Constructive criticism please

Colleges and Universities A-Z Barnard College
1

<p>While I am aware of my low stats…would I still stand a chance in the applicant pool?</p>

<p>1st generation Korean-American
Born in Georgia, now residing in suburbs in California
Income bracket <40,000</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 unweighted, 4.67 weighted
Rank: 4/517 (for now…I think I will be moving up to 2/517 by next year)
PSAT: 190
SAT: ugh…690M, 650W, 640CR----I am currently studying to retake in Oct…my goal is to get 730+M, 700+W, 700CR
SAT II: 660 Math IIC, 670Bio E, 710 US History—retaking in Nov.</p>

<p>Special Circumstances: nothing really, except that I moved from GA to CA in the second semester of my sophomore year and that GA did not offer AP classes to sophomores…so I technically had only 1 semester of AP World History…</p>

<p>10th:
AP World History: A (5 on exam)</p>

<p>11th:
Pre-IB Pre Calc/AP Calc AB: A
AP English Language: A
AP US History: A
AP Biology: A</p>

<p>12th:
AP English
AP Calculus BC
AP Art History
AP Govt
AP Economics
AP Physics</p>

<p>EC’s:

  1. National Honor Society 2 years</p>

<li><p>California Scholarship Federation 2.5 years </p></li>
<li><p>Latin Club 4 years (founder/instructor)
I had previously taken Latin in GA however, moving to CA which did not offer Latin, I decided to create a latin club and teach latin I and the culture to those interested)
I also took the National Latin Exam for Latin I and got bronze medal</p></li>
<li><p>Future Doctors of America 2 years (founder/co-president)
Basically, we bring guest speakers to our club meetings (neurosurgeons to pediatric cardiologists) who talk about their occupations, do volunteer work at local hospitals/Red Cross, and provide hands on experience to those interested in pursuing a medical profession.</p></li>
<li><p>LiNK-Liberty in North Korea 3 years (co-secretary/promotions director/public relations)
Spreading awareness upon the humanitarian crisis in North Korea and doing humanitarian activist promotions (ie: organized an all-day LiNK awareness assembly at school, protests in front of the Chinese Embassy in LA, sending petitions to various embassies and release North Korean detainees, host a benefit concert and raise $5,000 for SAFE Haven orphanages in China that are posts involved in an Underground Railroad to help NK refugees) I am a great advocate for this cause while many ppl in my church have dissapproved b/c they feel that I am simply straining the already tense relations our motherland: SKorea and NKorea and US. Nevertheless, I this issue itself is my passion and energy not only b/c of the horrendous atrocities being committed right under noses but also b/c some of my family members are in NKorea right now…and so, its not only a matter of human decency but of ultimate necessity. </p></li>
<li><p>Model UN 2 years (cofounder/activities director)
My involvement in LiNK led me to intiate our school’s 1st MUN chapter. (our school just opened in 2004…hence our class is the 1st graduating class for 2007!)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Here are the colleges I am interested in applying…
Bowdoin—if not Bates/Colby?
Barnard!
Carleton
University of Chicago
Wellesley
Middlebury
Emory
UCB
Macalester
UCLA
UCSD
Scripps
Mount Holyoke—maybe Bryn Mawr</p>

2

<p>i know these threads are insufferable...but anyone please?</p>

3

<p>First off, I would condense your list. If you like Barnard, you more than likely will not like U of Chicago, UCSD, UCB and UCLA. However, if you are only doing it for location, that is different. Mount Holyoke and Barnard are very different. Barnard is more like Scripps in nature than it is like Mount Holyoke. I'm really starting to doubt you actually like any of these schools. Keep Barnard, Wellesley, and Scripps. I would suggest Smith too... it seems like a fitting school, if you really want a women's college. Bryn Mawr seems a bit too small for you, btw. Your chances are great at all of these schools... Middlebury is also something you might want to scratch off your list. It's nothing like Barnard. Just because they are liberal arts colleges doesn't mean they are similar... same goes for the ME schools and Carleton. I think you should make a list of what you want in a school, then come back and ask for your chances... rather, not your chances, since we are not admissions counselors, but ask whether you are looking into the right places... </p>

<p>UCLA, UCSD, Wellesley, Barnard, Emory, Scripps, and Bowdoin <em>seem</em> like good schools for you. I would suggest Smith over MHC for you. MHC is a great school, but Smith has a great location, which, I'm assuming, is something you're dying for. If you NEED to get away (like I do), look into MHC, Carleton, and Macalester.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>williams is a good reach school for you</p>

5

<p>thanks for your replies...the reason why I picked such paradoxical choices for college is b/c I feel that I want a sense of variety of choices in which I can choose from...UCB---the only reason I am applying there is b/c it's a UC school and in Cal---I have to at least one definite university that I may go to b/c I am interested in their research facilities...moreover, I understand that the environments are entirely different at each school...that's why I picked them...UChicago has a great undergraduate study for not only humanities but research best of both worlds---nevertheless I may crave for a more intimate setting with a flexible curriculum in the arts and humanities hence Wellesley---Barnard and MHC may be different but I like how Barnard is the urban setting something different from what I am used to in Los Angeles and San Diego...MHC is a nice quaint atmosphere I may also find agreeable b/c I used to live in a small town before I lived in LA...emory again is another comfort zone b/c I was born and raised in the South so I can once again fall back to my birthplace...but whatever...I have reasons for each selection and its not some arbitrary decision I have made b/c of its reputation or sorely upon its environment...I am a flexible and varied person...</p>

6

<p>however back to your suggestions...you mentioned smith...I have given considerable thought but could you elaborate why it would be a better choice than MHC? I like how MHC is strong in international studies and the diversity within the campus...however, I really not knowledeable upon the aspects of smith despite the fact that its in northampton...</p>

7

<p>For you, it would be a better choice based on location. Mt. Holyoke has an excellent International Relations program and has a very diverse student body (Smith has a diverse one too). MHC is wonderful, so if you don't reall opt for the chic atmosphere that Smith offers, it would be a great choice. Smith is by far one of the most 'lax' schools there are. There are no distribution requirements, which makes it a lot easier to take courses you want to take and not courses you're forced to take. However, if you want to graduate from Smith with Latin Honors, you absolutely must take courses in all disciplines. At Mount Holyoke, you have to take 6 units (norm: 3-4 semesters) of gym, as well as courses in every discipline to fulfill distribution requirements. Your interest in being a doctor and your humanitarianism make you an excellent match for Mount Holyoke, but your apparent like for chic atmospheres, makes me think you'd work well at Smith. At Mount Holyoke, you can major and minor (FCC) in International Relations. At Smith, you can only minor (FCC). If you are more politically active, look into Smith-- that is not to say that MHC women are less active. It's just that Smith girls are much more active... if MHC girls are very liberal, Smith girls are super liberal. MHC has excellent science programs and both schools send considerable amounts of women into top grad schools. The ultimate choice is yours.</p>

8

<p>Crazedjunior,</p>

<p>If you get a chance you should really visit the Bryn Mawr campus. It is absolutely beautiful. Not only do you get the excellent resources at Bryn Mawr, but you can cross-register at Haverford, Swarthmore, and UPenn. Haverford is in walking distance and shares many departments with Bryn Mawr and there are frequent vans to Swathmore. UPenn is a 20 minute train ride away. </p>

<p>Good luck with your search.</p>

<p>P.S. If you're interested in Medicine, Bryn Mawr has a great Pre-Med program.</p>

9

<p>Though condensing your list might make life easier for you, I'd actually really argue against taking off to many the schools that don't seem to match what you're looking for (to a reasonable extent...obviously these should be limited to some degree). </p>

<p>I also looked generally at private schools, smaller schools, LACs, etc., but still had UCs on my list. And when it came down to final selection, I really LIKED that I wasn't choosing between identical schools (Berkeley, USC, and Scripps...Scripps won). I also know a lot of people who <em>THOUGHT</em> they wanted one thing the whole way through their college search, but when it came down to selection, totally changed their minds. For example, I know a girl who was positive she wanted to go to the East Coast, but wound up attending the single CA school to which she'd applied...same story with people who thought they wanted a major university, a tiny LAC, a religious school, and so forth. You learn a lot about yourself and what's available even after you're done applying to schools and it's nice to have a little bit of "wiggle room" for such changes. And if you live in CA, even if you don't think you're interested, you have good enough stats (seriously, give yourself credit) that it's almost strange NOT to apply to UCs (especially given the very competitive nature of many of the other schools you're looking at).</p>

<p>You might want to add more of a definite safety school...perhaps another UC or lower-ranked LAC. There are a few "definitely more than likely's" on your list, but nothing that stands out as an absolute non-question (although with your class rank, you may be guaranteed UC admission, in which case you're fine).</p>

<p>Good luck...sorry for the lack of specific advice!</p>

10

<p>


I really take issue with this statement. My daughter, who will be attending Barnard this fall, also applied (and was accepted) at Chicago & Berkeley. There is also significant overlap in admissions between Barnard & Chicago - statistically, Chicago is one of the colleges to which Barnard most often loses its acceptees. That is, of students who are admitted but choose to go elsewhere, 4% of them are going to Chicago -- see: <a href="http://www.barnard.edu/opir/admissns/losses.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.barnard.edu/opir/admissns/losses.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>You are making some assumptions about why students choose Barnard that may not apply. My daughter wanted an urban university with a strong slavic languages department. She did NOT want a suburban LAC nor did she want a woman's college - so your particular recommendations about which schools to keep (Wellesley, Scripps, Smith) are colleges that my d. rejected from consideration early on. She is very enthusiastic about attending Barnard-- but every college has its pluses & minuses, and when you settle on one there is often some compromising - and in the case of Barnard, the female-only thing is a compromise that my d. is willing to live with. Like Crazedjunior, she also had a somewhat eclectic and varied list -- it's nice to have some variety to choose from in the spring. </p>

<p>I don't think the Crazedjunior's current list is too long for a rising senior. My d. applied to 12 colleges, including 3 UC campuses -- and in the summer before her senior year I think there were well over 20 private colleges that she was considering. She narrowed her list down considerably after visiting a few campuses. In fact, Barnard wasn't particularly high until she visited and interviewed.... then the "wow" factor pushed it to the top of her list. </p>

<p>I think it's pretty typical for Californians to apply to the UC's and if financial aid is at all an issue, then it is absolutely necessary. With her GPA and class standing, Crazed is probably guaranteed admission into the UC system, so that can function as her safety as well. </p>

<p>To Crazed: your stats are fine for Barnard. You don't need to retake the SATs-- none of the colleges on your list is going to choose strictly on the numbers, and your SAT's are solidly in range for all the colleges. There is no harm in taking the SATs again, of course -- just don't stress over it. Barnard -- and probably most other LACs-- is going to be most interested in the parts that distinguish you -- items 3-6 on your list are the ones that make you stand out. I think you should write about your LiNK work on your essays because it clearly is the most meaningful for you, and even in the limited space here your passion for that area was shining through.</p>

11

<p>thank you so much for your advice and support...and plus about bryn mawr...I am starting to like it more and more...;) But since I have not visited (I don't have the money) I will just apply and see...my parents did however say that we would go visit the campuses...but only the ones I get admitted to...I am bit apprehensive about that though b/c I don't want to miss out choosing the wrong college to apply to...but I think my list is varied enough...by the way do you suggest any safeties I could consider? I have thought of the UC's as matches/safeties but I don't want to be presumptuous...also Occidental and Pitzer are possibilities...but I would like some on the east coast as well...any suggestions? thanks!</p>

12

<p>bump!!!!!!!!!!</p>

13

<p>well I just looked at one of the posts in CC and I must say that I was extremely disconcerted by the prevalent discourses...or should i say heated arguments concerning the "hostility" b/w CC and BC...will someone try and clarify the situation? is there such hostility towards the presence of barnard girls at columbia?</p>

14

<p>absolutely not a factor/problem for my daughter. Absolutely not.</p>

15

<p>Crazed, can you tell us why Barnard is on your list? Since the list is kind of eclectic, I think it would help to know what you like about Barnard.</p>

<p>Since my d. is a newly admitted student, I can't comment on the Barnard/Columbia issue. I know that it won't be a problem for my daughter, because she is very confident and has a great sense of humor -- so she isn't going to be fazed by that sort of thing... so that's really the least of her worries.</p>

16

<p>well for one thing, I love the location, its in new york-the cultural powerhouse of the united states-I have lived and extensively visited several metropolitan areas: la, san diego, atlanta, seoul, busan-but I have never experienced the big apple. Moreover, being in a small/intimate setting I would be able to receive personal attention from my professors and still enjoy the aspects of city life-something I know I would not get at a UC or any other large university. I also plan on pursuing a premed track and i have heard many positive remarks upon the natural sciences and the relatively successful rate of medical school acceptance. my friend currently attends barnard as an incoming sophomore (history major with minor in music) and she always raves about the vast range of opportunities she receives from her studies and outside of school. In addition, from barnard I would be able to pursue in studies that may be deemed "impractical" for a premed course such as the cognizant aspects of ancient chinese philosophy upon modern Asian society. And so, in general, I feel that Barnard would offer tremendous opportunities in providing a wide/extensive range of choices in studies while still having a sense of structure with its "core" curriculum and also prepare me later on in graduate school. </p>

<p>the barnard/columbia hostility thing isn't really a major factor in my decision to apply to barnard but it is still a factor i want to clarify b/c it surely doesn't help to have an unhealthy relationship with a school on the other side of the street...</p>

17

<p>I hope a current student does respond but I can assure you with confidence that Barnard women, by and large, do not suffer from any sort of "unhealthy relationship" with Columbia. </p>

<p>Though some Columbia College students seem to have difficulty dealing with the fact, it is true that BOTH CC and Barnard Colleges benefit immensely by their unique affiliation and sharing of resources. If I was a male, I think I would probably suffer a bit from, umm, perhaps the word would be "envy" of the Barnard womens' opportunities that would not be made available to me simply because of my gender??</p>

<p>At any rate, I do not think you should concern yourself about this. For more info, do a search on this forum for any of the excellent posts by a recent Barnard graduate who goes by the name "Primefactor". She has had much to say on the subject of the Barnard/CC relationship and on Barnard itself. I wish she was still around!!</p>

18

<p>thanks for your reassurance....truthfully, I would have applied even if relations were not so close, but to hear that the issue is miniscule is a plus :) I guess now all i can do is apply and wait...</p>

19

<p>Great! Best of luck to you.</p>