<p>So this more or less echoes what others have said to answer your question, but oh well. Colleges also will evaluate you within the context of your school. If your school only offers you two AP classes junior year, and you take both of them, admissions offices will see that you are making the best of the situation. If your school offers more than two AP classes for juniors but is only allowing you to take two, then I suppose that could be an issue.</p>
<p>I took only one AP class junior year, as it was the only one available to me. I also have three Bs on my transcript (two freshman year and one sophomore year) and a whole slew of A minuses. Junior and senior years I picked it up and got straight As. I was accepted to Columbia as a John Jay Scholar, which is some kind of hazy academic designation/recruitment incentive given to a small percentage of the incoming class. I mention it only because it is the one thing that seems to indicate that my acceptance wasn’t a total fluke, which is certainly the way I sometimes feel.</p>
<p>Anyway, Columbia (and other colleges) will not hold your school’s limited curriculum against you. They will judge you on whether or not you took full advantage of what was available to you. Also, 3 Bs is not the end of the world as long as you improve and have the scores, the ECs, and the essays to back you up. Good luck!</p>
<p>@iteotwawki, thank you. Also how would colleges know what my school offers or the context of my school. Will it show on my transcript and congrats. How is Columbia? I’ve heard its amazing :), can’t wait till next summer when I visit and take a tour and such. </p>
<p>I’m completely devoted to my ECs, any the best thing about ECs is that it is easy for me because I love volunteering, writing poetry for contest and being involved in clubs and sports…etc</p>
<p>I’m also attending Columbia next year, and I have 5 B’s on the transcript, and am not in the top 10% of my class either. The courses you take in the context of your school will show on the transcript because schools usually send in a high school profile, detailing the courses offered and the class rank breakdown. </p>
<p>Columbia has a great atmosphere as it has a campus, but is also in the heart of a huge city! The academics are great with core requirements. I can’t speak much more about this, as I have yet to attend. </p>
<p>Remember for ECs, depth matters more than breadth. It’s better to be the leader of say Amnesty International and Class President for 4 years than to be in 5 clubs, and not be in a leadership position in any. </p>
<p>The college process can be extremely strange, some people get into safeties and some targets, and no reaches. Some get into only safeties. Some only targets, and some even just reaches. No one can tell what will happen, so it’s best to tackle it with a positive attitude and put forth the best application you can muster because that’s all you can do.</p>
<p>@vikramcpo woooow 5 Bs and you still got into Columbia. That’s amazing and has totally brought up my spirits. Still its not like I’m going to purposely try to get Bs but thanks for that. </p>
<p>And yeah depth, I’m currently vice president of 1 club and treasure of another. Next year I will definetly start 2 clubs and be president in at least 3. Hopefully by senior year i have good enough ECs to impress Columbia and other schools</p>
<p>I’m confused about how you are going to manage, nonetheless live, next year. You listed nine classes, eight of which are honors/AP, for your junior year coursework… best of luck pulling off straight A’s. Most schools only offer seven classes per semester… I’m calling your bluff, but judging from your schedule I think and hope Columbia will accept you even if you graduate with a 3.0 after evaluating the prodigious rigor of your schedule.</p>
<p>@mustangman- my school has 9 classes a day (1 lunch and 1 gym which don’t really count as classes for me.) And each class is 40 minutes or 45 I think. Anyway, I have a pretty good memory so I don’t study that much and still get As, even this year with 4 honor classes, I can still pull it off. Although I’m going to seriously study for my AP classes but my honor classes, I’ve had them since middle school and they were hard in the beginning but now I’m use to them and don’t have to study that much for them. To me it’s not that hard, maybe it’s just me. :/</p>
<p>And plus I’m like always on top of my grades just to make sure they don’t slip. And the pre calc and algebra 2 will be half the year each so they count as one class and I might not take one of those classes, I haven’t decided yet…</p>
<p>lol I hope Columbia accepts me too but your right, I don’t want to die of overwork and forget about my ECs, I’ll relook at my schedule and maybe change something. :)</p>
<p>I’m going to be honest with you, WriterColumbia. Unless your SAT is 2300+ and you’re ranked in the top 10 - not the top 10%, the top 10 - of your class, I doubt that you will be admitted. That doesn’t mean don’t try, of course, but I had very similar stats to you and was outright rejected Early Decision with a clearly demonstrated incredibly high level of interest in Columbia. The reality is that a 4.0 is simply what’s required now. Not a 3.8, not a 3.9, a 4.0. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluding themselves.</p>
<p>I can’t tell if you’re serious or sarcastic lol.</p>
<p>I doubt you’ll get in with those achievements. They’re great and all, but not enough for Columbia.</p>
<p>However, why does Columbia matter so much to you? It’s only a name which brings with itself a very expensive undergrad price tag.</p>
<p>wow you guys really know how to bring a girl down. but whatever, the decicion is not up to you its up to Columbia and like everyone always says, admissions is random, a flip of a coin, maybe I’ll get in, maybe I won’t but I’m still going to try. </p>
<p>@just4ivaylo- to ME Harvard is just a name school but Columbia has everything I want so it means alot to me, but its not the world either. I mean if I don’t get in then I’ll cry a little but I’ll get back up and go to graduate school there. :)</p>
<p>There are actually plenty of kids who are not top 10% who got into “top 20” schools… Including myself. Gpa is very, very important, but not everything. SAT is also a benchmark, if you fit into that 50% range then you should be fine.</p>
<p>Just do your best and don’t let the stress get to you. For an ambitious and hardworking person like you, I can see that you are likely to be successful no matter where you go and what you do.</p>
<p>This pretty much applies to most people who are on these forums freaking out about their stats and chances. More than anything else, their only REAL problem is that they’re neurotic and need to chill the F out a little. In the end we all die and decay so life is more about optimizing the balance between happiness and success. Before you can do that, you have to define what “success” means to you personally. For some people, success is mutually exclusive from happiness, in which case the only real problem is that they didn’t do a good job defining what success means to them.</p>
<p>@WriterColumbia
Woah do people really think admissions is analogous to a game of chance? That is quite absurd. Anyway, I believe you have a shot and I assume you are apt enough to get in.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have been so harsh. It’s just that I wish someone had been harsher with me, instead of just letting me continue to fantasize about things that were out of my reach because they recognized that I was intelligent. But by all means, dream. Columbia is the reason I got straight A’s last year, it’s the reason I threw myself into my ECs with even more vigor than my natural passion would have dictated - hell, it’s the reason I visited New York City and subsequently NYU, the school I will be attending in the fall. Dreams can serve great purposes, as long as you also have one foot on the ground.</p>
<p>@francis- I understand what you mean. The reason I have Columbia as a dream is because if I reach high enough then I might get in, but in reaching high I might meet the requirement or above the requirements for another school. Your doing exactly what I’m going to do, if I don’t get to Columbia then I’ll go for NYU. Reaching for the moon will get you on one of the stars or maybe the moon itself :)</p>
<p>Definitely. Good luck! I have a feeling you will be successful wherever you end up.</p>
<p>To the OP: You should definitely try and be an “overachiever”. </p>
<p>Also, no your chances are not necessarily ruined but just remember many/most Ivy applicants will have straight A’s with many APs. Don’t get anymore B’s, and get out there and take some hard college classes then.</p>
<p>As for self studying AP Psych, AP Gov – it’s definitely doable. But if you are going to take these classes anyways in the future, I don’t see the point of this. You will be better prepared with a teacher. AP Stat might be a bit of a stretch for you. If you can’t take the class, by all means, self study the AP though.</p>
<p>Your SATs are also really important. So a low average and few AP’s should be only a few of your worries.</p>
<p>Also, it’s worth noting that Columbia gives you no credit for AP Psych scores (even if you got a 5), so it might not be worthwhile.</p>
<p>I feel the same way. My GPA is currently a 3.88 due to getting 2 B’s my freshman year. My sophomore year went well. I got all A’s. I’m really freaking out because I’m taking the ACT on Saturday for the first time. I’m hoping for a 32. Next year, my classes will all be considered either AP, Honors or “advanced”. I don’t think I’ll be accepted. :(</p>
<p>Relax. A 3.88 G.P.A. is outstanding. A 3.5 G.P.A. is great, but excellent in the context of your school. Your numbers won’t be your issue. If you maintain a difficult curriculum and get excellent recommendations (which you have time to work on), you’ll mostly have to worry about your essays. Luckily, the Columbia tends to have one essay.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>