ACCEPTED
Objective:
SAT I: Did not take
ACT (breakdown): 35 on every section except a 30 on math rip (34 composite)
SAT II: did not submit bc L
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84 (school doesn’t calculate it though)
Weighted GPA: n/a
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis):
AP Bio → 4
AP US -->5
AP English Lang -->5
AP Spanish Lang → 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load:
AP English Lit
Ap Spanish Lit
AP Calculus AB
AP Physics 1
Econ and Politics (Humanities elective)
Identity and Society (Humanities elective, sociology based)
Adv Topics in Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
um I’m just gonna list all I’ve gotten because idk what y’all classify as major
- 1st Place National Spanish Exam (NY Region)
- Bibilashvili Award (for excellency in applications of physics → won it at a physic tournament that my team lost)
- E.E. Ford Fellowship Grant (to fund a service project I created)
- Sarkela Prize (to continue my service project into next year, granted by a CBO)
- Cornelius Tacitus Prize (School awarded it to me because I’m the top in my class for Humanities courses)
- Brown University Book Award (also school awarded but for my “ability to develop arguments and opinions eloquently”)
- Keith Waldman - Optimal Performance Associates/NFHCA High School National Academic Squad (For being a varsity athlete while maintaining a 3.6+ GPA)
- Coaches Award (for being a team player idrk)
- NYS Champion from 2016-2019 in Field Hockey
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
- E.E Ford Grant Recipient/ STEM Teacher for underresourced community
- Varsity Field hockey and Softball; Fencing manager
- Students of Color Club (Mentor & Senior Leader)
- UPLIFT Mentorship (Lead mentor)
- Women in Science Club (leader and curriculum planner)
- Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry Tutor
- Babysitting/domestic work because parents always working
- School Tour guide
Job/Work Experience:
- Babysitting (besides little brother) kids with special needs
- Receptionist
Volunteer/Community service:
- volunteer at a CBO that helps students of color achieve a better educational experience
- volunteer at local senior center
- help run drives for various churches
- Fellowship stuff (created a STEM summer camp for under-resourced community lol)
Summer Activities:
- Fellowship stuff, volunteer work at CBOs, social justice work with my town’s government
- Yale Young Global Scholar (went to Politics, Law, Economics session)
- BASE (Bucknell camp 10th grade)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 10, I connected my childhood as an ESL student and how I focused on reading because I could take my time to understand what was on paper to how I now love interpreting policy and its implications.
Ideal Community Essay: 8, don’t get me wrong; it was pretty good I just feel like it was just stuff they had heard 1000x over.
Lists: 10, they all really demonstrate my love for sociology, social justice, and law.
Why Columbia: honestly, 10+; not to toot my own horn but I freaking love this school and I think it translated really well.
Intended Major Essay: 10+, connected my intended major with all of the activities I do and my reading selections.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10, my precalc teacher last year, he really brought me out of my comfort zone considering how much I don’t like math.
Teacher Rec #2: 9, my field hockey coach since 9th grade as well as my World Civ and APUSH Teacher, has seen me grown throughout hs
Counselor Rec: 10, very easy to be vulnerable with her
Additional Rec: 10, more of a best friend than my advisor, works at a CBO that helped me get into a private school when I was younger as well as into college.
Interview: 9, we got along so well
Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Political Science, Sociology, Ethnic and Race Relations (I also want to be apart of their human rights program but I’m overextending myself)
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic → Mexican
Gender: Women
Income Bracket: 60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, First gen, parents did not even graduate elementary school, I’m basically a second mom to my entire family (older siblings too)
Reflection:
Strengths: lots of leadership & ec, pretty good ACT & AP scores,
Weaknesses: my ideal college essay was subpar to my expectations but I’m just a perfectionist lol, oh and my interviewer barely let me talk (no complaints because I am pretty shy but I’m not sure if she really got to know me or not)
Why you think you were accepted: Because there was a general theme that united my entire application, I am a relatively strong student, and I really am goal-oriented (in that I really know what I want to do with myself (not to say that you do too but I really worked towards my intended major/ what I love esp these last two years).
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Fordham but that was a safety lol
General Comments:
Good luck to everyone: whether you are admitted, deferred, rejected. There is a right school for everyone.
