<p>Using just myself as an example (because I’m the only person I know personally who was admitted to Columbia), I had very strong ECs, but “low” SAT scores. The highest was my math score, which was 650 (or 640, I can’t recall). But I was also the Student Gov’t president AND Yearbook editor my senior year, part of the Chemistry Olympiad junior year along with being on a Chemathon team (Chemathon is as bad as it sounds) and class president, and the list goes on of ECs that I do. The goal is not to have a list of ECs you’ve done, but a list of leadership roles you have. ANYONE can be part of Math club, but only the BEST of be the president of the math club, you see?</p>
<p>And always remember to be well-rounded. Even though it’s an engineering school, they like to see that you’ve done other stuff that isn’t science/math related.</p>