Hey, queens!
I’m an ED applicant, just like all of you. I’m seeing a lot of talk around test scores and GPA that are below Columbia’s average being a possible death sentence for admissions. I am not an admissions officer, but I’m writing this with the hope that maybe this will quell some people’s anxieties.
My good friend who’s a student at Columbia College sat next to the Head of Undergraduate Admissions at Columbia at a dinner. Obviously, my friend had to pry some info from the Head so she can help her friends out. They said that the Admissions Committee is primarily focused on two things: a student’s capability to survive the Core and the Columbia workload and overall fitness for the school’s culture and readiness to reap the benefits of living in New York City. Everything else comes next.
Of course, test scores are a good way to see if the student is cut out for a Columbia education in an academic sense, but I wanted to see if I can provide some peace of mind for some of y’all.
First, the 25% percentile of SAT scores of the Class of 2023 was 1480. This is above some of the people here who are worried about their stats, but keep in mind that a WHOLE QUARTER of Columbia admits had a score BELOW a 1480. That’s 562 people out of the 2247 admits.
Second, scores in the 1400’s, and even 1300’s, are fantastic scores. If you got a 1440, you scored better than around 95% of test takers. You smushed 'em! Smushed 'em good! I have faith that Columbia admissions officers are reasonable enough to realize that even if someone who has a slightly below average test score can still be a phenomenal student, a hard worker, and someone who can take advantage of the Columbia experience like it’s nobody’s business.
Third, you may be thinking “well, if there’s a strong applicant like me, they’ll take the person with the higher stats”. If this is true, that is definitely gross. But, I don’t think it is, at least at Columbia. There’s a reason why Columbia made us write so many essays and fill out so many lists. They want to see the uniqueness of every applicant, and I think that all 4,500 (around there) ED applicants have something to say, do, or contribute that no one else in their applicant pool can. I can’t imagine that admissions officers can look at two applicants, given all of their responses, and say that they’re very similar
Lastly, Columbia accepts a student, not a number. Of course, the number is apart of the student profile, but the numbers pale in comparison to a story, an experience, unique insights into the world, or even just good writing.
I’m sorry if this was long-winded and boring. I was very worried about my SAT score as well (I got a 1440), and I’ve gotten through these past few weeks with little anxiety by telling myself this. I hope this helped anyone who’s in a similar boat.
Just having applied to Columbia is an accomplishment in and of itself. There’s always room to be proud of yourself in the college admissions process, regardless of the results.
Good luck to everyone.
