<p>With a GPA 3.85/4.5, and SAT I at 2300, several SAT II between 750 to 800, any chance to get into Columbia by ED?</p>
<p>great shot, each serves its own purpose</p>
<p>Stats are great, but GPA is the most important. They care more about what you did over 3.5 years than what you did on a Saturday morning.</p>
<p>These are all second to essays, EC’s and recommendations.</p>
<p>^Umm , no.</p>
<p>Uhm yes? </p>
<p>EVERYONE that has a shot at getting in at Columbia has perfect scores and grades.
Scores and grades are only going to keep your application from getting thrown in the trash immediately. After that they don’t really hold much weight.</p>
<p>no, they take a holistic approach. a kid got in ed with a 3.1 gpa and 18 something on his SAT. impossible is nothing. and don’t you mean, essays ,ec’s are second to gpa and sat. im a little confused.</p>
<p>And that kid probably found a cure for AIDs or something. </p>
<p>What I’m saying is that all this stressing on GPAs and SATs is just stupid. You know if you’re in range or not, people should be stressing on their essays and hooks/ECs/leadership. </p>
<p>Those are the things that set you apart and get you accepted.</p>
<p>Yes, the essays and recommendations would set you apart. But your high school grades are basic requirements.
As good4college said, if the GPA and SATs aren’t upto the mark, even the best essays and recommendations wouldn’t help.</p>
<p>well said.</p>
<p>When you get denied at every Ivy, please post here about it so I can giggle.</p>
<p>I’d like to think essays matter quite a bit. But my school’s Naviance tells a bit of a different story. There are lines on the GPA and SAT / ACT axes – above them people get in, and below them they don’t. It’s a sad relationship, but seemingly a real relationship nonetheless.</p>
<p>Photographer, what does your naviance say? What is the cut off?</p>
<p>GPA is by far the most important. This shows three years worth of work. SAT/SAT II show one Saturday morning.</p>
<p>It shows what you learned those three years</p>
<p>According to US News, SAT I counts as 50% and class rank (% in top decile) 40% in their measure of “selectivity.” I suspect that Columbia also values SAT I and class rank over SAT II and GPA.</p>
<p>@ Stalkermama </p>
<p>Our school’s on the 100 pt. system, and only reports weighted averages. With that in mind: the cut-off is 97. But I should add I use the word cut-off loosely. Obviously some people have gotten in below 97, and there’s no way Columbia has a stated threshold. It’s just that the distribution of rejections suggests people below 97 have an uphill battle ahead of them.</p>
<p>well, i might get deffered from columbia, but my brother currently attends cornell, and im an high achieving african american. colleges love that.</p>
<p>Of the quantitative measures (i.e. GPA and standardized test scores), I think every school will tell you that the GPA is most important. After all, the GPA looks at your general performance over the course of three years, while a standardized test only provides a snapshot of your performance in one day. That said, standardized test scores can certainly contextualize your GPA. If you have a 4.0 (UW) with an 1800 SAT, that probably indicates your school is not terribly rigorous.</p>
<p>Of course, quantitative scores do not even come close to telling the whole story. Stellar academic performance is more or less a prerequisite for admission into Columbia; it’s the portrait you present of yourself through your essays, interests, and ECs that will make you a compelling applicant.</p>
<p>“If you have a 4.0 (UW) with an 1800 SAT, that probably indicates your school is not terribly rigorous.”</p>
<p>I disagree. My GPA for example is very decent (3.9). However, my SAT scores are relatively low (1890). Yet, my school is KNOWN, especially in NYC, to be one of the most rigorous schools in the country.</p>
<p>What I am trying to say is that some people simply are just bad when it comes to standardized tests. I could excel in schools exams, AP exams…yet when it comes to SAT it never works for me.</p>