I was wondering if there was any info about the average profile of a Columbia transfer student…
I was pretty average in high school and in my testing (SAT, ACT, AP). I did got to the interview stage when I applied as a highschool student. I deferred my university admission to take a gap year to live in Paris and practice french at the Sorbonne. Now I go to a high ranking university in D.C. and am getting good grades. I am only applying to Columbia University because it’s my dream school and I want to double major in International Relations and Art History.
How does my profile look compared to the average transfer student?
Also, I was also hoping someone could provide links to resources with tips on how to complete the supplements. Since my high school grades were relatively average I think this is my best bet to show how committed I am to Columbia.
Hi! I went to Georgetown my freshman year before transferring to UPenn, but I was also accepted to Columbia so hopefully I can answer your question. I had average grades at Georgetown–I believe I ended the year somewhere in the 3.5-3.6 range. However, I had really great extracurriculars, and I was committed to studying sustainability (something I think is relatively unusual.)
If you were pretty average in high school, get really good grades to make up for it in college, or do some great extracurriculars. I can't give you too much advice without seeing your actual scores, though. For college, aim for 3.5+ at the least if you're aiming for schools like Columbia. My GPA is definitely at the bottom when I compared myself to the accepted transfers I know. Colleges will still look at your high school grades, but it's not as important as college if you have a few years under your belt.
You need a compelling reason to transfer. An admissions person might ask why you feel as though you can't study IR in the political capital of the country. (I'm sure you have a reason, but that's just an example of something you should address in your application.) Find something about Columbia that makes you NEED to be there. Is it the core curriculum? Is it the school's commitment to activism? Find something. It's as important as any number on your resume.
For your supplements, talk about a passion until you're blue in the face. Mine was activism. Show that you're a person with intelligent opinions, show why a Columbia education is the way for you to achieve your goals. I can't think of any good links, but I think what anyone will tell you is that the key to supplements is being genuine and passionate. For example, with the list of concerts/books/whatever, just be yourself and don't worry about sounding all pretentious. I think on the list of concerts, I wrote something about singing with my mother while cooking. Be you.