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Recommendation #1: 10. From my USH teacher.
Teacher Rec #2: 6. From my AP Calc teacher. I’m pretty close to her but somehow she wrote a really plain recommendation…Should’ve asked somebody else to write it.
Counselor Rec: 8. She’s new to our school this year but I think it’s supposed to be good.
Additional Rec: Didn’t send any…ran out of time to ask for extra recs
Interview:N/A</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Bioengineering
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public (>3,000 students)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: <$20,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college, low income, new immigrant who’s only been in the US for 2.5 years</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Eh my hooks? I know my stats are plain but the facts that I’ve been in the US for 2.5 years and that I’m low-income make me look more impressive (Maybe?).
Weaknesses: definitely ECs…which is totally explainable because I went to three different high schools. But I guess that’s not an excuse. I’m applying to SEAS but don’t have much exposure to or experience with engineering.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Nothing in my application really stand out I guess. Many aspects are below Columbia average.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: So far only got accepted by Penn State</p>

<p>General Comments: Start your application early! I wrote the essays in literally one night and now I look at them I’m not pleased with them at all…</p>

5

<p>Decision: Deferred - CC</p>

<p>Intended focus: Physics
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT: 35 (34 S, 35 W, 36 R, 34 M)
SAT II: 790 Math II 740 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
AP Calc AB (5)
AP Lang (5)
APUSH (5)
AP World (4)
AP Chem (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Gov
AP Micro
AP Calc BC
AP Stats
AP Lit
AP Macro (Self Study)
AP Physics C: Mech (Self Study)
AP Comp Gov (Self Study)
Academic Decathlon
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Dozens of medals for AcDec (national, state, and regional level), highest scorer on team at 2014 nationals
Minor Awards: NHRP, AP Scholar, Recognized as student of the month in regional district</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Academic Decathlon (Team captain 10,11,12) [First time any school in our district has placed 1st at regionals and state, qualified for nationals and placed 6th in the nation, had lots of media coverage since our team really came out of nowhere. I’ve spent hundreds of hours studying for it]
Physics Club (Founder/President, 12)
Calculus Club (VP, 11,12)
Job/Work Experience: Builds and fixes computers for friends and random people
Volunteer/Community service: Not much, I organized fundraisers to send our team to Nationals for AcDec and have organized an entire district scrimmage for our school
I also tutor math and physics</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Boys State, studying for next year AcDec
Essays: Hopefully should be unique. Going to talk about how I skateboarded for around 7 years and how it really shaped my personality and then how I really started to care about school around my sophomore year. Also going to talk a lot about how AcDec catalysed that process
Teacher Recommendation: From AcDec coach who I have had as a teacher for 3 years, very very close, should be amazing
Counselor Rec: I go to a large public, so it should be pretty generic as I’ve only spoken to her a couple of times
Additional Rec: not sure yet
Interview: Not yet</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): AZ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Middle class, large public (2400 kids)
Ethnicity: Hispanic/Mexican
Gender: M
Income Bracket: $120,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: URM, Scores
Weaknesses: Maybe a generic essay, Not a lot of volunteer work
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See weaknesses
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at ASU and NAU</p>

<p>General Comments:
Knew something like this was coming. I really REALLY don’t want to wait until March to find out, but I guess I’m grateful that I wasn’t flat-out rejected. I probably should have focused a bit more on my essays. </p>

6

<p>Rejected - SEAS :D</p>

<p>35 ACT
760 750 720 SAT II
President of 3 clubs, founder of 1
1000 Hours of Community Service
Minor awards
Columbia Legacy
Extremely Unique Essay
Pretty good Why Columbia
Sparkling LORs
URM (U.S. Citizen)</p>

<p>Comments: I thought perhaps reapplying after a gap-year may better me as a candidate/applicant. God definitely has another plan for me. Those who got accepted, congrats! Those who got deferred or denied, remember you will succeed no matter where you go! Don’t get swept by the standards of people, but be yourself. Best of luck to all!</p>

<p>Maybe I will apply to Columbia for MBA!</p>

7

<p>Decision: Deferred - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320; 770M 760CR 790W
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9 something probably (102 weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Valedictorian
AP (place score in parenthesis): World (4) US History (4) Language (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Calc, AP Lit, Graphic Arts, Gym
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge College Prep Scholar/National Match Finalist</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS (VP), Student Gov (Secretary), Math Club, Math Tutoring
Job/Work Experience: Work as tutor/mentor every day for two years (3 hrs/day)
Volunteer/Community service: About 1000 hours at soup kitchen, 100 hours at hospital
Summer Activities: Volunteering,
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7 or 8 for Common App and same for supplements
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): </p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 English teacher knows me well and he writes beautifully.
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10 Math teacher focused on my academics and was very positive.
Counselor Rec: Maybe 7/10…She knows me well but I expect it to be kinda generic.
Additional Rec:
Interview: 10/10 Was amazing.</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Small Public (Crappy tbh)
Ethnicity: Asian (Guyanese)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$20,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen, immigrant</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: SAT, essay, unique story
Weaknesses: US History test score, ECs, not being a citizen
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My story was probably good enough to be admitted but that one test score and the fact I’m applying as international (DACA student) were deleterious
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet</p>

<p>General Comments:
It kinda sucks to be deferred but at least they considered me. I was honestly expecting a rejection.</p>

<hr>

8

<p>Decision: Rejected - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (CR 740 M 790 W 750)
SAT II: Math II 750 Chemistry 800 Bio M 760
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.82
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 27/780
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Chem (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Stat, English H, Social Studies H
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS, Usher at my church, JV track (9,10,11)
Job/Work Experience: Run a online business with $150,000 in sales in the past year
Volunteer/Community service: Appalachia Service Project (11,12),
Summer Activities: Research at Penn and got a publication
Essays (rating 1-10, details): probably 7, did the failure CA essay… maybe that hurt me
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: AP Calc teacher, probably good, 8
Teacher Rec #2: AP Bio teacher, also probably good, 8
Counselor Rec: They have to write a ton, so generic, 5
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Talked for 30 minutes, didn’t seem that great</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): PA
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: >$150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My dad got his masters and PhD there</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: showed a lot of interest for my major in the essays
Weaknesses: Not many ECs, gpa is a bit low
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Maybe Why Columbia essay wasn’t good enough, need more ECs
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Penn State</p>

<p>General Comments: I’m disappointed but I gotta move on now. I have so many supplements to write…
And congrats to all who got in!</p>

9

<p>Decision: Rejected - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 34 (33, 34, 34, 34)
SAT II: Math II 780, Biology E 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/340
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): ESS (6), Math SL (6)
Senior Year Course Load: HL 2 English, HL2 History, SL Spanish 5, AP Chem, AP Calc BC, HL2 Art, TOK
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Global Visionaries Travel Scholarship to Berlin (I doubt this is major, but it was a national applicant pool)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Ambassadors (District Representative and Trainer), Global Visionaries-service and travel group (Executive Board Member and Communications Director), NHS-comparitively active in my school (President), Founded tutoring program at nearby K-12 school) Service Club (Service Coordinator), Investment Club (Founder and President), bunch of other minor stuff
Job/Work Experience: 2 years at fast food place
Volunteer/Community service: Probably a total of 1200ish hours or more
Summer Activities: Work at a fast food place, Trip to Guatemala
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Commonapp Essay was really good (9-10), the “why Columbia” one was weaker (6-7), and the “why this major” essay was okay (8)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): </p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: English teacher (10 - was incredible)
Teacher Rec #2: Bio and ESS teacher (8-9)
Counselor Rec: I don’t know. Somewhat generic I’m sure, but I know my counselor well (7?)
Additional Rec:Chem teacher (8-9) - All the teachers let me read them
Interview: Really good, he told me he was very impressed and I enjoyed it a lot.</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: International Relations or something in the natural sciences
State (if domestic applicant): Colorado
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: My general essay and maybe community service
Weaknesses: ACT score, it’s not as great as others’. SAT II’s were also comparatively weak. No national awards, Not really recognized ECs
Why you think you were rejected: Plenty of applicants who had a lot more EC’s or better scores. I also should have made my “why Columbia” essay more unique.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet.</p>

<p>General Comments: I’m definitely disappointed but I can’t say I’m surprised. ED was really my only hope to get into a school like this. But, time to go finish some apps. Congratulations to all who got in! I’m sure it’ll be a great experience.</p>

10

<p>Decision: Accepted - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 one sitting (880CR/800M/740W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Literature, 750 Maths IIC
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A (letter grade system)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:
H1 General Paper
H1 Project Work
H2 History
H2 Economics
H2 Literature in English
H2 Mathematics
H3 Literature in English
Prelims grades were A/ABAC (GP/HELM)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Runner-up in Commonwealth Essay Competition a few years back, some miscellaneous scholarships</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Community Advocates (Publicity and Welfare Officer)
Gender Equality Club (co-founder)
Lots and lots of creative writing stuff in secondary school (can’t be bothered to list it all out)
Job/Work Experience:
Interned at local women’s rights organization in 2012
Part of SPARK, an organization for teen activists
Volunteer/Community service:
Most of the stuff mentioned above? Was also part of a project documenting the experiences of migrant workers.
Summer Activities:
Participated in the International Linguistics Olympiad.
Summer school program with Sciences Po
Essays (rating 1-10, details): It’s difficult to give an objective judgment but I’d say they were decent? Talked about being a queer atheist in a conservative Catholic Asian family. For Why Columbia I wrote about my secret life as an international spy (shh)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10. From the head of the Humanities Programme at my school. I’ve seen recs he’s written for other students in the past, and he’s been writing recs for schools like this for about a decade so he’s pretty good at it!
Teacher Rec #2: 7? From my Literature teacher who supervised my H3 coursework. I think she likes me quite a bit, but I’m not sure how personal the rec was.
Counselor Rec: 6. Probably wasn’t too bad, just impersonal. I was a bit iffy because she used to have a bad impression of me, but I think that improved over time.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Great! It was really fun and relaxed, we talked about Why Columbia and about activism but also about her kids. She isn’t Singaporean so I had a chance to discuss and demonstrate knowledge of local legislation and civil society.</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope. My parents can’t/won’t pay, but I think my chances for getting a scholarship from a local corporation/the government are pretty decent (crossing my fingers because it’s a big gamble!).
Intended Major: Comparative Literature
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): Singapore
School Type: Most competitive in country, batch size 1250 (no prizes for guessing which it is…)
Ethnicity: Singaporean Chinese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >$120000 (converted to USD)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None. </p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: I think being an international student really helped, especially for my intended major? Definitely tried to play the whole diversity card, especially since my parents are Malaysian. I also tried to show consistency and passion for activism. Plus, SAT scores were pretty good.
Weaknesses: Got a C in Maths - twice. But Columbia’s probably aware of my school’s grading system (which can only be described as Asian when it comes to maths, ha), and I’d imagine SATs helped pull it up.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No clue!
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A</p>

<p>General Comments:
I’m tremendously grateful that I got in, as well as aware that the fact that I can even apply to and attend a school like this is because I’ve been, and am, hugely privileged. To everyone who didn’t get in, good luck, and I’m sure you’ll end up somewhere fantastic.</p>

11

<p>Decision: Rejected - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (760 W, 730 M, 800 CR)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (34 E, 35 M, 36 R, 33 S)
SAT II: 780 bio M, 770 math I, 740 US history (didn’t submit), 730 literature (didn’t submit), 690 math II (LOL didn’t submit)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 97.67 (school doesn’t compute on a 4.0 scale)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/394
AP (place score in parenthesis): comp. sci. (4), US history (5), calc BC (5), english lit & comp (5), bio (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP chem, AP euro, AP environmental science, AP spanish lang, AP english lang, AP psych, AP stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): new jersey scholars program finalist
(Minor Honors: rensselaer medalist; commended national merit scholar; bronze, silver, and sisterhood awards for girl scouts; english, social studies, math, science, world language and national honor societies)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): key club (president), NHS (secretary), student government association, girl scouts, tutoring for english honor society
Job/Work Experience: interning at a law firm (not paid though lol)
Volunteer/Community service: mostly through key club and girl scouts
Summer Activities: music summer camp @ elizabethtown college for 3 years (piano), new jersey scholars program, camp neuro @ GWU, and several weeks in china visiting family each year.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): not really sure how to rate my CA. someone who read it said that the topic might have been too controversial, but most of the people who read it said it made my application more unique. my “why columbia” was probably too generic, but i think my “why your major” essay brought some more diversity to my app.</p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: didn’t see it, but he said it was “glowing.” 10
Teacher Rec #2 & #3: didn’t read either and didn’t intend to have both sent but my guidance counselor sent both lol. not super close with either teacher. i’m expecting ~5 for these.
Counselor Rec: maybe a ~7-8? i’ve talked with my counselor a lot and i think we have a good relationship.
Interview: don’t think it went great. we didn’t have much in common and i was really thrown off by some of the questions asked.</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: human rights
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
School Type: large public
Ethnicity: asian (chinese)
Gender: F
Income Bracket: $140,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: transcript (couse load and grades)
Weaknesses: not many EC’s, essays might not have been great.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: my CA essay topic in particular may have been too controversial in light of columbia’s recent issues with emma sulkowicz. no outstanding hooks, awards, or ECs either. and asian. :))<br>
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: rutgers</p>

<p>General Comments: disappointed that i didn’t get in! [secretly, personality-wise, i’m not sure if i would have been a great fit…ppl keep telling me i have more of a brown personality, but i wanted columbia!]. congratulations to all who were accepted and good luck to all future prospective students! :smiley: </p>

12

<p>Decision: Accepted - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2260 (superscore) (700CR/800M/760W) in three sets of testing; CR (600,650,700); M(770,800,730); W (760,720,730)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Chemistry, 800 Math II, 740 World History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/516
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Comp (5), US (5), Environmental Science (5), World History (5), Chem (5), Calc BC (5), Bio (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C (Mechanics, Electricity and magnetism), AP Literature, AP Statistics, AP U.S. Government, AP Economics, Photography, Spanish 3
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2014 CA State History Day Finalist in historical paper, 2014 CA State Science Olympiad 3rd place, AMC 10 School Winner (if it counts?)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School literary magazine (Senior Editor), Science Olympiad (Treasurer; became Vice President after I submitted Columbia app), History Day, NHS, CSF, Science Fair, Taekwondo referee and instructor with a 4th degree black belt.
Job/Work Experience: Piano tutor for 3 years
Volunteer/Community service: Taekwondo instructor at nonprofit organization for 400+ hours
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app: 8, I wrote about how I learned to overcome language barrier through teaching taekwondo to a student with Down syndrome; I used plain and genuine tone/language without big vocab words.
Columbia app: 9, I wrote about my passion for philosophy with reference to countries I’d traveled.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 10</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 10
Teacher Rec #2: 10
Counselor Rec: Probably good
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Went good, but nothing special.</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Philosophy
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: M
Income Bracket: <60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Immigrant background – I came to the U.S. 3 years ago from South Korea; passion for martial arts for 10+ years; unique major (philosophy); all A+s in 5 AP classes in junior year
Weaknesses: No major award; not-so-impressive SAT I score; the application might have seemed “plain,” as I didn’t play mainstream sports like football or pursue musical career in school.</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted: I … don’t know! I think they saw how I liked to pursue different fields of study even though my major is philosophy (like AP Physics C and AP Composition), and how I did my best for every moment I spent in America at home and at school (not just as a student, but also as a son and a brother for my family)</p>

<p>General Comments: I honestly thought I would be rejected, given the low overall acceptance rate of Columbia. I am very grateful for all the support I got from my family, friends, and teachers in both Korea and America. I bid good luck to everyone who didn’t get in, you’ll see good results in March!</p>

13

<p>[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted - CC[/color][/size]**</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2220 superscore (700CR/770M/750W)
ACT (breakdown): 34 one sitting (35 S, 32 W, 35 R, 35 M)
SAT II: 750 Bio E, 800 Math II, (660 Chem didn’t send lol)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Weighted GPA (5.0 scale): 4.48
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/352
AP (place score in parenthesis): (Didn’t send any!) AP Calc BC (5), AP Lang (5), AP Bio (4), AP Micro (4), AP Chem (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Spanish 5, AP Music Theory, AP Lit, Honors Anatomy and Physiology, AP Stat, AP Macro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, Mu Alpha Theta, National Spanish Honors Society</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Founded own nonprofit where I coach tennis and donated around $2500 to the Alzheimer’s Association
3-year Varsity Captain of Boys’ tennis team and 4-year varsity player
Governor’s School–Neuroscience research
Made over 1800 bagged lunches for my local soup kitchen
Professional tennis coach at a local academy
Hold blood drives at local temples, so far held four drives, collected a total of 63 pints of blood
8 years of experience playing Alto Sax and Piano, perform for school musicals (pit orchestra), jazz band, coffeehouses, performed for a crowd of 2000 at a large convention (sent in audio of two classical pieces on piano)
VP and founder of a Bio research club
Pres of a Future Medical Leaders club
Founded math honors society at my school (Mu Alpha Theta)
Took courses from EdX and Coursera (Harvard University and Duke University, respectively) on Neuroscience</p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9? AP Bio teacher
Teacher Rec #2: 9? AP Lang teacher
Counselor Rec: 8? Spent a lot of time in his office as app deadline applied, knows me pretty well.
Additional Rec: From Mayor of my town, basically listed all my achievements, think it helped.
Also sent a rec from the Director of the Alzheimer’s Association from local area, was really proud of me!
Essays: Common App was really touching, about how I was able to make a difference for the Alz patients, from something that started off as a minor problem for my Grandfather. Why Columbia essay was amazing!!! Soo good, and super unique. Really played up the religion aspect of my app to make it diverse and special.</p>

<p>Interview: Amazing! Interviewer was super chill, talked for over an hour. He ended up being a tight friend, and said that I was all set, and that he had no extra advice for me.</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yup! (Prob not going to get anything though)
Intended Major: Neuroscience with a minor in Religious Studies (Pre-Med track)
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Indian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy (Father got his Masters from SEAS)</p>

<p>Reflection:
I AM SPEECHLESS. SUCH AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE, AND I CAN’T STOP TYPING IN CAPS. THINK I DID EVERYTHING I COULD TO GET THIS FAR, SO HAPPY IT FINALLY PAID OFF.</p>

<p>Strengths: Governor’s School, Research, Non-profit, Passion for religion and its impact in my life, ACT, Subject tests, Legacy
Weaknesses: SAT, Ethnicity</p>

<p>General Comments:
I’ve been dreaming about this day forever. Congrats to all my fellow Lions!!!
Also accepted to: NJIT Albert Dorman Honors Program, University of Pittsburgh, Rutgers Pharmacy, and Union College</p>

14

<p>Decision: Accepted - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2160 (710CR/690M/750W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Bio E, 750 Chemistry, 710 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Environmental Science (5) World History (4) Physics (4) United States History (5) English (5) Psychology (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP US Government, AP Chemistry, AP Spanish V, AP English 12, Social Science Research Intel Prep, Studio Art
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3rd Place NYSSEF, Honors WAC Lighting Foundation Invitational Science Fair, Various Fencing awards</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School varisty fencing team (Captain), Science Olympiad, School journal writer, Columbia SHP student (History of the Earth), Special Olympics volunteer
Job/Work Experience: Intern at Columbia lab
Volunteer/Community service: Local Special Olympics events
Summer Activities: CTY (Intro to biomedical science, Chemistry, Probability and Game Theory), UPenn Law Camp, Intern at Columbia lab
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 9, I put a lot of effort into it. I used themes from the book “What Color Is Your Parachute?” to emphasize how I’ve spent much of my time exploring different subjects to find one that I’d like.
Columbia Supplements: 7, I kind of winged them close to the deadline. Stayed up late doing most of them because of other school obligations, they could have gone better.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: AP English 11: 10, I am close to her and she no doubt wrote a stunning review of my academic capacity.
Teacher Rec #2: AP Psychology: 8, I don’t know him particularly well but he’s in his mid 20s and I feel like he knows what the components of a good recommendation are.
Counselor Rec: ?: My counselor isn’t the most collected person and I hardly recognize her. She forgot to submit my ED agreement until December 4th. Scared me bad.
Additional Rec: 10, From lab mentor, must have counted for a bit
Interview: 10, was more like a conversation than a question and answer session. Only lasted about 40 minutes, but I was never at a loss for words and she seemed responsive.</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Neuroscience
State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Taiwanese (asian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $150,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Demonstrated interest through repeated attempts at getting into Columbia SHP and an internship last summer, parent works for Columbia</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Demonstrated interest, strong essays, strong interview, fencing leadership
Weaknesses: SAT raw score, Extracurriculars a bit lacking overall
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Some amount of nepotism from my parent’s occupation, trying to get into SHP for 3 years consecutively
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: No other results yet</p>

<p>General Comments:
Extremely glad overall that I got in; writing other apps would have been dreadful. I hope that my example goes to show future applicants that poor test scores will not discount you from getting in. I’m not entirely sure how much my parent’s job or the internship counted for, but they were likely factors. I think the most important thing that I did was apply for various programs at Columbia over the past 4 years, and urge other applicants to do the same. Also, spend some decent time on your essays and do some noteworthy extracurriculars.
My heart goes out to the other applicants that were not accepted. I sincerely wish the best for you in the future. Nothing good in this world was achieved without hardship and failure marking its trail.</p>

15

<p>Decision: Rejected - CC
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2230 superscore Math: 640 Reading: 800 Writing: 790
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II: 800 Literature (also accidentally sent a 720 first), 750 French Listening, 720 Bio
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.67
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Lit (5), French (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP AB Calc, AP Comp Sci, Honors 5 French, English Fiction Writing, Arabic 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Scholastic Art and Writing National Gold Medal</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): school newspaper (senior editor), debate club (founding member), feminist club (co-president)
Job/Work Experience: cashier at a dry cleaner’s during school year, summer camp counselor
Volunteer/Community service: helpline volunteer at women’s shelter, meal prep at soup kitchen
Summer Activities: took summer Chemistry last year, was also a camp counselor, volunteered the year before, some family travel to Peru, France, Denmark
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: I loved it but my parents hated it, said it was too creative / abstract. 7 maybe? Why Columbia: jumbled and all over the place, 7. Supps: 9, did a lot of explaining.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
all probably pretty generic
Teacher Rec #1: 7
Teacher Rec #2: 9
Counselor Rec: 8
Additional Rec:
Interview: was not offered one </p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: international relations
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private day
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: <$150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection: upset, but it’s time to move on. my essays sucked. I should have re-taken the SAT. I should have explained why I was taking comp sci and not history, if my intended major was international relations.</p>

<p>Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: they didn’t give me an interview, so that was the first bad sign
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: haven’t heard back yet
General Comments: Congratulations to everyone who got in</p>

16

<p>Decision: Rejected - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36E 36M 36R 35S)
SAT II: Didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 11/365
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4), Macroecon (5), APHG (5), AP Lit (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Ap Stats, AP Calc BC, AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Lang, English 4 Honors (2 englishes, two sciences, two maths)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended, AP Scholar w/ Honors</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Olympiad (Captain) 1st at regionals, 4th at state, Knowledge Bowl (Captain), Conflict Mediation (Executive Board) we work with administration to work on student mental and social health. Key Club, Spent my lunch hours tutoring freshman, Youth Frontiers (Student Leader), Dance, some other small things
Job/Work Experience: McD’s Crew Trainer and Brand Ambassador 9mos
Volunteer/Community service: Did some through Key Club, NHS, Ronald McDonald House, Tutoring, and participating at a local child care center.
Summer Activities: Nothing really, junior year went to UChicago for an Insight Program. Absolutely loved it though.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): HAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH BOY. Redid my Common App Essay and wrote all my Columbia Supplements within 72 hours of the deadline. Definitely my weakest point. My Common App was about my experience with psoriasis and how that better allowed me to interact w/ my community. 8/10. Columbia’s were probably 3-4/10 haha. Found a comma error in my EC essay and my Common App. Oops lol.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): There is one teacher I really wish I could have had me write on that would have been perfect, but alas didn’t do it. They were okay
Teacher Rec #1: APHG teacher/relevant to major. He wrote me a really great one for UChicago 8/10.
Teacher Rec #2: Science Olympiad Coach. Not sure; he isn’t the best writer. 7/10
Counselor Rec: Generic. Around 400 kids per counselor. She did really like me though. 7/10
Additional Rec: Professor from my summer camp. Really great guy but likely eh 5/10.
Interview: Absolutely awesome. We got along really well and she I was an incredible fit for Columbia. Really hope to stay in touch with her despite my rejection. Lovely person. It was over skype. 10/10</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Sociology (I can just feel my parents cringing)
State (if domestic applicant): MN
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public (1400 kids or so)
Ethnicity: Chinese (of course lol)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: High.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not at all.</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: ACT/GPA.
Weaknesses: Everything else. Especially my lack of volunteering/EC’s. AND ESPECIALLY MY ESSAYS. DEFINITELY ESSAYS. THEY SLAUGHTERED ME. I just cranked them out as fast and as decently as possible. I am not good at doing that. :slight_smile:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My weaknesses. I didn’t know I was applying early to Columbia until two weeks before. Wrote my essays in 72 hours. Had two grammar mistakes. Lol.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to U of M Honors w/ considerable scholarship.</p>

<p>General Comments: I felt a lot more strongly about Columbia after my interview. Wasn’t too keen beforehand. I did eventually feel that Columbia was for me, but after seeing the despair other people are in after deferment or rejection I realize there’s others who wanted this a LOT more than I did. Would absolutely loved to have been accepted, I really had come to love the school. But no matter, it is what it is! Congrats to all those who were accepted, and congrats to all those who were rejected. We are all that much closer to the end of this, despite what decision we received. It’s not the end of the world. You are all worthy, valid, and will achieve a lot elsewhere. The amount that you care about your decision, take it and use it to make yourself better prepared for whatever is coming next. Best of luck.</p>

17

<p>[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted - SEAS[/color][/size]**</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (800CR 800M 730W single sittng)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 BioM, 800 Chem, 800 Math II, 800 Chinese
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95 (2 Bs in freshmen year art elective)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 30/780 unweighted
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB(5), Chem(self-studied 5), Bio(5), Calc BC(5), USH(5), Comp Sci(5), Microecon(self-studied 5), Macroecon(self-studied 5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Phys, AP US Gov, French 3 honors, Multivariable Calc/Linear Algebra/Diffeq at a public university nearby
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, Science Olympiad SoCal State 1st & 6th, Invitational 1st</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Math Club (president)
-Chem Club (president)
-FSEA (vp)
-Science for Middle and Elementary Education (lecturer/leader)
-Science Olympiad team (member)
Job/Work Experience:
-Research Intern, City of Hope (work on my own project and expect to publish the first paper about the human version of this gene)
-Research Intern, Tsinghua University in Beijing (co-authored the paper published on the Journal of Biological Chemistry)
Volunteer/Community service:
-UCLA med center 190 hours
-SciMEE teaching middle school students science
Summer Activities:
-Helped poor kids in remote mountain areas in China
-Research in Beijing
-Research at the City of Hope
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 6.5 okay, nothing impressive though
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9, knows me well and we talk a lot
Teacher Rec #2: 6, probably one of those mainstream template recs
Counselor Rec: 8, he knows me well and likes me
Additional Rec: 9, my boss who loves me and treats me like a postdoc
Interview: didn’t get one :(</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large public, highly competitive
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: male
Income Bracket: pretty high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m a fob and came to the US only 3 years ago?</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: numbers, almost professional level research profile
Weaknesses: too focused on STEM, no music/art/humanities/sport ecs, no super crazy STEM accomplishments like Intel, Siemens or USABO finalists
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: scores and my focus on STEM? (or was it my weakness?)
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: ED NYC HERE I COME!!!</p>

<p>General Comments:</p>

18

<p>Decision: Accepted - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2210 superscore (730 CR, 730 W, 750 M)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 720 Math II, 710 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.56/4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 15%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 4 English Lit, 4 AP Euro
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, BC Calculus, AP Spanish, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, AP Ceramics, English Electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Academic Distinction at my school?</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Captain of New England Prep School Championship Cross-Country team (four years), Saxophone Section leader of School Wind Ensemble (four years), Original Member of an indoor track club, Founder of my school’s track team, Debate Team, Student Peer tutor, Mentor for students of color
Job/Work Experience: Counselor at a sleepaway damp during the summer
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteering at a local animal shelter
Summer Activities: Same as job experience
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
CA Essay: 9.5/10 (one of the best essays I’ve ever wrote, talked about cross-country and developing my drive for running and my subsequent passion for coaching and helping my teammates)
EC Essay: 9/10 (witty, but passionate essay about how I founded a track team at my school)
Intended Major Essay: 8/10 (talked about how I have developed a love for reading and writing)
Why Columbia Essay: 8.5/10 (talked about how I want to take advantage of the resources provided by relationships with members of an outstanding faculty in a major university)</p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 (English teacher who I know really well)
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10 (Physics teacher who writes excellent recs and with whom I was really close)
Counselor Rec: 9/10 (she knows me well and she writes excellent recommendations)
Additional Rec: 8/10 (History teacher who saw me do really well in her class)
Interview: 9.5/10, talked for 70 minutes about a variety of things, and he said he “would do his best to give me a strong recommendation” </p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: English, Economics, History
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Private school that sends 30-40 of its senior class to Ivies each year
Ethnicity: Mexican/Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$250,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, Third generation legacy</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: 3rd Generation Mexican legacy, fantastic essays, and great recommendations and interview
Weaknesses: Slightly below average GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think the adcomm read my application in a really favorable manner and I got lucky
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Only applied ED to Columbia</p>

<p>General Comments:
I am ecstatic. It hasn’t really hit me until now that I GOT INTO COLUMBIA!!! When I submitted my application, I thought I had a good chance. Yet I have been so scared the last few days, and I really did not think I was going to be admitted today. I really can’t believe I got in. I can’t wait to meet all of you, who were accepted, next fall. Good luck to all who did not get in, keep your heads up. </p>

19

<p>Decision: Rejected - CC
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 760 CR, 800 MA, 780 WR, 8 E (SuperScored)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 MA II, 780 PHY, 760 BIO E, 720 LIT
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
H1 General Paper
H1 Malay
H1 Project Work (A)
H2 Physics
H2 Math
H2 Economics
H2 Literature
H3 Semiconductor Physics and Devices
Prelims: GP/PMEL B/CEBB
Predicted (my guess): A/ABAA
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Best in subject prizes back in Secondary School, National Spelling Bee Finalist
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Symphonic Band Tubist for 6 years (won gold in Singapore Youth Festival in 2011, gold in Los Angeles Music Festival in 2013), Model UN Club (participated in prestigious conferences and was a director in my school’s own UN conference)
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: Tutoring at my secondary school, teaching assistant at a special ed school, fundraising for the needy
Summer Activities: Travelling and going back home to Indonesia
Essays (rating 1-10, details): hard to rate but it’s about how terrorism in Indonesia changed my life for the better being the son of a counterterrorism expert
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 8-9/10 from my General Paper tutor. I’m the subject rep so she knows me well and I speak up a lot in her classes.
Teacher Rec #2: 7-8/10 from my Lit teacher. Speak up a lot too but lit was not my best subject.
Counselor Rec: 8/10 from my Physics teacher. He’s very friendly and supportive so his rec would probably be good.
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none (red flag)</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?:nope
Intended Major: PolSci (with international politics specialisation)
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Indonesia (applying from Singapore)
School Type: best in Singapore
Ethnicity: Malay/Indonesian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$200000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): from underrepresented country</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: underrepresented country, unique background, test scores
Weaknesses: grades, late bloomer (wasn’t from a so-called ‘elite’ school before I came to this junior college)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Not a good fit I guess
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: none at the moment</p>

<p>General comments:
Congratulations for my fellow schoolmate @emellwie and for those who got accepted! I was hoping that I attended the college that produced the genius that is Vampire Weekend. But life goes on!</p>

20

<p>Decision: Deferred - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
•SAT I (breakdown): 1960 (570 M, 710 W, 680 CR)
•SAT II: 780 US History, 710 World History, 710 French
•Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 100.4 Weighted
•Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
•AP (place score in parenthesis):
–World History (4)
–English Language and Composition (5)
–US History (5)</p>

<p>•IB (place score in parenthesis):
•Senior Year Course Load: Dance, AP Bio, AP French, AP English Lit, AP Microeconomics, AP Calculus AB, Intro to Occupations, Communications
•Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
–AP Scholar, National Achievement Outstanding Participant, Scholarship Recipient from School, Star Honor Roll, National French Contest Top-Ranked Participant, Quiz Bowl Award Winner</p>

<p>Subjective:
•Extracurriculars:
-Editor-in-Chief of School Newspaper
-Multi-published writer in literary magazine
-Travel Blogger
-Quiz Bowl Team Captain
-Tap & Jazz Dancer
-Cross Country Runner</p>

<p>•Job/Work Experience:
-Summertime cashier job at a movie theater (free movies 4 life!)</p>

<p>•Volunteer/Community service:
-French Tutor
-Museum Volunteer on weekends</p>

<p>•Summer Activities: Cashier Job, Reading lots of books, Globetrotting (my personal favorite)</p>

<p>•Essays: 10/10
-Wrote my Common App Essay about suffering from obesity and eventually losing weight, and how it affected me.
-My Columbia supplement was solid. I wrote about the beauty of the Core and how I adore the French culture. I also talked about my experiences with Quiz Bowl for the EC essay.
•Teacher Recommendation: 10/10 and 9/10
-From AP French and AP US History teachers. We are all very close, and I do think they were unique.</p>

<p>•Counselor Rec: 10/10
-We have a great relationship. We also had to fill out detailed resumes before they wrote our recs, so that helped for sure.
•Interview: Great! She said: “it will be a joy to write your report!”</p>

<p>Other
•Major: French & Francophone Studies, Education
•State (if domestic applicant): New York
•Country (if international applicant):
•School Type: Private
•Ethnicity: African-American
•Gender: Female
•Income Bracket: Middle Class
•Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, interest in (French)</p>

<p>Reflection
•Strengths: Lots of Awards, Challenging course load, good GPA, AP and SAT II scores, lovely, creative essays, Teacher Recs, URM, different choice of major
•Weaknesses: Math SAT of 570
•Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Well, as I said before, I was deferred. I did think I had a chance, I am really heartbroken and crushed, because I loved Columbia.
–I truly think I was deferred because of my low-ish SAT score. I had a 570 in Math and a 680 in Critical Reading, and to be honest, I don’t really have an excuse to have that poor of a grade. I go to a good high school, so I believe my SAT score was seen as an anomaly. I did not study for my SATs as seriously as I should have, and I swear, it must have hurt me. But at the same time, SATs are not everything, so who really knows?
–Also, my application doesn’t really have a theme to it. It’s kind of random, and I don’t demonstrate interest in one particular area.
–Long story short, I also had an application issue, and I had to email Columbia a number of times. Maybe documents were all over place.</p>

<p>General Comments:
It’s bittersweet. I am happy that I was not rejected, but at the same time, I would love to have called myself a proud Columbia Lion. It hurts to have written an application of 4 different essays, and still be deferred by the school. I have every intention of trying to get myself off the waiting list, starting with retaking my SATs and writing a letter of hope. Columbia is truly a dream come true.</p>