NYU to Columbia

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

I’m currently a Freshman at NYU CAS, but I don’t really think the school is for me. Most of my classes have been mediocre at best (some terrible), and my prospective major (economics, politics) seems to be a funnel of sequential requirements leaving me little room to explore. I’ve always been passionate for Columbia, especially the core, and was rejected ED first time around (although at this point I had no idea what I was doing, and my essays were cringe worthy at best). I’ve been working hard (despite some tumults) my first semester, but I don’t know if its enough. Here are my “stats:”

School: NYU CAS
HS GPA: 95.0 (no ranking or UW GPA)
AP: 10 total, US (5), Euro (5), US Gov (5), Comp Gov (5), Lit (5), Lang (5), Macro (5), Micro (4), French (4), Calc AB (3). 2 of these were independent studies (Comparative & Micro)
SAT I: n/a
SAT II: Bio 750, US 730, Lit 650
ACT: 32
Extracurriculars: Model UN (President), Politics Society (President & Founder), Economics Team (President). Also active in a few others like Philosophy, UNICEF, and Astronomy. Also notable has been an internship at the State Capitol for a Senator.
Awards: 3 awards for Model UN, 2 for Economics, along with the run of the mill NHS, Honor Roll, National AP Scholar

Other: First Generation, Male, White. Wrote a 30 page economic research paper senior year.

College GPA: 3.43 (A econ/lit seminar, A- writing, A- politics, C+ math)
Extracurriculars: UNICEF (Secretary), Model UN, Politics Society, International Relations Society. Have continued my internship.

My biggest concern is my first semester GPA, which isn’t spectacular. Columbia recommends a 3.5 GPA to apply, but I don’t know if they mean cumulative or just college grades. My math grade of a C+ might be a red flag for someone who is considering economics/politics. Otherwise, I’m confident in my recommendations and I’m going to try and muster up some good essays this time around. I have plenty of new cultural experiences and books to talk about now, but even with that, I’m still not sure if this is enough. Thoughts or advice?

Thanks.

2

First of all two things that hurt you real bad

  1. You go to NYU so the city allure, etc what Columbia has NYU also has you reasons are going to have to be pinpoint
  2. Your College GPA is subpar I would wait one year to raise that to at least a 3.7 to apply
3

I would say give it a try and see what is going to happen? It will not hurt except application fees!

4

To be honest, your GPA will be a problem. Columbia views NYU as an “easier” institution and you will be competing against students with stellar records. That said, if you can demonstrate compelling academic reasons you have a shot. It would help if there was something in your background that would make you stand out too.

5

Thanks. I knew that my GPA would probably be the biggest problem spot. I’m hoping that my midterm report will save me a bit, as my classes are all going well this semester.

6

@cacpua7 Sorry to burst your bubble but if you were rejected ED, there would be more problem that just your essays. Your ACT score and SAT II are not very high either. I would suggest you retaking those as well - because one of the main admission criteria is your HS GPA/ Test Scores/ Uni GPA for transfers to see that they can handle the workload. However, your ACT, SAT II, and Uni GPA are both below average for Columbia admits. 32 puts you in bottom 25% of admits (however, you must realize that bottom 25% might come from athletes/ legacies/ development/ URM) and you should get your USH SAT above 750 for a good shot and ACT 34 or above.

I think your best choice is to retake your ACT/ SATII, do amazing on your second term midterm, and then reapply both this year and next year if you didn’t get in this year.

Your recommendations (if what you said is accurate) and ECs are good enough for Columbia, but I agree with you that your test scores and Uni GPA are your weakness.

7

Also do note that education quality doesn’t vary that much from uni to uni. Many students at Ivy also complain about the boring grad reqs that they have to take. I know some friends at Harvard who complain that the grad reqs are a pain and people just choose the easiest courses to satisfy them and sleep thru those reqs.

8

Are you only considering Columbia transfer?