<p>they make no sense to me, and its freaking me out. it just proves that NO ONE is safe (unless you’re nationally or internationally recognized for a major competition). how are the rest of you wannabecrimsons feeling?</p>
<p>depressed.</p>
<p>word, personally my first semester grades this year arent looking too hot. a deferral would be just as terrible as a rejection. actually judging from the columbia boards it doesnt look like a change in gpa would matter.</p>
<p>rationally speaking, i should accept that my chances of getting in are slim to none. reading columbia boards just hammers that home. rejections with 1500s? i know tests aren't everything but they are something...right? but deep down i'm totally unprepared for a deferral and a rejection is too terrible to think about.</p>
<p>im SCARED and ANXIOUS and feel like my life is hanging in the balance.</p>
<p>Come on now pal, I got 1300 on my SAT. They look at other things too. I started my own company in my gap year, I hope that counts for something.</p>
<p>They can post all the scores and ECs they want, I want to know how those admitted portrayed themselves in their application. Were they passionate academics? Humble, yet determined? Confident and sophisticated? I really want to know.</p>
<p>I know I qualify with my scores, but looking at all of those deferrals and rejections in the Columbia thread just makes me more anxious for Tuesday.</p>
<p>oh crap rajinthebox yo thats my plan B. if i dont get into anywhere i find that fits my ambitions, ima take a gap year, publish a research paper, and found a firm. i dunno what kind of firm, but a firm.</p>
<p>good luck harvard peeps. My dear columbia board is so depressing....as a junior, it's downright depressing to see people who should have gotten in get rejected...Who would have ever thought 2004 would be the columbia ed massacre.</p>
<p>It just shows that admissions is a crapshoot, like people have been mentioning forever.</p>
<p>It is a crapshoot, but not completely. From what I could tell, the people who I thought would be fairly certain to make it did, and all the people I felt were truly underqualified did get rejected/deferred.</p>
<p>looks like the kids with low(er) test scores faired better than the kiddoes with 1500+....hehe, woot woot for underachieving :)</p>
<p>Look at Table 6 in the College Board's National Report on SAT scores </p>
<p>and you'll see that there are many thousands of college applicants who score above 750 on one or both of the SAT I sections. The combined size of the entering class in all of the Ivy League schools is small enough that IF admissions were strictly "by the numbers," one would have to have awfully good numbers to get in. In fact, some high scorers on the SAT I don't even apply to any Ivy, and some who do apply are rejected, which opens up a bit more space for applicants with other desirable characteristics. But the basic point is that spaces in the entering class are much more limited than applicants who desire those spaces, so it is always a good idea to have a Plan B. </p>
<p>It's painful not to get into a first-choice school, but it's not the end of the world nor is it the end of a chance to make a positive difference and have a happy life. Just be sure to apply somewhere else RD if going to college next year is part of your plans. </p>
<p>Good luck to all of you waiting for news.</p>
<p>One thing you stat-grubbers need to know,</p>
<p>A. You're not that smart.
B. Columbia's single most important part of the application is the "Why Columbia?" question, so says NE regional director of admissions. He says a lot of these qualified kids just pass over it with a "I love new yokr blah blah" and those kids are almost always rejected because it shows they don't care at all for the school they're applying.
C. Maybe you're not special enough to be chosen over someone else??</p>
<p>haha i guess i should visit then?</p>
<p>stcoleridge, interesting stuff. thanks for that. now i feel a bit better abt my columbia app, since i did a pretty decent job of the "why columbia" question. having that course catalogue handy was a plus.</p>
<p>yeah, me too. Even if we're in the wrong forum................</p>
<p>yeah...lol...</p>
<p>my "why columbia" thing was all about emotion. i grew up in New York and my mom would take me up there to see it...I put that in my answer...it's better than just a straight forward answer, I think.</p>
<p>If it was the most important question, why is it that the paper app only gives you six lines? I had to type mine up and shrink the font to get it to fit. Hand writing it only gave me 8 sentences.</p>
<p>hmm i was confused for a second..m i in the harvard or columbia board?:..hehe..they both rock anyway..</p>