What could this theater oriented junior do to improve for Columbia?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
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<p>Residency: Southern Jersey
Intended Major: Major in Finance/Economics with a minor in Theater.
Intended Career: Broadway Theater Producer (A boy can dream, right?)</p>

<p>UW GPA: 4.0/4.0
W GPA: 4.56/4.0 (Will be around a 4.9 by the end of this year)
Class Rank: 1/400
SAT/SAT IIs : Haven't taken yet (May/June/October/November ;])
ACT: C 33 (E:30, M:33, R: 32, S: 35, W: haven't received yet.)
APs (currently taking) : Language and Composition, Biology, and United States History
Senior Year Schedule : AP Stats, AP Calc, AP Gov and Pol, AP Physics, AP Lit.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars - These are my main ones (but there are much more):
Fencing Captain (4.5 hours + a week)
Dancing Captain in a professional company. (8.5 hours + a week)
Theater in general (well over 300 hours in theater related activities)
Chorus/Jazz Chorus (5 hours a week)
Bassoon in Band (5 hours a week)
All South Jersey Chorus
All State Chorus
etc....</p>

<p>Volunteering - These are my main ones (but there are much more):
Organized my own can drive, raised over 500 cans, plan to do it again this year!
MS Walk (thousands of dollars total)
Dancing in hospitals during Holidays/for Make a Wish Foundation
Tutoring students in math
Probably around 200 hours of service total.</p>

<p>Awards - My weak point....
Principal's list all of High School
2 time Spotlight Student
Presidential Community Service award (not the bronze/silver/gold, but a minor one.)
Honorable Mention in VFW essay contest
Core Honor Student (Academic achievement.)
John Philip Sousa Award for Musical Achievement</p>

<p>Summers -
Last summer, Cornell University Summer College (Received A's in both my courses)
This summer, (hopefully!) Governor's School, if I am accepted</p>

<p>Recommendations - the ones for Governor's School were fantastic, so I think I will use the same ones, plus one from my Dance teacher who knows me more than any teacher.
Essays - I'll most likely talk about theater and its influence on my life and why I want to continue in the industry through production.</p>

<p>Hook - Don't have one except for one thing - I'm really super passionate about theater. I love it so much, and it means the world to me. I'm hoping this will come through in my application through my essays, but who knows?</p>

<p>Strengths - GPA, Extracurriculars, PASSION!!!!
Weaknesses - Test scores, leadership</p>

<p>So, this is a general overview. What do you guys think? What can I do that would improve my chances at a place like Columbia? :]</p>

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<p>Bump :slight_smile: yay!</p>

3

<p>if you are really interested in theater, major in it.</p>

<p>as i’ve said on here before if you apply from jersey interested in economics (as in that is your major interest in your application), you will have a big uphill battle.</p>

<p>so i’d suggest - get into the academic side of drama/theater. improve your numbers (sat). thus far the essay doesn’t sound great because it seems pretty generic, of course you’ll have time to fix that, but just rather say that now than in a few months. the point being that the essay is not a statement of what you want to do in your life, but rather a statement of how you think and who you are. i usually suggest that you keep the topic simple, but the implications expansive.</p>

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<p>Thanks! I’m most likely not going to write about that, ill actually look more towards writing about the first time I stepped on stage in heels (I’m playing Edna from Hairspray!) as it has been the biggest challenge for me as an actor.
As far as my major goes, I was thinking economics because I want the back up, you know? Just majoring in theater is a little daunting because there is no escape! But I do appreciate your advice, and I will take it into consideration! :slight_smile:
Anyone else?</p>

5

<p>well let’s just clarify a few things -
a) econ is not business.
b) going to an ivy is enough to get you in places, if you are smart enough to get into a school of that caliber then don’t worry about it.
c) what you say you’re going to do and what you do, are not necessarily the same thing. i don’t advocate lying, i just don’t advocate putting yourself at a disadvantage. if for some reason you wrote to me and said that you loved economics and thought it was what you wanted to do with your life, that would be one thing. but it sounds like you just want the quat/business savvy stuff to back yourself up. and that is not a good enough reason to 1) apply to college with econ as a major choice when you know it will disadvantage you in the process, 2) it is not even a good enough reason to major in econ because you don’t need the major to work in the production side of theater.</p>

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<p>Perhaps I came off a little wrong saying economics was my back up, but I am genuinely interested in economics. Its just the fact I’m majoring in economics instead of theater (as opposed to the opposite way around) that’s my “back up”. I like economics in how a current economic situation can effect a business, and things of that nature. I’ve studied economics in my history course this year and find it really interesting. But, at a school like Columbia, they don’t have a strict “business” or finance major, thus making economics my step towards a business oriented graduate school (because I’m looking at mba/mfa schools. A little ahead of myself, I’m aware, lol but meh. Its what I want to do!). I’ve done my research in that economic majors at columbia end up more often on wall street than almost any other business program in the country. Thus, economics. Its a combination of interest, preference, and how it translates on my transcript later in my career! :)</p>

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<p>so advice to you and other students:</p>

<p>1) what you say youre going to major in matters. you will be judged a) as to whether or not you are up to snuff for that major, b) compared to other students. just because you might end up majoring in economics, doesn’t mean you should shoot yourself in the foot.</p>

<p>2) based on what you’ve written here - your depth of understanding of economics is very superficial. it probably would not impress and admissions officer compared to other students who apply (from South Jersey even). if you are serious about econ, you need to push yourself more than learning about it in a history class. take ap econ, or figure out a way to take further econ. do something this summer econ related in terms of internships or a research project.</p>

<p>3) the liberal arts are beautiful. don’t be afraid to explore them in college. it is your last time in which you can explore them. and not only are humanities and arts underrepresented, universities like columbia take pride in them so they will always continue to seek out folks that will attend. </p>

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<p>in the end getting into an ivy requires that you stand out even amongst a group of stand outs. so if i am being harsh, know i just want you to not rest on the laurels of being top in your class. you seem smart and have pretty good stats, you’ll be going to college. i just want to emphasize that getting into an ivy requires quite a bit, and you need to start thinking about how your application will be received, which is not something that your guidance counselor probably is emphasizing.</p>