****COLUMBIA CLASS OF 2020 ED RESULTS*****

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

The results will be in about a month and a half and I was way too antsy so I decided that we get this thread up. Please follow the following format and remember to keep this page results only. The discussion page is located here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/columbia-university/1827283-columbia-university-ed-class-of-2020-discussion-page.html?new=1

(The following is copied from the previous year)

It’s almost time!

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!

[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]**

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.):

Subjective:

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

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

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.):

Reflection

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

General Comments:

Just remove the ‘a’ in the bold, size and color in your decision

2

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3

Decision: Accepted - CC

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (Reading 730, Writing 760, Math 800) one sitting
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Literature 780, Math 2 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): not computed by school
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not computed by school
AP (place score in parenthesis): no AP
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Heavy with 2 AP
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): A few national writing awards, local writing awards, National Merit Semi-Finalist (as of Dec 2015), winner in various investment contests, received various music and theater awards.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): (Captain in various dance and theater related school activities). (Founded and ran computer science clubs).
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring of grade/middle school students. Cinematographer (Founded, built and ran my own website and YouTube Partner page as businesses since 2010)
Volunteer/Community service: various local charities
Summer Activities: dance, tutoring, and travels
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9 or 10 mostly lighthearted, very personal and answers the prompt directly.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9 or 10 likely

Teacher Rec #1: strong from math
Teacher Rec #2: strong from student counselor since freshmen year
Counselor Rec: strong from college counselor. Supported Columbia as my first choice
Additional Rec:
Interview: Hard to tell as interviewer was more nervous than I was.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Computer Science, Economics and Theater Arts
State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Prep School
Ethnicity: Asian American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >100K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy

Reflection

Strengths: very broad interest with pointiness in the performing arts.
Weaknesses: middle of the pack grades in school and not nearly the highest SAT.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I presented the real me, shared my experiences and interests as best as I can.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: n/a

General Comments: Extremely relieved and ecstatic knowing I am Columbia Blue, Class of 2020. I learned so much from this experience.

4

Decision: Deferred - CC

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (800 CR, 780 M, 770 W)
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 780 Chem, 760 Bio
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2 / ~350
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s - Calc AB, Calc BC (subscore 5), Bio, Chem, Eng Lang / 4s: PhysC:Mech, CS, Gov, Micro, Macro
Senior Year Course Load: Diff Eq, AP Spanish 5, World History AP, Phys C: EM AP, Mentorship, Stats AP, Eng Lit AP, Photo AP
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Handful of state and regional debate awards, 1 national, county volunteer of the year, Minor math awards

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Leadership in 8 or 9 clubs and pres of 3. Captain of Tennis since jr year. County level student rep in drug abuse policies. Lots of research. Debate.
Job/Work Experience: Paid research internship at NIH, 2 other minor internships (hospital stuff and web design)
Volunteer/Community service: ~400 hours at various hospitals, labs, other stuffs
Summer Activities: 9: Elite debate camp, 10: Summer School 11: Lab 12: Paid Lab
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App - 8/10 Weird and quirky
Why Columbia - 5/10 Good content, really really bad last second grammar
Why Major - 8/10 Aite

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8.5/10 Calc BC teacher <3s me
Teacher Rec #2: 8.5/10 English AP teacher who teaches me mentorship, we’re pretty tight
Counselor Rec: 9/10 Let me see it, twas solid
Additional Rec: 10/10 Research mentor, let me see it, twas super solid
Interview: 10/10 Said that if I didn’t get accepted he has no idea what goes on in admissions

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yah
Intended Major: Biochem
State (if domestic applicant): MD
School Type: Rural public
Ethnicity: Undisclosed (because you all already know lol)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Lmao

Reflection

Strengths: Well rounded
Weaknesses: Jack of all trades, master of none, essays were garbage, started wayyyyyyy too late on my app
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays essays essays. I literally switched from ED penn to columbia 3 days before and wrote all my essays in 2. I’m not expecting much out of RD, so I guess I’m lucky to have made it this far.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nada

General Comments: Start your apps early, seriously. I’m an idiot

5

Decision: Deferred - CC

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2000 (720 math, 700 critical reading, 580 writing ) didnt submit
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 English, 34 Math, 33 reading, 36 science)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Chemistry, 760 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): none
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Euro, 4 Apush, 5 Chem, 5 Macro
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Stat, AP Gov, AP Physics,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP scholar with Distinction I believe.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Stock club (president), indoor track, outdoor track, cross country (captain), member of a church youth group, baseball.
Job/Work Experience: Worked a summer job between sophomore and junior year
Volunteer/Community service: fulfilled the minimum requirement for our school (60 hours)
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I dont know, maybe 7-8ish, I think I was a little too honest for the common app one. Not personal and emotional for the why columbia and why major essays
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I dont know, I thought that I picked the right teachers as I had done very well in both classes. (AP chem with an A and AP macro and AP euro with an A+)

Teacher Rec #1: dont know, I was one of her top students in a very tough AP chem class.
Teacher Rec #2: dont know, i liked the teacher and was also the president of the stock club that he proctored.
Counselor Rec: dont know, I know that she has to do 150 of them so I cannot estimate how inspriing of a person she painted me.
Additional Rec: none
Interview: I thought it went pretty well, talked about my ‘book’ that I tried writing but never finished when he brought up the subject of academic failures that I had experienced. the interviewer recommended that we have it at a starbucks, which I thought was a little odd.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Econ and poli sci
State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant): –
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): not an URM or a first generation college.

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses: I think that I should have added on a few more academic extracurriculars to show my interest in my intended major(s) of study.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: started too late on the essays. I dont think that they were refined enough.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Columbia is the only school of relevance that I have applied to.

General Comments: I hopefully will be accepted in the RD round and until then the stress will continue.

6

Decision: Accepted - CC

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 33 (math 31, English 31, reading 36, science 35)
SAT II: not taken
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not computed by school
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US (4) AP Lang (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Studying abroad! (A bunch of Russian classss)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): One of 15 chosen to study abroad and dance on full scholarship in Moscow, high honors in school

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Serious ballet dancer for 7 years, singing lessons, studying abroad,
Job/Work Experience: voluntered at local dance store during summers
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered at ballet studio (helping with auctions and such)
Summer Activities: Ballet intensives for the entire summer
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10, some of the best writing I have ever done. I worked very hard on them.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8 - 9, I wasn’t able to read them.

Teacher Rec #1: From AP US teacher
Teacher Rec #2: From French Teacher
Counselor Rec: strong from school counselor.
Additional Rec:
Interview: no interview

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Russian language, international relations
State (if domestic applicant): Vermont
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public school
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >50,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy

Reflection

Strengths: Strong interests shown in extra curriculars, essays
Weaknesses: average grades, not the best ACT score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My application wasn’t the typical highschool student. I haven’t had a ton of extra curriculars because I was completely dedicated to one thing. My essays were very strong, and reflected my decisions on living abroad in russia for the year.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: n/a

General Comments: congratulations to everyone❤️!!!

7

** Decision: Accepted - CC **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (Reading 700, Writing 800, Math 800) one sitting
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Math2 800, Chem: 790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): don’t know
AP (place score in parenthesis): 8 APs all 5s: Calculus AB(5), Chem(5), World History(5), US History(5), Micro(5)/Macro ecom(5), Bio(5), Calculus BC(5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 4 APs, Physics, Computer Science, Literature, Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi-Finalist, National AP scholar, State winners for swimming. All Americans for USA swimming.

Subjective:

Extracurricular (place leadership in parenthesis): (Captain in HS swim team)
Job/Work Experience: Swim instructor for local clubs
Volunteer/Community service: various local swimming/rec clubs, park, tutoring
Summer Activities: Eat, sleep, play and of course SWIM
Essays (rating 1-10, details): don’t know. I think it’s good
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9 or 10 likely

Teacher Rec #1: Math
Teacher Rec #2: History
Counselor Rec: yes
Additional Rec:
Interview: Hard to tell. think it was OK.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes, but denied.
Intended Major: Premed, Engineering
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public School
Ethnicity: Asian American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >100K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing

Reflection

Strengths: Recruited athlete.
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: see above
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: This is only school applied

General Comments: Happy!!!

Good luck everyone.

8

Decision: Deferred - SEAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 - 36E, 35M, 35R, 33S
SAT II: 700 Chem, 700 Lit, 720 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): 4 AP Lang + Comp
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp Sci A, AP Calc AB, AP Lit, AP Physics C: Mech, Engineering Design, Choir
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none lol

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): LOTS of musical (choir) experience (president of choir leadership council, honors choir), gave a TEDx talk and now I’m on the organizing committee, lots of musical theater, science fair (3rd place overall, 2nd place in my category), idk theres more but those are the big ones
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: Taught english at a poor school in the Dominican Republic since 2009, tutored/mentored a special needs student for free
Summer Activities: lots of time in the dominican republic, columbia summer program
Essays (rating 1-10, details): common app essay: 9/10, pretty darn good and showed a new angle, why columbia- 8/10 I could’ve done better but it wasn’t 100% generic
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP Chem teacher- 9/10 pretty passionate but could have been better, she let me read it
Teacher Rec #2: AP Lit teacher/ advanced 10th grade english teacher- not sure. he’s an amazing writer and i’ve had him for 2 years but I haven’t read it. probs like 8 or 9/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10 she loves me and even though we have a big graduating class she has a great relationship with me
Additional Rec: Choir director/teacher- 10/10 he adores me and said he wrote a “glowing” rec
Interview: 9/10 pretty well, he said he’d write me the best possible report!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering or Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White + Native American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female in engineering/comp sci? also I have native heritage so like a semi-URM

Reflection

Strengths: ACT, Interview, Recs, ECs
Weaknesses: GPA lol
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: my GPA
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted to fordham Lincoln Center, haven’t gotten any other decisions yet

General Comments: I’m just grateful for my deferral

9

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

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2320
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 math II, 760 ahem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): don’t know
AP (place score in parenthesis): calc(5), english lit(4), physics(4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: hardest available in my school
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):National merit semifinalists, Ap scholar with honors

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):average
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:volunteer at a senior center
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:8/10
Teacher Rec #2:5-6/10
Counselor Rec: dont know
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:no
Intended Major: comp sci
State (if domestic applicant):Michigan
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Prep School
Ethnicity:Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 300k +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:Sat
Weaknesses:Others
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I guess I was too average
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: n/a

General Comments: :confused:

10

Decision: Deferred - CC

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 34 (33 English, 35 Math, 33 Reading, 33 Science)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Doesn’t rank, but probably 1/2
AP (place score in parenthesis): APES(5), APUSH(5), 2D Art(5), English Language(4), going to take Chemistry, Calculus, Spanish, and US Government
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Cal, AP US GOV, AP Spanish (literally living hell), AP Lit, Psychology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Environmental Club, Spanish Club, Photographer at hospital, track and field (wasn’t great though lol), and some other stuff
Job/Work Experience: nope
Volunteer/Community service: somewhat scattered besides being the photographer at a hospital
Summer Activities: Travel (a big part of my application though, I’m really interested in cultural things and I wrote about that)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7-8
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Seriously I really don’t know

Teacher Rec #1: science teacher, had him for 4 classes, knows me well

Teacher Rec #2: social studies teacher, had her for 3 classes, knows me well too
Counselor Rec: probably a big generic
Interview: didn’t have one… sigh (I would call it a geographical disadvantage though, since we have virtually no alumni here.)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Sí
Intended Major: Earth science
State (if domestic applicant): OK
Country (if international applicant): China
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: idk really
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I came to the US in 7th grade with a scholarship? Does that even count…

Reflection

Strengths: idk
Weaknesses: didn’t take SATII, I think that’s the biggest thing maybe. There’s so many things that we “could have done” but it really doesn’t matter now.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: The FAQ section of the undergrad website states that they defer a lot of international students applying for aid so they can compare the entire global applicant pool. I wish international students were treated need-blind as well but unfortunately that’s not the case.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: nowhere yet… waiting to hear back from UChicago!

General Comments: Man this result thread thing took longer than I thought… Congrats to those who got in, and I hope next-year students find this helpful!

11

Decision: Rejected - CC

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2030 (didn’t submit)
ACT (breakdown): 34 Composite (33 Science, 34 Math, 34 Reading, 35 English)
SAT II: none
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): none
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Environmental Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Principal’s List/High Honors

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Gay-Straight Alliance (co-founder and secretary), Key Club (treasurer), BMX racer (nationally ranked and invited to Worlds), Mixed martial artist fighter, SuperSchool Project
Job/Work Experience: TeamMember at a smoothie restaurant, hostess
Volunteer/Community service: > a few hundred hours
Summer Activities: Fir Acres workshop in writing and thinking
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 10. Maybe one of the best one’s I’ve written.
EC: 9, wrote about founding GSA
Why Columbia: 7 maybe, possibly too generic
Intelectual interest: 9, wrote about wanting to help people
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9, Columbia alumnus and my calculus teacher.
Teacher Rec #2: 8, was my APUSH teacher
Counselor Rec: 10, knows me very well
Additional Rec: 10, vice principal
Interview: was not offered one

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): Arizona
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: < $120,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation

Reflection

Strengths: ACT score, grades, Common app essay, recommendations
Weaknesses: maybe ECs, why Columbia essay.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no idea… I really wish I knew.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Haven’t applied anywhere else yet…

General Comments: I am very disappointed in myself. If anyone has any comments or suggestions for my RD applications, please please message me.

12

Decision: Rejected - CC
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): Composite 35, English 36, Math 34, Science 34, Reading 35
SAT II: 770 Lit, 760 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):8/820 (top 1%)
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 English Comp, 4 US History, 3 Physics I
IB (place score in parenthesis):n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP English lit, AP government, AP economics, AP Calculus BC, French IV, AP Physics II
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Relay for Life golden fundraiser, tartan bearer at graduation ceremony, state qualifier for D1 tennis–individually and as a team, AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS (president 1 year) Relay for Life (captain 2 years) volunteer with Arizona Humane Society, Pet partners, Rescuing Animals in Need, , Religious youth group (President)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: See extracurriculars, plus frequent visits to local soup kitchen, Feed My Starving Children, assisted living homes
Summer Activities: Extended School Year for special needs children ages 6-16, Harvard Pre-College Program
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Would say 9/10 for all of them… worked very hard for long periods of time and am a strong writer
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 7/10
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10? Did not have the chance to read but have only known teacher for a few months and never on very a personal level
Counselor Rec: Probably 5/10, I’m in a class of 820 and there are like 7 counselors…
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Double-major Human Rights and Urban Studies
State (if domestic applicant): Arizona
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 200,000+ (I know I probably don’t qualify for Financial Aid; my parents wanted me to apply anyway)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: essays, ACT score, GPA
Weaknesses: lack of hooks, ethnicity, recommendations
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: You tell me
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Fordham so far, still awaiting decision from UChicago. Will apply to Georgetown and NYU

General Comments: yay

13

Decision: Accepted -CC

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP us history (5) AP lang (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP computer java AP Micro AP Spanish
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): national merit commended

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS (PR), student council (secretary), Track (captain)
Job/Work Experience: Yes, Burger King
Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours
Summer Activities: track, youth group
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Probably 4, did not spend much time
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: probably 7, chill teacher
Teacher Rec #2: 8, very nice teacher
Counselor Rec: no idea, never talked to her ever
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Urban Studies
State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: $200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: recruited athlete
Weaknesses: weak EC, essays were so generic, gpa is pretty low
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: athletic support
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: didn’t apply anywhere else

General Comments: Go Columbia!

14

Decision: Rejected - CC

SAT I (breakdown):n/a
ACT (breakdown):34, superscore 35
SAT II: Math II 800, Chem 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): a bit above 89/100
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis):Calc BC(5) Macro(4) Chem(4) USH(5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):nothing really, some national latin exam awards+ap award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):pretty standard
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:around 600 hours
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):8-9
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):9?

Teacher Rec #1:10 Latin teacher, had me for 2 years, loves me.
Teacher Rec #2: 8-9, Chem teacher, also had me for 2 years.
Counselor Rec: idk, probably good
Additional Rec:n/a
Interview: It was alright

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:No
Intended Major:Econ/Psych/Philosophy
State (if domestic applicant):DC
Country (if international applicant):China
School Type: top10 boarding school in the country
Ethnicity:Asian
Gender:M
Income Bracket:no idea
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):nada

Reflection

Strengths: go to one of the best boarding schools in the U.S., alright test scores, pretty good essays, solid recs
Weaknesses:definitely my GPA, period.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: GPA lol. should’ve worked harder
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:Nothing so far yet.

General Comments:Moving on?

15

Decision: Accepted - CC

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 one sitting (800 Writing, 780 Math, 770 Reading)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (34 R, 35 Science, 35 Math, 31 Writing)
SAT II: 790 Lit, 780 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB (5), English Language (5), U.S. History (5), Environmental Science (4), Human Geography (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP gov, AP euro, AP world, AP micro, AP macro, AP psych, AP english lit, AP Calc BC, AP stat, civics & econ
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): HAH none

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Youth Group President, HOSA community service chair
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring ~6 hrs/week
Volunteer/Community service: Weekly feeding the homeless in a park, created a weekly outreach program with music at a nursing home, performed at charity fesivals, went on a mission trip, raised money for various clubs, created a tutoring program wtih an elementary school
Summer Activities: Governor’s school, HOSA NLC, etc.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8 I would say mine were good, sincere, but not amazing; writing is one of my strengths in general though
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 my english teacher adored me and told me she had my was working on my recommendation over the summer lol
Teacher Rec #2: 7/10 i asked my ap us history teacher bc i got a really good grade in the class but i’m not sure how much she liked me
Counselor Rec: 10/10 my counselor loves me
Interview: 8/10 it wasn’t brilliant but it definitely wasn’t bad. I prepared pretty good questions and responded well I think

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: English literature
State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian American
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: GPA, testing, ranking, essays
Weaknesses: BY FAR my extra curriculars. I moved before junior year and a lot of the clubs I was involved in + orchestras, etc. changed when I moved
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I had strong test scores and a good GPA… I think my essays also showed my character pretty well
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: idk yet and idc anymore lol

Seriously- good luck to everyone who’s applying regular decision/got deferred/is applying next year! Make sure that your essays are true to yourself and express who you are. Good luck- I can’t wait to meet my fellow class of 2020 members!

16

Decision: Deferred - SEAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (800 CR, 790 M, 800 W/10 essay) - it was mad hard to get that 800 in CR
ACT: nah
SAT II: 800 Math Level 2, 800 physics (and 800 chemistry but I didn’t send the score in)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95-ish (never took the time to calculate unweighted as my school uses weghted)
Weighted GPA: 4.08 out of 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10% or top 20%, apparently I’m 6th exactly but I don’t believe it
AP: chill I’m IB
IB: gotta take the exam in May 2016 lol
Senior Year Course Load: IB HL math/physics/economics, IB SL chemistry/Spanish/English Lang & Lit, Christian Ethics (whose mans)
Major Awards: National Spanish Examinations Honorable Mention, Science Olympiad team design, National Merit Scholarships commendation award, AMC-12/AIME (top 2500), car-making competition awards, ABRSM (music), other minor stuff

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Math club/honor society (president), Science club, Varsity swimming, college car-making team (only high school student, but I helped out in buying and installing replacement parts for a burned motor and so on), Yearbook, Unlimited Sound music club, so on
Job/Work Experience: lifeguarding at school
Volunteer/Community service: some service trips to Fiji & Hawaii
Summer Activities: Upenn’s SAAST program
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8 for my Common App (talked about my late development/expectations from my family/my passion in my hobby), 8 for the others
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I have no idea lol

Teacher Rec #1: Math - I get along with the teacher
Teacher Rec #2: Physics - I get along with the teacher
Counselor Rec: Probably wrote decent stuff about me - I get along with him
Additional Rec: nope
Interview: nope

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: ahuh ahuh ahuh
Intended Major: Engineering, mechanical
State (if domestic applicant): —
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private, Christian-centered, international
Ethnicity: Asian - so I had to see a defer or rejection coming lol
Gender: M
Income Bracket: too damn high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): idk how to answer this

Reflection:
Strengths: SAT, GPA for the most part, at least I passed the AMC 12,
Weaknesses: math 790, my math grade in IB HL math was garbage compared to my other grades, not lots of interesting awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: the Ivy league schools did not decide to give an international school scrub a chance over legacy people
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: my school only allows for early applications to one school; the rest I’ll have to find out

General Comments:
• Lots of my friends got deferred, mad interesting.
• If you’re not legacy, good game brah.

17

Decision: Accepted - SEAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2060
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98, 4.2308 (weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry (4), Physics C: Mech (4), Calculus BC (5), World History (3), Statistics (3), US Gov and Politics (4), Human Geography (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Art 1, AP English Literature, AP Psychology, Health/PE, Computer Science with Math, AP Art History, AP English Language, AP Bio
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, QuestBridge Finalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Research Intern at local research hospital (minority health), Model UN
Job/Work Experience: Barista at local coffeeshop
Volunteer/Community service: Young Democrats of Arkansas, local environmental organizations
Summer Activities: E2@MIT
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8, I reused by QuestBridge essay for common app. My Columbia supplement was pretty good.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Idk. I never read them, but the teachers I asked to write my recommendations know me very well.

Teacher Rec #1: He was my math/science teacher (I took 6 classes with him)
Teacher Rec #2: She was my AP US Gov. teacher and is my school’s MUN sponsor
Counselor Rec: I have no clue what she wrote.
Additional Rec:
Interview: It went well…??

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Environmental Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Arkansas
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: Latino
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <50k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first gen, I participated in the Columbia Engineering Experience this October

Reflection

Strengths: Supplement
Weaknesses: Test Scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Idk. I was part of the Columbia Engineering Experience and was able to speak with admissions officers during the program.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: University of Arkansas (accepted), Fordham (likely letter)

General Comments: OH MAH GAW!!! I’M STILL DIGESTING THIS!!!

18

Decision: Deferred - SEAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250, 800 CR, 760 M, 690 W
ACT (breakdown): 35(+36), 36 math, science, 35 reading, 33 english, 36 writing
SAT II: 770 M2, 770 M1
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): **3.1/b
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~60/~400, competitive South-eastern school (take that as you may). Second decile.
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo 4 (Freshman), US History 3 (Sophomore), Biology 5 (Junior), Calc AB 5 (Junior), English Lang & Comp 5 (Junior)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 4 APs - Physics 1, Calc BC, English Lit & Comp, European History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A. Some success in junior research. Will graduate as a National AP Scholar if I do well this year.

Subjective: Pretty interesting for an engineering student, very upward trend as a result of very shite undergrad years.

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 6 years of varsity swimming +captain, all relevant honors societies, massive tutoring hours, work.
Job/Work Experience: Meaningless, parents’ small business antique store.
Volunteer/Community service: Minimal.
Summer Activities: Meaningless, summer camps learning about architecture.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Lists were mediocre to good, the web one was pretty interesting at least. Proudest activity was waaay too cliche, talked about sports success, 1-2/10. Why Columbia had to be pretty strong, objective 6-7/10? Preferred major essay was weak, 2-3/10.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Can’t say, waived the right to view them.

Teacher Rec #1: ?? a very good writer and a recommendation for my brother who was accepted. Very doting on me, I’m sure.
Teacher Rec #2: ?? probably not the best writer, but a recommendation based on one of my best courses performance-wise.
Counselor Rec: ?_? unfortunately a first year counselor, but we get along very well.
Additional Rec: N/A.
Interview: Pretty great, can’t say without knowing how others went.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Uh, yeah.
Intended Major: Civil engineering.
State (if domestic applicant): South Carolina.
Country (if international applicant): N/A.
School Type: Public, large (2.2k?)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~120k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Sibling legacy, so I basically got super declined.

Reflection

Strengths: I’m genuinely a pretty eclectic person, I get along well with all the Columbia students I’ve met, I’ve always done well in interviews, and I do feel like I belong at this school, however,
Weaknesses: I did not put enough work into the meritocracy of it all. Columbia finally taught me about how hard the world can hit back. I did not spend long enough on my essays, and I am not a top tier student, though I may be a top tier talent.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Frankly shit GPA, non-stellar essays in which I toned down my writing and rhetoric because I had heard that’s what great school likes to see. Didn’t really put my shoulder into it. After writing these essays, my next batch of (UofSC Honors college) essays were dramatically better.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Have only applied to state schools as safeties, UofSC and Clemson University + their respective honors colleges.

General Comments: Well, my luck ran out. Fortunately, I’ve had a month to mull over how I did and come to terms with the results. It does sting failing as the little brother, but sometimes these pitfalls are blessings in disguise. I join the other 94% of Columbia applicants who will not be accepted this year, and am not as sad as I am ashamed. This was the first thing I really wanted in life, but I started too late to work my way in. I can say “at least I wasn’t declined,” but (see my hooks…) I essentially was.

Love you guys. The tears will come later, but for now just know that if you even applied to Columbia, things are probably going to be alright.

19

Decision: Accepted - CC

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 34 ( 35 English, 36 reading, 35 science, 29 math)
SAT II: Literature - 800. US History - 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 20%
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Five honors designation courses. My school doesn’t offer AP or IB.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Recognition Scholar, National Merit Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School Newspaper (Editor-in-chief), School lit mag (Head copy editor), Varsity debate team, stage screw, theatre direction, Modul UN (Co-head), Slam Poetry team (Co-founder), Poetry Club (President)
Job/Work Experience: Two Months experience working at a Froyo place. Six months experience selling salad dressing.
Volunteer/Community service: N/A
Summer Activities: Iowa Young Writers Studio, Kenyon Young Writers Workshop, Columbia High School Program: Masters of prose
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I’m really good at writing it’s like my thing I don’t mean to come off as a cocky ass.
Common App essay 10/10
Why Columbia essay 10/10
Past experiences and interests 10/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: English teacher and mentor 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: Pre-Calc teacher 8/10
Counselor Rec: She loves me. Knows me very well. 9/10
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Went very well. More of a conversation than an interview although I was very nervous. The interviewer was an incredibly nice woman.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Creative Writing/English
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Private Prep
Ethnicity: Latino
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, Recommendations, story
Weaknesses: GPA, downward grade trend junior year
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Columbia has been my dream school for years. It always felt like the perfect fit. I’m glad to see that the admissions committee agreed with me.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Didn’t apply anywhere else.

20

Decision: Accepted - CC

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (Critical Reading: 800, Math: 680, Writing: 800)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (English: 36, Math: 29, Reading: 35, Science: 36, Writing: 36)
SAT II: U.S. History: 800, Molecular Biology: 780, Literature: 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93; 4.36 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): U.S. History (5), English Language (5), Biology (5), English Literature (5), European History (5), Microeconomics (5), Macroeconomics (5), U.S. Government (5), Comparative Government (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A, not offered at my school
Senior Year Course Load: AP World History, AP Spanish Literature, AP Art History, AP Statistics, AP Human Geography, AP Environmental Science, AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish Language, AP Psychology, Global Politics, Literary Theory Honors, Creative Writing Honors, International Relations and Conflicts Honors, World Literature Honors, Academic Decathlon, and an independent study on Existential and Postmodernist Literature (yeah I went a little overboard haha. It looks crazier than it actually is though because a lot of these are online classes which I did partly over the summer)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Writing stuff: National YoungArts Foundation, Honorable Mention in Novel Writing category; Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, Silver Key in Short Story Category; first place in Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest
Academic Decathlon: Highest-scoring DIII student nationwide in 2014 and 2015, in the top five highest-scoring DIII Honors students in the history of the program, 10 gold medals at nationals between 2014 and 2015; last year my team set a record for the highest-scoring DIII team in the history of the program and also broke our own state record twice (I was helped by the fact that we’re in DIII and from Ohio… if I was from a DI or California school it’d be a different story haha)
Academic stuff: National AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, gold medalist in National Spanish Exam in 2013 and 2014, National Merit Commended Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Academic Decathlon (captain), Speech and Debate–International Extemp (captain), Academic Quiz Bowl team, Honors Seminars of Metropolitan Dayton, Teen Writing Club, International Perspectives
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: docent at the Dayton International Peace Museum, volunteer at local library, National Honor Society
Summer Activities: Antioch Writing Workshop (3 years), Reynolds Young Writers Workshop at Denison University
Essays (rating 1-10, details): At least an 8, writing is my thing and also I was super obsessive over these essays haha. My common app essay was about how I suck at speech and debate, basically (I talked about how I’m a really introverted person and I’m generally horrible at public speaking, but my freshman year I started doing extemp and found out that even though I never did all that great in the event, I learned a ton from it and it helped me discover my love for history, politics, and current events). In my Columbia supplements, I talked about Acadec, the Dayton Peace Museum, and writing. I also talked about how I love the Core Curriculum and how Joseph Stiglitz is my favorite economist haha
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: My Academic Decathlon coach who’s known me for four years wrote one of them; she knows me really well and I know she put a lot of time into it. Definitely a 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: My English teacher who had me for AP Lit last year and who I’m doing an independent study with now wrote my other letter; she knows me really well on a personal level and she’s also helped me a lot with different writing projects over the last two years. Definitely a 10/10, too
Counselor Rec: Also a 10/10, my counselor knows me really well
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yeah
Intended Major: History, English, Creative Writing, or Philosophy (or some combination of those)
State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $100,000-ish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I got nothing

Reflection

Strengths: APs, acadec stuff, writing stuff
Weaknesses: My math scores haha
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my acadec and writing stuff might’ve helped me stand out with otherwise middle-of-the-road test scores/GPA. Also, I felt good about my essays and recommendations
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I also applied to Ohio State and UC Berkeley, but I haven’t heard back from anywhere besides Columbia

General Comments: I’m so happy!!! Congrats to everyone who got accepted and hopefully I’ll see you guys next year! Good luck to people who got deferred or rejected–keep in mind that there are tons of amazing schools out there and all of you guys are really strong applicants