zakkusu

I'm not going to ask you to evaluate my chances for Columbia, because I'm still in my junior year of high school. I still have a little ways to go. Columbia has always been at the top of my dream school list with Stanford. But no one ever tells anyone what these colleges look for specifically. My main questions are these:

If you get perhaps one or two Bs, are you immediately thrown into the Reject Pile?
Which are more important to the admissions people? Extracurricular activities or Academics?
Do these colleges want to see an applicant spread thin with clubs and organizations, or a student extremely dedicated to a smaller number of endeavors?
What were some of the qualities that the admissions officers admired about you, and aided your acceptance in some form or another?
And any advice you can give to a kid who feels like he's slipping when he studies hardest would be much appreciated as well. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing your responses.

glido

Columbia values academics and ECs. They prefer a student who has shown commitment to a few ECs to one who participates a little ina lot of ECs.

One or two Bs will not get you into the reject pile. There are over one thousand straight A candidates who will be rejected and over one thousand students with a few Bs who will be accepted. There is no GPA that will serve as the admissions silver bullet. Once you have amply demonstrated that you can handle the academic work, you must show that you are a unique person who will add to the rich fabric that is Morningside Heights.

zakkusu

I'm just curious. Were you accepted?