<p>Hello all,
So I am in love with Columbia university, and their sustainable development program is literally tailor fit to what I want to do with my life. I have spent years working out how to negotiate my interests in art, nature, and social science and the program seems to fit me like a glove.
My grades are unusual- I'm EXTREMELY proficient in the humanities (maintained a 97-99 my entire educational career in subjects like AP English and history)
However, my math grades have eternally hovered in the 70's. The overall GPA is a couple places lower than what it should be as a result. Will those grades harm me?</p>
<ol>
<li>SATs: 800 reading, 560 Math, 690 writing</li>
<li>SAT Subject: Lit 750, US history 710, Bio E 660</li>
<li>AP: Environmental science, Us History 5, English language 5 (i will also be taking Psych, Literature, and Government this May)
4.GPA Is a 91.30, rank was 181 out of 874
5 Extracurricular activities- tons, but relatively few actually have to do solely with my high school. I live in NYC, and think its completely idiotic not to take advantage of the city and the opportunities therein , and I shall continue to do so in college.</li>
<li>Internship at the American museum of natural history</li>
<li>field biology internship
3.Summer intensive program at the Metropolitan</li>
<li>Art Students league summer classes</li>
<li>Over a year of Environmental volunteer work at the local environmental center
6.head of my school's envirothon team</li>
<li>Participated in several clubs</li>
<li>College now program for English at a local community college.</li>
<li>Junior achievement (taught kindergarten for a day)</li>
<li>Helping with st.Nicholas Greek orthodox church, a church destroyed during the attacks on 9/11.
Plenty more, but that's off the top of my head.
On the supplement i can easily fill every category as i am a prolific reader, everything from muckraking nonfiction to classics, though I really only read one publication religiously (national geographic), I am also constantly going to galleries, exhibits, and shows, plus i love old films.
I was recently diagnosed with a form of cancer that will have me undergo chemo for a few months, though i fully intend on maintaining my course-load through the year.
I have written what I have been told is an excellent essay, and I really do feel as though i have a chance. I missed the early decision deadline, but I still allow myself the delusion of possibility.
So for some of the more seasoned people here, what do you think?
I'm gonna apply regardless, I'm just seeking to shed some light on the matter.</li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you very much for your time,
Happy holidays.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I’m don’t believe in chance threads so I won’t chance…but I want to make a comment:</p>
<p>“800 reading, 560 Math…”</p>
<p>HOW IN THE WORLD IS THAT POSSIBLE??? O.o
You are the first person, that I ever saw in my life, that has a lower math grade than reading… especially with a gap like that.</p>
<p>I’m not saying it in a negative way…it’s more of an amused shocked sort of way.</p>
<p>“HOW IN THE WORLD IS THAT POSSIBLE??? O.o
You are the first person, that I ever saw in my life, that has a lower math grade than reading… especially with a gap like that”
I did say my grades were unusual. What can i say, I like words more than numbers.</p>
<p>I didn’t apply ED, i missed the deadline</p>
<p>Sometimes I wish I was like you…most people have better skills in humanities than in math. So you are unique in that sense.</p>
<p>Well, the admission process is a very complicated process. It may make one sad, but it can also make one surprsingly happy.</p>
<p>You won’t lose anything by applying, so go ahead apply. Just don’t get your hopes too high.</p>
<p>Logicos,
You sound like a very interesting person and Columbia will see that!
Silence… My kid got a 790 in reading and a 710 in math.</p>
<p>Oh! My friend did an internship at the museum of natural history this past summer, adn I visited him one time. This is weird, but I might have seen you. I also live in NYC</p>
<p>
How is that at all relevant? He probably got 3-4 questions wrong on both sections to get those scores.</p>
<p>Silence was saying that it is not common to get higher scores in reading.</p>
<p>“Oh! My friend did an internship at the museum of natural history this past summer, adn I visited him one time. This is weird, but I might have seen you. I also live in NYC”</p>
<p>Cool, small world I suppose.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Obviously that gap is a lot smaller than the OP’s…</p>
<p>
The difference between an 800 and a 560 can never be compared to a 790 and a 710.</p>
<p>oops sorry. what does OP mean?</p>
<p>@stalkermama - OP stands for original poster</p>
<p>I’m kind of in the same boat here…
Certainly not to OP’s extent (more like 80’s in math and science versus high 90’s in humanities), but I’ve always been qualitative over quantitative.
If you’re much stronger in one area over another, how unfavorable does it look?
I know in the end it’s all holistic, but still…</p>
<p>Ive always been great with the life sciences and pulled a solid 100 final grade out of AP environmental junior year. Its really just pure math that I have issues with.
The program i want to apply to is very interdisciplinary and makes use of all my strengths- will that factor in, or is the intended major not considered?</p>
<p>OP, although your intended major is probably not weighed heavily in the admissions process, if you find some way to express how much you love/are fit for a specific program or major at Columbia, I think adcoms will definitely take notice of the scope of your knowledge of the school :)</p>
<p>Good luck! I have also applied to Columbia, ED :)</p>
<p>So no ones told me if im comepletely out of my league yet but is it possible that my multiple hooks may come into play?</p>
<p>All my extracuuriculars are either Art or art history based (art students league classes, met summer intensive, Museum of natural history art history (silk road and visual anthropology</p>
<p>Or environmentally based (2 internships with major institutions, over a year of dedicated volunteer work, and a new prospect of writinga articles for a nonprofit environemntal porgansization based in the NYC area)</p>
<p>Additonally I am currently undergoing chemotherapy for testicular cancer (it absolutely sucks, but if it gives me an edge in this there is a silver lining. Are particularly difficult deseases and treatments viewed the same way that say, an underrepresented minority is? the last thing i want is for this to define me, but will it impact admissions at all in my favor, or perhaps woould teh prospect of possible future care on teh unviersities $ be a disabling factor?
Would these be considered my “hooks”? artist, environmentalist, cancer patient?</p>
<p>This seems like an interesting case. Let us know if u get in.</p>
<p>My friend, we really can’t tell you much because the admissions process is a somewhat random process.</p>
<p>I do hope you get cured by the chemotherapy. Good luck.</p>