Official Columbia Early Decision Class of 2016 RESULTS

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
61

<p>**Decision: Deferred, SEAS **</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2110 (710 CR/ 800 M/ 600 W)
[</em>] ACT: 35 (36 M/ 36 S/ 35 Eng/ 32 R)
[<em>] SAT IIs:800 Math II, 800 Chem
[</em>] GPA: out of 100: 101.3 (W)
[<em>] Rank: 2/ Salutatorian
[</em>] Other stats: Second highest score in Mathletes; National Merit Commended; AP Scholar with [not sure which one];
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Essays: Teacher said he liked it
[</em>] ECs: Columbia SHP (…), Mathletes (on the A-Team), Science Bowl, Quiz Bowl (Team Captain), Service League (Secretary), Science Olympiad (Treasurer), Orchestra (Viola)
[<em>] Teacher Recs: Basically the best in the school. -_-
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Can’t really say on this
[<em>] Hook (if any): It was supposed to be SHP and I thought I did really well on the interview
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: New York
[<em>] School Type: Public, but supposedly a good school
[</em>] Ethnicity: South Asian/ Indian
[li] Gender: Male[/li][/ul]Other Factors: Nothing really.
General Comments: Hoping for the best in March! :smiley: Until then, other apps.</p>

62

<p>**Decision: ACCEPTED **</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2260 (800 CR, 760 M, 700 W)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 760 USH, 730 Math I, 700 Literature
[<em>] GPA: 99.346 W, 93.632 UW
[</em>] Rank: Top 5%
[<em>] Other stats and awards: NM Commended, some departmental awards, state championship in Comedy Pair, nominated and won various theatre awards
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: CommonApp was my favorite, I thought it was really well-written, about how me being tall affects my life. Thought the others were eh.
[<em>] ECs: DRAMADRAMADRAMA Lots of musicals and plays, leads, supporting roles, director, blah blah blah, published theatre critic, captain of a state-championship winning theatre team, Intern for my congressman, Student Council Secretary, Class President, Model UN head delegate and a plethora of awards
[</em>] Teacher Recs: I’m sure both were phenomenal.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Surprisingly amazing!
[</em>] Hook (if any): I had differing interests and dedication to theatre :slight_smile:
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: NJ
[</em>] School Type: Large Public, not bad but not a top school
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[/ul]Other Factors: None
General Comments: I’m an unhooked asian male from NJ and I made it. It isn’t impossible :slight_smile:</p>

63

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Stats:
SAT: 1930 (640 CR, 630 M, 660 W)
SAT IIs: 730 Biology E, 690 Math 2
ACT: 30 </p>

<p>Subjective:
Essays: Described my biracial (puerto rican and black) background and how i found the middle path between 2 conflicting cultures. Short Answers- very creative.
ECs: Top 10- National Competition (HOSA) 2nd at States; team captain of a relay for life team that raised $8,000 plus over 3 years; Started school newspaper, Teach/tutor a class of 15 freshmen in biology, volunteered in carribbean over summer breaks
Teacher Recs: Very personal and detailed
Counselor Rec: Okay
Hook (if any): URM, 1st generation
Location/Person:
State or Country: NJ
School Type: Competitive public (5TH in state)
Ethnicity: African American (Nevis to be exact- birth place of Alexander Hamilton xD)/ Spanish
Gender: Female
Other Factors: 2 hour Interview, major is rare (race studies)
General Comments: I slipped through, obviously :)</p>

64

<p>[ size=+1][ color=blue][ b]Decision: Deferred [ /b][ /color][ /size]</p>

<p>[ b]Stats:[ /b][ list]
[ *] SAT: 2320 CR 770 M 760 W 790
[ *] SAT IIs: 800 Math II 800 Chem
[ *] GPA: N/A
[ *] Rank: N/A (top 25%, possibly higher)
[ *] Other stats: Consistently in top 25% for past 4 years
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[ /b][ list]
[ *] Essays: Did it in one day, nothing spectacular.
[ *] ECs: MUN Sec-Gen, Guitar ensemble (self-taught classical guitar), play piano too, Media volunteering for UN Civil Society, social media club, school spirit stuff…
[ *] Teacher Recs: Didn’t see it. Teachers didn’t know me that well.
[ *] Counselor Rec: Didn’t see it either but pretty good, I hope!
[ *] Hook (if any):
[ /list][ b]Location/Person:[ /b][ list]
[ *] State or Country: International
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: Female
[ /list][ b]Other Factors:[ /b] International requiring FA
[ b]General Comments:[ /b] I think that last part sealed my fate mostly. Oh well. Hopefully it’ll turn out better next round, but I’m really thankful for this decision seeing as I didn’t get an interview either.</p>

65

<p>Decision: Accepted to CC</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2340 (770 CR/ 800 M/ 770 W, single sitting)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 790 Chem, 760 Math II, 760 Bio
[<em>] GPA: 3.92 unweighted
[</em>] Rank: N/A
[<em>] Other stats: 5’s in AP Bio, English Lang, Psych, Stats, Chinese
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: Common App essay was a very personal account on the origin of my passion for sustainable development and biochemistry and my desire to make a difference. Short answers were commended by teachers and peers.
[<em>] ECs: Treasurer then president of biggest service club at school, science club, tutor for math and sciences, participated in an international science fair regionals and won an award for sustainable development, twice interned at an university biology lab and co-authored paper pending publication, twice interned an international poverty reduction center for translating and research, volunteered for a World EXPO, etc.
[</em>] Teacher Recs: I asked teachers who I felt I had strong bonds with, and who said would write great letters for me. I cannot thank them enough!
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Very close bond with counselor, also said she wrote an amazing letter. I am really grateful.
[</em>] Hook (if any): Not sure if this counts, but I am really dedicated to science and service and won recognitions for both.
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: China
[</em>] School Type: Private, international, medium sized
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[/ul]Other Factors: Intended major is sustainable development or biochemistry. Taken 4 AP and one IB HL course during both junior and senior years. Some family issues shown when I was filling out the boxes on application I guess.
General Comments: I am really happy. I love Columbia, and I love New York, and I hope to make the most out of this opportunity. Hope my first post ever here helped, and best wishes to everyone else with finding their paths.</p>

66

<p>Decision: Deferred SEAS</p>

<p>Stats:
SAT: 1930 (not so great…)
ACT: 32
SAT IIs: 660 Math II, 730 Biology E, 730 Chem
GPA: 5.56/5 weighted
Rank: 7/512
Other stats: 5s on AP Chem, Bio, Psych, English Composition, 4s on Comp Sci A, World History, US History</p>

<p>Subjective:
Essays: I thought they were decent. Nothing amazing, but incredibly personal and nostalgic.
ECs:Founded photography club, illustrator for my school newspaper, founded small photography company, school photographer, historian for math/science club, compete in science competitions, historian for ecology club, some tennis
Teacher Recs: I know at least one was phenomenal, but I’m iffy about the other one because he submitted it last minute
Counselor Rec: I have no idea
Hook (if any): My parents divorced this year, and maybe photography (clearly). I don’t know if that would help at all.</p>

<p>Location/Person:
State or Country: Texas
School Type: Public, typical, nothing special
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female</p>

<p>Other Factors: My interview went really well. I also was quite passionate about photography in my personal statements, and I don’t require financial aid. Half of the classes I’ve taken in high school have been AP. I also applied to the engineering school as a female, which might have boosted my chances of getting in.</p>

<p>General Comments: I honestly am kind of surprised that I was deferred, especially after seeing everyone else on this site. I thought there was nothing special about my application, especially with my test scores, and I figured I would apply since my chances would be higher than not applying at all. This is my top choice, it’s always been my dream to go here, and I feel extremely blessed for not being rejected. Congrats on everyone who’s been accepted, and good luck to all of the others who have been deferred out there.</p>

67

<p>Stats:
SAT: 2240
ACT: 34 (35 superscored, which Columbia doesn’t do. Oh wells!)
SAT IIs:780 Math II, 750 Chem, 740 US History
GPA: 3.917
Rank:N/A
Other stats: 5 on APUSH, APChem, and APEnglish Language. Taking 6 APs this year.</p>

<p>Subjective:
Essays: Common app was good. Thought supp was good, one of them was kinda eh. But I guess they weren’t as good as I thought!
ECs:
-School’s Debate Club and Debate Coach. Built the team from scratch
-Academic Decathlon Coach and Co-Pres–few awards there
-Art–bunch of international, national, and state level recognition and awards
-Intern at local Assemblymember’s office (18 hours during summer, 4 during school year)
-Key Club Projects Commissioner
-worked at KUMON for a while
-California Super Teen - NextStepU Magazine
-Piano–played for 12 years. Awards. Performer. Yadaaada
-School representative to local district’s board of education, since sophomore year–> hold annual conference for younger kids in the district
-Girl’s State Rep
Teacher Recs: No clue. I would assume they’re good.
Counselor Rec: Pretty good, probably. He’s my advisor for Debate Club.
Hook (if any): None
Location/Person:
State or Country: United States
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Other Factors: Thought my interview went well. We had a lot to talk about.
General Comments: Strong front. But man, it hurts. Dream school. I guess some dreams aren’t meant to come true.</p>

68

<p>I just realized I have to click “Post Reply” for the HTML color stuff to work so look on next post sorry</p>

69

<p>[ size=+1][ color=blue][ b]Decision: Accepted to CC[ /b][ /color][ /size]</p>

<p>[ b]Stats:[ /b][ list]
[ *] SAT: 2370 (800 math, 790 writing, 780 reading)
[ *] SAT IIs: 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry
[ *] GPA: 4.0/4.0 unweighted (mostly A+s, some As)
[ *] Rank: School does not rank but top 1% for sure
[ *] Other stats: AP Calc AB: 5, AP English Literature: 5, AP Spanish Language: 4 (lol!)
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[ /b][ list]
[ *] Essays: Cutesy (and my why columbia was breezy-- totally tongue-in-cheek like me :slight_smile:
[ *] ECs: honestly too many to list: Summer Science Program (SSP), Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track and Field, Math team, ARML, Yale-New Haven Hospital Volunteer, SADD, Student Government, Literary Magazine, newspaper
[ *] Teacher Recs: Good I assume…? Didn’t read
[ *] Counselor Rec: Should be good… we were pretty tight
[ *] Hook (if any): um, a girl with a lot of math awards? Lol… not really a hook. Oh, and I’m in Columbia SHP (science honors program)
[ /list][ b]Location/Person:[ /b][ list]
[ *] State or Country: Connecticut
[ *] School Type: Relatively Large Public (~430?)
[ *] Ethnicity: Totally Azn
[ *] Gender: Female
[ /list][ b]Other Factors: I think SSP helped a lot because I literally wrote so much of my essays and short answers about it. [ /b]
[ b]General Comments:[ /b] Um, I did not have my senior grades requested because I sent them anyways and I was the only one in my school who did NOT get an interview (but then again I was the only one from my school who got IN ED! Not sure if this means anything though…)</p>

70

<p>Other comments? Apparently I can’t figure out how to make my heading blue and the other stuff to work</p>

71

<p>Ok guys and gals, thought i’d do some number crunching after the end of day 1 of results postings, this is what i found:
*note, act conversion: 34 converted to 2260 and 32 converted to 2130, both accepted. also, average SATs are rounded to the nearest ten</p>

<p>there have been 53 total stats postings so far, with REJECTED at 14, or 26%, DEFERRED at 32%, and ACCEPTED at 22, or 42%</p>

<p>I only looked at SATs, because it was easy, and because we all need the quantitative proof that the Ivys are a crapshoot (whatever that even means), and because soon i’ll be asleep.</p>

<p>for REJECTED, the average SAT was 2210, with mega props to probably future crimsons Hamlet21 and the amazingly URM aahs12, who both scored 2400s. There were 4 kids with 2300+</p>

<p>for DEFERRED, the average SAT was 2220, with bigchum94 having the highest score of 2390. there were 5 kids with 2300+</p>

<p>for ACCEPTED, the average SAT was 2110. the highest score was a 2340, by heartlines. there were 8 kids with 2300+. I’m sure that they were wonderful candidates (a sentiment shared by the adcoms), but the two sub-2000s brought down the average score. </p>

<p>so, a bit of consolation or rage to the fellow rejectees and deferrees, or maybe a bit of relief to the acceptees? not quite sure, but i feel like the harper’s index now :slight_smile: please take all numbers with a grain of salt: these results come from about 2% of ED applicants and are in no way reflective of the CU class of 2016. They are only barely reflective of the CollegeConfidential community diligent or stressed or depressed or ecstatic enough to post on the first day</p>

72

<p>**Decision: ** Deferred </p>

<p>[ b]Stats:[ /b][ list]
[ <em>] SAT: did not take
[ ] SAT IIs: 790 maths 2 790 Japanese
[ ] GPA: 3.66 W
[</em>] Rank: school doesn’t rank
[<em>] Other stats: ACT (took it twice) both times 32, although the second time I got a 36 on the science portion, 7 on SL Biology
[/list]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: All essays were great. My common app essays was about the size of my head; I wrote the “why columbia?” essay at Columbia this summer; I spent a lot of time on the other essays as well
[<em>] ECs: Concert Pianist; Varsity Soccer; Varsity Ensemble; Varsity Speech; Musical; Operation Smile (president); Senior Class President; Japanese Club Ice Hockey
[</em>] Teacher Recs: Didn’t read
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Didn’t read
[</em>] Hook (if any): An Irish, ice-hockey player/concert pianist who currently resides in Tokyo
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: Tokyo, Japan
[</em>] School Type: Private International School
[<em>] Ethnicity: Ireland/Japan
[</em>] Gender: Male
[/ul][ b]Other Factors:
General Comments: Don’t know whether to be happy or sad… Columbia is my dream school and has been for a long time. Despite my low cumulative GPA, I was in the top 3% my Junior year. I’ll keep fighting for a spot in the class of 2016!</p>

73

<p>Decision: Accepted! :)</p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<pre><code>SAT:2300 (780CR, 790 M, 730 W)
SAT IIs: Math 2 -800, Physics - 780, French w/ Listening - 750
GPA:4.01
Rank:n/a
Other stats:
</code></pre>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<pre><code>Essays:fairly well written
ECs:cross-country, track & field, basketball, speech & debate, MUN, photography teacher, summer volunteering at smithsonian national air & space museum, tutoring kids, take math at OHS (stanford online high school)
Teacher Recs:Probably what secured my acceptance
Counselor Rec:Good, the counselor has known me since 9th grade
Hook (if any): Foreign Service child; lived in 4 countries, speak 2 foreign languages
</code></pre>

<p>Location/Person:</p>

<pre><code>State or Country:Vienna, Austria
School Type:International - small
Ethnicity:Caucasian
Gender:Male
</code></pre>

<p>Other Factors:To be honest, I think my main advantages were the international aspect and my teacher recommendations
General Comments: I am super psyched and the rest of the school year is going to drag on now.</p>

74

<p>@kidfromthebeach: thank you very much, the data you collected is quite interesting! I’ll try to (or suggest people to) do the same on other EA/ED threads!
Just a cautionary note: this kind of analysis tends to be a little bit misleading (perhaps not so much for the deferred ones, but a lot for reject/admitted ones) because of a natural tendency of self-selection among those who posted here. I think people with high SAT scores who got rejected are more likely to post than those who got rejected with relatively low scores because the first group will somehow feel surprised; after all, with high scores, they would expect to get accepted! The same holds true regarding accepted people with low SAT scores vs. admitted with high scores: those with low scores are much more likely to post! So the apparent paradox you found out (admitted students who posted had scores, on average, 100 points below those of the reject ones) is actually expected, but still, this analysis is quite interesting!</p>

75

<p>Okay so I am really bored in physics right now so I decided to calculate last years ED statistics based on the college confidential community’s posting to compare to this year. Last year there were 84 applicants who posted results of whom 34 were accepted, 27 rejected, and 23 were deferred. That means there was a 40% acceptance rate, a 32% rejection rate, and a 27% deferred rate. I was just curious so I decided to do the calculations. Hope the help!</p>

76

<p>Decision: ACCEPTED to CC</p>

<p>Stats:
SAT: 2400
SAT IIs: 760 Chem, 770 Bio, 720 Math II
GPA: 4.4 weighted
Rank: Top 5%</p>

<p>Other stats and awards: Lots of Piano awards (performed at Carnegie), lots of Forensics awards, National Commended, GL Scholar, AP Scholar with Honors</p>

<p>Essays: Worked really hard on the essays and they were all extremely creative.</p>

<p>ECs: Piano, Fencing, Track, NHS, SHS, Forensics, President of a Community Service Club and Treasurer or an Environmental Club, worked at a dental office, tutored kids, a lab assistant, Columbia SHP, New Jersey Governor’s School, and a couple other things that I can’t remember off the top of my head :smiley: </p>

<p>Teacher Recs: Counselor said they were amazing!
Counselor Rec: Wonderful!</p>

<p>Hook (if any): Tore my ACL 2 times, performed at Carnegie.</p>

<p>State or Country: NJ
School Type: Large Public and an extremely competitive school.
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Other Factors: Legacy</p>

<p>General Comments: So happy! It was so nerve racking with the countdown T__T Another girl in my school got in by being recruited!
Also, my guidance counselor did get a call from the regional officer, I’m wondering if anyone else who got in got a call?</p>

77

<p>Decision: ACCEPTED to CC (Glory Be To God)</p>

<p>Stats:
ACT: 31
SAT IIs: 730 Math II, 700 Math I, 670 Lit, 670 Bio E
GPA: 3.81 UW, 5.04 W
Rank: 13/656</p>

<p>Other stats:</p>

<p>Subjective:
Essays: I thought it was pretty splendid. My english teacher said it was the best one she had read so far. </p>

<p>ECs: Drummer and Singer at Church, Tutor, Research Internship, Founded nonprofit organization that helps promote literacy, Boys and Girls Club Volunteer, Independent Student Researcher, Science Olympiad etc…</p>

<p>Teacher Recs: I didn’t read them, but I believe they were good.</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: My counselor is amazing! She really loves me and I’m sure she wrote very highly of me in my rec.</p>

<p>Hook (if any): God! ;)</p>

<p>Location/Person: USA</p>

<p>State or Country: USA</p>

<p>School Type:Public</p>

<p>Ethnicity: African-American</p>

<p>Gender: Female</p>

<p>Other Factors:</p>

<p>General Comments: I’m really grateful to God because without Him I wouldn’t have been accepted! Trust the Lord with all your heart and everything will fall into place. I was honestly nervous for the past month but I prayed and watched old episodes of really funny television shows online to help me cope. It all came together and now with God’s grace I can finally call myself a Columbian! To the Regular Decision applicants and to Columbia’s future class of 2017, you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you. (Philippians 4:13)</p>

78

<p>[ size=+1][ color=blue][ b]Decision: Accepted!!! [ /b][ /color][ /size]</p>

<p>[ b]Stats:[ /b][ list]
[ *] SAT: 1750
[ *] SAT IIs: 500 Math, 500 Lit, 400 History
[ *] GPA:3.75
[ *] Rank:3
[ *] Other stats:
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[ /b][ list]
[ *] Essays: really deep and meaningful personal essay
[ *] ECs: Editor in chief of newspaper, fencing captain, president of youth and government and Model UN, General Assembly vice-chair for MUN, Senate President Youth and Government. Won the biggest award in my scool for leadership, academics, and athletics. A lot more stuff.
[ *] Teacher Recs: i had three all of them were good
[ *] Counselor Rec: same as teacher recs
[ *] Hook (if any): idk. i dont think there was any besides I have done a lot at my high school.
[ /list][ b]Location/Person:[ /b][ list]
[ *] State or Country: NJ
[ *] School Type:Prep
[ *] Ethnicity:white
[ *] Gender:male
[ /list][ b]Other Factors:[ /b]
[ b]General Comments:[ /b] so happy I got in despite my lackluster sat’s and horrendous sat II’s</p>

79

<p>[ size=+1][ color=blue][ b]Decision: ACCEPTED [ /b][ /color][ /size]</p>

<p>[ b]Stats:[ /b][ list]
[ *] SAT: 2310 (Reading: 740, Math 790, Writing 780)
[ *] SAT IIs: 800 US history, 800 World history
[ *] GPA: 4.43 on 4.0 scale (weighted)
[ *] Rank: 1/98
[ *] Other stats:</p>

<p>[ /list][ b]Subjective:[ /b][ list]
[ *] Essays: Common App essay was phenomenal;really unique topic. Supplement was so-so.
[ *] ECs: Student government, internship, secretary job, hospital volunteer, Model Un, Quiz Bowl, tons more etc etc
[ *] Teacher Recs: Didn’t read but pretty sure they were amazing.
[ *] Counselor Rec: Same.
[ *] Hook (if any): Subjective information definitely; letters of recs, essays, and parent history (both immigrants from Middle East).
[ /list][ b]Location/Person:[ /b][ list]
[ *] State or Country: Georgia
[ *] School Type: Private Christian
[ *] Ethnicity: Left blank; Persian but technically white (discussed in depth in supplement)
[ *] Gender: Male
[ /list][ b]Other Factors: Several local, state, and national awards for leadership and what not [ /b]
[ b]General Comments: Although I kind of expected to get in, I’m still shocked! Good luck to everyone deferred and applying regular! Class of 2017 applicants start sooner than later![ /b]</p>

80

<p>Decision: Accepted!!!</p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>SAT: 1590 (510 math, 580 critical reading, 500 writing)
SAT IIs: 450 French (lol), 600 Math I, 640 English
Bio AP 3, BC Calc AP 2 (I never took BC but I read the book over the course of about 3 weeks and thought that I could do okay on the AP)
GPA: 3.35/4
Rank: my school doesn’t rank</p>

<p>Essays: They were pretty strong. I worked really hard on them, and I think they’re really genuine. I wrote about how the fact that I’m not a racial minority has never hindered my success in life. A bit controversial, but I guess the administration office didn’t mind. The supplements were pretty awful. I just copied and pasted from other apps. haha!</p>

<p>ECs: JV cheerleading (2 years), ballet (3 years) math team in 10th grade (I didn’t think I was being challenged enough, so I stopped), Recycling Club, President of Fashion Club.</p>

<p>Teacher Recs: Really good.
Counselor Rec: Probably bad. She hates me so much.
Hook (if any): My dad went to Columbia undergrad.
State or Country: New Jersey
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Final Comments: No idea how I got it. Pretty shocking. Just goes to show you that anything can happen.</p>