My biggest wish in life is to go to an Ivy League school. I have dreamed of attending Columbia University since I was in the 7th grade. But tough times with family problems (death & depression) that hit me during my end of freshman year and sophomore year which reflected my grades to go down. This past junior year I kicked ass and got all A’s even in my two AP Classes and 3 Honors. I would like to major in biology because I would like to end up becoming a doctor.
My GPA by the end of Junior Year would be around a 3.5 Unweighted .
I have received a 33 on my ACT recently.
My school does rank our students.
My Extra Curricular:
-School Newspaper (3 Years) Photo Editor & Writer
-Leadership Group in Charge of Marketing (1 Year)
Scrubs Club (A club that I made in which for student who are interested in biology and becoming doctors.) President - 3 Years
-Drama Department ( 4 years)
personal Fashion blog (4years)
-Gay Straight Alliance - 3 Years (secretary)
-Broadcast Journalism Group (2 Year)
Model United Nations (2 Year)
Summer Programs I have attended:
Barnard Science Institue
Perdue Summer Minority Engineering Program
I have well over 400 service hours and have had 3 current internships. I have also been a volunteer at a hospital and I am currently conducting science research.
Some other school I am looking at are:
Barnard College
Vanderbilt University
John Hopkins University
University of Georgia
New York University
UCLA
Villanova
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapman University
Carnegie Mellon
University of Richmond
University of Arizona
University of South Carolina
Fordham University
High Point University
University of North Carolina Greensboro
University of Washington
Marymount Manhattan
George Washington University
I think I will end up be applying to Columbia as Early Decision. Both of my parents have never gone to college, but my aunt and uncle attend there.
Your ACT score gets you in the door, but there are many people that apply early with great scores. Your GPA does not help your application as it is such a big factor for Columbia and other great schools
Apply to Columbia early for sure! Your extra curriculars look great, so don’t worry too much about your GPA. I have noticed that ivy league schools care a lot more about the whole package
Have you taken SAT subject tests? Columbia and Carnegie Mellon require two SAT subject tests, and you’d have to score pretty competitively on them to be seriously considered. That GPA is going to hurt your chances, but your ACT score is great. JHU also recommends three SAT subject tests. Other schools on that list might want them as well, I’m not sure. For your public out of state schools, you need to think about their affordability, as it’s unlikely that you’ll get much financial aid unless you are very qualified, and even then, it might not be enough. Overall, I’m sorry to say it, but Columbia, or any Ivy for that matter, will be a large reach for you. They’re reaches for just about everyone because of their incredibly selectivity, so I’d highly recommend that you don’t get your hopes up. Good luck! P.S. You wrote that your school does rank students, but then you didn’t provide your rank, so I assume that this is a typo. You might want to fix that.
Well, Columbia only requires SAT Subject tests if your are applying to the College of Engineering and Applied Science, not if you are applying to Columbia College, as long as you have the ACT Plus Writing. Even though your GPA is fairly low, I would not give up, as admissions at selective schools could sway in either way. Your EC’s are pretty good and make sure that you keep up your grades your senior year. Being first gen will sure help you, and as a glimmer of hope I have a friend who got accepted last year into Columbia ED with only a 3.7 GPA from my school. In your essay, make sure you talk about your family difficulties and hardships, as Columbia should be reasonable and be able to understand why your GPA was not that good during your 9th and 10th grade. If you do just that, and write a bunch of unique essays that talk about those experiences, and with the fact that your GPA improved greatly during your Junior year, I think you should have a fairly decent chance of getting into Columbia.
Good luck!!!
Thank you for the amazing comments! This definitely boosted my confidence a lot! I was planning on taking for the SAT Subject Tests for French ( I have been studying the language for the past 4 years), Biology, Both English tests, Chemistry, Mathematics, and maybe US History. I just recently got another science internships, and I think the Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Would these help a lot? Also is there any other tips that could really help me? Would an interview help a lot?
Thank you for the amazing comments! This definitely boosted my confidence a lot! I was planning on taking for the SAT Subject Tests for French ( I have been studying the language for the past 4 years), Biology, Both English tests, Chemistry, Mathematics, and maybe US History. I just recently got another science internships, and I think the Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Would these help a lot? Also is there any other tips that could really help me? Would an interview help a lot?
Thank you for the amazing comments! This definitely boosted my confidence a lot! I was planning on taking for the SAT Subject Tests for French ( I have been studying the language for the past 4 years), Biology, Both English tests, Chemistry, Mathematics, and maybe US History. I just recently got another science internships, and I think the Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Would these help a lot? Also is there any other tips that could really help me? Would an interview help a lot?
Your ECs, volunteer service and internships are solid, but not spectacular in terms of achievement of awards, an ACT of 33 is merely acceptable, and your GPA is quite low. Columbia had a 7% overall acceptance rate, and their 25-75% ACT range was 32-35, so a 33 is at the low end of that range - I personally wouldn’t call it “great” for that target. Having an aunt and uncle attend does not qualify you as a legacy; being the first to attend college in your immediate family will help a bit, though 16% of applicants for the class of 2018 apparently met this criteria, and 60% identified themselves as being of “color”:
You note that you attended a Purdue Minority Engineering Program. Are you a URM? That would help.
I certainly don’t want to discourage you, but I think you have some work to do to improve your chances, especially in terms of senior grades and additional test scores to counter-balance your GPA. The more strong test scores you have, the more your GPA looks like an outlier. You will need stellar recommendations and essays. It will be important to explain away the circumstances around your freshman/sophomore slump.
One school not on your list to consider is Duke. I note that you have UNC listed. Your ACT of 33 is right in the middle of Trinity’s 25-75% range (31-35), and Duke has terrific premed and biomedical sciences. I also mention Duke because you’ve been involved in your school’s Gay-Straight Alliance for 3 years, and Duke has an optional supplemental essay specifically relating to diversity, including gender identity and sexual orientation:
Regardless of your personal orientation, your experience may give you some insight on this issue and provide the basis for a compelling essay. That wouldn’t hurt. But don’t due it unless you have something compelling to offer.
Thank you for your response! I am considered a URM. Do you think UNC is a possibility for me? Also, how would I address my circumstances? I definitely still want to apply to Columbia regardless (Why not try?). Is there anything else you think would be helpful? I stated above my SAT 2’s test scores. I also forgot to mention that I have won student of the year for my AVID class voted by all of my teachers twice in a row. I also am conducting two research experiments currently.
I also forgot to mention, that I am half Haitian. I actually have volunteered at a hospital in Haiti at a clinic (My Uncle owns the Hospital) . Would this be a good idea to write in a essay?
@ellieandminnie, I don’t recall seeing your SAT II scores listed above. But yes, I think you are probably a match for UNC, though I assume you are out of state. With your extensive community service experience, you might consider applying for the Robertson Scholarship, though that is intensely competitive and a very, very long shot. And you should certainly apply ED to Columbia if that is your “reach” of choice, though be realistic about it.
I think that you need - like just about everyone else applying - to figure out how to present yourself. What matters to you? What are your priorities? Are you primarily about gender diversity, community service, or research? Do your areas of interest fit together at all? It’s fine to be interested in more than one thing, but the more coherent a picture you can paint, the better. As for writing about your volunteer experience in Haiti, that depends on how meaningful it was to you, and how compelling a story you can present. Tons of kids write about overseas volunteer experiences, so don’t do it just because it sounds good. But if service is who you are, then by all means work it in as part of the overall picture, and if you had a particularly meaningful experience then it’s fair game.