***Official Columbia University Class of 2018 ED Results ONLY***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
41

<p>**Decision: Accepted - CC **</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2360 (two sittings, superscored) CR - 800, M - 770, W - 790
[</em>] SAT IIs: Literature - 720, World History - 720, Math Level 2 - 800
[<em>] GPA: School doesn’t calculate, but would be equivalent to a 4.0 I think
[</em>] Rank: School doesn’t report
[<em>] Other stats: Course load : English HL, History HL, Economics HL, Hindi SL, Math Studies SL, ESS SL (goes to show that it wasn’t a challenging course load, but I was good at what I’d taken up!)
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: They were great I think. Especially the Why Columbia Essay and the Favorite Book one. PM if you want to know more!
[<em>] ECs: Prefect, Editor-in-chief and Editor of many school magazines, Secretary-General of MUN, lots of awards in writing, debating and MUN, etc., leader of some community service activities, etc.
[</em>] Teacher Recs: They were by History and English teachers, pretty awesome!
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Terrific!
[</em>] Hook (if any): None I can think of in particular
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: India
[</em>] School Type: Private - around 500, residential all boys
[<em>] Ethnicity: Indian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[/ul]Other Factors:
General Comments: There are a million things in an application that can go right, and another million things that can go wrong. PM me if you want any help - whether you’re viewing this this month, or for the class of 2019, 2020 or beyond! Cheers!</p>

42

<p>Decision: Accepted - SEAS
Objective:
• SAT I (breakdown):didn’t take
• ACT: C-35, M-36, R-35, E-35, S-34
• SAT II: Math 2-800, Math1-750, Chemistry-730
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.22
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):na
• AP (place score in parenthesis):Calc AB-5, English Lang-4, Stat-5, Spanish-4, Euro-5
• IB (place score in parenthesis):
• Senior Year Course Load:AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP English Lit, AP US, Chem II H,
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi-Finalist, AP Scholar with distinction, National Spanish Exam Gold medal 3 years,
Subjective:
• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Volleyball Varisty 5 years (Captain senior year,All-State 3 years
Volleyball club 4 years
Honor Council (rep 3 years, President senior year)
NHS (secretary junior year, president senior year)
Spanish Club (treasurer junior year, secretary senior year)
Piano (2nd in state 3 years, placed in region 4)</p>

<p>• Job/Work Experience:
Secrerary 3 years in doctor’s office
• Volunteer/Community service:
Nursing home bingo weekly, piano playing at nursing home, mission trip
• Summer Activities:
• Essays: good very genuine
• Teacher Recommendation: great and personable (my school is small)
• Counselor Rec:great
• Additional Rec:
• Interview: short but smooth and easy-going, positive
Other
• State (if domestic applicant): Louisiana
• Country (if international applicant):
• School Type: private
• Ethnicity: white (Lebanese)
• Gender: Female
• Income Bracket: above 200K
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
• Strengths: GPA, test scores, essays
• Weaknesses: (Chemistry subject test)
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:all around application, essays were good
• Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:na
General Comments:
I’m so excited!!!</p>

43

<p>**Decision: Rejected - CC **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT: Supercored - 2320(800 CR, 770 M, 750 W/ 11Essay)
ACT (Not Sent) 33 one sitting
SAT II: 750 Math II, 730 Physics, 730 literature
Ranking: School doesn’t rank
GPA: UW(with 2 Aps Soph and 5 Junior, and 4 senior year) 3.75 </p>

<p>Aps(got the 8 Ap exam award): </p>

<p>Calc BC 5
Calc AB 5
European Hist 4
Us Hist 4
Spanish Lang 3
English Lang 4
US Gov 4
Human Geo 4
Physics B 5
Microeconomics 4</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load:AP Art HS, AP World HS, AP Macroeconomics, AP English Literature, Linear Algebra</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Founded a state-wide economics club, into its third year now. I am president this year and the club is in around 15 schools.
  • I competed in the Euro Challenge and was a finalist(4th place).
  • Debate, top speaker at Harvard tournament. 4th in state.
  • Participant in Siemens Research Tournament
  • Did research with a bell labs scientist(He runs a small EC school, where i also teach kids and am a research assistant)
  • School wind ensemble for 6 years.
  • 4 years of Squash
  • 3 years of cross country
  • Lead my school economics club.</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Volunteer at a Columbia Graduate Lab(only high schooler there). Got a recommendation from the head of the lab. </p>

<p>Intern at an international wealth management firm.</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service:

  • Teach kids math for few hours a week with the bell labs scientist.
  • Tour guide at my school.
  • In a mentorship program for middle schoolers in my school.(2 years participant, 1 year as leader)
  • Student government.
  • Peer leader in a school program(2 years).
  • Part of food drives and gift drives at school</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
School Type: competitive private
Gender:male , Indian
Income Bracket: >200k
Teacher Recommendation: Asked two teachers that know me well. I read one of them, it was pretty good.
Hooks: None really(Rec from professor, maybe)</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths:EC. AP scores.
Weaknesses: I guess GPA. Probably ethnicity too.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I really can’t say. School usually sends 4 kids to columbia each year; none got in early this year.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:None at the moment</p>

<p>Comments: Sucks, but whatever.</p>

44

<p>Decision: Rejected </p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I: N/A
ACT: 29
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/120
AP (place score in parenthesis): No Clue
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Calculus AB, AP Euro, Physics, Multi Media Productions
Major Awards: Walter E. Watts Leadership Scholarship, Student of the Year Finalist, Louisiana State Best Attorney of the Year
Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Beta Club President, Key Club President, Ambassador Chairman, Mock Trial Team Captain, Student Government Representative, Varsity Lacrosse 4 years
Job/Work Experience: Waiter 2 years, contractor 2 years
Volunteer/Community service: Working at homeless shelters
Summer Activities: Boy’s State, Boy’s Nation
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9.5ish
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9.5ish
Teacher Rec #1: I would assume they were written very well
Teacher Rec #2: Same
Counselor Rec: She likes me a lot, so it would be very good
Additional Rec: Nope
Other:
State (if domestic applicant):Louisiana
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Private, Catholic
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Not sure, Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Reflection: I think I tried my best, but it just wasn’t in the plan. I’m really happy for all the other kids that did get in, it’s a very big compliment and I hope you the best of luck as a Lion!
Strengths: Essay, Rec letters, Extra Curricular, GPA
Weaknesses: Obviously Test Scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my test scores hurt me and I obviously wasn’t a good fit. Regardless, I’ll end up where I’m supposed to be and I congratulate all the people that got in!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Still waiting to hear back from UChicago, Rice, Vanderbilt, Brown, WashU, and UVA Accepted: LSU honors college, Tulane Waitlisted: Rejected:</p>

45

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (780 W 760 M 730 CR)
ACT: Didn’t take
SAT II: 770 USH 760 BIO E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School doesn’t do unweighted; 4.40 weighted.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/276
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH, Bio, Stats (all 5’s)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem AP Lit AP Calc AP Span AP Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, Harvard Book Award, and then a bunch of random in school/state awards…
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National honor society (historian) Rotary/Interact (Treasurer) SADD (co-chair) National Spanish Honor Society (VP) Youth based volunteer group, Habitat for Humanity, Adventures in missions, etc.
Job/Work Experience: Worked two seasonal jobs that were heavy on hours (35 per week about.) and currently working at a steady 20 hr/week job during senior year
Volunteer/Community service: Countless hundreds of hours given at a hospital along with tons of community service in my hometown, mission trips across the country and various other things.
Summer Activities: Part of my EC’s above
Essays: I think they were good and probably what got me in. Common app was about spending the summer volunteering at Yale and getting to know a young boy with cancer, wrote my supplements very open-mindedly; wrote about the core curriculum, struggles we face in society today, my aspirations for medicine, etc.
Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t see either of them but got recc’s from my AP Bio and APUSH teachers who both really love me; I worked after school and did a lot of tutoring for APUSH and I’m a TA this year for my AP Bio teacher so we’re really close.
Counselor Rec: Didn’t see it but was most likely generic; counselor loved me, but he’s not the best.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Went extremely well. Guy loved me and said he was going to send back a great report and all that. It probably helped.
State (if domestic applicant): CT
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Small public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: ~$130000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen college + first gen American. Speak four languages, etc.
Reflection
Strengths: Grades and test scores definitely didn’t hurt, also my hooks are appealing I suppose to some schools. My essays I truly believe did it for me.
Weaknesses: A lack of leadership and a variety of EC’s, besides that I kind of covered most things.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly I could not tell you. I was not expecting acceptance at all yet here I am. I really think my essays were really heartfelt and definitely grabbed the attention of the admissions committee. They were my pride and joy.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Columbia ED was the only one I’ve heard so far.
General Comments: I really am taken aback. I don’t know what else to say or how to convey how surprised I am at acceptance. Congratulations to all who got in, and those who were deferred or rejected, keep your head up and things will be fine. Columbia is definitely not the end all.</p>

<p>Go Columbia Lions!! CC’18!!</p>

46

<p>Decision: Accepted - SEAS</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):2220 (710R,800M,710W)
[</em>] ACT: 35
[<em>] SAT II:
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 75/760 (there’s a story behind this & GPA)
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), Chemistry (5), Psychology (4), Spanish Language (5), English Language (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc I/II, AP Physics B, Band, AP English IV, Astronomy
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi-Finalist, NASA Aerospace Scholar, Columbia Engineering Experience</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band (top 10 in state of Texas, Sax/Low Reeds Section Leader), Math/Science UIL Academic Team, FM Youth Action Council, Ambassador, Chess Club (VP), National/Math/Science Honor Societies, etc…
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: NTSSA Competitive Soccer Referee (for almost 6 years)
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 150+ hours - math/AP sciences/chess/saxophone/spanish tutor, weekly volunteering to various low-income elementary schools (founded chess clubs, breakfast buddies, free sax lessons), town council volunteering, and a lot of other random one-time things
[</em>] Summer Activities: lots and lots of summer classes
[<em>] Essays: probably my strongest area
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: both very good
[<em>] Counselor Rec: excellent
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview: this went really well!
[</em>] Supplementary Material:</p>

<p>[/ul] b]Other**[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Texas
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Hispanic
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): <60K
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: essays, extra-curriculars, apparent and immense improvement throughout high school (hence the low rank/GPA; I actually jumped 260 ranks in two years and came from a 2.9 GPA freshman year), current grades
[</em>] Weaknesses: SAT scores (took it 4 times and each time got worse…), grades (prior to sophomore year)
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: PFFT. hell if I know. I think being accepted to and attending CE^2 was huge. I got to meet my admissions officers and even stayed in contact with the director of engineering recruitment via email. my essays usually show a lot of character and humility rather than flaunting my achievements.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: …none…</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments: Honestly, I’m completely shell-shocked. I’ve had moments in that past 24 hours where I sat there and truly convinced myself that I had just read the letter wrong and that I’m not going to Columbia. But I am going. And I feel amazing.</p>

<p>I’m pretty sure I’ll be one of those profiles that future applicants will feel comforted by, hahaha. I just feel like there are so many other amazing applicants and that I’m just really lucky… but hey, I’m not complaining!</p>

47

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

<p>Objective
•GPA: 4.0 UW/ 4.33 W
•Rank 2/510
•ACT- 36 (one sitting) 35 English, 9 essay lol
•SAT: 2260- 710 CR/750 MA/800 WR (11 essay)- Didn’t send.
•SAT II: 760 Math 2/ 800 Bio M
•IBs: Bio SL (6)
•APs: 6 total: Calc AB (5), US History (4), Enviro Sci (5)- self study, Bio (5), Stats (5), Euro (5)
•Senior course load: AP Gov, AP Econ, IB Math HL, IB Chem HL, IB History HL, IB English 12 HL, IB Spanish 5 SL, AP CompSci</p>

<p>Awards
•Sci Olympiad High School 6 Gold and 3 Silver Medals at State
•Boy’s State County Comissioner
•State Science Bowl 1st place
•AP Scholar with Distinction
•National Merit Commeded</p>

<p>Subjective-Extracurriculars
• Science Olympiad (6-12th)- Captain of HS team. I coach middle school SO events every year. Team got 2nd at state the past 2 years.
• Alabama Water Watch (11-12th)- Certified Water Chemistry and Bacteriology Monitor. Volunteer Monitor around the city assessing water quality. Lab Technician for AWW
• Science Bowl (10-12th)- Captain. Host practices in spring. I coach middle school science bowl.
• Youth in Government (10-12th)- Mock Trial Team Captain, Top 3 in State Officers Exam, School Secretary
• Junior Varsity Tennis (10-12th)- undefeated last year
• Tiger Ambassadors (10-12th)- hosts of high school, interview and applicaiton process to get accepted.
• Junior Civitan (10-12th) - Vice President
•Summer: Volunter work for Alabama Water Watch. Worked one summer at a camp</p>

<p>•Intended Major: Earth and Environmental Sciences
•Essay: pretty good essay, I wrote about living without my parents but didn’t make it a sob story .
•Recommendation 1: IB Bio teacher, pretty good. I was always interested in her class.
•Recommendation 2: IB English teacher, very good, knows me very well.
•Counselor: very good, I think he talked about my family situation again. </p>

<p>Other
•Ethnicity: Chinese
•Gender: M
•Income: very low (20-40k)</p>

<p>Reflection
Weaknesses/Strengths
• Weaknesses- No real national awards, didn’t send SATs
• Strengths- No parents in high school? Alabama?(this could be a weakness)
•Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly no idea, maybe just because of my unique family situation. Unique major?
•Where else you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Auburn University lol, but I’m so excited. Columbia 2018!!! For those of you who got in, look foward to seeing you there. For those who didn’t, don’t stress too much. There’s plenty of other great schools!</p>

48

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

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2200 (740R/660M/800W)
ACT: 33 (34/34/34/31M) didnt send (too lazy and waste of money)
SAT II: 730 Lit, 770 US history
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93 (b’s in art electives lol…) upward trend from low a’s to high
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6%
AP (place score in parenthesis): ap lang (5) apush (5) ap chem (4) ap gov (4) ap world (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: ap calc bc, ap lit, ap psych, ap art 2d, ap bio, directed study, reg econ
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): scholastic’s art and writing gold key, questbridge finalist </p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): president/founder of model un, president of a minor club, programs director of jr civitan, coordinator for nonprofit, family responsibilities, published poetry in 5-6 lit mags
Job/Work Experience: intern at local newspaper
Volunteer/Community service: substantial
Summer Activities: church activities
Essays: good. my strength is writing
Teacher Recommendation: didnt read. they like/love me, and know me very well.
Counselor Rec: didnt read, but she knows me pretty well
Additional Rec: nope
Interview: nope </p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): ga
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: rich public
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: within the bracket for SAT fee waivers
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation (parents went to college in the motherland), low income, published poet</p>

<p>Strengths: ecs and passion
Weaknesses: test scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: no idea, i think it was on accident hahaha
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted into public state school
General Comments: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH</p>

49

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (I know lol) single sitting, 790 CR, 760 W,530 M (I know lol)
ACT: n/a
SAT II: didn’t take yet
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): Environmental Science (4), U.S. History (5), Languange and Composition (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Physics, AP Government, Inro to Calculus, AP English Literature, College Spanish, Economics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Cross countty (team captain), Track and field, Bible Study Club, Girl Scouts (Ambassador)
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: Girl Scouts
Summer Activities: n/a (I know)
Essays: Very strong. I had a lot of help from College Confidential (Thanks guys!) and got good feedback from teachers.
Teacher Recommendation: Should be strong. I am close to both teachers.
Counselor Rec: I think it should be good. The counselor likes me
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Went pretty well. I messed up sometimes and may have said some stupid things, but overall I think it went pretty well.</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: Competitive public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Recruited athlete with likely letter</p>

<p>Reflection: I know I would have never gotten in without sports. Regardless, I am ecstatic and can’t wait to become a Columbia Lion. When I was first beginning to be recruited, I felt immediately that I was going to be at Columbia.
Strengths: Essays and recs
Weaknesses: SAT Scores, GPA, pretty much everything else, lol. My stats are very week and I don’t have a lot of extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Again, recruited athlete
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I only applied to Columbia
General Comments: I’m happy it’s official. Columbia can’t come fast enough!</p>

50

<p>Decision: Rejected - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2080 740M 710CR 630WR
ACT:
SAT II: 660 Chem, 710 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.64/5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~25/~400
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Lang & Comp (5), APUSH (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics B, AP Calc AB, Honors English, AP Psych, Mixed Choir, Honors Mandarin V
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Two Time All-District & All-State Cross Country Academic Team</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Cross country (captain), Varsity Hockey, Varsity Outdoor Track, Student Ambassador to the Mass. Interscholastic Athletic Association, Club Hockey, Lead Singer of 2 bands, NHS
Job/Work Experience: Chinese Tutor, Scorekeeper at Hockey Rink
Volunteer/Community service: Elementary School Enrichment Summer Program, Help out at elementary schools during the school year for NHS, Volunteered at Middle School Hockey clinic one summer
Summer Activities: ^^
Essays: Good, not overly spectacular though
Teacher Recommendation: Good, haven’t read them but one was from my Chinese Teacher of 6 years and one from AP English teacher, talked with her a lot about my essay/rec and grew a lot in her class
Counselor Rec: Good
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none, once I realized I hadn’t gotten an interview I figured I’d been denied</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant):MA
Country (if international applicant):USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: essays, variety of skills
Weaknesses: nothing stands out in 1 particular area, SATS and GPA a bit on the low side
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Columbia’s an excellent school, just didn’t stack up, especially as a suburban white kid
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Tualne and Fordham
General Comments: Congratulations to all those accepted!</p>

51

<p>Decision: Accepted - SEAS</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>ACT: 34
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, IB Studies, IB Mandarin, IB English, IB Physics, IB HOTA
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP scholar with honor</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Rowing, Student Council (VP), Tutoring</p>

<p>Essays:
Teacher Recommendation: very good
Counselor Rec: very good
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none
Other
State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Recruited Athlete</p>

52

<p>Fender mender, how did you work in a USC lab? I would love to do that!</p>

53

<p>Decision: Accepted CC
SAT I (breakdown): 2170, 2 sittings (790W, 750R, 730M)
ACT:33
SAT II: 780 Chem, 750 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 98/100
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/52
AP: 5 on chem (which is the only AP offered at my school)
IB (place score in parenthesis): no
Senior Year Course Load: College English, College Molec Bio, Govt, Regents Physics, College Spanish Year 2, College Public Speaking, (college courses taken at high school from certified teachers)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, School Award for Tenacity in Statistical Problem Solving
Subjective:
Extracurriculers (place leadership in parenthesis): 3-Year Captain of 3-time Class D State Cross Country Champion team, 1-year track captain, 4 years track and XC, 2nd place for XC in NYS in class D (numerous top-12 finished throughout HS), qualified 2013 for Junior Olympic Track Nationals, broke lots of school records and 1 all-time, all-school-size county record for a relay, summer local track club, 4-year member of language club and envirothon (hosted exchange student, went on cultural and language host immersion trip), Catholic church (sacraments, oldest in choir), school musical (a lead senior year) school select voice group, 4 years piano, student council co-president (started fundraisers and newspaper), 2 years high school bowl (qualified for nationals)
Job/Work Experience: 4-year summer job at local market
Volunteer/Community service: Sunday school teacher, tutor 1 hour per week for a seventh-grader
Summer Activities: cross country camp, work, spend a million horrid hours studying for standardized tests (ha, still recommend it, kids.)
Essays: I seriously spend 40 hours on these things, because the Columbia app is so long. they were REALLY good. I drafted the main commonapp essay a lot of times, and had my english teacher read them. it was about my summer job, and how much I love living in my town; I wrote about this because it shows “where I come from,” and I thought it would be unique in its simplicity. it included a lot of personal details. supplements were about love of performing, love of literature, love of writing, interest in chemistry, desire to make a positive change in the world with what I know, and of course love of Columbia for the last one. they were extremely personal. my “on-your-own” reading lists filled up the pages, and I wrote little descriptions of why I like the publications/required reading, because I didn’t fill up the space.
Teacher Recommendation: AMAZING. One of my teachers explicitly stated, in his letter, that it was the best recommendation he’s ever written. I submitted 3. They were all glowing and personal, from people I’ve known a long time.
Counselor Rec: Great, she loves me, I’ve come to her office to ask school a lot, and she knows me as stud-co co-pres
Additional Rec: nope
Interview: nope, never contacted
Other
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: tiny public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: F
Income Bracket: high. no aid whatsoever
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none.
Reflection: happy. I feel that Columbia is truly the best school for my personal characteristics, and I think I fit in really well there; I did an overnight before applying ED. Showing that Columbia is the “place for you” (if it is) can really, really help; for RD applicants, show how you’ll further blossom at Columbia, and why the culture of NYC/CU is good for you, and v.v.
Strengths: Essays, grades, recommendation, reading list (my essays and reading lists approached Columbia’s emphasis on being informed/well-read really well, said I want to be a high-impact citizen and approached my want for the Core that way, love NYC
Weaknesses: School doesn’t offer APs. I am the absolute most over-represented student group (white wealthy)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: because I love NYC and Columbia, my essays really showed who I am and why they are good for me, my teachers’ recommendations were amazing, my tests/grades could at least get my application looked at more closely
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: didn’t apply elsewhere
General Comments: I definitely wasn’t banking on acceptance. I thought it was possible, but I honestly had no idea. To non-acceptees, if you think Columbia is truly the school for you, maybe apply again and see what happens, either RD if you got deferred or as a transfer student if you got rejected. I have read these posts from past years, and honestly, I don’t think you should take rejection very personally. Maybe admissions missed something; it seems that a lot of the time, it takes quite a bit of luck, to get accepted. Apply elsewhere, shoot for the moon, see what happens . . . you have lots of other great options, and you never know where you’ll get in. Admissions at any school could potentially see something in you that they like. You never know what they are looking for. Good luck to all. You guys are all great :)</p>

54

<p>Hi everyone!</p>

<p>Congratulations to all of you who have been accepted to Columbia ED. I was wondering if any of you are one of the four named scholars at Columbia. If so, did you receive the notification that you’re a scholar only online or by mail? Do ED applicants get considered for named scholarships at all?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

55

<p>Decision: Accepted - SEAS</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (800 W, 730 CR, 760 M)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 800 US History, 800 Math II, 730 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school doesn’t release unweighted GPA. My weighted GPA is a 4.4.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): My school doesn’t rank.
AP (place score in parenthesis): United States Government and Politics (5), Physics B (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish Language, AP Calc BC, Honors Orchestra (First Chair Violist), AP Literature and Composition, Honors Entrepreneurship, AP Physics C
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): President’s Volunteer Service Award, National Merit Commended Scholar, Model UN: Best Novice and Gavel, Model Congress: Four Honorable Mentions and a Gavel in Full Session</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Spanish Club (President), Gay-Straight Alliance (Vice-President), Teen Leadership Committee (Executive Co-Chair), Model Congress Club (Executive Officer), Model UN, Regional Orchestras and String Ensembles, Math Team, First Robotics (Integration), Policy Debate
Summer Activities: Study Abroad program in Madrid, Spain for a month, Camp for 6 years
Essays: I was very proud of my essays. I worked very hard on them. They definitely helped my application.
Teacher Recommendation: Calc teacher (2 years) and Spanish teacher (3 years)! Both are great and were enthusiastic about my application.
Counselor Rec: She loves me! I have a great guidance counselor. Even though I go to a large public school, we are very close.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Went alright, could have gone better
Supplementary Material: None</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): Prefer not to say
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, Extra curriculars, Interview
Weaknesses: SAT I, No Hook
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I reached out to my regional admissions officer and various engineering professors. Also, I attended various programs on campus.
General Comments: Congrats, everyone!!! I am SO excited for next fall. I can’t wait for August. If you are reading this and were rejected/deferred, I’m sorry :frowning: Know that isn’t the end! College Admissions require some luck. I got into Columbia but was deferred from UChicago and MIT. You win some, you lose some - & you will end up at a great school!</p>

56

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (single sitting-800 CR/770 M/750 W 10 essay)
ACT:
SAT II: 780 Math 2, 760 Physics (so happy this didn’t come back to haunt me)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): No GPA but under the British O & A-Level system.
In O-levels: 9A* and 1 A
In AS-Level: 4 A’s
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5% (Came first in my section 9 years in a row :stuck_out_tongue: )
AP (place score in parenthesis): No APs
IB (place score in parenthesis):</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: 4 A-Level subjects (Math,History,Economics and Physics) plus a Pre-University course offered by Cambridge University known as Global Perspectives and Research which is only offered to a handful of schools worldwide and to only 2 in South-East Asia. In school this course is offered to students with the highest term marks and O-level grades and with Physics and History made my course load very rigorous.</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 1 of 2 students chosen to represent the only Pakistani school at an international symposium hosted by Winchester College in Prague.</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: (place leadership in parenthesis): Head Boy of school- both Valedictorian and Student Body President.
Captain of school U-19 debate team this year- Led the team to victory in a regional championship and won the National Championships (where I destroyed RedCapedWonder’s team btw :P) Won a few more regional championships and semi-finalist at U-17 National Championships. Shortlisted for national team multiple times; nationally ranked debater.</p>

<p>Theatre: Lead role and organizer of an independent commercial play which raised funds for victims of a bomb blast.</p>

<p>Founder of the Philosophy Club, Council Member of the Economics Club</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Interned at a vocational training center winter of sophomore year.</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: 120 hours at an orphanage. 30 hours at a school for special children.</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Nothing substantial.</p>

<p>Essays: CommonApp centered on a meaningful and quirky part of my childhood; it’s difficult for me to actualize my work but whoever I showed it to thought it solid.
Supplements: Why Columbia and essay on extracurricular were very good but the other two I thought were definitely weak since I wrote them the night before deadline.</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation: Excellent.
Counselor Rec: Head Boy should have helped to make it good.
Additional Rec:
Interview: Very strange; my interviewer and I didn’t click and even though he was from my school, he hated it and hence did not really appreciate me being Head Boy of it.</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Pakistan
School Type: Private. Considered best in country and internationally recognized and competitive sending 8-10 kids to Ivies and Oxbridge every year.
Ethnicity: Same as the Ivy in Providence.
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Around 80k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy (Dad did undergrad from SEAS).</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: SAT 1, Had two major leadership positions in school, grades, successful debater on a national level, CommonApp essay I felt represented me positively and was quirky. I’m sure my legacy definitely was a differentiating factor for me (although I hope it wasn’t a major factor)
Weaknesses: SAT 2, Supplements maybe-did 2 of them the night before deadline, EC too focused on debates, no conspicuous wow factor.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Haven’t heard back from anywhere else and don’t care!</p>

<p>General Comments: Guess Friday 13th was lucky for me because getting this decision is something that I’ve been working towards and hoping for most of High School-my username is completely dedicated to Columbia so to actually be part of the Lions community is something that has yet to fully sink in and like many of those accepted I’m having a hard time grasping that I’ll be spending the next 4 years at Columbia in New York! I’m elated beyond words to get into my top choice and to avoid pesky college apps-it feels gratifying to see that the adcoms thought I was a good fit for the school. To those waitlisted/deferred/rejected- I know it seems cliché and hollow when a lot of posts talk how about you’ll get in somewhere that suits you, especially if your heart was set on Columbia, but after seeing you guys on CC I’d just like to say that it is Columbia’s loss for not taking you and it will work out for you guys one way or another.</p>

<p>To those thinking of applying next year, it feels surreal that I’m now in a position to give you advice on this, but remember that CC is not the Holy Book so take everything with a grain of salt. Start early, be focused, but don’t let this process consume you! Also, make sure you represent yourself with one strong theme throughout the app and have EC’s with depth not width to give adcoms a tangible idea of how you can contribute to the university community.</p>

<p>Ciao-About to go re-read my acceptance letter!</p>

57

<p>Decision: Accepted - CC YAYYYYY</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 superscore (m-800, r-640, w-800)
ACT: didn’t take
SAT II: math 2-800, bio m- 790, german-660 (HUGE MISTAKE)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): our school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Bio (4), AP US (4), Ap World (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): I’m American
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP Stat, AP Euro (the only really difficult course), a regular english, Health, Gym
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): lots of ballet (takes up most of my time), Model UN, Charity Club, Some extracurricular math, tutoring,
Job/Work Experience: lots of babysitting
Volunteer/Community service: bout 25 hrs: tutoring, fundraising, performing with local organizations
Summer Activities: lots of dance (6-8 weeks), volunteering at a cancer research lab
Essays: wrote my common app about my relationship with ballet (described it as a supportive partner in ballet and referenced specific ballets)
Teacher Recommendation: Bio and Math teachers, I’ve had both for 2 years and have a very good relationship with both
Counselor Rec: a specific arts counselor that knows a lot about my ballet
Additional Rec: dance teacher from prestigious NY schools, and someone from the cancer lab
Interview: had it with a local alumni, we went to Starbucks and just talked about our interests, she had danced at the school I am currently at, it was pretty chill but I was terrified before hand</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: public high school
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: ~100k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation born in US, fully bilingual in Russian and English</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: SAT scores, lots of difficult classes, high level of dedication shown to dance,
Weaknesses: Several A-'s and a B on my transcript, not too much community service, essay
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m honestly shocked that I got in because I feel like I’m an above average student but don’t really stand out. I visited Columbia for an arts-specific tour and go the impression that they were trying to expand their arts reputation. I think they wanted me for my skill and love of ballet.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Penn State University, University of Indiana (honors college too and Jacobs School of Music),
General Comments: I am sooo excited to meet everyone next year! Good Luck! It’s gonna be a lot of work next year.</p>

58

<p>Sorry, forgot to do this earlier.</p>

<p>Decision: Rejected - CC</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<pre><code>SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (760W, 730CR, 650M)
ACT: 32 (35E, 34R, 32S, 27M)
SAT II: NA
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.77/4.1
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/167
AP (place score in parenthesis): World (3), Psych (5), USH (4), Lit (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Lit, AP Macro, AP Gov, AP Bio, AP Chem, Physics, AP Human
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None really, NM Commended, AP Scholar w/ Honor
</code></pre>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<pre><code>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Quiz Bowl Team (captain), Book Club, Chess Club, Interact Club, Mock Trial Team, Freshman mentor
Job/Work Experience: Volunteer job at a thrift store
Volunteer/Community service: 125 hours
Summer Activities: Summer volunteer job at a NFP business
Essays: Some were pretty good, I felt my one about the EC wasn’t very good however
Teacher Recommendation: All were really good from 3 teachers I know very well
Counselor Rec: Idk, don’t know my counselor that well
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Yep, went well
</code></pre>

<p>Other</p>

<pre><code>State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Small, public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 75k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
</code></pre>

<p>Reflection</p>

<pre><code>Strengths: Well-rounded
Weaknesses: Not great in any one area
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Average candidate, low GPA, low test scores, strength of applicant pool
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Stetson (in FL), awaiting many more.
</code></pre>

59

<p>CC - ACCEPTED!!! :D</p>

<pre><code>SAT I (breakdown): 560 M (LOL), 730 R, 680 W
ACT: 28 (didn’t send)
SAT II: Spanish 730 English Lit 680 US 700
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Lang (5) Psych (5) APUSH (5) APES (3) Spanish (5) World H (4)
</code></pre>

<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): not available at my school
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc (LOL), AP Bio, AP Econ, AP Gov, AP English Lit, Photography
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar W/ Distiction, Questbridge College Prep (I think that’s it???)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<pre><code>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Kiwin’s, Red Cross, LULAC (treasurer), Culture Club (VP)
Job/Work Experience: part-time job as a cashier
Volunteer/Community service: just the stuff with Kiwin’s & Red Cross
Summer Activities: worked
Essays: wrote about my family situation (it’s really complicated)
Teacher Recommendation: I know one of them was superb - he was a Columbia grad so that might have helped! Don’t know about the other.
Counselor Rec: She likes me, but I don’t know about the letter.
Additional Rec:
Interview: GREAT!! When I told him I was accepted, he told me that my interview stood out the most.
</code></pre>

<p>Other</p>

<pre><code>State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Public in a really “bad” area
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >15,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first gen, drug addict parents
</code></pre>

<p>Reflection</p>

<pre><code>Strengths: hooks, interview, letter
Weaknesses: SAT, not involved enough.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I don’t know but I’m not gonna question it
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: cal state san diego lol
</code></pre>

<p>General Comments: Admissions are weird. I cried. I didn’t think I had a chance. Everyone who was accepted (and most of you who were rejected) are geniuses so I’m a but intimidated.
P.S I did a “chance me” post for Columbia…and no one had hope, including myself. Surprise, surprise. ;)</p>

60

<p>Decision: Waitlisted - CC</p>

<p>Objective:
• SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (800W, 740CR, 710M)
• ACT: didn’t take
• SAT II: 800 Math II, 750 Math I, 740 Chem, 740 German w/ Listening
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): international school; 5.95 (gpa is out of 6.0)
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): -
• AP (place score in parenthesis): Psych (5), Chem (5), German (5), English and Lang (5)
• IB (place score in parenthesis): -
• Senior Year Course Load:
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): ASSIST Scholar, Earle Grover Award Scholar, Placed 1st in the country at German Olympiad, Placed 1st in PA at German Exam during exchange year in the US; AP Scholar with Honor (which I forgot to put in); School (minor) awards: Best AP English Student; Best Advanced German Student</p>

<p>Subjective:
• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): A cappella group (President); LGBT Club (Founding member); School newspaper (Features editor); Musical theatre (mostly lead roles); German Shakespeare Society (member); completed a major independent project funded by award
• Job/Work Experience: Intern at National Oncology Hospital; Intern at Red Cross; Intern at Health Psychology Research Center
• Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at Red Cross for 5 years
• Summer Activities: includes the job and volunteer experience; participated in International German Olympiad (didn’t win)
• Essays:
• Teacher Recommendation: one is stellar; the other one is pretty good
• Counselor Rec: average
• Additional Rec: nope
• Interview: didn’t get one</p>

<p>Other
• State (if domestic applicant): -
• Country (if international applicant): Bulgaria
• School Type: private
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: Female
• Income Bracket:
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection
• Strengths: SAT scores; German competitions; ASSIST scholar and doing an exchange year in the US
• Weaknesses: one of my supplements wasn’t as good b/c I ended up writing in the last moment
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was probs waitlisted because a truly exceptional guy also applied from my school and got accepted
• Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
General Comments: Congrats to everyone!!! And to those who got deferred or rejected, it’s not over yet! I’m sure everyone is gonna end up where they need to be</p>