<p>I am going into my junior year of high school and so far Columbia is my dream school. I love NYC, the flexibility of classes, the helpfulness of staff, the campus, the fact that it is rigorous and challenging. My only problem is I do not know if I am good enough to get in and if I am wasting my time dreaming about it. My family is middle-middle class and does not have enough money to send me to elite prep schools and SAT prep courses over the summer. I go to a public high school (that after this year it may or may not be out of corrective action because it was failing PSSAs, standardized tests in PA since it opened in 2005). However there are very many exceptional students there I am competing against. </p>
<p>I am 3rd in my class of over 500 with a 3.9 GPA W but not that weighted
I have taken all Honors classes that I can take 1 AP next year and then hopefully if scheduling permits all AP's senior year (but with teacher cuts who knows). I have been in the gifted program since the 4th grade (when I moved to a school that tested for gifted).</p>
<p>SAT 7th grade (no studying with math 7 and all that jazz) 420 CR 460 M 390 W essay 7
PSAT 10th grade (no studying) 51 CR 60 M 46 W</p>
<p>Marching band 8th-12th grade, Section Leader 10-11 (probably 12 unless I'm Drum Major) Librarian 11th grade
Jazz band 8th-12th grade
Pit band (musical) 9th-12th grade- band nominated for spotlight (regional award given by local theater group) 10th grade year
Pep band 9th-12th grade, section leader 10th-12th grade
District band 10th grade (more than likely 11th and 12th also but it's an audition by year thing so anything could happen)
Concert band 5th-12th grade, held first chair and section leader from 7th-9th grade then 11th-12th grade
Marywood Honors Band 9th grade, Principal Clarinet (1st chair tuned band before concert, scored 10 points higher on my audition then the kid in 2nd chair)
Envirothon 10th-12th grade, not sure of our places in competition it wasn't 1st but it was pretty good
OotM (Odyssey of the Mind for you non-OMERs) 7th grade then 10th-12th grade, this year at PA states my team won a Ranatra Fusca (the highest honor in Odyssey) and made it to world finals where we placed 19th out of over 50 teams around the globe. Hopefully my team can qualify again for Worlds this year and the year after. I intend on starting an Odyssey team at Columbia if I get in.
Relay for Life (American Cancer Society) 10th-12th grade, I will earn over 175 volunteer hours with this by the end of high school. Our relay team raised over $9,000, placed Gold, and raised the most money in our area this year. My team intends to raise a lot amount more than that this year.
Mentor for an Autistic child 9th-12th grade, I will earn over 200 volunteer hours
Assistant to Cubscout Leader 9th grade, earned over 100 volunteer hours
I'm in John Hopkins University program for Talented Youth
Congressional Youth Leadership Council
I just got into the National Honors Society and I'm going to be a tutor through that I don't know how many hours I will get through that yet.</p>
<p>I'm a woman and I want to apply to the FU foundation mostly because I love my liberal arts but I want to make a huge difference in the world through engineering; do I have any sort of chance of getting in? What advice do you have on improving chances or just looking at other schools?
Sorry if this is a lot to read, thank you.</p>
<p>Your PSAT is low, but they often are in sophomore year, if you can’t do prep, get the sat study guide, read through it, especially PGs 101-102 for writing. And do all the practice tests in full. You should be okay with a good sat score. Try to stress your family’s economic situation, if it’s bad at all in your essays a little. You have a chance at Columbia, it’s no dream!</p>
<p>My school requires SAT prep during junior year, it isn’t a great course because a lot of the kids in it don’t have any intentions of taking SAT or going to college but it’s better than no SAT prep.
Thank you so much :)</p>
<p>Oh! I forgot neither of my parents finished college.</p>
<p>It looks good that you are a female looking to be an engineer. And I agree, Columbia is awesome, and hard to get into. Providing that you keep up with your high rank and GPA, you have a decent chance. Also, the music seems to be a strong point, which is good. I would say you have a decent chance.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. Music is my reason for being, my teacher and grandpa are pushing me towards majoring in it but to me it’s lovely, but not as a career. There aren’t enough jobs in it to make me feel comfortable about it :x. I want to pull a Condoleezza Rice and own my career then for the heck of it own music on the side.</p>
<p>Really study for the SAT and ACT. It’s nice to see you have a focus (music)–just make sure you focus that even more (I felt a bit frazzled when reading through your EC’s) in your essays and on your app. Unfortunately, if your parents went to college–even if they never finished–this does not qualify you as a first gen student. </p>
<p>I would speak further, but it’s really hard to assess one without the necessary scores. I don’t think you are “wasting your time” dreaming about Columbia, however.</p>
<p>I thought the same thing until I checked the Department of education. They define a 1st generation college student as a student whose parents did not complete a BA or if you’re only supported by one that one didn’t complete a degree</p>
<p>ECs are good as well as GPA for columbia. it’s tough to say cause it’s ivy but i think you have a decent shot. your SATs gotta be really good though, just study hard !</p>
<p>Oo this is the first time i’ve seen another OMer on CC! Hehe hi I just had to post because I saw that. Which problem did you do? </p>
<p>Anyway, sorry but you really need to raise your SAT. What were you doing taking it in 7th grade?? Haha, aim for above 2100 (this is advice from my international friend in Columbia '14). You don’t need SAT prep courses and all that, just get Barron’s/Princeton Review and practice and you should be fine.</p>
<p>Full Circle You?
My gifted teacher wanted to see where I was because I was bored in all my classes. It was also to get into CTY through John Hopkins. </p>
<p>It’s the most rigorous I can take. I’m still bored most of the time, but I leave class when I’m done to do something productive. </p>
<p>8th grade
Alegbra 1 (92)
Spanish 1 (99)</p>
<p>Freshman
Honors English 9 (99)
Honors World Cultures (97)
Honors Bio (95 or 96 I’m not sure)
Academic Earth and Space (Grad. requirement no hon. available 99)
Honors Geometry (with trig included 97)
Spanish 2 (99)
Band (100)</p>
<p>10th grade
Spanish 3 (95)
Honors Algebra 2 (97 or 98)
Design and Problem Solving (95)
Honors Chemistry (99)
Honors American Cultures 2 (99)
Honors English 10 (99)
Band (100)</p>
<p>11th grade
Honors Physics
Honors Functions (pre calc)
Contemporary Foods (cooking class)
AP Euro
Honors English 11
Spanish 4
Band (100, I know I haven’t taken it but I know its what I’m getting)</p>
<p>12th grade requests
AP Calc AB
AP Calc BC
AP Physics
AP English
AP Spanish
Either AP Bio or Chem 2
Band (100)</p>
<p>If you find you’re breezing through even the hardest classes your school offers because they don’t offer very rigorous courses, that’s fine. Colleges understand that. But you have to do well on the SATs to show that you are capable of doing much tougher work. I’m sure your SAT score will be better than your PSAT score, but still—your PSAT score is very low. You need at least a 2000—and probably a 2100—to really be competitive for Columbia. At minimum, you need 600s in every subject. A 1570 simply won’t cut it. Take an SAT prep class and/or buy a book and take a bunch of practice tests, but definitely do something.</p>
You?