<p>Intended major: Biochemistry
GPA: 4.28 Weighted, upward trend in rank (top 17% freshman year to top 3% now) but somewhat downward trend in grades (made a C second semester junior year)
Rank: Top 3%, Large competitive public
ACT: 35, SAT Superscore: 2360
SAT II: Biology pending, Chemistry 740, Math Level 2 800</p>
<p>Honors/Awards (won't get into detail but I have more than enough)
Lots of science competitions awards (research since freshman summer)
Some music awards (clarinet since 4th grade)
Lots of volunteering and tutoring (500 hours~)
Leadership positions in science/math/music/honor societies</p>
<p>Summer Activities: Stanford Institute of Medicine Summer Research Program (highly selective, only ~5% of applicants get in), research at local universites, hospital volunteering</p>
<p>Essays: I consider myself as a 7-8/10 writer at best</p>
<p>Recs: Nothing too outstanding, but solid</p>
<p>I believe I have a decently competitive application, but I'm really concerned about the C I made in my second semester of junior year. Should I even bother with schools like Columbia?</p>
<p>Your gpa is great regardless of the C, and it seems like you have really good stats! No one knows who’s going to get it, but you have as good a shot as any. If you’re really interested in Columbia, apply ED!</p>
<p>@hopeful543 will they really discount the C because of my relatively decent rank/gpa? ughh im really anxious because I honestly can’t compare myself to anyone since my application is so lopsided with really nice awards/activities but a suspect GPA D:</p>
<p>depends on the caliber of your science awards. If your research is truly stellar (something most students don’t have) they might not care about your C. I had a friend with a 3.7 uw GPA but stacked science awards- she made all of HYPS and USC Presidential. </p>
<p>@puzzled123 I don’t know the magnitude of your friend’s research, but I have been published three times (with two pending and twice as first author), won 1st place twice at my state science fair (one of the biggest states in the US), as well as USABO and AIME semifinalists (AIME qualifier). I have also placed/won at several other regional science competitions and conferences.</p>
<p>PS I have not been able to do Siemens because my lab head does not allow me to do so. </p>
<p>she was siemens national finalist, at USC w/ presidential atm</p>
<p>I think you app will be pulled to the side for review by a faculty member. If your stuff is legit, it might get you in, otherwise a C is a red flag.</p>
<p>I don’t think faculties’ opinion has any weight in undergrad admissions. When I visited, a professor in SEAS told me that faculties do not have impact on the admission. </p>
<p>Wow, yeah from what I’ve heard being a Siemens National Finalist is almost a ticket to any high-name Ivy school.</p>
<p>But anyway, does the fact that I’m still ranked in the top 3% of my class sort of negate the C? The rest of my grades and test scores (as you can see) have been solid</p>
<p>is your rank determined by GPA only? Additionally, is the top 3% your GPA throughout high school? If yes to both, I think it could certainly outweigh the GPA.</p>
<p>is from a Yale faculty member who says he was on an admissions committee, suggesting that some faculty members may look at applications. However, I have no idea what the case is at Columbia. </p>
<p>Given Columbia’s very small admit rate, there’s no way to predict whether you’ll get in, but clearly you’re a competitive applicant, so it was worth “bothering” to apply if Columbia is your first choice (which I assume it is). Now that you’ve applied, it’s out of your hands, so I’d recommend trying to forget about it for a few weeks and focusing on other things in your life. Then you can come back in mid-December to tell us what happened. I hope you get good news.</p>
<p>@moliss Thanks! Columbia has been my first choice for quite some time now, and I just hope that Columbia (as well as the other ivies) really mean it when they say they review applications holistically.</p>
<p>BTW, I saw your thread about your doubts regarding Columbia after getting in. How was CU been for you so far?</p>
<p>The school itself is great. To be honest, the pictures online don’t do it justice; it’s prettier in real life. Everyone is invested in what they do and the student organizations are some of the best in the country. On the other hand, the academics are extremely rigorous (taking 5 classes is normal) and the structure of the school (difficulty of switching between engineering and liberal arts) can be annoying. New York is also really cool, but you’ll be spending a decent amount of cash when going out. By the way, the facilities are great lol. The dorms are pretty nice and get nicer as you move up from freshman year. About the spirit thing: everyone is really honest about how they feel about things (I love that) and I’m not really into sports anyway. The campus also doesn’t feel very small, considering there is so much to explore. Columbia’s not perfect and there are things to complain about, but it’s up there in terms of “as good as it gets.” Hope that helps! </p>
hi guys! so i ran into this page by accident but i wanted to tell any future readers interested in columbia (or any other ivy league or competitive school) about my experience with the application process. basically, i go to a private high school and have always been in the top 5% (or less? we don’t rank) of my class. i had straight A’s freshman and sophomore year and straight A’s junior year except for a C+ in AP physics. there is a long explanation for why i got the C… anyways, i scored a 5 on the ap test and, again, besides that bad grade i had an A in every other class (and i’m gonna graduate having taken like 15 AP’s). my 1st quarter senior year grades were also all A’s. but what i’m trying to say is that a C IS NOT GOING TO STOP YOU FROM GETTING INTO A GOOD SCHOOL. i applied ED to columbia and got in. again, each applicant is different and you have to take the whole application into consideration. but what i’m trying to say is that ONE (or maybe two) bad grades won’t stop you from getting into an amazing school. if you want to go to columbia and think you have a decent chance of getting in, APPLY. they accept real people, not just 4.0 2400 nerds.
just wanted to put that out there.
(oh, and i got into the engineering school.)