Hi there! So yesterday, I received my rejection letter from my absolute dream school Barnard. I believe that I was rejected for my test scores and gpa because they are low. Now, I am frantically applying to other schools as the regular decision deadlines are approaching, and I need your input on my chances to these schools. Yes, these schools are quite varied, but any help will be greatly appreciated! Please note that I am on a gap year (so I graduated high school and my transcript is final). My test scores are also final, although there is an ACT Test in February that I am thinking about taking but I don’t think I’ll make it by these deadlines so probably not…Here are my stats:
SAT: Highest in one sitting (620CR, 630M, 630W), Superscored (620CR, 660M, 640W)
ACT: Took it ONCE (I regret it): 28
GPA: 3.65
Awards/Extracurriculars, etc:
- Member of National Honors Society
- Received two Recognition Awards in High School (one in 9th grade for Lifetime Fitness, and one in 12th grade for European History)
- MANY HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE: Volunteered at preschool (still volunteering), service center located in my high school, children’s discovery center, and tutored students during my high school years.
- Work experience: Jamba Juice and Aloha Gelato utilizing my trilingual skills (can speak fluent English and Korean, and level 4 in Japanese–basically can carry out a basic conversation)
- After graduation, I traveled to South Korea to participate in a Korean Language and Culture program. It was 3 weeks long and I received a certificate for cooking at the Blue House, my graduation certificate for completing the program, and received the Best Student Award!
- Joined Lincoln/Douglas Debate in the 9th grade
I am on a gap year because my little sister passed away during the summer before my senior year. I decided to take a year off exploring and being immersed in activities I wanted to participate in during my senior year.
Here are the schools I will be applying to and please note my chances to these schools:
- Columbia University School of General Studies: I know that you have to be a nontraditional student, which I am…? Am I eligible to apply because I am on a gap year due to personal reasons? Also, because I got rejected from Barnard, am I still eligible to apply? I’m asking this because Barnard is a part of Columbia and so is the General Studies program, obviously.
- NYU
- Boston University
- SNU (Seoul National University)
- Yonsei University
- Ewha University (4,5,6 are all schools in Korea)
Wow, that took some time to type! Thank you for reading and I will appreciate any comments and opinions! (:
Don’t know how helpful this will be, but I was just accepted into Yonsei UIC class of 2016.5 (entering September 2016)
Here are the stats I got in with
SAT: Superscore 2100 (700 CR, 740 M1, 660 W)
SAT2: Chemistry 680, Math 2 720
ACT: 32
National German Exam: Level 2 - Gold, Level 4 - Bronze
Extracurriculars:
Martial Arts Instructor - Tang Soo Do, 12 years
Robotics Team Captain - FRC Business and Outreach captain for 2 years
I was accepted into the Underwood Division and plan to study economics and I was offered a half-tuition scholarship
Before this I was deferred from both UPenn (Huntsman) and UChicago
Hope this helps. If you apply there is still time to be considered for 2016.5. The hardest process for me was getting all of the documents certified, took about three weeks and cost a lot, but since your transcript is final it should be easier (I have to do it again for my mid-year and final grades)
Sorry about your sister.
SAT scores are kind of low (1880 highest and 1920 superscored), and make NYU and Columbia almost out of the question. BU is easier, but a stretch.
I don’t know anything about Korean schools.
GPA is okay for BU, not NYU or Columbia.
If you’d be a possible candidate for Columbia (when I say Columbia, I obviously mean the school of general studies)… I can’t give you great news. That GPA is really going to hurt you. The avg GPA is 3.89 which is significantly higher than what you have. ACT and SAT are way too low. Lowest ACT was 29.5, I think, for Columbia. If you can, get better standardized test scores!
EC’s are okay, you should promote your passion for language. Not a lot of variety though. Look at more mid-tier colleges. Good luck.
Hello lilibird. Did UIC let you know you were awarded a half-tuition scholarship in your letter of acceptance or with your admission packet?
I received the acceptance via email and the scholarship information was sent about 30 minutes later. Since I’ll be entering in September I haven’t received much other information yet
Columbua and NYU both seem to be reaches (especially columbia) as for korean universities i have no clue
@hopefulbarnard:
I am so sorry for your sister passing away. This is always brutal and traumatic for siblings. I hope you have support and know who to reach out to.
However, you don’t qualify for CGS, you need one more year working full time. Being on a gap year doesn’t qualify as “non traditional”.
Have you applied to Fordham and Manhattan College? If not, you should, ASAP.
What’s your budget for college? NYU and BU are likely to be very expensive. Do you live in NYC and plan to commute?
Overall, you should be applying to colleges such as SUNY Geneseo, Dickinson, Skidmore - deadlines are Jan 15 so hurry.
I don’t know whether attending university in Korea is a good idea if you intend to live and work in the US. If your goal is to live in Korea, those are all excellent universities but the “college experience” is very different in Korea and in the US so your expectations should be different. Some students who “went back” realized that they were too American to manage and had a horrible time, when they thought they’d be okay and/or enjoyed their time previously, so proceed carefully and know yourself. You could of course take a second gap year and live in Korea, living with relatives and teaching English for example. Then you’d know whether you can also attend university and make your life there.
Are u a korean int’l student? Because I see no rhyme or reason for applying to only korean schools and far-reach US schools. Where are the US “match” and “safety” schools on your list? With an SAT score that didn’t break 2000 and no compelling “hook” to balance it, you are not competitive for the US schools on your list.
If u are an American student, just how good is your korean? “Fluent” is not synonymous w college level? U do realize that the college experience/dynamic in korea is going to be very different than the american one.
Do you expect to work in Korea after you graduate? Do u even have the right to work in Korea (i.e. citizenship)? If not, then how do u plan to seek employment in the US w/o college outplacement services? How do u plan to do job interviews when u are an ocean away?