Chance me for Columbia ED (3.83, 1560) [NC resident, biology pre-med]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Any responses are appreciated. Please be brutally honest. Also feel free to recommend schools for my list.

Demographics

  • US citizen
  • State/Location of residency: North Carolina
  • Type of high school: Public, low-mid competitiveness
  • Other special factors: Single-parent household (Mom passed away)

Intended Major(s): Biochemistry (Pre-med), Minor in Computer Science

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.83 *Freshman year I had 3 B’s and a C, the rest of my grades my other years are all A’s. I will be giving context in the additional information section regarding my poor freshman year grades (Scoliosis, taking care of sister who had trouble regulating her emotions)*
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.45 ( Grading scale: + .5 for honors classes, + 1 for AP classes)
  • Class Rank: 6
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1560 SAT

List your HS coursework

  • English: English 1 Honors, English 2 Honors, AP Lit, AP Lang, Creative Writing Honors, Total of 4 Classes of Newspaper
  • Math: NC Math 1 Honors, NC Math 2 Honors, NC Math 3 Honors, AP Pre-Calc, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Stats
  • Science: Earth and Environmental Science Honors, Biology Honors, Chemistry Honors, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1, AP Environmental Science
  • History and social studies: AP World History, AP Gov, APush, Economics and Personal Finance Honors (Required Class), AP Psychology
  • Language other than English: Spanish 1-4 Honors

Total of 12 AP’s by graduation

Awards:

  • USA Biology Olympiad Semi-Finalist
  • USA Medicine and Disease Olympiad Silver
  • Won 2 Hackathons, placed second in several others
  • Medical and Bioethics Essay third place

Extracurriculars

1. Science Research at Duke

- Published research on microplastics in local food sources using spectroscopy, presented findings to my city councils environmental committee

2. Found a nonprofit where I translated rare disease guides to 17 underrepresented languages

- Had my guides accessible throughout multiple North Carolina hospitals, plus had them posted for free as PDF’s on multiple websites

3. Built a predictive model for food desert-linked disease rates using my county’s health data

- Published online and took large attention of my local community, got onto my towns newspaper

4. Co-Founder/President of my schools coding club

- Every semester our club built a project based on the votes of all students and staff within school (Projects we built include a School Lunch Meal predictor, an interactive AI chatbot that helps students learn to enjoy school, etc) Also every semester we held a fundraiser downtown, raising over 10K in total.

5. Vice-President of Science Honors Society

- Spent many hours after school tutoring biology and chemistry students for free via the club. Created long, immensely detailed slideshows for each twice-monthly meeting that contained interviews of local biologists

6. Shadowed Two Doctors

  • Shadowed the famous Dr. Hey of the HeyClinic, an orthopedic spine surgeon. Also shadowed a cardiologist and worked with her on a small awareness project regarding hereditary heart disease.

7. Dishwasher at Senior Living Community

  • During summers and during the school year, I dish-washed, set the tables, etc. Also spent a lot of free time (Un-paid) just chilling and conversing with the Elderly there.

8. Scenic Biking, Hiking and Skateboarding

- Spent weekends doing all for a sense of peace. Typically I would bike and hike in the mountains, and skateboard in more urban settings. (Downtown) | also started a social media account with over 11K followers where I would post a beautiful view alongside an inspirational quote.

9. Secretary of Film Club

- Had bi-weekly meetings where members of the club discussed all things movie related. Often the staff and I would assign a movie for our members each couple weeks, then once all have watched we would converse about it. Within the club, I personally created a section about motivation. Anyone in need of a type of motivation could ask me and I will tell them a movie that would fit.

10. Varsity Cross Country

Other information that I feel is important:

  • Freshman through sophomore year I took mainly classes that relate to Writing and English, as I thought I wanted to be some sort of writer. I also was in the school newspaper which took up two periods a year, taking up a total of 4. This Writing/English interest of mine is a big reason on why I want to ED to Columbia, due to their Core Curriculum. Do you think this English centered freshman-sophomore year of mine is a weakness, or would fit well in my Columbia Application?

  • Freshman year I started a year behind in math (Most were in NC Math 2, I was in NC Math 1.) Though by Junior year I was ahead of most in math. (Sophomore year I took Math 2 and 3, Junior year I took AP Pre-Calc and AP Calc AB) Even though I ended up mostly ahead by doubling up on lots of math classes, is this still considered a weakness?

  • Lastly, my Dad went to the Teachers College of Columbia for grad school. According to Google, I am not considered a legacy. Though, do i still get any sort of statistical advantage?I’m guessing not, but LMK.

Schools

  • Columbia ED
  • Cornell
  • Brown
  • UNC Chapel Hill EA
  • Duke
  • University of Rochester
  • University of Michigan EA
  • Stony Brook EA
  • University of Virginia EA
  • Northeastern University
  • Tufts University
  • NC State
  • Other safeties
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Is your counselor also going to address this?

Beyond taking some extra writing classes in freshman and soph years, which you aren’t continuing in jr/sr years, why Columbia? Have you visited? You don’t qualify as legacy, so no bump there.

Do you have any budget constraints? Have you run Columbia’s NPC?

All in all your list is reach heavy, especially with 3 Bs and a C. I assume NC State is highly likely for admission (assuming affordability)? Would you really go to Stony Brook over NC State?

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Your academics, awards, and extracurriculars look quite strong for all of the colleges you are considering. For the top “reach” schools on your list: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Duke; you or your guidance counselor will need to provide some context regarding the 3 “B” grades & the 1 “C” grade you earned in 9th grade. What specific classes did you earn these grades? You mention some of the circumstances; the admissions committees will need to know this information, either through your personal statements (e.g. any optional yet important information you would like to provide) or in the counselor recommendation, or both. The non-4.0 GPA isn’t going to get you automatically rejected; the mean unweighted GPA of the admitted is never a 4.0; but during a transcript evaluation, the applicant needs to ensure that nothing gets misinterpreted. Earning three "B"s in 9th grade isn’t the same as earning three "B"s for the first time junior year in three AP classes & isn’t the same as earning one “B” each in 9th, 10th, & 11th, & also in what specific classes, core or electives. The “C” grade could be a bit more problematic (for the top “reaches”) and will warrant a more in-depth explanation. I believe you are right about not qualifying for legacy status for Columbia; usually only having parents or siblings holding undergraduate degrees at the educational institution count as legacy. I would still apply to Columbia University ED if this is your top choice.

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Are all of your schools affordable?

If you ED, and they accept you, you have to be able to pay their fees. If you can’t pay the fees, ED means that, come hell or high water, you’re going there regardless of whether or not you can afford it. It’s a contract. You better make sure that that’s where you want to ED and can afford it.

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My reason for Columbia is simply because I see myself as a fit. I’ve visited the campus several times, as well as other college campuses, and I feel the most gravity towards Columbia. Also as someone with 3 main interests (Science, Computer Science, and English) , I feel I could satisfy all three of those interests at Columbia through my intended major, my intended minor, and the core curriculum which plays a big part.

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Freshman year I had a B in Earth and Environmental Science, a B in English, an a C in AP World History. I plan on writing the context regarding my poor freshman year grades in the additional information section, but if I can get my counselor to mention it in his recommendation letter I will do that as well.

I still plan on applying to Columbia ED, do you think I would have a genuine shot at it or do you think my chances would be rough?

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The “C” in AP World History is the most problematic. You haven’t disclosed what you scored on the AP exam - a “4” or “5” would greatly benefit you. I would have recommended taking a class like AP European History, in addition to the U.S. History you’ve already taken to earn another “A”. I assume that it isn’t offered at your high school. I would still apply to Columbia ED; you’ve visited the campus several times & have gained an appreciation for its Core Curriculum & academics. The English-centered 9th & 10th grade shouldn’t pose a problem for any of the colleges you are applying to.

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Definitely work with your counselor and have them read what you write in additional info. I would not call B’s ‘poor grades’. You will need to address the C, and could also address a lower freshman year average as well. You want to keep your explanation short and factual. No blaming the teacher, or parents, or being unable to make up homework/tests/quizzes. It can be tough to address this well.

I do think the C makes Columbia and the other low acceptance rate schools big reaches. Many applicants have health and/or family struggles but are able to stay on top of their schoolwork. I don’t say this to be critical, but the number of unhooked accepted applicants with a C and multiple Bs at these schools in a given year is extremely low. Put in a few reach apps, and hope for the best. As long as you like the highly likely schools on your list, then you are good.

You also haven’t addressed your budget and whether there are any constraints?

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This serves as an example as to why I am against most 9th graders taking AP classes & exams. Many high schools across the U.S. force 9th graders to take AP, especially Human Geography and to a lesser extent World History. These 13 and 14- year old kids are just coming out of middle school (or intermediate or junior high) to start out on day one of high school tackling college-level work. And many high schools are forcing these 9th graders to take the AP exams in May - with many scoring “1” and “2” on these exams and school leadership & counselors threatening students with dismissals from AP honor academies and magnet programs. Or, worse, even classifying Human Geography as a “starter” AP, as if it weren’t even a real AP class. The College Board should offer Pre-AP Human Geography as a substitute or hybrid option & no high school should be forcing any 9th graders to take any AP classes or exams, with very rare exceptions. I would even advocate completely abolishing AP Human Geography. This is my personal opinion; I am not suggesting that this is the case with Jsb112233.

AP Policy: Appropriate Grade Levels for AP Courses

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I got a 2 on the AP World History exam. My senior year course load is the following: AP Calculus BC, AP Stats, AP Physics 1, AP Lang, AP Environmental Science, AP Psychology, Spanish 3 and Spanish 4. Is it worth dropping one of those classes for AP European History? If so, which one should I drop?

Lastly, do you think I would have a genuine chance for Columbia ED or would you say the odds are very low?

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Yes. You could drop AP Environmental Science, AP Psychology, or AP Statistics. Personally, I would drop psychology. Columbia’s “Intro to Psych” class should be way more interesting. An “A” grade in AP European History with an AP score of “4” or “5”, if you can pull it off, is recommended. How did you do on your other AP exams? Are you able to hide the “2” in World History from official score reports?

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I thought that Columbia was one of the universities that did consider you legacy if a parent had any degree from Columbia, even a graduate degree. However, I would check this with Columbia admissions (I would not trust what Google AI says, although it seems to be right more often than it is wrong).

However, I am not sure that this is the most important point. Columbia is a reach regardless of whether you are legacy or not, and…

Budget is key.

Has your father run the NPC for Columbia? How does the cost of Columbia compare to the cost of UNC and NC State?

Most students who start off thinking “premed” end up doing something else. Some find that they cannot maintain a medical-school-worthy GPA in the tough premed classes. However, quite a few just find something else that they prefer to do. Keeping other options in mind is important.

However, as long as you are seriously considering medical school, you need to budget for 8 years of university. You have at least two very good in-state options for a bachelor’s degree (I am from a different state, so I do not know what public in-state schools you have other than UNC and NC State). I would not spend significantly more unless you also have the cost of medical school covered.

I apologize for sticking your dad with a lot of work, but he might want to run the NPC for the other private and out of state schools on your list. As one example, the University of Michigan is a very good university. I am not sure that I would spend twice as much to go there rather than UNC or NC State for a bachelor’s degree.

I like this combination.

My point here is that software engineering is not about writing computer code. It is about solving problems. There are problems in biochemistry (and in many other fields) that need computers. As an example, at one point one daughter (who majored in biology) was working with biochemists who were using sophisticated 3D software to model organic chemicals (with a specific goal in mind related to possibly helping to deal better with some particular disease). Software engineers who have not had a chemistry or biology class since high school are not likely to be the right people to write this software, or to write most software which is specifically intended for biomedical research. With a degree in biochemistry plus a minor in computer science maybe one day you might be (IF you were to decide that you want to do this – there is lots and lots of time to figure this out). Similarly there is lots of software related to medicine.

I also like that you care about English. Someone for example needs to write scientific papers. Some scientists and some doctors write well, and some do not. The ones who do not can ask the rest of us for help when appropriate. I do not think that you need any minor in English, just the ability to write is likely to help in multiple ways down the road.

I also like that you were a dishwasher at a senior living community. A lot of medicine, and a lot of research (whether biochemical or biomedical or something else) involves rather routine work. Lab researchers need to do routine work well and take it seriously. Someone has to keep the Petri dishes clean, and it better be done right.

I wouldn’t worry about it. If the NPC suggests that Columbia will be affordable, and if you think that it is the best fit for you, then apply and see what happens. If the NPC suggests that it will not be affordable, or would make it more difficult to fund either medical school or a master’s degree down the road, then do not apply ED. Either way universities are looking for students who will be a good fit for them and they get it right quite often. You can do very well starting with a bachelor’s degree from Columbia, or UNC, or NC State, or any one of many, many other schools.

I might add, just in case you are not aware: NC State is one of the top 5 universities in North America for a doctorate in veterinary medicine. It really is that good. Yes, this is not human medicine. However, there is some overlap, and in fact in terms of required undergraduate classes the premed and pre-vet requirements are the same classes (if you end up at NC State there will be quite a few very good pre-vet students in your required premed classes). This is a very good university.

You have a lot of reaches on your list. You have a lot of out of state schools on your list. Do appreciate how good your in-state options are, and pay attention to your budget.

I think that you are doing very well, I think that you will end up somewhere good, and I am not worried about a C in an AP class freshman year of high school.

Best wishes.

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On my other AP Exams, I got 4’s on APush and Calc AB. I got a 5 on the rest of my exams (Besides word history)

I am pretty sure I am able to hide the 2 from official score reports.

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Those are great scores. The “5” in AP English Literature plus another likely “5” in English Language will make up for any previous “B” grades in English. You should be able to score high in AP European History. I took both AP U.S. History & European History in high school 30 years ago & found euro to be a bit harder & more time-consuming but these courses, exams, & grading have been restructured & updated a few times over the years. And there are more changes in store for 2027. Students often avoided European History as a potential “weed-out” for Ivy League admissions. This shouldn’t be a problem for you, though.

A History of the Modern World, by R. R. Palmer & J. Colton is a classic textbook used in AP.

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Your chances are rough.

Columbia accepted fewer than 4% of its applicants last year. With a 96+% rejection rate, Columbia is a reach school for everyone who applies there, including you. So, you should apply, knowing it’s a reach, because it’s your first choice. Everyone should have one or two reaches. But you need to find schools which you like just as much and where your acceptance is more likely.

A school which is similar to Columbia with very strong professors who are tops in their field and with a core city location is American University, which is also a similar size to Columbia. It calls itself a “student centered research university”, which is important. American’s Arts & Sciences are excellent and like Columbia, they have a core curriculum with an inquiry based model.

American is just an example, but it’s the kind of school I think you should be looking for as a good match.

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Yes, I would say UNC is likely too. Strong test score, GPA in range with upward trajectory (they like that), and very likely top 10% of class, unless the class is very small. Good leadership and research at Duke.

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Depends on what county OP is from and the rest of the app components which I can’t see…I defer to their HS counselor for nuanced categorization.

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While Columbia will appreciate the upward trajectory, tests, extras, and academic awards, they have never been a forgiving school for slow starters.

I “think” you might get deferred and not rejected, but then I do not think you get admitted n the regular decision cohort.

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I emphatically disagree. Jsb112233 lost his or her mom during 9th grade & faced other extenuating circumstances. Columbia admissions isn’t heartless. I would think most admissions committees won’t even take 9th grade into account during the initial evaluation. This student obviously isn’t a “C” student & shouldn’t have taken the AP World History exam (assuming mom died earlier in the year) & maybe should have taken advantage of a incomplete option (if available) for a possible higher grade. Awards like USA Biology Olympiad Semi-Finalist & USA Medicine and Disease Olympiad Silver & produced & published research at a ‘competitor’ institution will be highly valued.