<p>The following applies to not just Columbia, or even all Ivy League schools, but to all top-tier high caliber schools in general. Personally, I have this fear that I'll make it into a very nice school somehow but not be "smart enough" to attend there, as in I'll perform very poorly in my classes and then live a life of shame and misery (last part is lowkey exaggeration). I was wondering if anyone has experience with this issue or the same fear? That you'll make it into the school of your dreams only to fail when you get there?</p>
<p>I think adcoms will only admit people who they feel will be able to handle their curriculum. Don’t worry about having to handle the courseload till you get it.</p>
<p>What hardcoregamer said.</p>
<p>Sometimes people perform poorly during their first semester at Columbia. According to a totally unscientific survey of my friends, most students experience this at some point. But eventually, you realize that it’s just because you’re surrounded by other really smart people who bring the curve up. And it’s not a big deal to get a B or two. There’s always room for improvement next semester.</p>
<p>4-5 year graduation rates in the Ivies are astronomical. It’s due to a combination of admitting extremely qualified applicants and the availability of excellent academic support resources.</p>
<p>Do students who attend very selective colleges often feel “unworthy” or the admissions ofc made a mistake? Absolutely. You’ll enter a realm where every single person you meet is likely stellar “at the top” of some skill, experience, scholarly endeavor. But if you’re admitted, you will be too. Generally, it gives everyone a real dose of humility – and an equilibrium quickly develops and people operate smoothy. Often, kids who used to be the biggest fish in their pond take being a minnow in the large ocean difficult to adjust to. Most hurdle this w/o much fuss.</p>
<p>I had the same concern all during my Ivy experience (law school at Harvard). My grades and test scores for admission were at the Harvard average. </p>
<p>I made it through; nobody failed out. I wasn’t a superstar there; I did not graduate with honors, which is kind of embarrassing, but I was so exhausted from undergrad and the curriculum didn’t exactly fascinate me. I did take one class that was the same as my undergrad major, which I had done well in (at a liberal arts college where it was easy to be a standout) and I got an A, so that indicates to me that if you find a topic that you love, you’ll do just fine- if not very, very well, regardless of the quality of the school.</p>
<p>For getting jobs, I’d much rather be average at an Ivy than a superstar at a lower-ranked school. </p>
<p>And when you’re 40 years old and at a cocktail party, nobody will ask what grades you got. All they ask is where you went to school.</p>
<p>OP, that’s an extremely common feeling. Almost everyone at an Ivy League school worries about it. But if you’re admitted and work hard, you’ll be fine.</p>