<p>Hey there everyone, please chance me for Columbia ED this year, I’d really appreciate it.
Ethnicity: WASP
GPA: 3.935 UW, 4.407 W
Class Rank: Top 10%
Region: International, Canada (Toronto)
SAT: 2180, 760M, 710CR, 710W (I’m retaking it this october and I’m sure i can do better)
SAT IIs: haven’t taken yet, but get 800 on the practice ones consistently. I like science.
AP: none
IB: Full Diploma Programme, taken math and physics so far, 7 on both</p>
<p>School Type: public magnet, exceedingly competitive
ECs: Yearbook (3 years, assistant editor), Volunteering (150+ hours), debate (team captain, won various tournaments), model un (consistently placed very highly at tournaments), school environmental club, piano (As a hobby, but i play A LOT, should i even include this in my application? 7 years)</p>
<p>Essays - pretty strong, i started them back in june and i think they’re pretty good at this point
Teachers recs - very strong</p>
<p>I think if you bring your SAT score to around a 2300 or higher, you have a good/average chance. You’d be a typical Columbia applicant, but in a good way (:</p>
<p>I can’t believe you seriously described your ethnicity as WASP.</p>
<p>I have a question for you (sorry to sort of hijack your thread billy jean, but the answer to it may help you as well). Columbia has recently these statements on their websites:</p>
<p>"For students applying to begin in the fall of 2011 as a first-year or transfer, citizens of Canada and Mexico are also considered under the need-blind policy.</p>
<p>Beginning with students enrolling in 2012, policies for Mexican and Canadian citizens will be made consistent with the need-aware policies for all foreign students."</p>
<p>Now the question is: are the seniors applying this year as Canadian and Mexican students under the need-blind or need-aware policy?</p>
<p>As for your chance billyjean, I sort of agree with the poster above: if you look at the results thread and even some of the chance threads of this year, the applicants and admits are growing more and more competitive. And you will see many qualified applicants in May that will be rejected, and some underqualified applicants getting in. So my advice: focus on what you can control as of right now - essays, choice of recommendations, and senior year grades.</p>
<p>thanks genuinelycrafted, i hope you’re right =)</p>
<p>@honied_dreams, its what i am, i don’t find it to be an inappropriate term?</p>
<p>free2rhyme, i asked my counsellor and he called Columbia, we’re all being judged under the need-aware policy if we’re applying this year, need-blind policies for Canadians ended last year. We’re still need-blind at Penn and Chicago though!</p>
<p>as for focusing on what i can control, i’m certainly doing my best =))</p>
<p>buump, any other thoughts? I won’t be applying for aid, if that changes things?</p>
<p>additionally, can anybody please tell me about the neuroscience track at columbia?</p>
<p>i think you have a pretty good shot, try to get a 2250+ and do well on your subject tests. not applying for aid should help if columbia isn’t need blind anymore for you, but that should be fairly obvious. all in all, work hard on your essays, get good recs, and best of luck, you’ve got a solid shot</p>
<p>Strong applicant esp since you’re international :)</p>
<p>thanks, i hope you’re right =)</p>
<p>The SAT is more of a benchmark. If you are in their range you are fine. You are probably within their range… I know people here with 2100 SAT scores, so you should be fine</p>
<p>really? i’d heard that it was like that for domestic applicants, but that SAT scores really had to be almost perfect if applying from outside the United States?</p>
<p>if so, phew, ill still try to raise it to a 2300+ though, just in case =)</p>
<p>No, those guys are right; SATs are used more of a benchmark.</p>