I’m an AA URM 1st generation applicant here are my stats
Here are my stats
French Honor Society
National Beta Club (Vice President)
Operation Smile (Founder and President)
Youth Saxophone Choir (Principal)
String Quartet (founder and Violin I)
City Philharmonic (Usher)
Theatre Pit Orchestra (Principal Sax 2 years/Concertmaster 1 year)
Tri-M Music Honor Society (President)
Science National Honor Society (Founder/President)
Science Seminar (select kids in my city)
School Orchestra (Concertmaster)
All-State Orchestra (top orchestras-2yrs)
Interlochen (Orchestra Program- Scholarship Receiver) (1st Violins)
Music Dispersion -non profit organization- (send love of classical music to people who may not have the chance) (Founder)
City Wind Ensemble (1st part)
Jazz Band (Grammy Awards won) (1st chair/lead alto)
Youth Symphony Orchestra (1st Violin/Concertmaster)
Program that raises money for awareness and research of disease I have (Director)
Winterfest (1st chair)
Gay Straight Alliance (helped lobby to pass bill in my state protecting lgbt rights)
District Honor Band (1st chair) (2 years)
4/216 98.44 GPA
Jobs
Currently at a grocery store but I’ve been working since sophomore year at other grocery stores (15-20hrs a week)
Letters of Recommendation
guidance counselor - 10/10 he loves me
Chemistry teacher - loves me
Econ teacher - loves my family lol
Principal- adores me and my family
Orch director- absolutely loves me
Income Bracket
90-110K supporting 6 people and 2 in college
Essays
-talked about violin, coming out and growing up in african culture and difference between american culture, also talked about changing overall mindset and fixing ignorant views on africa in america, and etc.
SAT 1310 /1600 (should I send it?) (680 M and 630 CR/W)
ACT - 26 but honestly i was freaked out by the time requirements and i think that contributed will retake in february tho (not going to send initially)
URM - AA Male (first generation) (parents are immigrants)( i have dual citizenship-was born here though)
AP Classes (WEAK I know)
AP World History - 3
AP US History - 5
AP Calculus AB - 3
AP Government - 4
AP English Language - 3
AP Physics C - 2
Senior Schedule
AP Biology
AP Macro
AP Psychology
AP Music Theory
AP Calculus BC
-Would love to do the Columbia Juilliard Exchange but idk i need to get into columbia
I want to take the ACT im february but i do t think they will see it in time im so screwed
My main worry is that my SAT score will get me rejected…
What do you think? I took the SAT again yesterday but idk how i feel about it i dont think i did amazing but time will tell i guess
As an alumnus interviewer (and teacher at another Ivy), I’d say you’re an outstanding candidate except for the SAT score. Your 1310 is in the 92nd percentile of all test takers, but it appears low relative to those of accepted CC applicants last year. Using an online tool, your 1310 would have been 1800 under the previous 2400 point system. For the CC class of 2019, 75% of accepted applicants had scores of 2160 or higher.
Take heart, though; your URM status and great musical excellence should go a long way compensating for the mediocre SAT score. I hope your retest improved it. I had the opposite issue: stellar test scores but horrible grades. I still got in. GL to you.
I agree with the above poster- while your test scores are certainly below average for a school like Columbia, your URM status and musical excellence can (and might) counteract it in admissions, especially if you indicated your interest in the Juilliard exchange program. Definitely apply, and ace those essays- that can sway your case.
Thank you so much! I did retake the SAT but it didn’t improve by much, 1320 super score. However, I did get into Vanderbilt under Regular Decision for the MOSAIC program. Could that possibly mean I have a strong shot at Columbia? I think my essays were very strong and personal as well.
Im just going to point out that while you might be in the range for a certain tier of schools, a lot of times, these things seem mutually exclusive. Its hard to predict one acceptance based on another. But you have a good chance otherwise and doing the Julliard program makes you unique on top of of your cultural backgorund.
What is you GPA (weighted & unweighted) and class rank?
Your ECs are simply amazing and you have two hooks so those may compensate for your low scores.
I wonder how kids make time for being a good student, shine on every activity from school’s choir, orchestra, band, science, language, to honor society and other clubs while managing a paid job, doing political activism, charity work and playing on Grammy winning clubs. This is truly mind boggling. In our school, school policies, time requirements for rehearsals and practices and AP workload would never allow a good student to excel in more than two EC’s and just juggle requirements for few others. It’s really surprising how things differ from one school to another.
Thank you so much! @SugarlessCandy My weighted GPA is a 98.4 and I I don’t know my unweighted nor is it reported. My class rank is somewhere between 4-6/205 now but I’m not completely sure. Columbia is my absolute first choice and I should’ve applied ED but I was worried about my test scores.
It is what it is. Neither ACT nor SAT are good so they are not going to see your school grades as favorably. You know they suspect GPA inflation and stuff when school scores aren’t supported by similar level in AP, SAT, ACT, SAT II etc. I guess, decision would ride on your artistic ability and wether they need another musician or not. Being AA, gay activist, immigrant and 1st Gen has its own power so you make a pretty interesting candidate but it’s Columbia, nothing is a given even with perfect scores.
I wish you good luck with Columbia (I think you have a shot but it is a crapshoot for almost everyone) – whatever happens you already have an acceptance to a fantastic school so congrats on Vandy!
OP, you are obviously a smart, very hard working kid, and you will do well wherever you end up. You are smart enough to understand your chances are not great, and you also understand that the vast majority of applicants are rejected because there simply are not enough spots for everyone.
What you have going for you is an incredible work ethic, and you clearly thrive when you challenge yourself. You are taking a brutal schedule and doing very well. I am not sure what your weighted GPA 98 means, because you are taking such a schedule, but Columbia and other schools will know from your school’s profile.
While your standardized tests and AP test scores are not great, your class rank and URM/1st gen status will help. I actually think your work history helps you more than you may think, especially because you still manage somehow to do everything else. Do you sleep at all?
I am not sure how much being a gay activist matters to admissions these days. Similarly, there are LOTS of very talented musicians applying for school - not to say they are like you. As for 1st gen status - did your parents have any post-secondary education before they immigrated?
Congrats on Vandy, and keep your fingers crossed for Columbia. It is not impossible, but even if it doesn’t happen, you will do well wherever you end up.
Isn’t Vandy conservative and preppy with little diversity? I’m guessing if Vandy is a good place for him? Oh well, he sounds like a kid who can be a breath of fresh air for them.
@SugarlessCandy No need to rain on this very accomplished applicants parade. The last class profile has Vandy with 36% minority students so perhaps the school is more diverse than you thought. Plus if he/she continues with music and other activities that will give the OP an immediate group of friends. IMO this accomplished person will thrive wherever he/she ends up. https://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/profile/#undergradstudentpopulation
@carmenfantasy21 You will do great wherever you end up. Fingers crossed Columbia works out, but if not embrace the schools that embrace you and go off and have a great experience.
There goes my wrongful perception of Vandy. However, I’m sure this kid can find his place in any crowd but still think that he would like NY & Columbia better. I’m partial to NY, there is no place like that in south.
Lol I actually don’t sleep at all and I’ve adapted which is crazy also my parents got all of their post-secondary education here, they came here with a high school education pretty much. I applied to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Cornell, UPenn, Stanford, Duke, Rice, Oberlin, and Johns Hopkins. I know it was too many tbh lol but I was honestly worried I was going to get rejected everywhere. I should’ve applied early Decision to Columbia but I was worried i would get rejected. I really want an active gay community wherever I go and I chose schools that had strong music programs/ music scenes (with the exception of a few). I’m expecting rejection, but I guess a little part of me wants to believe I can still get in. I don’t why but I feel like me not getting a likely letter means a rejection is coming, but 3 weeks should tell me
Ok, I know that it doesn’t mean there is any correlation but I got accepted into Cornell yesterday. I’m hoping that Columbia will become a realer possibility. Thanks for all the advice.