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

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>Since decisions come out today, I decided we should get one of these going. Remember, no matter what the decision is you posting here could help next year's class. Good luck to all regardless of where you end up going.</p>

<p>[noparse]Choose One:
Decision: Accepted
Decision: Deferred
Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
[/noparse]</p>

2

<p>[noparse]Choose One:
Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (superscore, 2 attempts) CR 730 M 800 W 770
ACT (breakdown): -
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 (800) Physics (800) Chemistry (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): - (Singapore-Cambridge GCE A Levels)
O Levels: 6 A1s, 1 A2, 1 B4
A Levels: 6 As, 1 D
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): -
AP (place score in parentheses): -
IB (place score in parentheses): -
Senior Year Course Load: GCE A Level in General Paper, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Literature in English, Project Work and Chinese.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): idk if this is “major” but competed in international choir competitions twice, getting a gold in Prague in 2009 and a 1st place trophy in Krakow in 2012.</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Choir was essentially my life in grades 7-12 (choir president in grades 9-10, exco member 11-12) Student’s Council in grades 8-10
Job/Work Experience: Part-time banquet waiter (lol)
Volunteer/Community Service: 69 hours in grades 7-10, 200 in grades 11-12 (all accumulated from a variety of short adhoc projects as well as long-term tutoring projects)
Summer Activities: Basically choir study choir study tumblr
Essays: Wrote about being “Part of growing up as a millennial in a world so rapidly, increasingly globalized, I am subject to desires marked by transience: wanderlust, individualism tempered by collectivism, and the need to be defined by something more than ephemeral.” essentially about finding one’s identity in such a globalized world.
Teacher Recommendations: should be good. We don’t get to see what they write, and I was always that guy dozing off in all their classes (except literature. i loved literature) but I doubt they’d badmouth me.
Counselor Rec: My counselor is my physics teacher and i was always asleep during his lecture, tutorials and practicals, but then again he’s nice and wouldn’t poison me.
Additional Rec: -
Interview: - </p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Singapore resident, Philippine citizen
School Type: Independent
Ethnicity: Filipino
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~100k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Asian? Filipino? Irdk.</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Essay. I was really happy with it. and SATs. and O/A Levels and strong loyalty to my one major extracurricular?
Weaknesses: After writing all of this i realized that i was a really lame applicant.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essay :'D
Where else you are applying or have already applied: I only applied for Columbia University and Yale-NUS. Got waitlisted by Yale-NUS.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Be fearless!
[/noparse]</p>

3

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

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2130 (730CR 740MA 660WR) [superscore, 2 attempts]
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Lit(660) Physics(650) Math1(650)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.75
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4 (top 5%)
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc (5) English Lang(3) APUSH (2)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Hardest classes available AP Chem, AP Physics C, AP English Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None. (Guidance at my school told me I qualified for the National Merit Scholarship Competition through the PSAT/NMSQT, but I never recieved any documentation about it. Honesly really annoys me. 2nd person my from school is 15ish years to qualify.)
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Student Council (Student Body President 2 years), Regional Student Council Board Representative, French Club (Officer 2 years), Varsity Golf 3 years, Varsity Cross Country 1 year, Varsity Winter Track 2 years, Varsity Tennis 4 Years (Captain 1 year), State Science Fair 1 year.
Job/Work Experience: Summer work
Volunteer/Community Service: Lots, through Student Council
Summer Activities: Tennis, Student Council Leadership Camp
Essays: Solid
Teacher Recommendations: While I did not read any, one was from my Student Council Advisor (and one year math teacher) whom I have worked closely with for 5 years and thinks very highly of me, one from a Physics and one from a French teacher who both think highly of me.
Counselor Rec: No clue
Additional Rec: See Teacher Recs
Interview: None</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Relatively small suburban public, graduating class of 85
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Lower-Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Recs
Weaknesses: Subject Test Scores, some grades. I only took the subjects once, and did not do any prep for them. Also, I was without a calculator, WHICH SUCKED. (I had not taken Physics since Freshman year when I took the Physics Subject test)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Subject Tests, No Hooks, Strength of Applicant Pool
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to BU, Northeastern, hear back from NYU tommorrow, and also accepted to Wagner, Stonehill, Fordham, Drexel.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Brush up on Subject Test Material, be prepared to take them twice as they are significantly more difficult than the SAT, Take the ACT and the SAT if you can, as I am confident that I would’ve performed better on the ACT than the SAT.</p>

<p>It sucks to be rejected from your dream school, even if you know that your chances were low. Looks like I’ll be applying to Columbia for Grad School ;)</p>

4

<p>ACCEPTED</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2120 (CR 740 M 720 W 660)
ACT (breakdown): 31
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 770 US History, 700 Latin
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): Music Theory (5), US History (5), Latin Poetry/Prose (4), Lit & Comp (4), World History (4)
Senior Year Course Load: BC Calc, AP English, H Latin V, Humanities II, Contemporary Issues
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): a national composing competition, a few other state awards in music composition</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): A lot, haha. President of Latin Club, president of school community service organization, president of school CD publication, VP american history society
Job/Work Experience: assistant piano teacher during junior year
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteer with inner city kids (give them piano lessons) for 2 hours/week
Summer Activities: LOADS of summer stuff for music. Notably, did Tanglewood.
Essays: One was about volunteering with aforementioned kids, and how we empathized with each other through music. Another was about how I felt about Hamlet, and for the “Why Columbia” question I talked about how I wanted to collaborate with my peers (make soundtracks for filmmakers, understand music cognition with neuroscientists, study the classics because they ROCK.)
Teacher Recommendations: Very good probably. One was from my Latin teacher who’s known and taught me for 5 years.
Counselor Rec: pretty good probably. I know she integrated quotes from teachers and professors I had studied with during summer programs.
Additional Rec: One of my mentors from Tanglewood, probs really good
Interview: never had one </p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): TN
School Type: small private (~60 in my class)
Ethnicity: Middle Eastern
Gender: F
Income Bracket: >$150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none, first generation in US</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: My musical talent. Also, I worked really hard in a tough school, which I think was most important. I also showed a willingness to collaborate with others and potential to do great things specifically in NYC. I had also emailed a professor at Columbia and name dropped him somewhere in my app.
Weaknesses: Standardized test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was SHOCKED at first. I couldn’t believe it, but once it started to sink in, I realized that Columbia really does look for people who will contribute to their campus. I feel incredibly lucky and thankful Columbia was able to see my potential, despite the overload of apps they receive each year. They really care about each applicant, and give it a thorough review.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: a few conservatories, Accepted to Northwestern (dual degree), Peabody, NEC, Indiana (received the wells scholarship), BoCo, and still waiting to hear back from a few others.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: PLEASE don’t be stressed about matching up with every factor this list has. If you google “Columbia acceptances” or whatever they talk about having killer test scores, which I didn’t have. But what I do have is sincerity in my art and a clear sense of working with others. That’s who they want – a person who has the maturity to become something great. </p>

5

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p> Decision: Rejected </p>

<p>Objective: CC</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown):didnt take
ACT (breakdown): 31 (31/35/30/29-W8)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): didnt take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/350
AP (place score in parentheses): no
IB (place score in parentheses): no
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): few local minister awards, mostly In-school awards
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Lit Debate, Fusion Band, Newspaper
Job/Work Experience: no
Volunteer/Community Service: 60 hr
Summer Activities: no
Essays: I think they were pretty solid
Teacher Recommendations: good and nice
Counselor Rec: didnt read, but I dont think it was that good.
Additional Rec:
Interview: Went pretty well, talked about lot of things
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Korea
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: +130,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Prepared all by myself, first US-college applicant in the region
Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: I was like the only and the first US-college applicant in the region, but was fluent in English. My essays were really sincere and passionate.
Weaknesses: Lack of ECs, due to Korean public school policies. I did explain it in the resume` I sent later. Did not inform about Community Service cuz I thought they were so little.</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I applied for financial aid (for 30,000) since my dad will only pay 20,000 for my college which really fcked my chances. Also I could not do much ECs due to my schools policies.</p>

<p>Where else you are applying or have already applied: Emory (Rejected) Case Western and Oberlin (waitlisted) still waiting on Amherst, Carleton and George Washington U.</p>

<p>General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Guys seriously if your parents dont give you money, yell at them or threaten them to. And for those of you living in Korea, if you’re not in a foreign lang school or other special schools, you absolutely have no chance of getting in with an FA.</p>

<p>Also, Dont half-ass two things. I was trying to to both Korean and US colleges at the same time cuz my parents thought US colleges were like Korean schools where they rate you with only your test scores. The only SAT subject test available was on the day of the Korean National College exam, so I have to give that up as well.
Whole-ass one thing. Even though that means fighting with your parents and teachers. If you have to, be violent physically or verbally with them. They don’t live your life. You do.</p>

<p>PS. sorry about my grammar. Im so devastated I cant think right.</p>

6

<p>neuromajor knows, and I don’t feel like posting anything personal anymore. :stuck_out_tongue: </p>

7

<p>Decision: Accepted- Columbia College
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350
SAT I superscore (breakdown): M 770 CR 800 W 780
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chem, 790 USH, 770 Chinese
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.4
AP (place score in parentheses): 5: USH, Calc, Chem, Euro, Art History, Chinese, Lang
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Bio, AP Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Science Olympiad Regionals?</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Electronic Music Production, Science Olympiad, Video Game Designing, Linguistics Studying, random club that I founded
Job/Work Experience: Internship at tech company
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at Nature Park, Tutor
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):
Essays (Include Subjects):
Common App Main: My failure to get appointed for a position as the school productions manager, and how I learned from it, 7
Why Columbia: Tied my interests in linguistics and CS into resources at Columbia, also the obligatory it’s “New York” bit, 8
Why This Major: My background in CS, 7
Additional essay: On a composition experience I had while overseas, 9
Teacher Recommendation #1: Math teacher for 3 years, didn’t read but she liked me
Teacher Recommendation #2: US History teacher, I was the top student in the class, and I took on a whole project that I specifically did, didn’t read
Counselor Rec: 100 students per counselor at my school
Interview: Went well, it was a very recent graduate, and his experiences made Columbia sound epic</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: December 28th or so
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
Strengths: Essays powerfully demonstrated my personality imo, Good academics and test scores, decently in depth ECs
Weaknesses: No real achievements, ECs scattered, leadership
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Definitely my essays. I had very little going for me to separate me from other smart students, so I poured all my energy into making myself sound like a person with brimming potential and a witty sense of humor. I guess it worked :smiley:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: REJECTED- UC Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, UPenn, Carnegie Mellon (waitlist actually), Stanford, MIT, Caltech
ACCEPTED- Columbia, Chicago, UCSD, UCLA
What would you have done differently?: I suppose I should have been more active in the school from freshman year on, and get some leadership positions
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Columbia aw yeah. I was actually expecting to only get into Cornell and UC Berkeley today, but Columbia lol I’ll take it. Didn’t expect this at all, and I’m glad the admissions office found something interesting about my application. Most likely I’ll be in New York next year studying CS and Linguistics, and there’s almost no better place to do so than at Columbia. No school on Friday either, which is also a plus.</p>

8

<p>Decision: Columbia College: Likely Letter - Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t send.
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 35 (36M, 34S, 34E, 34R, 12 essay)
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 (Math II), 740 (Chemistry)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0. Weighted: 4.59
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (4), U.S. Gov (self study 4), English Language (self study 4), Spanish Lang (4), Biology (3)
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 5 APs, 1 Honors, and 1 elective
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Commended, some other local awards.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): President of National Honor Society, President of Tutoring Club, President of Cultural Club, Founder/President of Technology Club, Work at consulting firm, research at university lab and published abstracts, section leader of section in band, tennis team, and a lot more.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: I have had 3 jobs. 1 or 2 pretty unique ones.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Listed above.
[<em>] Summer Activities: Research internships, work, volunteering, and intern at NPR.
[</em>] Essays: Common app essay: 9.5. Columbia supplements: 9.5-10.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: English teacher of two years: 10. AP science teacher: 9.5
[</em>] Counselor Rec: probably better than any other recs she wrote, so in relation to other applicants from my school, probably 10. But, since it’s a public school, the rec probably doesn’t compare to some of the ones that private school counselors write.
[<em>] Interview: Went very well: 10.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: below 50k.
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy; parent attended grad school there do not know if that counts or not.
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: GPA, ACT, extracurriculars, Common app essay.
[</em>] Weaknesses: AP scores, awards.
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: [</em>] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, UCLA, WashU, and Rice. Waitlisted: Northwestern. Rejected: Yale, Penn, Duke, Harvard, and Princeton.
[/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
Everyone has a chance, just apply to see what happens. For the ivies, make sure you spread yourself and do not apply to just a few schools, because they are so random.</p>

9

<p>Decision: Rejected Fu Foundation - Computer Science</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):
[</em>] ACT w/ Writing: 33 Comp 34 Eng, 32 Math, 35 Science, 35 Reading, 10 Writing
[<em>] SAT II: Math 2 750; French 650
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7 UW; 4.2 W
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 25%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 8 APs (6 5s and 2 4s)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP French, AP Computer Programming, AP English 4, state requirements (personal financial literacy and a fine arts semester)
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): selected as Rotary Youth Exchange Ambassador to Belgium (did my first senior year abroad in Europe 2012-2013), Belgian Rotary Leadership Award; Rotary Youth Leadership Award; National AP Scholar; Rotary Student of the Month; French honors award; in other words, nothing that impressed ad coms[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>[ul]Subjective:
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Honor Society, sec. of French Club, Spanish Club, Rotary Interact and Rotaract, RYLA Youth Camp, Math/Science/Engineering Club, Environmental Club, Rotex counselor for incoming/outgoing exchange students
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: tutor, babysitting, IT work
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Meals on Wheels,
[</em>] Summer Activities: working but not much
[<em>] Essays: felt they were pretty good; wrote from the heart and addressed overcoming obstacles to succeed; probably strongest part of app.<br>
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Science teacher probably good, English teacher meh, APUSH teacher great; dunno cuz I waived for FERPA
[<em>] Counselor Rec: likely generic; big high school and she just started this year
[</em>] Additional Rec: probably decent
[<em>] Interview: Great- had to contact a regional alum group and ask to talk to someone, as Columbia never hooked me up. Interview was over phone and the guy was AWESOME. Really made me want to go to Columbia more.
[</em>] Supplementary Material: Emailed my regional rep after seeking out my own interview when I never heard from Columbia. Got an immediate response when she heard who my interviewer was (prominent person) but once she realized I wasn’t really connected, never heard back again. Did send her my Belgian high school transcript but never got a response.[/ul] </p>

<p>[ul]Other
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Oklahoma
Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type: very large public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): <$100K
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none, except maybe my year abroad as a Rotary Exchange Student and being fluent in three languages.
[/ul]

[ul]Reflection
[<em>] Strengths: unusual ECs with being selected as a Rotary Exchange Student, math scores, as I applied for Comp Science concentration
[</em>] Weaknesses: GPA, class rank. Got a few Bs my sophomore year. School just started to weigh this year, so none of my previous APs were given extra GPA.
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Grades/class rank, no major research or hook.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted:University of Oklahoma Honors College and Scholars Program; waiting for NYU. Rejected: Columbia, Princeton, Brown.[/ul]</p>

<p>General Comments: I knew it was a long shot. Columbia had been my dream school since 10th grade, but didn’t get the same welcoming vibe as I did from Brown. Not as sad about this one as I was about Brown/Princeton, but still would have loved getting to study at Columbia. Guess the GPA/class rank just couldn’t compete. Congrats to all those who got in!</p>

10

<p>Decision: ACCEPTED - Columbia University</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (730 reading, 770 math, 720 writing)</p>

<p>ACT: 32</p>

<p>SAT II: 790 Math II, 760 Chemistry, 740 US History</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0</p>

<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 11/776</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography (5), World History (5), Lang (5), US History (5), Chemistry (5), Calc AB (5)</p>

<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Psych, AP Gov, AP Macro, AP Art History, Physics Honors, Spanish 4</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction; Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Academic All-American, Several Metro, District, and Regional championship titles and medaled at state</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4 years varsity swimming (captain), 3 years varsity water polo (captain), 7 years club swimming (captain), International Council (president), NHS, Rho Kappa, Spanish Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Beta Club</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard at a resort for the summer between sophomore and junior year</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: Special Olympics (120 hrs), Give Kids the World (84 hrs), Beach cleanups (40 hrs), Habitat for Humanity (64 hrs)</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Student exchange program in Japan, Trips to China and Eastern Europe with my school (during the school year though), Basically just swam all summer</p>

<p>Essays: Common App was a 10/10 hands down. Supplements were average at best</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation: Never saw them! But I am assuming they were strong because the teachers I chose loved me.</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: Good but we don’t really know each other very well so it was pretty generic.</p>

<p>Additional Rec: N/A</p>

<p>Interview: Excellent! It lasted for 2 hours and we had it at a TGI Fridays while my interviewer chugged down several tall glasses of beer. Although he was slightly tipsy, we hit it off right from the start and got along very well.</p>

<p>Other:
State (if domestic applicant): FL</p>

<p>Country (if international applicant): USA</p>

<p>School Type: Public, Magnet</p>

<p>Race(s) (White, AA, AI/AN, Asian, NH/PI): White</p>

<p>Hispanic (Y/N): Yes</p>

<p>Gender: Male</p>

<p>Income Bracket: > $100,000</p>

<p>Hooks: URM, First Generation</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: Hooks, Common App essay, Interview, GPA, AP Scores, Dedication to swimming</p>

<p>Weaknesses: SAT scores were pretty average, I didn’t cure cancer or save a village in Kenya</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/denied: I think my hooks had a major role in my acceptance. I also thought my Common App essay was very unique so it probably stood out from the crowd.</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/denied: Accepted - Yale, Penn, Brown, Cornell, Duke, Rice, UVA, UNC-CH, UF; Waitlisted - WUSTL; Denied - Princeton</p>

<p>General Comments: I was honesty in shock. One thing I think is important is to stand out! Your essays have to be personal and really convey some personality to the readers in order to make a lasting impression. Also It doesn’t matter if you aren’t in a million clubs as long as you’re dedicated to what you do and take leadership in it! Congrats to everyone who was accepted and good luck to future applicants!</p>

11

<p>RESULT: WAITLISTED :(</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2270 Single sitting (800 CR 710 M 760 W)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: US History 760, Lit 740
UW GPA: 4.0
W GPA: 4.32 (My school doesn’t offer that many AP’s, I took all but 3 that were available)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5th out of 197
AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang and Comp 5, US History 5, Biology 4 European History 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Macro, AP US Govt, AP Lit and Comp, AP Psych, Journalism 3 (highest), Honor French 4 (highest class)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 1st place State Finals for Mock Trial Courtroom journalism, Gold Key, Silver key, and Honorable Mention for the 2014 Western Region Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, 1st place Balance Beam at 2010 State for Level 4 (State Gymnastics title), 1st Place Marin County Mock Trial Journalism Competition (regional) for 2 years in a row, 1st Place Features Story 2012 JEANC Competition (regional journalism competition), 1st Place Novice Parliamentary Team at Speech and Debate tournament (regional competition, beat 200 other competitors), 2nd place Novice Parliamentary speaker at Speech and Debate competition (regional), County Student of the Week, AP Scholar w/ honors, Principals honor roll (all 4 years)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: Editor-in-Chief of School paper, competitive gymnast (no captains, 16 hours/week), JV Parliamentary debate, Mock Trial Journalist, Restorative Justice club, Random Acts of Kindness club, Friday Night Light Club
Job/Work Experience: Preschool gymnastics instructor (100+ hrs) Intern at local newspaper
Volunteer/Community service: 3week student volunteer program in Nicaragua (helped tutor local students, build preschool, 100+ hours), volunteer at library, Alumni for student volunteer program (train juniors for trip), Advisory leader (school spirit program)</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Student volunteer program in Nicaragua, work at Gymnastics</p>

<p>Essays: Common App (8/10), Columbia Supplement Essays (all around 7-8 out of 10)</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation: Journalism adviser/teacher (10/10, known me for the past 3 years), French teacher (9/10), Philosophy teacher (8-9/10)</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: (9/10, knows me well)
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Decent. I was pretty nervous but I think I was able to communicate my passions quite well. </p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: suburban public school, really underfunded, not that competitive
Ethnicity: Asian/White (Mom immigrant from Philippines, Dad 2nd generation-American)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~140,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): biracial?, mom has bipolar disorder (very stressful part of my life), twin sister recovering from eating disorder (mention both in a positive way in my application)
Major: English</p>

<p>Strengths: SAT scores, Awards, Common App essay, and supplements
Weaknesses: not enough APs, leadership positions, and significant ECs</p>

<p>Accepted: UC Berkeley, Reed, Pomona, UC Davis, Brandeis, Northeastern</p>

<p>Waitlisted: Brown and Columbia</p>

<p>Rejected: Northwestern, Harvard, and Tufts</p>

12

<p>Not sure if this is the best place to ask this but whatever. I was accepted RD and once I go to the “welcome website” it says I have been named a scholar. Does anyone know where to find which program I was named a scholar in? I cannot find it anywhere!!</p>

13

<p>@Collegecrazy1996 isn’t that information supposed to come with the acceptance letter? I was named a Kluge scholar and there were two separate letters uploaded to my Columbia account</p>

14

<p>Thanks so much, I found it and I am also a Kluge Scholar! I did not read the second letter on my account, I was originally so excited that I just assumed it was a copy of the first letter. </p>

<p>CONGRATS EVERYONE!</p>

15

<p>[color=yellow]Decision: Waitlisted[/color=yellow]</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): 2400
[</em>]ACT (breakdown): 36 (36E 36M 35R 36S)
[<em>]SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Math II, 800 Chem, 790 Physics
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.90
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
[</em>]AP (place score in parentheses): 5s: Calc BC, Chem, Psychology, APUS, Micro,
4: Macro
[<em>]IB (place score in parentheses):
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calc, AP Physics, AP Bio, AP English Lit, AP Spanish Lang, Politics Elective
[li]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, Presidential Scholar Candidate[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Huffington Post Teen blogger, Online political website (Editor-in-Chief, Quiz Bowl (Founder, President), Model Congress (Head Delegate), Science Olympiad, MUN
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: Academic Tutor
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: Library shelving
[</em>]Summer Activities: SAAST engineering camp, politics camp, cultural camp
[<em>]Essays: Good 8-9/10
[</em>]Teacher Recommendations: didn’t see
[<em>]Counselor Rec: didn’t see
[</em>]Additional Rec:
[li]Interview: good[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[</em>]Country (if international applicant):
[<em>]School Type: Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: South Asian
[<em>]Gender: Male
[</em>]Income Bracket: 150-200k
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None. (Wrote and published a book in 7th grade)[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: Scores, varied ECs, HuffPost/published author, scores
[</em>]Weaknesses: Competitive applicant pool
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: ^^^
[</em>]Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: UChicago (with likely), NYU Stern, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon SCS, UMich, UCLA, Rutgers, Georgia Tech
Rejected: MIT, Princeton, Harvard, Penn
Waitlisted: Yale, Columbia, Caltech, Dartmouth
[li]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:[/li][/ul]</p>

16

<p>**Decision: Accepted to Columbia College **</p>

<p>** Objective: **</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (800 CR, 770 M, 770 W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 780 Bio M, 730 Math 2 (ouch)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 96%; no GPA is calculated
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): does not rank, top % unofficially
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calc BC (4), AP English Lit (4), AP World History (5), AP Bio (4), AP Euro, AP Physics, AP English Lang, AP Stat (maybe) - school offers few APs and is bad at preparing students for them
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Overall hardest possible courseload. This year: Philosophy, AP Physics, Gr12 Physics, Gr12 Social Studies, AP Euro, Math self-study, gym (grad requirement), CALM (grad requirement)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): selected to represent country at international science competition, best in category at Sigma Xi Online Research Showcase, 2nd best in city fair (largest in Canada), won provincially competitive research student ship, silver medal at national science fair, position paper submitted to International Commonwealth Youth forum, chosen to advise minister of education
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Co-founder and chair of city-wide youth health group (under umbrella organization), student researcher (very heavy - 20-40 hours/week), MUN club leader/founder, editor of national youth science journal, blogged on national science blog, debate and speech (grades 10/11), editor at student run youth think tank (limited output), school science club…
Job/Work Experience: summer research program (paid 2k)
Volunteer/Community Service: Co-founder and chair of city-wide youth health group (under umbrella organization), tutored at school kind-of
Summer Activities: research and recuperating from surgery
Essays: CA touched upon a difficult challenge/life experience that i overcame - I liked it, EC essay was research (I quite liked it), why columbia (core, city - a bit laundry listy but I think it made sense from my background), media essay - quite personal, why major - really explained/walked them through. Wrote my essays literally an hour before (DO NOT DO THIS).
Teacher Recommendations: Math teacher - good, SS teacher - solid
Counselor Rec: Should be solid. He knows me very well and we had a few meetings to talk about the letter. I gave him the MIT guidelines.
Additional Rec: research mentor for more than 1.33 years. We have a good relationship and communicate frequently.
Interview: N/A
Other: submitted research abstract</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: special kind of public
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 110kish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
Reflection: I feel like Columbia likes certain kinds of students and I fit that mold. </p>

<p>Strengths: ECs, marks, GC rec, addl rec, awards
Weaknesses: I apparently had a 70 in physics when my GC submitted the transcript. Thankfully Columbia called and asked about it. Unknown school, one sketchy SAT2 and maybe course rigour? I took the hardest stuff offered but I feel inadequate compared to American students. Also, only 2 years of French lololol.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I have many flaws but I am thoughtful and like to explore and also pretty far along my future field of interest as a scholar which I think Columbia liked. Admitted as a John Jay scholar.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Emory (waitlisted), Harvard (Rejected), Princeton (rejected), Yale (rejected), Penn (a bit surprising given history, but rejected). Recipient of major Canadian scholarship.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: For internationals: get your school on side and really distinguish yourself. Don’t do tacky school clubs that you secretly loathe or obsess over marks. Really pursue what you care about and excel. If you like polisci, I would encourage you to call a campaign and volunteer with them. Try to explore and develop yourself into an interesting individual. Then, write your essays while keeping in mind the ethos of the school and get people who are hypercritical to read them. Do this in advance. Ensure that your recs are solid as well. Finally, submit the application, and pray. (Also, have many safeties) :)</p>

<p>I may be attending Columbia, but it depends on FA and other Canadian programmes.
[/noparse] </p>

17

<p>Decision: Accepted with Likely Letter at Fu Foundation School of Engineering and AS.</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2260 (M:800, CR:720, W:740)
ACT (breakdown): -
SAT II (place score in parentheses): M2:800, Chem:800, Phy:780
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):1
AP (place score in parentheses):-
IB (place score in parentheses): 42 predicted
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Odyssey of the Mind India Winner
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience: Student Council - 3 years. 2 projects; 1 on water purification, the other on nanotechnology
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer work at orphanage, 200+hours. Did a study at clinics in my city
Summer Activities: Squash tournament (semi finalist). Regular swimming.
Essays: Loved them, wrote about my visit to Columbia
Teacher Recommendations: Very good and personal
Counselor Rec: Said im the best student shes ever come across
Additional Rec: Two project supervisor recs, both were personal and lauded me
Interview: Lasted 1 hour, very good. We’ve met since.
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type: IB
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$45000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection: Didnt expect the likely letter, but obviously expected the acceptance once I got it. Still overjoyed! NYC has been my dream forever</p>

<p>Strengths: SAT score, IB Score, Work experience, essays, recs.
Weaknesses: Weak volunteer work
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Fit well with the philosophy.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to Brown, CMU, Duke, NW, GTech.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:</p>

18

<p>[noparse]Choose One:
Decision: Accepted (Likely Letter)
Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (770M 770CR 740W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 780 M2 790 USH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1st
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH 5, APEngComp 5, Bio 3, Chem 3 (Yeah I just decided I didn’t care about class in Junior Year: ‘Junioritis’)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Only Calc and Physics were offered as APs.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): State Literature Champion, HSNCT All Star, 7th Place National Quizbowl All Star Team, NHBB Quarterfinalist, KUNA Leadership Team, FIRST Regional Runner UP (Not on APP), some other things I probably forgot.
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Quiz Bowl (Founded at School), NHBB (Founded at School), Y-Club (President), Beta Club (President), FIRST Robotics (1st year at school), Book Club, Chilling Out Max and Relaxing All Cool.
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: Meh
Summer Activities: NASAT, chilling
Essays: Common App-This was a major risk; I wrote a heavily personal and literary piece. If admissions could understand it then it’s a 10; if not a major blunder; you can’t just read it once to comprehend it fully it seemed.
Supplement-I went really hard on this; I talked about everything from the National Holocaust Museum to how Appalachia impacts my Creative Writing. My book lists were also very strong. I really took the extra mile to show both my overall intelligence as well as my acumen.
Teacher Recommendations: 10/10 (AP EngComp Teacher), 7/10 (AP US Teacher)
Counselor Rec: 5/10
Additional Rec:
Interview: 13/10, 2 Hrs, Epic.
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): KY
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Rural, Small, Public in a Baaaad Area
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Region?
Reflection: Stats can’t make up for your brain; if you ‘got it’, then you ‘got it’. I say I will major in Creative Writing for sure. I will double that with either a cultural major or perhaps Physics.</p>

<p>Strengths: Essays, ECs
Weaknesses: Scores, AP Testing Blunders lol
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: ROAR LIONS! “I’m Ready!, I’m Ready! I’m Ready!”
[/noparse]</p>

19

<p>Posting for my son -
Choose One:
Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2310(CR 790, M 800, W 720) single sitting
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math2 (800), Physics (800) Chem (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): USH (5), Eng Lang (4), Phys C M(5), Phys C E&M(5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP CS, AP Stat, AP Eng Lit, Hon Org Chem, Hon Symph Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Various state level science awards
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 6 years in school band, band president, Jazz band, section leader, Science and Math competitions. Columbia SHP, NHS, Tri-M
Job/Work Experience: Science internship senior summer
Volunteer/Community Service: Mix of various things
Summer Activities: Member of band toured Europe, math camps
Essays: Decent but hard to tell. Wrote about my familiarity with Columbia through SHP.
Teacher Recommendations: Didn’t read them, but expect they were good. From Physics teacher (fav student), History teacher and band director (favorite student)
Counselor Rec: Expect it was decent
Additional Rec:
Interview: went very well. Interviewer thought he was a strong candidate
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: >$200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: SAT scores, extra curriculars
Weaknesses: GPA, not enough APs? essays not engaging enough?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Not sure
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted at Princeton, Cornell, Berkeley. Rejected from Yale, Stanford, MIT.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: </p>

20

<p>Decision: Accepted (SEAS)</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (800 CR, 760 M, 720 W) / 2320 superscore (800, 800, 720)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): M2 (800), Chemistry (750), USH (760), Bio M (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t do ranks but I’m in the top 5 or so out of 481
AP (place score in parentheses): All 5s: English Lang, European History, Biology, Chemistry, US History
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, Band, US Goverment, AP Literature, and AP Computer Science </p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing too good unless you count National Merit Finalist and Principal Honor Roll kind of stuff</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Robotics VP, clarinet player in band, open source contributor, server admin, school radio show host, Math Club VP
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: none lol
Summer Activities: internship for media web company
Essays: 7/10, wrote about a personality quirk, Ordinal linguistic personification, I see numbers and letters as alive
Teacher Recommendations: 9/10
Counselor Rec: 9/10
Additional Rec:
Interview: didn’t have one
Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white/Mideast background
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: low middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: grades?
Weaknesses: test scores, ECs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: no idea, my school does not get many Ivy acceptances
Where else you are applying or have already applied: rejected at Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley (!), accepted at UCLA, USC, UCSD, waitlisted at Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: pretty exciting, but I find it weird that out of all my top schools Columbia was the only one that saw merit in me haha. I already committed anyway.
[/noparse]</p>