<p>So Columbia is my dream school, and I submitted my ED application last week. I thought I was stressing out before, but now I'm freaking out that the decision is completely out of my hands now!</p>
<p>Kay so, here's some basics:
Female, 17
Ancestrally Indian (although I look caucasian and have a portuguese name)
Strong suburban public school in Pennsylvania
School does not rank
Interested in biology/neuroscience/biomedical engineering (pre-med track)</p>
<p>Academics:
Weighted GPA - 4.22
Unweighted GPA - 3.97
All grades have been A's except 2 A-'s in freshman year.
9th Grade -- honors science, honors social studies, honors english, geometry/trig 2, spanish 2, choir, gym, 3D design (art), design and prototyping (tech/woodshop). ---- our ninth grade is at the middle school so no AP's are offered and all classes are unweighted.
10th grade -- honors modern world history, honors bio, honors chem, honors spanish 3, accelerated precalc, choir, gym, digital imaging.
11th grade -- ap bio, ap calc ab, ap lang, honors american government and economic systems, honors spanish 4, choir, music theory.
12th grade -- ap stat, ap macro, ap lit, ap spanish, anatomy and physiology, ap physics, choir, and 2 gym classes to make up for none in junior year.</p>
<p>Standardized Testing:
SAT superscore = 2150 (740 CR, 710 M, 700W); I took it 3 times
ACT composite = 32; only took it once
SATII = 710 (molecular biology) and 700 (math 2)
AP = 4 (calc ab) and 5 (lang)</p>
<p>Extracurriculars (these are the ones I put on my CA application):
- School choir (concert choir as well as exclusive women's and select ensembles. also participated in county choir; HUGE commitment ~ 7+ hours a week)
- Peer tutor (i've tutored geometry in 9th grade, and precalc and bio in 11th)
- Student government (I'm a class senator and have been since 10th grade; appointed leadership position)
- Church Youth Group (Member and one of the originally appointed members of the teen leadership board; reapplication process every year)
- Hospital Volunteer (have over 160 hours logged in the pharmacy at the local hospital)
- Lifeguard and Swim Instructor (at the YMCA; am red-cross certified in lifeguarding, first aid, cpr/aed, bloodborne pathogens, child abuse prevention, and emergency oxygen administration)
- Drexel University College of Medicine Mini-Med Summer Camp (observed surgeries in the OR, shadowed physicians in clinical hours, participated in gross anatomy and simulation labs)
- Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory internship (marine biology, phytoplankton and ocean acidification research)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center internship (chronic myeloid leukemia research)</p>
<p>Recommendations:
I know that I will get good recommendation letters from my teachers (one was my AP lang teacher and the other I had for honors and AP bio), and definitely a stellar one from my guidance counselor because he and I talk frequently and have definitely developed almost a friendship. I also have recommendations from Sloan Kettering and Columbia from my internships. </p>
<p>Essays:
I think that my essays are decent. They're creative, but I don't know how they compare to other people's! </p>
<p>Lemme know what y'all think. Thanks guys!</p>