I just applied ED to my dream school Columbia. I am in a rigorous high school with an uncurved GPA of 3.6. I have taken 4 AP Courses and am currently taking 4 more. I am a deacon for my church, a member of national honor society, and was the Junior class VP but now am a ranking member on the school board. I am also a competitive fencer who is getting some support from the athletic department. When I applied I felt I had as good a chance as any, but I recently found out that 2 athletes in my school just got recruited to Columbia. With a senior class of around 300 students, we do not normally have more than two acceptances per ivy. In addition to these two athletes, more than 4 other people are also EDing to Columbia. I am worried that I really have no chance, is this view accurate?
3.6 is low for Columbia. SAT/ACT???
Test Scores? Also, your GPA might be a bit of a problem
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20018832/#Comment_20018832
Read what she said about strengths though, and evaluate.
What type of support is the fencing coach providing? Likely letter or simply a vote of confidence? The coach will be able to shed some light.
Did you get an academic pre read before applying ED?
I understand recruited athletes are not looked at the same as other applicants. You indicate you have a rigorous high school - I am guessing that because it offers fencing, you may be coming from a privileged background. What is your class rank? For some schools, a 3.6 GPA might put them in the top 2%, while in others it might mean you are not in the top 25%.
Also, are the other recruited athletes also fencers? How does their GPA stack up to yours?
@BrooklynRye is the parent of a competitive fencer who is joining an Ivy squad in the fall. BrooklynRye, would you mind adding to this thread?
You may also want to consider reading the following thread on college fencing recruiting:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/1902048-the-only-college-fencing-recruiting-thread-you-need-to-read-p1.html
@3puppies - Yes, recruited athletes are not viewed the same as other applicants. Then again, neither are recruited musicians, artists or scientists. In each case it depends upon the school as well as its particular recruitment needs for that entry class. One Ivy League admissions counselor related the case of a request from the head of the band department for a bass. Guess what? They took a kid who played the bass.
Although the higher end fencing demographic, e.g., those competing at the national and international levels, tends toward “privilege,” this is not true for the much larger group of fencers who compete at public high schools throughout the country. The sport is nowhere near as expensive (tending toward the “privileged” class) without the national and international competition component.
Regarding the relative weight of GPA and rank, this is not unique to recruiting of any kind. High schools carry weights used by colleges relative to a number of factors in an attempt to level the playing field in these areas. I am personally familiar with instances of admission at lower GPAs and lower class ranks where a schools was deemed more rigorous than others. This is something the high school guidance counselor may be able to shed some light upon.
@epee2016 - Review the Columbia fencing roster. The team lost it’s best ME last season which made for a good time to be entering for 2020 and the school recruited 2 ME. Now there are 6 none of whom are graduating until 2018. This will be tough to break into unless you are an exceptional epee’ recruit. Also, going back to the roster, you can probably discern where CU will devote its recruitment slots. For instance, they have 3 MS graduating in 2017, cutting the MS squad in half. Betting on a recruit or 2 there. While super high board scores can tip the balance, if you can’t get into CU on your academic and other non-fencing merits, my sense is that you are a long shot to be recruited.