<p>Hi I am a junior at The Bolles School in Jacksonville Florida. I am particularly interested in Columbia University and would like to have some opinions on where I stand. I would like to know what I need to improve and what my chances at Columbia are. I currently have a high school GPA just rising above 3.0 and plan to improve it dramatically. I am a varsity swimmer and have been for two years. I was recently elected as German Club President and joined the student council as a representative for the dorms. I also participate in the Young Republicans club and the debate club. As of now I have roughly 200 community service hours and still plan to accumulate. My classes for this year include: Chemistry, U.S. History, English III, Algebra II AB, Life Management (required by the state), German III, Anatomy and Physiology, and Neurobiology honors. I would really appreciate an honest opinion stating my current standing and chances for acceptance at Columbia University. I would also appreciate opinions on what to do to improve my application and chances for acceptance. Thank you very much! Philip</p>
<p>You have little to no chance.</p>
<p>You said you wanted an honest response. I agree with alien_workshop. Your chances are incredibly slim. I won't say you have no chance at all, because admissions can be totally random, but realistically, your stats are far below the typical applicant pool for Columbia.</p>
<p>I think you know your own weakness. The GPA. 3.0 is low, and you're a junior. Colleges like positive trends...but, well yeah. Your class selection this year also doesn't seem to be very challenging. You could be taking more honors/AP/IB classes. </p>
<p>Your EC's are lacking as well. How else do you contribute to the community? There's no "wow" factor at all in your extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Perhaps aim for a school that has a higher acceptance rate?</p>
<p>to give you a little boost of confidence, check out last year's ed results, some people were able to get acccepted with low stats. however 3.0... is... extremely low. sorry.</p>
<p>What are your other stats (SAT, rank, etc.)? If you can increase your GPA like you said you would then you might have a shot.</p>
<p>stat-wise your chances look pretty bad, but then again columbia isnt all about stats. keep up the good work on your ECs and show them that you are more than what your grades show.</p>