<p>Hey guys, I'm new to College Confidential, but I wanted to ask some of the more skilled/knowledgable for some advice.</p>
<p>I've always wanted to get into Columbia University in New York, but after my meeting with my college counselor, I don't know what to expect. I go to one of the most reputed private schools in the country in Texas.</p>
<p>I'm Editor-in-Chief of the school magazine, have tons of leadership, a 3.5/3.6 GPA, 2260 SAT (1460 Reading + Math), and a 35 ACT.</p>
<p>Do I have any hope for Columbia? Thanks beforehand for any advice/answers.</p>
<p>(Also, some other colleges that I'd love to hear your take on, which are on my list are: Duke, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Emory, New York University, and Brown)</p>
<p>Clarification/Add-On: I’ve also got tons of ECs (FBLA, Investment Club, Book Club, etc.), debate, journalism, and internship experience. I’ve even headed a very successful school event that only the most aspiring leader in the grade can take part of. The teachers at my private school like me a lot, and I think I’ll have stellar teacher recs. The only thing I’m worried about is the GPA.</p>
<p>Ivies and other top-tier schools are absolute crapshoots once you reach a certain level of qualification. It’s impossible to say whether or not you’d get in, but if you have strong (and consistent) ECs and passionate essays, there’s no reason why you couldn’t. My friend got into Harvard and waitlisted at Cornell and I got into Cornell and waitlisted at Harvard. You really never know with the top schools, honestly.</p>
<p>One of the biggest factors that will determine where you can go, is how much your parents can pay. Sit down with them and find out what kind of budget limit you are dealing with. Maybe they can shell out 60k each year for 4 years. But if they can’t, you need to know that now.</p>