As a Dartmouth student, I may be able to help you a bit here. My scores and rank were similar to yours, though I had more ECs, related to major, and you took more APs and subject tests (And I’m also asian, for context, though south Asian, but we all have to tick the box marked Asian for ethnicity).
Thing is, while your ECs are great and all, you need to relate them to math and econ. However, this can all be explained if you have a goal for yourself. What I’ve understood in ivy league admissions is that they’re not interested in kids, however great they may be, who want to go to an ivy (or any top school) for the sake of going to an ivy. They want to see how their course of study will help you achieve your goal. And if that goal is altruistic all the better. For example, if your goal is to set up an NGO to help people, and that is related to your intended major as well as ECs, then what you’ve done makes sense.
Also, you don’t need to have just one focus, but you should have an idea of how it all ties together. For me, I wanted to specialize in Government and Environmental Studies, and I had many ECs related to those fields as well as writing. I told them (which is true) that I write to express myself and my political viewpoint, so it ties back to my courses of study, which in turn all ties together as I wanted to work in conservation which would require me to understand policy as well and how to shape it and convincingly express my political viewpoint.
Another piece of advice I have for you looking back on my admission process is to decide what ind of undergraduate education you want to receive. Because your two most academically rigorous dream schools, Dartmouth and Columbia, are worlds apart in that sense, though they are pretty much equal in academic rigor. I notice you have Columbia as a huge reach, but not Dartmouth. It’s important to note that the acceptance rates for these schools differ by less than 3%, so both should be considered big reaches regardless of context.
If these are your top choices, then you should apply ED to one of them. I had both on my list, and I chose Dartmouth for the following reasons:
- Undergraduate focus- A Dart student will be taught almost entirely by actual professors rather than TAs, have mostly small class sizes and close relationships with and easy access to Professors. Also, all the top research internships and opportunities on campus are open mainly for undergrads, so you have a much better chance of participating in one.
- The rural setting- This can be a pro and a con, but I prefer the bucolic atmosphere and campus-based social life and activities you participate in at Dartmouth. Just keep in mind we are a while from any major city, but in a rather scenic village. Outdoor and campus-based activities take precedence here
- The community and size- You will know everyone and everyone will know you. I personally love it, though some people like larger schools. I personally enjoy the small size and the fact that Dart students really get to gel into a real supportive and collaborative community.
- The D plan - This is the quarter system that allows you a lot of flexibility in your academic schedule. With a few exceptions, you can terms off in the middle of the year for high-level internships at times when they are less competitive.
These are besides it being better for my program and having better foreign study opps.
But there are cons, primarily the focus on greek life, which about half of the eligible students (sophomores and beyond) take part in. But even that proportion has been decreasing in recent years as more diverse classes have been admitted, not to mention that they accept everyone, drinking is completely non-compulsory and everyone is really chill about it, so very few stereotypical ivy league frat boys here (unlike how I hear it was back in 80s). Also , if you can’t handle the rural location, that can be a con.
That said, I did like Columbia for some things since it was on my list:
- Core curriculum- While the lib arts education of most of the Ivies emphasizes a strong grounding in multiple disciplines, Columbia’s core curriculum requires all undergrads to take a number of specific courses. Some view this as too restrictive but I liked a lot of the Columbia-specific courses here. You should take a look to see if that’s what you like too.
- NYC-- You will have all the social opportunities of living in an amazing city. Some say for internships it’s better too, but that’s not really the case as far as I’ve seen. I have family members across multiple elite schools, and all of them say that they have no time for internships off-campus even in cities. And for internships in off-terms, you can go anywhere, You’re not restricted to the specific place you go for college. That said, the social opportunities of NYC are definitely hard to beat.
But to me, more cons stood out-
- Postgraduate focus – Everything I said about Dartmouth for undergrads is, for the most part, the opposite here, at least until junior year. But even then, a good share of your classes, especially in your fields, will be quite large, and taught by TAs. Classes like this will be the majority during your first two years for sure. And research opps are also more for graduate students since that’s where the focus is.
- The cut-throat environment- Students at Columbia are uber-competitive with each other, and really want to beat each other. Given they are all very smart, that makes it far too racy for my taste. In Dart, they are just as smart, but far more willing to help each other out. Overcompetitive ppl are looked down on here.
- The size-- Columbia is the largest ivy, and Dartmouth the smallest. Some people may prefer a much larger school since there are always new people to meet, but I personally prefer the community atmosphere of Dart (and I believe Dart is certainly large enough for anyone to find their people)
To be honest, the only reason I had Columbia on my list is because of the lack of financial need I was able to have mostly reaches on my list. Yours seems to have more of a healthy mix, which is perfectly fine, but if you are only applying to two higher reaches, then they should match what you want from an undergrad education. For instance, if you prefer a school like Dart, then Columbia should be replaced by a school that fits more what you’re looking for in an undergrad experience (I.e. undergrad focus, campus-based social life etc.), like Princeton or Brown. Conversely, if you prefer what Columbia has to offer, then a more urban, larger school like UChicago would be better off replacing Dart.
Keep in mind, what I put up as pros and cons can be subjective in some cases. Maybe you prefer a more competitive environment since you thrive under pressure, or like larger schools.
If you want to know more about Dart or other elite colleges, since I was applying to several and have a good idea of many from personal relations with people who go to them, feel free to contact me anytime.