My chances at Columbia / Yale!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I have wanted to go to Columbia since freshman year, and really REALLY wanted to apply early decision there this year, but my mom hates the environment, so I decided to go EA Yale instead. I got deferred there. But anyways, what chances do you guys think I have at Columbia? At Yale? I really REALLY want to get in to both, but especially to Columbia. It is most definately my dream school. I've already visited both schools, so I know. I also have some very poor random scores in my app. What am I to do about them??? I'm also from California and Asian, so I think my chances of Ivy success are lower. Do you guys think this will factor in? </p>

<p>At Yale, my essays were about being mixed (half Chinese half Pakistani) and my sax playing. </p>

<p>Ok, here are my "stats"-</p>

<p>GPA (10-12): 3.89/4.27</p>

<p>SAT Is: 800 Critical Reading
790 Mathematics
720 Writing
2310 Total </p>

<p>SAT IIs: 800 Math IIC
760 Chemistry
690 Literature <----dude i don't know how this happened!!!! </p>

<p>APs: Calculus BC 5
Chemistry 3 :( :( <--- this was a complete fluke. i TUTORED kids in chemistry who had considerably lower grades in chem than me and they got 4s! </p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
4 Years Marching Band
2 years as Section Leader (teach kids how to play, march, help make schedules for band camp, literally help run the marching band)
4 Years Concert Band (2 years in top band as first chair tenor saxophone)
2 Years Jazz Band (11,12 grades; first chair soloist)
1 Year San Jose All-Star Youth Orchestra (outside of school jazz band, second chair)</p>

<p>1 year Track and Field as hurdler</p>

<p>Officer Positions:
4 Years in Music For Community
10th grade - Activities Manager
11th grade - Treasurer, that's when I decided I hate the club</p>

<p>1 Year Lynbrook Jazz Society
12th grade - Founder and President</p>

<p>1 Year Canton Club (for Cantonese cultural awareness)
12th grade - Co-founder and Parliamentarian</p>

<p>3 Years Spanish Honor Society</p>

<p>3 Years in Environment Club</p>

<p>3 Years in Interact</p>

<p>Organizer and performer/soloist at the Blue Pearl Jazz Dance at my school which raises money for the music department (11, 12)</p>

<p>SUMMER
2 years interning at Valley Medical Center (11, 12)</p>

<p>12th grade - Went to Jazz Camp, was picked to perform and solo at a jazz venue in san jose</p>

<p>INTERVIEW AT YALE:
Absolutely amazing! My interviewer loved me. Example: She told me that if Yale didn't accept me, it was their loss and not mine. </p>

<p>Recommendations: Like everyone else's pretty much: amazing. </p>

<p>oh yeah, I'm also a National Merit Semifinalist (going to be finalist, etc.) and a QuestScholars Leadership Program Semifinalist. </p>

<p>I really have no awards.</p>

2

<p>you have a 50%
Your commitment to band is a plus. Your gpa and test scores overall are good enough. If you focus on your passion for band in your essays, the single factor that will distinguish you from the other applicants, then you're in.</p>

3

<p>"Example: She told me that if Yale didn't accept me, it was their loss and not mine." </p>

<p>Yaaaaay! </p>

<p>You have a good chance and are well qualified, but those schools accept less than 10% RD. I must admit though, half chinese and half paki is a rare mix.</p>

4

<p>As an unhooked, deferred candidate at Yale, you have a less than 5% chance of getting in RD, so that interview probably doesn't much matter.</p>

<p>You have strong SATs but I'm guessing if you go to a CA public, your class rank isn't that high. With no exceptional ECs, Columbia, which will probably accept 10% this year, is a reach. </p>

<p>You can get into a lot of good schools so make sure you have back ups you also love.</p>

5

<p>what does "unhooked" mean?</p>

6

<p>I'm assuming you're not a recruited athlete, legacy, URM or rich and famous.</p>

7

<p>am I an unrepresented minority because I'm biracial (chinese/pakistani)? even though we're supposed to be the 'model minority'. and i am a musician but i think that's a little weak to go on just that.</p>

8

<p>Stop making such a fuss about race. It sounds really rather obnoxious and shallow to do so.</p>

<p>Your GPA is on the low side, and though they were "flukes", the adcoms can't tell. Pretty iffy, but hey, go give it a shot.</p>

9

<p>All I can give is an opinion. You're not a URM, that I believe is fact.</p>

<p>Yale defers the majority of EA applicants, rejecting few. That means few that are deferred get in. From what I've observed, most of the deferred that get in are hooked. Parents of the wealthy suddenly make a big donation. Coaches keep pulling for the athletes they want, legacies get every contact they have to write letters. Every HYP deferred kid I know who got in RD, and I went to a feeder school, was hooked.</p>

<p>Just my theory.</p>

10

<p>I'm not gonna lie. This looks like a carbon copy of my application when I applied back in 2004.</p>

<p>And for the record, I am currently a sophomore at Columbia. I did apply ED. You should never have let your parents control where you wanted to apply, and you should tell them that Morningside has the second lowest crime rate in NYC </p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck, it seems as if you certainly have the dedication to get into this school. Just make sure it stands out in your app.</p>

11

<p>so is it even like a 'probably' thing?</p>

12

<p>There is no one without a major hook that can call Columbia probable.</p>

<p>Read through ED acceptance and last years threads to see who did and did not get in. Buy the new book by Golden for your parents to help them understand the system.</p>

<p>Columbia, like other top schools will first fill 60% of their seats with athletes, legacies, URMs (20 some percent alone), faculty kids and the rich and famous. For the remaining 40% they will take kids with very high stats who bring what they need to create a talented, balanced class. They will consider geographical diversity, school type, income and all sorts of factors and it will come down to whether they need your specific talent this year.</p>

13

<p>Hey suze, did you get that info from that article I cited?</p>

<p>I'm sure that if you won the Nobel Peace Prize, it would count as a probable hook.</p>

14

<p>i'm a first generation college student! is that a hook?</p>

15

<p>Just going to disagree slightly with suze's few comments.</p>

<p>With regard to Yale.. I've heard that over half of the students admitted early are the big athlete recruits/legacies/etc, and that those accepted out of the deferral pool are a mix of the second-round-hooked and the students who deserved to get in early but were knocked out by the legacies/etc. And, I've also heard that Yale deferral rate is over 10%, which is a decent chance.</p>

16

<p>does anybody else have any more comments?</p>

17

<p>Suze is correct.</p>