Hello! I would like to know how good my chances are/what I should improve to get into Columbia University. (Other colleges I am considering are NYU, Macalester, American Uni, Haverford, Middleburry, and George Washington Uni)
I am a white male from North Carolina. My area is incredible poor, conservative, and rural, but I am middle class. Neither of my parents earned a degree past their high school diploma.
My high school is ranked in the top 1% of high schools in the nation and it is a very small charter school; my graduating class has around 80 students. My rank is 9 or 10 (I am not sure).
Weighted GPA: 4.55
Unweighted GPA: 3.9 something
Sat Scores–
evidence based reading and writing: 670
math: 710
chemistry subject test: 570
literature subject: 610
math 2: 690
I have at least one more chance to take the SAT and I am certain I will be able to break 730 on both Math and Reading.
I have 5 AP’s total (euro, calc ab, chemistry, lang and comp, and gov). I only opted to not take more than one this year so that I could dedicate more time to applications and my two college courses.
Clubs:
National Honor Society/Beta Club (all four years of high school, led a couple of committees)
School Newspaper (11-12)
Gay Straight Alliance (Founding member in 11th and leader in 12th)
National Latin Honor Society (10-12)
Mu Alpha Theta (12)
Swim team (10-12, captain senior year)
Cheerleading (11-12) **my experiences in this sport and the prejudices I faced could make a good essay.
Drama (10)
Speech and Debate (10-11, club ended this year because the teacher quit)
Pep Club (9-12, leadership position 11 and 12)
Others: Hospice Volunteer, tutor, teach swim lessons, Red Cross lifeguard/CPR certified
I have also held a job throughout my junior and senior years of high school.
Hooks:
-First generation to attend college
-Gay
-Deep South in impoverished area
I am interested in International Studies or Political Science as a major. I write the socio-political column in my school paper. I am also very dedicated to the learning of foreign languages. In high school, I have taken two years of Latin (9-10), two years of French (11-12), and one year of German (12). I have supplemented my in class study of French by teaching myself a significant amount, but I am not fluent. I have also taught myself small amounts of Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch (basic conversation, although I know a bit more Spanish). I am currently applying to the NSLI-Y year abroad program to study Arabic.
This year I am taking two courses through my local community college, General Psychology and Intro to Sociology.
I should probably add that my high school works off of a classical curriculum, meaning we must take two years of Latin, two years of classical logic, and one year of rhetoric before graduating. The school is challenging to say the least, pushing every single student to pursue an undergrad degree or higher. Most people in my area either do not attend college, stop at an associate degree, or go to a local public college to earn their bachelor’s (maybe 20% of high school grads). The difference between my charter school and many other public schools in the area may help me stand out…
As mentioned before, my SAT scores are subject to change, but as of right now, what are my chances? What can I do to help myself stand out?
Thank you and I can’t wait to hear back!!