Improvement for Columbia Fu

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Im sorry that this is so long. </p>

<p>I am only a junior in high school so I would like to know what I should really work on improving over the next year and a half. I know that I really need to raise my gpa and rank but besides that I would like to know. BTW, this is for Columbia Fu School of Engineering. If you think it is best for me to move it to Columbia's page, I will. </p>

<p>School Type: Competitve public
Location: New Jersey
Race/Gender: Caucasian
Prospective Major: Mechanical Engineering
Unweighted GPA: our guidance counselor only tells us our wieghted but i think its a 3.4
Weighted GPA: 4.48
Class rank: 11/30</p>

<p>SAT I Scores (last practice test I took. I am taking a course so I expect these to go up..aiming for 750 in math and 650 + in both critical reading and writing)
SAT I Math: 670
SAT I Critical Reading: 620
SAT I Writing: 650</p>

<p>SAT II Scores
SAT II Math IC: 670 (november sophomore year..I wish I wouldnt have to show this)
SAT II Math IIC: Plan to take
SAT II Physics: taking in October
SAT II Chem: Plan to take </p>

<p>AP Scores:
school doesn't offer ap courses. I took the hardest schedule at my school. </p>

<p>Courses-
I switched schools into my current one between frosh and soph year hence my foriegn language situation. My school only offers spanish. I can make this requirement up over the summer at the County College though. So far I have 25 credits at the CC and Rutgers combined. </p>

<p>Freshman year
Intro to Business
Biology Honors
Algebra II Honors
English Honors
French II
German I
World History
Gym</p>

<p>Sophomore year
US History I
English Honors
Spanish II
Gym + Drivers Ed
Civil and Mechanical Engineering
2 semesters of Statistics, Macroecon and intro to psych at CC
2 semesters of Physics and one of Cosmology at Rutgers</p>

<p>Junior year
US History II
English Honors
Pre-Calc Honors
Chem Honors
American Government and Contemporary World Studies (same thing as gov and politics)
Gym
Anatomy and Physiology
Civil and Mechanical Engineering
college classes- Calc 1,2,3 during the summer i may take a few things but I may also go to a summer program somewhere else. </p>

<p>Senior Year (no choice in these really)
Calculus Honors
Physics Honors
Gym + CPR
Civil and Mechanical Engineering/CARTS (senior project)
English Honors
The other two classes are CC classes which winds up being 4 different ones by the end of the year. These are my choice and at least 2 are going to be Differential Equations and Linear Algebra. </p>

<p>Long-form Info</p>

<p>Extracurricular Info (this is thus far)
*1500 hours- Volunteer at Library, also an organization I am treasurer of. I have run many events including events where we teach science to children in ways that make it intersting and not like "school."
*11 years- Piano (won small awards. they mean nothing)
*5 years (In middle school too)- Math League
*3 years- Debate Club- most likely be President next year (won speaker of the debate many times.)
*3 years- Rocketry Club
*3 years- French Horn (won small awards for this)
*2 years- Roborocks Competition
*2 years- Astronomy Club
*2 years- Ham Radio Operator
*1 year- Manager of varsity soccer
*1 year- HERO campaign (anti-drunk driving)
*1 year- Model UN- Treasurer
*1 year- Newspaper- politics column
*1 year- Media/ Apple coordinator of school
related to this - I won awards for politics and student of the month. They really have no significance but I fell I should add them. </p>

<p>Essays:
*I was planning on extending the Ham Radio ec. I was going to say why it is so important but so unappreciated and go into how It will help me as an engineer. I can use certain instances like when columbia crashed a while back.<br>
*This one i was going to write something specific about my politics and engineering/ science backround. It would show my personality and I would show interest in the school by incorporating their real world engineering idea (the tv with the news.)
*My recs will be great. My school is very small and very personal. My teachers know me very well and my class participation is pretty good. I was going to get my history/gov, engineering, and maybe precalc/calc teacher. They can all tell about different sides of me. </p>

<p>The only reason why I know all this stuff here ^^ is because I am applying to summer programs and I have the same teachers this year as I will next year.</p>

2

<p>WOW your EXC's are amazing, but i am sorry to say this, your SAT and GPA and class rank might not fit the bill at COlumbia, if you improve all three just slightly you have a 99% chance of getting it. As of right now, your chance is a little bit over 40%. But if you write an essay stressing your extracurriculars, it bumps up to 60%. So you will probably get in, but if you want a better chance and any aid improve your scores, gpa and class rank. Because all ivy's are numbers based first, then personality and dedication to community second. try and hit over 2120 on SAT and your chance is 99%, class rank of 7 out of 30 would do.</p>

3

<p>Okay, a few problems I have with what you listed here:</p>

<p>First you say that you have a weighted GPA of 4.48, but a unweighted GPA of 3.4. You need to know that these two scores can never be more than 1.00 apart--and this only applies if every single course you took throughout your high school years was an honors course. So either refigure this--or post your courses and grades and we'll do it for you.</p>

<p>Second, you say that you are 4.48 W GPA--and then you say your rank is 11/30?
Something is wrong here--either you meant to type 11/300--or you have the easiest grading school in the history of Western civilization. 10 people out of 30 with W GPAs of 4.48 and above? Please correct this for us--okay?</p>

<p>Third: You list your SATs in Math I (which like you said, you shouldn't have taken early like you did). I presume you realize that Columbia won't accept a Math I SAT II score? Probably this is good news for you--since they will likely just throw this out--and it's low for what you need anyway.</p>

<p>Fourth: You are listing scores in your SATs that you expect to come up to 2050. While these are very good scores, they are at least 100 points lower than what you will probably need to have a really good shot at the engineering school at Columbia--so why I'm not trying to hurt your feelings or anything--I do hope you are trying to improve your scores up to the 2100 level and I hope you are considering other schools as well. Columbia is ranked as the 10th toughest school to get into in the U.S.--and getting into their engineering school will be even tougher. I will admit all your community college courses and honors courses help--but maybe not enough to get you in.</p>

<p>Lastly, please don't get discouraged by my post. Just clarify some of the stuff I'm asking for here--and the people on here (including me) will try to give you some suggestions for how to get into Columbia, for other possible schools, and for comments on things in general that you should consider. Thanks,</p>

<p>P.S. Regarding indybur's post above. While this posters numbers on the SAT scores needed is right on the mark, the comment on class rank is completely wrong. Class rank of 7 out of 30 won't cut it--that means you aren't even in the top 20% of your class. The Ivies take people in the top 3%--and the top Ivies (like Columbia) want people in the top 1% to 2%. Also, nobody is 99% to get into Columbia--nobody. If your AI were 240 out of 240, I still wouldn't rank you over 95%. With a 2120 SAT and 4.48 W GPA, your AI is only around 220 tops--which would make your chances no better than 55% to 60%.</p>

4

<p>I second Calcruzer except for here:</p>

<p>"Columbia is ranked as the 10th toughest school to get into in the U.S.--and getting into their engineering school will be even tougher."</p>

<p>I would actually say Fu is easier to get into than Columbia College. See this link:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/applications/stats.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/applications/stats.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Fu has about a 24% acceptance rate compared to CCs 9/10%. I can't find the stats anymore, but I remember seeing something on Columbia's site showing that the avg SATs of entering Fu students were also a bit lower than those of CC.</p>

5

<p>Thanks Calcruzer. I'm just looking for feedback here and some advice and you definitely gave it. I am working really hard to get my grades and SAT scores up. I am aiming to get at least a 2150 on my SAT's by the time I take it next year. The scores I posted were for my practice test next week.<br>
With regards to the gpa and class rank, I calculated the unweighted gpa over the summer and I may have done it wrong. My guidance counselor gave me my weighted gpa and class rank this week actually so that's accurate. Indybur1- I am ranked 11/30. My school is super competetive. I can probably raise it...but it will be impossible to get into the top 10% because that's 3 people who have a 5.2 gpa.<br>
Just a little info about the class rank..one student went to Columbia last year who i think was only ranked somewhere like 8 or 9 out of the same number.<br>
and you wanted to know if I have other schools, well I do and I would be fine with going to anyone of those. I just feel that "fit" at Columbia so I'm aiming for it, but I wont like, tear my eyes out if I dont get in.<br>
My list is: Rutgers, Florida Tech, Rose-Hulman, Case Western, Georgia Tech, Harvey Mudd, Carnegie Mellon, and then Columbia.</p>

6

<p>Also, my school is not an easy grading system. Most classes only see 1 or 2 a's. We have major grade deflation at my school actually. the gpa's are out of 5.2 (another reason why I have to raise mine)</p>