My DD is going to take a shot and apply to Columbia with the understanding that it is going to be really tough to get in. As a 33 is low on their range, but not totally out of bounds should she submit? I think the test score is the weakest part of her resume, but she does have a 35 and 36 for English and Reading sections which seem more applicable for her intended major, International Relations. Maybe they don’t see it that way though.
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Colleges pay more attention to sectional scores than composite/overall score.
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Unless she is a URM or first gen or in an otherwise interesting socioeconomic group, I would not submit. If it’s the weakest part of her application, it’s not enhancing her chances.
It’s a great score so it seems crazy to say, but I would only submit if you felt that it improved her application in any way. It doesn’t sound like that’s the case.
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What major - what else does she have as part of her portfolio from GPA (UW, W), rigor (how many APs), level of ECs, etc. So her math and science are high 20s?
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She said in her first post that she wants to major in international relations.
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Sorry - yeah - says so but on the next line so I missed that. Still would help to know other parts - GPA, rigor, rank, ECs.
I agree that the 33 is dicey - even though it’s FANTASTIC.
However, if the rest of the portfolio is not up to snuff, I might submit it. Plus, it shows (vs. a TO) that they are right there.
With an acceptance rate under 4%, it’s a hard hill to climb regardless.
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International Relations which I think at Columbia falls under Poli Sci.
Boring socioeconomic profile.
3.97 uw IB Diploma
4/521
Nationals for Debate/FBLA
Many other state and local leadership and recognition things.
Math is 27 I think, science was 30 or 31.
I would add - does her current school have a track record with Columbia ? Do you know about successful admits from her school and their stats and rigor. It seems crazy to me not to submit a 33, but I have been hearing a few top prep schools are discouraging 33s for highly selective colleges- when the student has the grades, rigor and reputation of prep school/high school on their app.
Big public school in suburbs of KC. Know of quite a few kids that are going to T20s, including Ivies, but not necessarily Columbia.
I know this is a long shot (thought it was 6, not 4% so even worse!). She’s applied to half a dozen schools so far, gotten accepted at a few. A few more to go.
Yes, she should submit if she is an URM. Otherwise, I’d probably say no. The English and Reading are very nice, but that math is way too low for Columbia, and with their core curriculum, she certainly would have to take some math, even if she is not majoring in a STEM field.
What about Barnard?
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I agree. No submit. The rank and other factors seem strong. KC is a geographic diversity win and Barnard is a second crack at basically the same apple.
Columbia = 3.9%
Barnard = 11%
I’d go ACT to Barnard. 31-32 range.
https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/class-2025-profile
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I believe I read in another post that Barnard accepted 60% of the incoming class in ED and if applications stay on trend the acceptance rate for RD will be 4%. Middle 50% for ED 32-34. I know this doesn’t help with the original question-and just filling in the info released for the college Class of 2026.
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It’s on the link I sent in the previous note. 57%. Also, the class of 25 was 31/32.
Penn should did what they said was 51%.
These guys are all driving to guarantee filled seats / revenue, etc.
But as we’re past ED - basically it’s more than doubling (based on likely acceptance rates) vs. Columbia since the RD rate will be higher.
But yes, it’s no picnic!!! That’s for sure.
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I saw your class of 2025 stats in your attachment - i was going off a post that had 2026 ED stats and remaining seat number for RD. Either way - back to point 33 ACT is an amazing score and it is disheartening that students are being told not to submit.
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oh, sorry - didn’t realize they put that out - my bad.
Yes, 33 is amazing and it’s ridiculous we have this discussion - but it’s the world we live in where the 98th percentile is questioned.
And yet it needs to be. Crazy. Thanks for the clarification.
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Columbia does not admit by major
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A friend’s son was just rejected from Columbia ED with a 1500 SAT (which is a 34 ACT, according to the concordance table I saw). I don’t know his application in detail, but he is a white male from metro NYC.
Unless you are an URM or from a school that may not have rigor comparable to other applicants, I likely wouldn’t submit.
I would say go for it. It’s not low enough to detract from the better parts of her application. I submitted a 34 - with 36’s in Reading, English, and Science and a 29 in Maths (ouch) - and got into an Ivy.
Absolutely. Without question. The argument is that a 33 somehow detracts from your application; however, everybody who does test optional is admitting they don’t have a 34 or whatever arbitrary cutoff people are imposing. A 33 is right there. Nobody is going to see a 33 and say “no, reject this kid, they didn’t get a 34 or 35.” But if you are borderline to an admit, it might be a confirming factor to the other positive aspects of your application. Test optional, you might have a 33 or you might have a 26. If you get rejected, it won’t be because you submitted a 33.
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It’s not their minimum but their 25% number, which could be interpreted as minimum for sure. However in this case it might make sense to submit the 33, it would depend on the rest of the application. I think a 33 shows you can do the work, so I would submit and not have adcoms guess.
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