Could I get in to Columbia?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
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<p>Hi, I'm a sophomore in high school and I really want to go to an ivy league school, in particular Columbia, but I'm not sure if I'm good enough to get in. Please be honest with me.</p>

<p>So far I am ranked #8 out of 590 (so top 1 or 2% I guess and in the top 10 people and top 10%) and my weighted GPA is 4.3130 and I work very hard and study a lot in all of my classes and I am currently in 7 weighted classes (all pre-AP core classes and all weighted electives except for one) </p>

<p>Here are my extracurricular activities and miscellaneous experiences:</p>

<p>-French Club (Sergeant at Arms)
--National French Test (I got a pretty good score-- like 17th in the nation and I have the certificate)
-Model U.N. Club (and I'm going to M.U.N.S.A.-- big Model U.N. conference)
-Ballet (I go 5 times a week, plus Nutcracker and our "Young Artist" program/performance)
-Seton Post Explorers Club--This club at my local hospital where we learn about medical professions (Vice President)
-CCI study abroad/foreign exchange in France for 6 months (next semester, yay!)
-Debate Team (public forum)</p>

<p>-Jobs: baby sitting and pet sitting
-Volunteer work: going to try and get some over the winter break!
I'm also going to try and be in NHS but that starts junior year. I will also try to be on this thing called Link Crew at my school and maybe even the Hall of Honor. I also might be in the Volunteer Club.</p>

<p>So do I sound like I am on the right track? I love school and I work so hard and think about my future with each and every assignment I complete. I am thinking of going into pre-med or psychology but I am a bit undecided. Also, because I am only a sophomore I have no SAT or ACT scores and we've only taken the PSAT and we have not yet received our scores.</p>

<p>Do you guys think that I have a shot at getting into Columbia? Thank you so much for taking the time to read and answer my question!</p>

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<p>Chance me, please??</p>

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<p>I honestly think you have a good, almost great, chance of getting into Columbia! I’m a sophomore as well and I’m very interested in this school too so if we both get in, which hopefully we do, maybe I’ll see you there!</p>

<p>Anyway, with the amount of extracurricular activities you have at the moment, you seem intact but I encourage you to increase that as you progress in high school. In my opinion, it all comes down to two things though besides extracurricular activities: grades and SAT scores. Ivy League schools such as this really want to see that you are choosing the ‘hard’ classes and passing them, as well as the SAT. Columbia requires the SAT as well as 2 SAT Subject Tests or an ACT and 2 SAT Subject Tests so definitely try to get those in before you graduate!</p>

<p>You have a good chance but focus on:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Getting good grades</p></li>
<li><p>Taking hard classes and passing them! (Don’t take a hard class if you know you’re not going to pass! I’d rather take a ‘regular’ class and pass than a ‘hard’ class and fail!)</p></li>
<li><p>Taking the SAT and 2 Subject Tests/ACT and 2 SAT Subject Tests and passing them! When you get your PSAT score, make that your best friend! Study your results and make sure by the time you take these tests, you have your weak points mastered.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I hope this helps! This might sound strange and if it does, I’m really sorry, but if you’d like to talk about how we can get into Columbia with me, that would be great. I don’t know, I think it would be nice to talk to someone who has the same aspirations as I do and could encourage me to push me on, so if you would like to, don’t hesitate to talk to me!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Wow, thank you so much for replying! I really appreciate the detailed response and I will definitely keep these things in mind. :)</p>