optional picture....haha why not

Colleges & Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>hey...so my mother is forcing me to apply to columbia. i know that i pretty much have no shot but since i know pretty little about the school i figured i'd ask some of u hardcores. </p>

<p>SAT 1: 730 math, 720 verbal
SAT II: 750 math IIC, 750 writing, 660 history
GPA: weighted 93.75, will go up much after senior year 1st semester b/c of all A's in 4 ap's and one honors
Good essays, good recs, good extracurriculars with fairly good leadership (ex. talent show director and show committee chair, student council rep, homecoming dance chair, peer leader, student senate, etc)</p>

<p>and that optional pic? i know u guys said not to do it but i did it anyway, as unfair as it is, i have some good genes so i figured whatever im lacking in intelligence i'll make up for w/ my picture....</p>

<p>so chances...also, what are the chances of getting an interview?</p>

2

<p>I haven't figured out the optional picture thing, either... any reasons to/not to?</p>

3

<p>cant hurt...just make it a school pic...i didnt know some people sent like regular photos and like glamour shots....I cant imagine that would help ur cause...</p>

4

<p>I sent a picture of me with my cello, and I got in. School photos don't stand out, anyway. Unless you have "good genes," I guess. I think you should be yourself, just like you try to be yourself in all the rest of your app. If giving them a regular school shot isn't being yourself, do something different.</p>

5

<p>umm there are ppl who got in who just sent normal pics..im sending a normal pic..</p>

6

<p>I have a slightly relevant question...do they use the photo to verify the race/ethnicity you put? My parents are both from port-au-prince, haiti, so I am Afro-Carribean, but I am very light-skinned...more hispanic-looking than black...it didnt hurt me-i got in, but I'm worried about my sister, who is pale with blue eyes...will they factor it in if your ethnicity doesnt match the photo???</p>

7

<p>thank god for photoshop....</p>

8

<p>"thank god for photoshop...."</p>

<p>haha so true, when i just got my senior picture i had to retouch my eyes with photoshop because I had MAJOR bags from studying the night before...lol.</p>

9

<p>sometimes the photos are used to verify race, but it's also so that they get to see who you are besides your stats. It can also help if you've met an admissions counselor and they might remember your face but not your name. I think people should do it because there really isn't a downside.</p>

10

<p>i asked my admissions officer who visited my school about the picture option. she just said it is used to make the admissions process more fun for the admissions office workers, and also the photos can be used for recognition purposes if the officers happened to have met you and remember you as being a nice person. Sending in your picture can never hurt, unless you look like the unibomber or something along that nature (they aren't shallow, but they aren't judgment-free either - nobody is). </p>

<p>send ur picture - i did, and i got in</p>

<p>i dont really know if it helped or hurt - but it's gotta be hard for them to turn down an app with a picture of my biggg smile on the front cover haha</p>

11

<p>does anyone know how to compress an image file so it fits the 50 kb or whatever they want? all of my files are too big to send...</p>

12

<p>get photoshop</p>

<p>open it with photoshop</p>

<p>click "save for web"</p>

<p>set file type to "J-PEG"</p>

<p>adjust the quality and size (keep height/width in proportion)</p>

<p>after changing the size and the quality, save the picture</p>

<p>you must INSERT the picture into the word document (they ask you to have the picture in a blank word document), not copy and paste it in</p>

<p>copying and pasting, for some reason, results in the file becoming unusually large</p>

<p>hopefully that helps - good luck</p>

13

<p>i sent a picture of me in front of the Colisseum, hoping it'd show my traveling experience</p>

<p>but I sent a picture of myself in Venice to Georgetown EA, and i got deferred...so who knows...</p>

14

<p>If we're applying online it seems like its useless to send a picture, right? My school took care of the teacher recs and stuff...</p>

15

<p>Never mind. I guess you can submit them digitaly.</p>

16

<p>I applied online and I submitted my pic with my app. The pic puts a face to an otherwise faceless person!</p>

17

<p>I didn't send my picture, but I got in. They may already have a pic of me though since I went to the summer program, and one was required for the Columbia Card (ID card you use to get into dorms, cafe, etc). Its possible they may use the pic you send in for your Columbia Card and those that didn't send one have to send one later. I don't know about the last part for sure though.</p>