<p>"Pathetic thing is, you have to keep editing your responses over and over because you realize that you too are contradicting yourself and can't stick to a definite answer."</p>
<p>ok, if you say so.</p>
<p>"This is exactly what I was referring to by the snide remarks."</p>
<p>nope, that was an honest evaluation of her judgement of the admissions process, i'm not saying she actively warped it, infact she has my best wishes, perhaps you might benefit from a little realism.</p>
<p>Don't act like you know me, because you don't. Just by reading my responses to this thread doesn't mean you know me well enough to criticize my values in life. I think you need a dose of realism and understand that people are above you and your arrogance.</p>
<p>if i knew you i'd say 'you shall benefit from a little realism', i just suggested it since you misinterpret my remarks, no evaluation was done on your values or any such thing.</p>
<p>"I think you need a dose of realism and understand that people are above you and your arrogance."</p>
<p>ok, i understand, thank you for pointing that out.</p>
<p>no problem, anytime...</p>
<p>amcd08 good luck to you, and I hope you succeed in all you choose to do. Your honesty is refreshing, especially on these boards.</p>
<p>columbia2002 you're like the grinch.</p>
<p>based on last year's stats, SATs in the 600s would be around the 25th percentile for admits AT BEST. for someone with such scores to ask "why wouldn't i get in?", i'd think they had something really awesome going for them (nationally ranked athlete, etc.) or they didn't bother to do a little research. take your pick. </p>
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If Columbia2002 had a more counseling approach to his responses rather than being sarcastic and provocative, I think his advice would be more appreciated.
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</p>
<p>from reading posts by current students and alumni, i wouldn't count on columbia coddling you like that once you get there. C02 just tells it like it is. i can understand how you must be feeling, but that's no reason to take it all out on C02.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If Columbia2002 had a more counseling approach to his responses rather than being sarcastic and provocative, I think his advice would be more appreciated. Yes, it's sometimes necessary to be harsh on someone if they fail to acknowledge something wrong, but a majority of these people seem to be asking for help or sharing a life experience, not asking to be mocked.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I have no doubt that my points get across. Everyone reading my posts may think I'm a jerk, but they surely now understand why OP was surprised to have gotten rejected (i.e., because her self-assessment of her chances was totally inflated due to her ill-informed understanding of the admissions process).</p>
<p>Thanks for the best of luck wishes from everyone and for the realism Columbia2002.</p>
<p>I know we all sound so robotic over this message board but I just wanted to clear a few things up..</p>
<p>I didn't intend on my post being a debate, I actually intended it to help out all others who were rejected.</p>
<p>I understand my SAT scores are 600s, but I don't want the SAT to take over my life. I strive for what I am passionate for, (musical theatre, running, writing, studio art) and cracking a standardized test never topped my list. Especially since I have taken it twice. (once in 10th grade and once this year) I know that most top schools would like to see well above 650 or 700, but I guess I was just hoping they would see me above my numbers. Not everyone gets near perfect SAT scores who gets into colleges such as Columbia.</p>
<p>Admissions process is partially randomized. With all of the applications they receive, they have to turn down thousands. They may turn down the next Bill Gates (who I find funny he was a Harvard drop out) but only because thousand of people have the exact same credentials.. I don't think any of us, unless we become Admissions Officers, will ever really understand the process. It sucks when you put your all into four years of high school, unlike several people around you, but get turned down.. I am okay with it, but I am struggling with finding others to apply to, for fear of the same thing (and the pricy cost of app fees which makes me unable to apply to lots of them). </p>
<p>All in all, I could use a little advice, realistic or not, but mostly just helpful. I am prepared to tackle whatever I can, and hopefully something big...</p>
<p>
[quote]
I understand my SAT scores are 600s, but I don't want the SAT to take over my life. I strive for what I am passionate for, (musical theatre, running, writing, studio art) and cracking a standardized test never topped my list. Especially since I have taken it twice. (once in 10th grade and once this year) I know that most top schools would like to see well above 650 or 700, but I guess I was just hoping they would see me above my numbers. Not everyone gets near perfect SAT scores who gets into colleges such as Columbia.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Like it or not, the SATs count. You've got to play the game -- if you truly cared about going to Columbia, you should have done your absolute best to maximize your chances. And that would mean ensuring that your SAT score was the best it could be.</p>
<p>Since you go to a HS that's probably not all that stellar (based on what you're saying), your #2 ranking doesn't tell Columbia much about your academic potential. That's where STANDARDIZED tests come in. To Columbia, excelling at a not-so-good HS but having mediocre SATs means that you're not that amazing academically. </p>
<p>You want Columbia to "see above" your numbers, but think about it from their perspective --- how do they know you're academically capable and among the very best American high school students (academically)? They have no evidence of that.</p>
<p>
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Admissions process is partially randomized. With all of the applications they receive, they have to turn down thousands.
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</p>
<p>Again, you're being bitter. By calling it random and saying the rich have an edge, you're insulting and disrespecting all of us Columbia students/alums. It's not random; Columbia looks for something very specific, and many people just don't know what that is so they think it's random.</p>
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They may turn down the next Bill Gates (who I find funny he was a Harvard drop out) but only because thousand of people have the exact same credentials.
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</p>
<p>Why's it funny he's a Harvard drop-out? It's perfectly logical. He was brilliant, so he got into Harvard. While at Harvard, he realized he could make it big right away and wanted to get on with his life. And he was right.</p>
<p>
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I am okay with it, but I am struggling with finding others to apply to, for fear of the same thing (and the pricy cost of app fees which makes me unable to apply to lots of them)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I suggest you do some research on the college process, and try to apply to schools that are good fits for your academic background. If you don't understand your chances and accordingly apply to a bunch of schools you're a major reach for, it's a waste a money.</p>
<p>I'm looking into Swarthmore.. </p>
<p>My chemistry teacher went there ( who graduated from my high school) and she said from her being there, she thinks it would be a good fit for me. I visited it and like it. They have a scholarship for full tuition for select DelMarVa residents ( I am from Delaware and unless you go to a private school in DE, public schools aren't much... but really I don't have control over that, my parents don't have the $ to send me elsewhere)</p>
<p>So I am just worried about acceptance..</p>
<p>I am also looking into Georgetown and Barnard..</p>
<p>what do you think?</p>
<p>Are there any other suggestions? I'm used to your realism by now.. although I am by far such a dreamer.</p>
<p>One thing I noticed this summer (hung out at Columbia and my older sister took college classes) is Columbia2002 attitude is pretty much the attitude of most of the students we met and def some of the profs. Very cocky, arrogant and well you get the picture. BTW she said the class (might be because it was summer) wasn't all that and she's had better econ and philo profs at Vandy.</p>
<p>Columbia2002: This really is a rhetorical question that you will undoubtably answer "yes" to (because to do otherwise would prove my point) but what the hey....Would you speak to someone in real life like you are speaking to the OP? In terms of the whole belittling-4-years-of-hard-work and acting snide and elitist and such?</p>
<p>I think we should stop debating what kind of person C02 is since the OP seems want to drop it and discuss something more meaningful, such as her chances at other colleges.</p>
<p>A couple points in no particular order, since this thread wasn't quite the trainwreck I was expecting - it was a trainwreck of a type I wasn't expecting.</p>
<p>1) Although I sympathize with the OP's point of view and choose not to pick it apart here (though I disagree with it strongly), this much was pretty funny:</p>
<p>
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Did you know Dan Rather always sat the bench in baseball and his coach threw him in the right field during the last innings as a joke? Look at him now.
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yeah, good point, he really kicks ass at baseball now :)</p>
<p>Look, this and the Bill Gates point miss the mark. The admissions process in this country is designed to find the next Bill Gateses, and funnel them towards the Harvards. The fact that Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard, as opposed to community college, should be evidence that the process works.</p>
<p>It's easy to find a thousand examples of successful and famous people who didn't go to any prestigious university. It's equally easy to find a thousand examples of those who did. But if you look at the right numbers, those who are selected to go to prestigious universities are also those who are likely to end up achieving their goals in life. Many of those goals may not end up being visible to people out there - few columbia students have a dream of being in hollywood or being famous - but their odds of meeting their goals, whatever they are, are improved by the atmosphere of a place like columbia or the people they meet there. The experience has value. it may not be a miracule-working cure-all but it helps.</p>
<hr>
<p>ok, now on to the more fun stuff:</p>
<p>2) amcd08: Swarthmore is a fantastic school. I almost went there myself, if they'd have taken me the first year I applied (more on that in a minute). It has a cultural atmosphere I'd describe as very similar to columbia, in that the students don't take themselves too seriously. This is for a very different reason of course - quaker background as opposed to nyc - but the place is full of humble and respectful high-energy people with greatly varying interests.</p>
<p>My only advice is, this time around, apply to some "safety schools" that you're sure you'll get into. I mean dead sure, 100%. Although C02 put it crudely, you may have underestimated what some of these schools are expecting from successful applicants, so while i don't know your full profile and Swarthmore may not be that much of a reach, at least spread your apps around a little more :)</p>
<p>3) My senior year of high school, I applied to 12 top schools around the country. I'm talking harvard, MIT, columbia, stanford, swarthmore, hell even rice and northwestern. I went 0 for 12. Columbia and Cornell waitlisted me, that was it. You might say it was a bit of a slap in the face. I spent a year working full-time, thought longer and harder about my college search, and then got in ED once i'd grown up a lot. (that's the short version of the story).</p>
<p>My point: Pragmatism and hard work trumps dreamy platitudes seven days a week.</p>
<p>4) Columbia2002 isn't a complete dillbag. You've got to believe me. Despite what some people complain about, he doesn't actually enjoy dumping on people. He loves his school and likes talking about it, although it takes a lot of hanging around here to realize that.</p>
<p>That said, many (including myself) have criticized him for his particular style, which is unnecessarily abrasive. He's heard it so many times, from so many corners on here, that it's as if he's grown immune to that particular piece of advice, i.e. "think of others' feelings when choosing your words for your posts". I think he automatically tunes it out, or assume it's some sort of debating point, an argument he can somehow "win". No amount of emphasizing that he's needlessly hurting feelings will make him agree with you, no matter how many times it happens. It's at the point where I have to basically consider it a character flaw, and move on.</p>
<p>So my advice to you, is try instead to take the facts from his posts, and see if you can understand the point he's trying to make - try to understand HIS point of view - and ignore the phrasing that may make you feel hurt. Trying to do that, in itself, will help make you a more mature person. It's hard to do, even for people my parents' age. But think of it instead as a challenge in handling difficult people. Should make taking advice around here easier to do, anyway :)</p>
<p>Best,
D</p>
<p>thanks D..</p>
<p>maybe if it was a real face-to-face situation I might become a little sensitive. But i actaully don't even care. haha I'm around argumentative people 24/7. It's not always fun to have people agree with you, or we wouldn't be able to see all the different perspectives there are..</p>
<p>anyhow, wow.. so where did you end up going after a year? (blonde moment.. columbia right?!) that must have been really hard.. Props to you for going back, most people would be so unmotivated to actually try again..</p>
<p>yeahh.. my stats are pretty good, it's just the SATs and my inability to pay, but most colleges accept need-blind so that shouldn't be too much of an issue.. I take 3 AP classes, 2 independent studies (hard ones for that matter.. french and chemistry dos) and then 2 business classes, just because my school requires the business classes, and i have been dreading it so much that i waited til senior year haha.</p>
<p>like i said before, i am 2nd, may be 1st, in my class out of 214. My school is small but growing every day. By the time I graduate we will have a whole new wing to the building and an indoor track over top of the gym (i am so angry!! four years of track and i don't get that haha) so i am captain of my track team, will have 13 varsity letters by the time i graduate b/c i doubled two varsity sports in one season both fresh and soph year.. and i am in a whole bunch of leadership stuff blaha blah blah 4.0 gpa, all that good stuff.</p>
<p>but my SATs suck!!</p>
<p>and my problem is, i can't find any safety schools i like. i applied to university of delaware, because it will cost next to nothing since i am in state.. but i hate it.</p>
<p>so i pretty much don't know what to do.</p>
<p>any suggestions on colleges like columbia, but not obviously..</p>
<p>i like the urban environment, i want internships.. and i am interested in international relations, political science, and english/ journalism.</p>
<p>ahh i need to give my counselors the recs and forms by monday but i dont know where they will be to!</p>
<p>one major other factor.. Musical theater/ drama. I want to be involved in it but not as a major.</p>
<p>^stick to georgetown, swathmore, and barnard, if you like columbia and swathmore, i'd say apply to vassar (didn't like the campus?), brown might also be a good fit, but it'll be tough to get into, so maybe leave it out for easier to get into alternatives. perhaps look into tufts, wesleyan, middlebury, UC berkeley, NYU, USC easier to get into (possible safeties): macalester, george washington, fordham (if you like being in nyc). Don't know about the music and drama, but you'll easily be able to get deeply involved with music and drama clubs at any of these universities. ow almost forgot Chicago! it's a big columbia overlap, much higher acceptance rate, but not easy to get into.</p>
<p>i liked vassar.. it was just kind of dreary the day i visited. in fact a girl who graduated from my school last year ( a close friend of mine) goes there and she loves it ..especially the theater programs.. but it's 60 % women. hah.</p>
<p>barnard is all girls but being in the city it can't be too bad...</p>
<p>i was thinking about fordham as a safety... and chicago not necessarily as a safety it seems a little hard to get into, but what i wasn't sure about chicago is whether it has a centralized campus. i don't like nyu b/c its mainly buildings with little flags on it. i wanted an actual campus but in the midst of a city. i'm not sure if chicago is like that or not..</p>
<p>^haven't been to U chicago, but i've met people from there, they like it, they say it's like columbia, and i'm pretty sure the campus is centralized, yea NYU suffers from decentralization.</p>
<p>yeah UChicago sounds good.. a little far, but it may work.</p>
<p>what do you think about colgate? my friend mentioned it to me, but i'm not exactly sure. i know it's near syracuse, and man it was cold! it was snowing when i visited, which was november. crazy! but other than that.. i'm not sure. it seems too rural for me.</p>