I’m currently a junior and I was pleasantly surprised to have received a 33 on my ACT (Which I did not think I did well on, for various reasons, namely that I nearly vomited mid-way through the exam). With this in mind, I’m wondering what my odds are at being accepted into a college where only seven tenths of a person (give or take a spleen or two) out of every ten people make it in. Facts about me: 4.00 student (Unweighted and at a rural high school, admittedly…but a 4.00 is a 4.00, right? Maybe I’ll get points for diversity because I can fake a southern drawl pretty well.) varsity athlete, involved in band and drama programs, a currently rising number of volunteer hours (I’ve been limited in this area mostly due to the fact that I live about twenty miles south of the intersection of “lone tumbleweed drive” and “the place where jimmy hoffa was supposedly buried…or something.” ie. I haven’t always had transportation available and I’ve had to look after my siblings in what free time I’ve had.), member of NHS, and student representative to a few state wide programs and such. Does my resume look acceptable? (I re-take the ACT in two months and am hoping to be both more adequately prepared and less green in the face.) Hopefully this wasn’t too much of a rambling tirade! Thanks.
I’m an alumnus interviewer, so my views here are only opinions …
– Your ACT score and grades are competitive. Go ahead and retake ACT if you think you can do better, but 33 is 99th percentile. I wouldn’t bother.
– Your hilarious description of the “rurality” of where you live demonstrates humor ability that will take you far in life as well as college admissions. Write your essay in this style.
– The geographic diversity hook, in the sense you come from a place in the U.S. that doesn’t send many people to Columbia or the other Ivies, is a plus.
– Athlete is the best hook of all, after coming from an extremely rich family. Contact the coach at Columbia for your sport, indicating your interest and try to get on the recruiting manifest. Ask to make a campus visit and meet the coach plus some future teammates. Getting recruited is how I got in 35 years ago.
Thanks for the reassurance! I think I’ll try to play up the athletic angle as much as possible.
I want you to get in.
Aw, shucks.
It’s true that your location may be a hook, but it would definitely help to rack up a couple accomplishments before applying next December (assuming you’d be doing RD, which makes more sense anyway). Have you looked for things to get involved with over the Internet? I don’t know what you’re interested in but there should be some kind of online community for most potential activities, and getting involved with that wouldn’t hurt even if you’re geographically isolated.