How high (or low) are my chances of getting into Barnard College?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Barnard College
1

Hey so I’m going to basically get straight into it.

Scores:
SAT: 1320/1600 (710 English / 610 Math) I’m retaking this in about two weeks, hoping for something like a 1400
Unweighted GPA: 3.9
No ACT because my family doesn’t want to pay for another test and I am broke.

ECs:
Treasurer of Model UN (junior year) then President of Model UN (senior year)
Tutor club - I tutor high school kids in algebra
Aeronautics club - we talk about the mechanics of aircraft (mainly space craft) and even interviewed an astronaut while he was in space
Improv Troupe - I help write and perform comedy
National Junior Classical League
Latin Club

Volunteer Work:
Tutor for middle school kids in science and math
Animal Ambassador - at animal shelters I help potential adopters find the perfect animal
“Words with Wildcats” - a program where I went to elementary schools and helped under-performing (mainly foreign) students with their reading abilities
Rosary club - made rosaries for poor Catholic elementary/middle schools
Archives Editor - at a convent I created and edited an electronic copy of all of their physical diaries and documents
Youth Leadership Camp - spent about 30 hours doing community service (building houses, landscaping for the elderly, etc)

Awards/Acheivements:
Magna Cum Laude (3rd place in my school) on the National Latin exam
Outstanding position paper as Sweden in Model UN
Published twice in my schools academic journal
Chosen for the FBI Youth Leadership Program (1 kid from each state is flown out, for free, to Virginia for a week to train and learn with FBI members)

Sports:
Cross country for 2 years, 1 JV and 1 Varsity

Extra:
Started a service project in my community recognizing Stephen Hawking and using him as inspiration to encourage disabled children in my town to gather and bond over science. Ended in a science fair. Very fun.
Published a novel at 12 years old.

2

Oh! I also planned and executed a “Peacekeeping Week” at my school with Model UN where I designed and sold shirts to raise money and awareness for the UN Peacekeepers. lol don’t know how i forgot that

3

Not trying to be blunt and cruel, nor unrealistic and overly optimistic. I’d say you might make it into the game, and I’d even say your EC’s look pretty good. On the other hand, you’re objectively below average and will probably not reach a truly safe place even if you get a 1400. Barnard’s acceptance rate is slowly but surely dropping (23.8% → 19.6% → 16.7% → 14.8% from 2014 to 2017), so acceptance into it should be viewed only a bit more likely than Cornell (based off of things like average scores, GPA, holistic process, and acceptance rate).

Definitely try to get your SAT up, and keep your GPA where it’s at. Also, be sure to have the most rigorous course load your school offers. These may not skyrocket you into an acceptance, but you can use everything you can get. Again, I do have to admit that some of your EC’s really are special, and I feel like there are definitely desirable attributes for a college like Barnard. Won’t guarantee that they will get you in, but they are really cool and a definitive saving grace (now, can you write about them? :-|).

To sum up in simple terms, I’d currently put it out of your reach objectively as of right now (although you can still apply and prove me wrong). If you get your SAT score up to a 1400+, I’d put it at a reach school, but you’d actually have a fighting chance.

Are you heavily relying on financial aid? If you are, I can give you some nice fit/lower-reach schools that are known for giving great aid. Also, if you’re on free/reduced lunch, understand that a lot of your college application process (i.e. CSS profile, ACT, SAT, SAT Subject, Application Fees) will be free of heavily discounted.

4

Please don’t pay attention to people who tell you that your SAT scores are “too low” for Barnard. Your current scores will not help you get in, but they won’t hurt either. Your GPA is good & your EC’s look impressive.

Barnard has holistic admissions and considers SAT scores to be less important than factors such as GPA, course rigor, essays, recs, and character/personal qualities. Last year almost half of students enrolling at Barnard had SAT reading scores of 690 and below , and almost 2/3 has math scores of 690 and below. You can verify this yourself from the common data set (page 8-9): https://barnard.edu/sites/default/files/cds_2016-2017_4.27.17.pdf

So basically your SAT scores are about average for incoming students. Your English score is solid & Barnard admits plenty of students with equivalent math scores (probably at least 20%, given that 630 is the 25th percent point of the distribution.)

Do your best to prep for the upcoming SAT, especially focusing on math… and then no matter what the score, don’t fret about it and go ahead and apply. You have nothing to lose.

My D. had significantly lower test scores than yours and was told the same thing. And obviously it was wrong. She ended up graduating at the top of her class at Barnard.

Barnard is looking for a class composed of diverse, interesting, talented, energetic women.

Published a novel at age 12? You’ve got an interesting and compelling story to tell… so tell it with your app & essays.

Good luck (and my advice? stay away from “chances” threads on CC. )

5

I wouldn’t say that the test scores are “too low” to get admitted, but they should definitely be raised to be more competitive. A math score around the 10th percentile does not help, and you will want all of the help you can get for such a college.

Also, 1320 is not around average; those 25 - 75 percentile subject scores are pulled from students who can often have one score that is balanced out by another (like yours). The sum of the two 25% grades does not constitute the composite 25%. The actual 25% is probably closer reflected by the ACT - 29 - which translates on the lowest end to a 1350. I’d put average closer to around a 1430.

Nevertheless, I noted that you should definitely apply regardless (I’ll even add that you should apply ED for any added boost). You are competitive in terms of EC; there might also be other circumstances that favor you that you are just not aware of yet. Also, you’ll be extremely regretful if you DON’T apply to your top-choice school knowing that you had something of a chance. However, I definitely want you to look around and diversify your college admission portfolio, while also not getting overly attached to a school where the number of rejected students is up to around 85%. All of these people nowadays get “devastated” and start regretting their entire high-school careers when they don’t get accepted to their dream schools (and THEIR dream schools often accept a higher percentage of applicants), and I’d rather not spread that around to others by giving inflated analyses and hopes. Remember that it’s a reach, but I’m not saying you won’t get in.

Overall, good luck and wish for the best!

6

You’re definitely not being cruel, I’d rather someone tell it as it is than sugar coat it especially when it comes to college! :slight_smile: my course load is currently 4/8 AP classes with next year being 6/8 (including the hardest course in our school - AP physics). I know my math is lower than it should be, it’s the only on level subject I’m taking (that’ll change next year). And no my family is fine financially it’s just I have 6 other siblings and my dad was layed off a couple of months ago so he wants to tighten up spending. College money won’t be an issue though because my grandma is very wealthy and has this “program” for her grandchildren to help pay for college. So yeah I’m extremely lucky.

7

Thank you! The story about your daughter is very encouraging! I am definitely focusing on math more than anything at the moment but don’the worry, I am realistic with my goals. I won’t be crushed if I don’t get in. I’m also applying to other sister colleges like Bryn Mawr where I feel I might have more of a chance.

8

My d’s SATs were math 580/ CR 620. She did opt to submit ACT instead – ACT after 2 sittings was 27, 28 if superscored. Math on the ACT was 23.

She was admitted 11 years ago and admissions score range of admitted students has gone up somewhat, but not a whole lot.

Again, Barnard considers SAT’s but lists them as “important” vs. “very important” for other factors. And they look at the scores “in context” – meaning, in context of the school you are coming from, in context of your GPA & class rank, in context of the rigor and distribution of your high school courses, in context of indicated interest and goals.

IF there is a cutoff for SAT scores-- something that would put a student out of the running, then at Barnard it would be at the 500 score level. We know that by looking at section C9 of the common data set - that’s where there is a huge drop off of admitted students. Admittedly there is still only a small fraction of students with scores in the 500-600 range – it’s safe to assume that some of those numbers come from HEOP students (as HEOP actually requires a lower CR score to qualify at Barnard - they are specifically targeting promising students who seem to need added support). But the point is that the ad com is looking at the big picture.

My one piece of advice to you is to develop a theme for your application. Your EC’s are really impressive, but they are all over the place. Try to group them by common categories and focus on those that are most important to you. Emphasize the ones that mesh with your test scores – like writing. It’s great that you are interested in science like aeronautics and that you tutor kids in math – but unless your math SAT goes up significantly you might want to emphasize the community service aspect of those activities rather than portraying yourself as a potential math or physics major at college. In other words, the applicant with a 750 math score can say, “I am fascinated by aeronautics and would like study sciences” … the applicant with a 620 might be much better off saying, “I love working with kids. Math has always been a challenge for me but I enjoy working through problems, and I feel my own challenges give me greater patience when working to help kids who are struggling.” Same ECs, but cast in a different light. (Of course you will write what is being true to yourself - I’m just providing an example.

It’s also good that you have broad interests, but you are essentially auditioning for a role within the college, and so you have to figure out what that role will be and convey in very simple and direct terms how you will fill it. How would you describe yourself with an adjective & a noun? What are the two or three most important qualities you would want someone to know about you?

For example, my daughter was a dancer interested in studying Russian. (Or maybe a potential Russian major with a dance background.) Didn’t matter – the point was that the two pieces of information that anyone would be sure to remember 10 minutes after reading her app were dance + Russian. She also participated in Mock Trial and had a lot of fun with it… so it was listed on her application, but not emphasized because it didn’t fit/ wasn’t important.

Your chances of getting into Barnard are no better nor nor worse than anyone else’s-- but the test scores are among the least important element of your app. People focus on those because it’s simple - a number that can be reported and tracked - but in terms of college admissions it is just a stat that represents the overall academic caliber of applicants more than the decision process of the admissions committee. Your test scores are good enough; while it won’t hurt if you get 1500 on your SAT in May, it isn’t going to help nearly as much as the CC crowd will tell you either. You will still be the same applicant, albeit one who retook the SAT and did better. But Barnard will know that you retook - they won’t count it against you, but they understand that it’s no great accomplishment for a high school student to improve upon a test score after prepping for a retake. Between two identical applicants with different scores, they’d probably choose the one with the higher score – but there aren’t any two identical applicants.

Between a student who has gotten recognized for leadership (model UN, FBI leadership camp) and published a novel… and a student whose EC’s are restricted to high school clubs and activities with a higher score… they;d probably opt for the first. So tell your story, demonstrate your writing chops with your essays, and hope that your teachers write amazing LOR’s.