<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I was just wondering what my chances of getting into Columbia/UC Berkeley are. I'm from Vancouver, Canada, and those are the only US schools I'm applying to (the only other uni would be McGill). I couldn't afford private schools that send kids to Ivies every year, and the public school system here doesn't prepare students much for US universities, so I would like some advice from those of you who know the American system and how they evaluate applications, esp. for international students.</p>
<p>My application is alright, though there is definately room for improvement. I graduated already, so my grades are pretty much set in stone, but I could always revise my essay or retake the SATs.</p>
<p>So, here goes:</p>
<p>IB final scores:
English HL-6
French HL-6 (I'd been praying for a 4)
Art HL-3 (which is WEIRD because I honestly felt it was my strongest subject, and I've pieces displayed in galleries. Of course, not everyone feels the same way so there's no point in whining)
World Cultures -7 (my teacher had a heart attack, and missed three months of school. We all thought we were screwed)
Biology SL-6 (I thought I would get a 3)
Math SL-6 (prayed for a 4)
EE-A
TOK-A
Bonus: 3</p>
<p>I don't know if anyone agrees, but all the classes I thought I would fail yielded great results, yet English and Art, the subjects in which I thought a 7 was garanteed, totally bit me in the ass.</p>
<p>SATs:
W-750
R-760
M-720
Total: 2230
I know this is pretty low for Columbia, but is there a point in retaking it? I'll probably cap out at 2300 because my math stinks, so is it worth retaking for 70 points?</p>
<p>SAT IIs:
Literature-760
Bio E-760</p>
<p>I have a TON of ECs and community services (I counted over 30), so I won't bore you with all of them. Here are the ones I'm most proud of:</p>
<p>Community Development project in Nicaragua focusing on health, education, employment, and housing. It wasn't one of those "Spend $2000 and volunteer in beautiful Costa Rica!" type things, it was an intense NGO.
Director/Producer/Actor in short film that premiered at Pacific Cinematheque
Gay-Straight Alliance executive/cofounder
United Nations Energy Conservation Award
long-term volunteer at local community centre/public library
yearbook/newspaper editor
Creative Com. poetry winner
CCA (w/ UNICEF) cofounder
autistic peer tutor
soccer team, cross country, etc.</p>
<p>I'm taking a gap year to travel, hopefully coordinate a development project, and to improve my French and Spanish. I'm also working on my first novel.</p>
<p>I had my Columbia interview this morning, it went extraordinarily well, and my interviewer said she would write me a stellar report (we graduated from the same high school and had a bunch of same teachers). However, she also said she wrote great reports for two very bright ED applicants who both got rejected. I'm just wondering, realistically, what kind of a shot I'm looking at, and what steps I could take to strengthen my app.</p>
<p>I already submitted two essays to Berkeley, and was thinking of recycling one of them for Columbia. It's rather quirky, which I'm hoping will be well-received. I won't post it here, but if anyone would like to read it, please let me know.</p>
<p>Thanks for the patience of reading through all this, good luck on your own applications!</p>