What are my chances at ED?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>My dad wants me to apply ED and I keep telling him I have little to no chance but he thinks I can get in. My major would be business management, second major finance economics, third undecided.</p>

<p>GPA: 95.76% *Low in comparison to many students at my school
SAT: 2270 (800 W, 760 CR, 710 M) *2 sittings, first of which was a 2240
SAT II: 740 US History, 770 Math II
Class Schedule: AP Physics B, AP Literature, AP Macroeconomics, Honors Calc, Honors Comp Sci
Class Size/Rank: 298, no rank</p>

<p>Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Asian-American
Income Bracket: ~200k
School Type: Public
Hooks: None
Essays: 8/10? I'm a good writer or so I've been told</p>

<p>Extracurriculars/Volunteer:
1. Coordinator at Atlantic Adult Day Care Center (many hours) - Worked with health patients, organized activities, helped the in-house doctor meet and treat patients, etc.
2. Assistant at doctor's office (Many hours) - Helped meet and treat patients as well as handle the everyday workings of the office and the day-to-day operations
3. Volunteer at hospital - Greeted and met patients, helped overseer in hospital, assistant in filing, paperwork, and computer work
4. Economics Club, Vice President - Organized business ventures relating to the club, helped set up meetings and accomplish tasks relating to the club
5. Journalist for online website - Wrote articles and reviews for a music website that doubled as a blog, helped market the website as well as its related streams of revenue
6. Varsity track and field (1 season)
7. Street Vendor - Made $10,000 selling items as part of a licensed street vendor while in China
8. Tutoring English for Arabs and Chinese seniors
9. Write and record own music (nothing major)</p>

<p>Here are some of my school's stats for Columbia:
Average Accepted GPA: 100.22 (I have a 95.76) *** My GPA is considered pretty low in comparison here, but I have shown a great upward trend since freshman year. Eliminate my freshman year grades and early sophomore, and I would have about a 99.33 average, hypothetically
Combined SAT 1600: 1449 (I have a 1470)
Single SAT 2400: 2150 (I have a 2240)
Combined SAT 2400: 2172 (I have a 2270)
Acceptance Rate: 29/452 (6%)</p>

<p>I also live in NYC and likely won't need much financial aid</p>

2

<p>bump</p>

3

<p>I want to quickly point something out before I share my opinion. The majority of people on here who comment on “Chance” posts are completely in no position to be “chancing” anyone. No one can really chance anyone unless they have access to every tidbit of a person’s app. That said, I think your chances are pretty solid, and if you play it right, the street vendor EC can be a real boost to your app. I’m also in NYC, do you go to Stuy by some odd chance?</p>

4

<p>@ds0501‌ That revelation dawned on me a while ago, lol. I posted this in the Columbia forum though, so maybe I’ll get replies from better qualified posters. I don’t go to Stuy, if I did though, it definitely wouldn’t be by odd chance, since Ivy hopefuls would generally come from one of the specialized high schools and many would come from Stuy. I do go to a specialized high school though.</p>

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<p>Yep, have you submitted your app yet? @myrealname</p>

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<ol>
<li>Street Vendor - Made $10,000 selling items as part of a licensed street vendor while in China</li>
</ol>

<p>This is the most interesting thing I’ve read all day…quite a life experience you got there.</p>

7

<p>Just a couple of comments from my perspective as an alumnus interviewer (and formerly doing it in NYC):</p>

<p>Grades: Since 96% is low for your school, it has ridiculous grade inflation so adcom would look more at class rank. However, your school seems to not have class rank. Fortunately the adcom should be familiar with grade distribution at all NYC specialized schools.</p>

<p>Test scores look good. ECs are meh, frankly. I think adcom wants to see great depth in one or more areas. I doubt if anyone anywhere is impressed by hospital volunteering; it’s so common and also almost de rigueur for premeds. Also nobody cares you were VP of the Economics Club. But maybe you’re underselling your music journalism. Keep it up & submit samples of your best work in your app. The street vendor experience has potential but only if you can talk it up (in your essay) like Spalding Gray – look him up if you don’t know who he was.</p>

<p>Intended major: This may be a real deal killer. You can’t major in business management or finance at CC. Maybe you should be prioritizing Wharton instead (it so happens I’m a TA there ATM). But if you need to stay in NYC for personal reasons, or can’t imagine going to college anywhere else, for what it’s worth I think you have a decent shot at ED admission. Keep in mind it’s twice as likely to get in ED as regular, so that’s the way to go if CC really is your first choice. GL whatever you decide.</p>