college counseling did not really work out in my school (American international school), so I ended up taking the ACT for the first time in October and it ended up being a low score for a school like Columbia. However, I believe I hope I have some ECs that might help a bit:
Having studied abroad for the past three years in two different countries (one in China, one in Europe)
Have been a member/vice president of the student government in my first high school
Residential Assistant in my boarding school
Studied polisci a semester at university last year
Member of the school disciplinary committee
Internship at the national parliament
Leader of the politics club
Debated for four years
Been a paramedic for the past four years (around 200h volunteered)
Member of a political party
Founder of my own project for political education, have been lately conducting my own research
Member of various other committees within school
Have done a very competitive sport for 7 years on a European level, later trained children in it
Have been learning Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, French, Latin, Slovak
a couple of other ECs
How much do ECs and essays remedy for low testing scores for universities like Columbia? Do they at least leave me with a slim chance? Also, by the time I will graduate I will have taken 10 APs in my two years at a school that offers very little APs and is not located in the US - how will this be considered?
How are your grades / class rank? Columbia has holistic admissions so the EC and Essays matter a lot, and combined with great grades and a stellar rec letter, they can mitigate lower standardized test scores- to a point. How bad did you do? They can help overcome a 30 or 32 ACT, but probably not a 23-25.
@3puppies my ACT score was a 28, but I am retaking it this December for other universities. My school does not give grades or ranks since we focus more on growth and other things, but I am among the top two or three students definitely. I got two great recommendation letters talking about 1) my passion and aspirations and 2) how I am very resilient and prefer to try my best in every case.
I hope that I might at least be deferred to RD when I will have better results for my ACT.
Even with a score of 28, you are smart enough to understand what single digit acceptance rates mean. You sound like an intriguing candidate and even if you don’t get into Columbia, you will do well for yourself. Best of luck
@Meifangie I think that you have a pretty good chance at Columbia, they will take into account your circumstances and that since you have so many cultural experiences you have something that so many other people have not had. I personally think that you have a great chance at ED Admissions, I wish you the best of luck, don’t stress too much!
@TomTanJoseR2022 thanks for your answer! Even though I believe my chances are somewhere close to zero, your comment made me smile because at least someone told me I have a very slight chance. We will see about the results, but I am prepared for a rejection and I feel happy about the fact that the admissions office at least read my application (instead of me not applying at all).
Bump the thread up when you get your new ACT score. I’m sorry to say but IMO a 28 ACT will be very difficult to overcome for Columbia. Even with a holistic application review, academics are paramount. Good ECs cannot make up for subpar academics. And with an acceptance rate of under 6% Columbia has to turn away candidates who excel in every aspect of the application. http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/classprofile/2021
It is perfectly fine to apply knowing it is a reach – give it your all. But also be sure to apply to a good mix of match and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be happy to attend.
I met a student who got in to Columbia with a 29. She was told that there was good evidence form her application that she was interested in her chosen major - in other words her ECs, or at least some of them, were relevant to her academic interests.