is B okay for Columia?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>im a junior and really wants to go to Columbia
but im really worried cuz my gpa and rank is not that good</p>

<p>i do have all A except for US history (AP) this yr
and i am taking many challenging classes
5regular class (speech,health,art,2yrs of tennis) so far since freshman and everything else was honor/AP</p>

<p>anyway that B in us history is reallly low B
last yr i also had a realllly low B in world history too ( i got 5 on Ap exam tho)
i tried to get A but its hard
will my 5 in AP exam overlook my B??
do u think i have hardly a chance for Columbia? cuz junior grades are super important</p>

2

<p>Want to get in? There's a very simple answer: Get a passion(or, rather, develop one you have extensively). Columbia doesn't care about straight As so much as showing that you really love a particular field, or activity. To look at it from their perspective, they want someone who will contribute to a field, someone who will change the world. That doesn't mean getting As in all of your classes; that means being passionate about something and willing to apply yourself to it.</p>

3

<p>As long as you are not interested in a history-related field, it should be okay.</p>

<p>I got B's in calc, precalc, algebra II, and physics but want to major in English, and I got accepted ED. You're fiine!</p>

4

<p>nobody is perfect (unless you are korean) don't stress or worry too much about it</p>

5

<p>Don't stress about the B and just keep on trying your best. As mikesown pointed out, you should get really involved in something you love. Also, if you received a 5 on the AP exam, that shows that your school is rather competitive. It's not as if you got an A in the class and were barely able to scrape a 3. Best of luck next year. I would suggest that you visit Columbia if you haven't already. I did an overnight and found that the experience was extremely helpful when writing the "Why Columbia?" portion of the application. I was able to mention classes I visited as well as specifics about the students I had met.</p>

6

<p>wow you can take tennis as a class at your school...that's pretty cool. sorry if that wasn't really a response to your question but i just thought the tennis thing was neat :)</p>

7

<p>I have 11-12 B's so far on my transcript from 9th grade to now. I guess I have a 0% chance at Columbia then. :(</p>

8

<p>TheGirlsLoveMe: You should definitely still apply, so long as you can justify being admitted. Hell, I got deferred with a 3.0 GPA!</p>

9

<p>@OP: just make sure you spelled "Columia" right on your application... :P</p>

10

<p>
[quote]
wow you can take tennis as a class at your school...that's pretty cool. sorry if that wasn't really a response to your question but i just thought the tennis thing was neat

[/quote]
</p>

<p>At many schools (where PE is required), if you play a sport, that just counts as your PE and you don't have to take a "regular PE class"</p>

11

<p>Typically, what is the average GPA of the people accepted by Columbia?</p>

12

<p>probably around 3.9 unweighted</p>

13

<p>Princeton Review, 2007, says 3.78.
From what region are you pulling these statistics?
VERY few people have earned a 3.9 GPA.</p>

14

<p>high GPA's are overrated...prioritizing grades over passions just turns you into a boring person that no one wants to talk to, be around, or accept to their prestigious school. College admissions are too competitive for schools to base their admissions decisions heavily on numerical values. Get a 4.3+ weighted and a 2200+ SAT score and be an interesting person and you'll have a better chance than a 4.6+ weighted and 2300+ guy that has no talents outside of having good numbers. But that's just my philosophy.</p>

15

<p>you could have 4/8 B's and still get into columbia. one B will not kill you dont worry</p>

16

<p>
[quote]
high GPA's are overrated...prioritizing grades over passions just turns you into a boring person that no one wants to talk to, be around, or accept to their prestigious school. College admissions are too competitive for schools to base their admissions decisions heavily on numerical values. Get a 4.3+ weighted and a 2200+ SAT score and be an interesting person and you'll have a better chance than a 4.6+ weighted and 2300+ guy that has no talents outside of having good numbers. But that's just my philosophy.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Um, you can just be really smart and get easy A's while being able to pursue your outside interests. Your "philosophy" suggests an inferiority complex if you jump to the conclusion that top scores/grades means boring/one-dimensional.</p>

17

<p>I actually didn't jump to any conclusions. I simply said that if you prioritize grades/test scores to such an extent that you are unable to pursue your interests, it can often result in turning you into a boring, uninteresting machine. I know this from my experience, and I'm not saying that there aren't people who can earn perfect scores and grades while also being sociable and interesting, just that those people are quite rare and are far from the majority of posters on this forum. Also, no matter how smart you are, it still takes time to study for 5 AP classes each night for two years in a row. Getting perfect grades in such a situation would generally indicate that you prioritize grades over other activities. Also, your "inferiority complex" theory amuses me, and I appreciate your feedback on my beliefs, though I think you may have misinterpreted them.</p>

<p>I apologize for using second person pronouns; I hope I did not offend anyone.</p>

18

<p>I despise second person pronouns; you have offended me deeply.</p>

19

<p>Yeah, the one person I know who got into Columbia had a 3.5 GPA. He took tough courses, and ended up getting a great SAT score (high 2300s), but grades really aren't everything here. You need to show them that you're qualified.</p>

20

<p>sorry kwu. it's sloppy, i know...</p>