Sciences Po - Columbia the Dual Degree Class of 2018 Results

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>Since the dual BA program is not that well-known yet, I thought it would be nice to see the student profile. Apparently decisions were released yesterday, and congrats to those of students who were accepted! </p>

<p>Objective:
Sciences Po campus that you're admitted:</p>

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

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendation:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:</p>

2

<p>I’ll be the first comment, since I think this is a great idea for prospective applicants.
Objective
Sciences Po campus that you’re admitted: Reims
SAT I (breakdown): Honestly can’t remember; I didn’t submit it.
ACT: 30
TOEFL (if applicable): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 4 in AP World History
IB (place score in parenthesis): Full IB Diploma candidate, currently with a 5 in IB math SL and Bio SL
Senior Year Course Load: 6 weighted IB classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing, really- I did get a state-recognized award for Journalism jr year though</p>

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

  1. Theatre for 4 years (Leading actress in multiple shows, plus an elected leader of the company who directed a student-run production)
  2. Competitive 3-Day Eventing for 11 years (AKA horseback riding. I was elected Pony Clubber of the year 2 years in a row and all that good stuff)
  3. Mock Trial for 2 years (member of an internationally ranked HS team)
    Job/Work Experience: didn’t submit a resume
    Volunteer/Community service:
  4. Working at the local Therapeutic Riding Program
  5. Teaching Mock Trial Summer Camp
  6. Interning with the local Family Law Facilitator
    Summer Activities: Summer courses at local city college and internship with the Family Law Facilitator
    Essays: Quite good. I’d say the essays and interview are the most important aspects of your application, especially since my scores are either at or below the school’s average
    Teacher Recommendation: Quite good again :slight_smile:
    Counselor Rec: " "
    Additional Rec: Didn’t have one!
    Interview: Skype, went really well. I’d suggest skype over a telephone call if you can’t make it to NY in person, cause it gives a nice personal connection so they can see your face and get to know you. But it really depends on your strengths as a person. </p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: blonde
Income Bracket: middle class</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: probably writing and personality. Also, I was way more interested in Sciences Po than Columbia, and I think they appreciated that; I got the impression a portion of people apply as a back door to Columbia.
Weaknesses: Not the best test scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: The strengths outweighed the weaknesses hahha!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: haven’t heard from everywhere yet!:)</p>

3

<p>Same here; I’m an international applicant though, so the comparability of these stats may be somewhat limited.</p>

<p>Objective:
Sciences Po campus you were admitted to: Le Havre
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (800M / 800CR / 750W; first sitting)
SAT II: 800 Maths II / 770 Literature
ACT: N/A
TOEFL (if applicable): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
GCE ‘A’ Level: AAAA/AA
Senior Year Course Load: H2 Linguistics, H2 Economics, H2 English Literature, H2 Mathematics, H1 General Paper, H1 French
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): International Linguistics Olympiad (Honorable Mention)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Honestly, not too impressive. Chinese orchestra for 6 years (no leadership positions), and a little bit of freelance composing/arranging on the side. Mostly music-related, but across a variety of genres and cultures.
Job/Work Experience: Internship at small investment firm.
Volunteer/Community service: Participated in a lot of small events I tried to agglutinate. Approximately 120 hours in total, but it was a case of breadth more than depth.
Summer Activities: Uhh does National Service count? ><
Essays:
Why Sciences Po-Columbia: Focused on the linguistic/cultural aspect of the program, using similarities in musical tradition as a bridge. 8/10
Royal Road: Explained how my interest in linguistics arose from a stutter and subsequently undergoing speech therapy in high school. 8/10
Teacher Recommendation: Linguistics teacher; probably mixed (didn’t see). I did consistently well but wasn’t the most proactive of students. 7/10
Counselor Rec: (didn’t see) Perhaps a little more sympathetic, but nothing spectacular either. 7/10
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Skype, because I’m halfway around the world. A few connection problems at the start which I think cut short my interview; it lasted barely 15 minutes and they seemed to be on a tight schedule. Questions were pretty straightforward – why did you apply, talk about a major news event and its impact on your country, what was your experience in school/National Service like, where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time.</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): Singapore
School Type: Independent (if that means anything to you)
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Too high for FA</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, plus grades-wise I think I’m pretty solid.
Weaknesses: Without a doubt, extracurriculars (nerd alert). I’m a walking embodiment of the skinny Asian kid with glasses archetype.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I applied to the Euro-Asia campus, so I suspect I’ll be one of the specimens you’ll peer at curiously from a distance and poke with a stick once in a while. In all seriousness though, I think I managed to show genuine interest in the program as a whole, rather than splitting it into “Why Sciences Po” and “Why Columbia”.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: UChicago
Waitlisted: Pomona (declined)
Rejected: Northwestern, Brown, Penn, Princeton (yeah I don’t really know what a safety school entails)</p>

<p>@sparks53 loving the gender hahaha.</p>

4

<p>HAHHA I just noticed I did that! I was gonna make a blonde joke, decided not to, and obviously didn’t delete everything…oops…the irony of the situation is killing me</p>

5

<p>(If you got into Reims and are pretty much committed on this program, message me!)</p>

<p>Objective: See the world
Sciences Po campus you were admitted to: Reims
SAT I (breakdown): 2060 (690M / 660CR / 710W; first sitting)
SAT II: 620 Maths I / 680 Literature / 680 French
Senior Year Course Load: Data Management, Canadian and World Politics, Calculus & Vectors, Accounting, Advanced Functions, Challenge and Change (Sociology, Anthropology, and Psychology all in one), English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): University of Toronto National Book Award, and a whole lot of school and school board awards of achievement</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): My school’s debate team (founding captain), Student Trustee of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, coordinator of my school’s Chaplaincy Group (we organize religious retreats for elementary students), Muay Thai & Boxing at a local gym, my school’s annual drama production (Principal Actor for two consecutive years), Model UN (School board event, won Best Delegate for representing Syria on the Human Rights Council this senior year), vocals & guitar for recreation, and Student Reporter for the community paper The Bluffs Advocate and the national paper The Catholic Register
Job/Work Experience: Summer co-op at a relatively small law firm, Snack Vendor at the Molson Amphitheatre (outdoor Toronto concert venue)
Volunteer/Community service: Participated in a lot of small events offered through my school board (assisting in leadership conferences speaking at open houses, accepting invitations to organize a Christmas party at SickKids hospital, etc. – Unlike what I would assume is the good majority of people, I just volunteered in whatever was thrown my way. I saw it all as service to the community.) I have 600 service hours listed in my transcript from these kinds of things.
Summer Activities: Explore Program – Summer exchange program to Quebec for intensive French study
Essays:
Why Sciences Po-Columbia: Focused on the linguistic/cultural aspect of the program
Royal Road: Explained how my struggle with the concept of a God has been a key part of my life and is reflective of my nature to “never accept uncertainty as my reality”. </p>

<p>Interview: Phone, because I’m all the way in Canada. </p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: Publicly funded Catholic school
Ethnicity: Filipino
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle Class</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, and depth of extra-curricular involvement
Weaknesses: Academic excellence. Take a look at my low SATs oh boy.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I showed a sincere interest in the international nature of the program and presented myself as someone who was driven with an honest drive to simply learn - and discover what exactly I’ll be when I’m older haha.</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: McGill, UBC, York,
Rejected: Harvard, Princeton, Yale – oh well </p>

6

<p>Thanks for updates everyone! I’m also encouraging other members to post theirs, so that interested applicants could have a better understanding of the student profile. When I was applying, having limited knowledge about this program was personally challenging. </p>

<p>Mine is below.</p>

<p>Objective:
Sciences Po campus that you’re admitted:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): N/A as an international student
ACT: 30, but I guess I didn’t send because they don’t request from international applicants
TOEFL (if applicable): 110
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): -
AP (place score in parenthesis): -
IB (place score in parenthesis): Predicted grade of 41 out of 45
HL Turkish A 7, HL English A 6, HL Econ 7, HL Biology 6, SL Math 6, SL Chemistry 6
Senior Year Course Load: IB lessons and some extra lessons like physics, geometry, history. </p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Editor-in-chief of the school newspapers, one of presidents of the student council and MUN club, founder of workshop which is highly attended by schools across the country, dance, volleyball and many other activities with leadership roles.
Job/Work Experience: 2 Internships in notable companies, one in my hometown and the other one in NYC.
Volunteer/Community service: President of Interact Club in my city. Involved in many volunteer projects, one was financially supported by the municipality.
Summer Activities: Attended school’s summer camps as counselor twice, worked in hospital as a volunteer.
Essays:
Teacher Recommendation: I think they were quite nice.
Counselor Rec: Our overseas class is only 11 and the counselor knows us quite well. I think his rec was quite good too.
Additional Rec:
Interview: I was kinda excited because I wasn’t prepared for questions at all. I think it wasn’t that good, but not bad. </p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Turkey
School Type: Private, foundation supported.
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle class. </p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Being an international applicant, work experiences, volunteer projects and extracurricular activities.
Weaknesses: My GPA could have been better.
Why you think you were accepted: I think your supplement essays are highly taken into consideration. I showed a great care to their essays as the dual degree was my first choice. I believe they want to see you are really interested in the program and you would be a good candidate, which I tried to show in my essays and interview.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted - King’s College London, Bocconi and got a likely letter from University College London
Waitlisted - Northwestern
Rejections - Many, particularly from LSE, Duke and Dartmouth. </p>