Chances from TX Caucasian Female? Plz

Colleges & Universities Columbia University
1

<p>My stats are roughly…</p>

<p>School: Suburban Public in Arlington, TX</p>

<p>GPA/Rank: 4.0/4.0; 4.65/5.0 (weighted) Rank 3/410 currently</p>

<p>SAT: 2130 (800! reading, 650 math, 680 writing)</p>

<p>SAT IIs:
ugh… not as bad as I thought theyd be.
Literature: 680
US History: 620 <em>**took AP my sophomore year, when I didn’t know what sat2s were
Math IIC: 520!!! *</em>*I didn’t even answer half of the problems so I’m ecstatic about that score. Will probably take again in January now that I know the style/content of the test (obviously I’m only telling them about Lit and US, until they read my score report)</p>

<p>Standardized tests are gonna be the thing they’ll waiver on the most, but I hope I can pull through with the rest of my app…</p>

<p>AP:
US History 4 (I will have taken 10 AP classes once i finish senior year, but none of my teachers were any good at the subjects they taught, it was a miracle if one student each year passed. Our school is only 5 years old now and we still dont have a solid staff. So i took the ones I thought i could prepare myself for. I’m taking Biology and European History this year.)</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendations:
Fabulous, they love me!
One from Sophomore AP US History teacher also NHS sponsor of which i’m prez, good friends
One from Theatre Directors
One from AP Econ teacher</p>

<p>Essay:
Fan-freakin-tastic!, trust me. About an experience I had on a school trip to Washington DC (in 7th grade) and how it affected my perception of people and my fear of apathy. </p>

<p>Leadership:
Thespian President (12),
Thes Sec (11,10)
StuCo Junior Class Prez (11)
Sophomore Class Treasurer (10)
NHS President (12)</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities:
Thespian/ Theatre: Over 15 shows in 4 years, including lead, ensemble and tech work (about 20 hours a week, 30 weeks a year)
NHS: I’m really good friends with our sponsor and president, including running our fall festival which raises money for the National Autism Foundation
UIL Poetry/Prose: District Champ (10), 2nd place in Spelling/Vocab (10), regional qualifier
Student Council: been apart of since freshman year, officer in 10 & 11
Varsity Choir: (12) alto
Big Brothers/Big Sisters: Big Sis during 11, about 40 hours
Boys and Girls Club Teen Synposium Panelist</p>

<p>Awards:
Nominated for Betty Lynn Buckley Awards (the Tony Awards for HS students) in Lighting Design Excellence
UIL Area Tech award, UIL Acting awards: 6 or 7
I have entered into the State Fair of Texas a piece or two of art since i was in 5th grade, I have won every year (5th, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st, respectively)
TX Thespian Theatre Educator Scholarship - $1000, given at TX State Thespian Convention
Theatre Business Award
Theatre Freshman Award
Theatre Sophomore Award</p>

<p>**Also applying to: **
UT-Austin
Barnard
SMU
NYU
USC
Vassar
UC Berkeley</p>

<p>whaddaya think?</p>

2

<p>Very good.
Better if you had been ED.</p>

3

<p>grades r good, SAT I is fine (700+ in writing would’ve been nice), SAT IIs are very low absolutely try to do them over again…also there is no more hiding anything from colleges, they see it all. </p>

<p>I like your essay topic, your activities seem fairly solid…i’d say this is a toss up unless you improve on the weak points.</p>

4

<p>Your SAT’s are very low, especially for someone that claims to have a strength in the liberal arts. Admission will be unlikely, as you are obviously a hard worker, but are not quite up to par with the national standards.</p>

5

<p>They’re not using writing SAT scores.</p>

<p>Liberal art strength is shown in theater participation.</p>

<p>Think she might have gotten it ED … if she fit the class makeup they were putting together.</p>

<p>If she can show a real passion and has great rec’s she is a possible. At this point you have to look at how she stacks up with her competition and I’m not sure her math scores are the issue here.</p>

<p>Also the rec’s need to show she did something phenomenal and self-sacrificing, not just the usual she’s a great student.</p>

<p>She needs recs that demonstrates personal character.</p>

<p>She does not have any national recognition which would really, really help her so she has to come through with integrity
and character and that at this point can only come from teacher recs.</p>

<p>AND a little thing I’ve learned from friendships with ad coms is that her 800 in reading will balance out her 680. What she has demonstrated is an excellent ability in writing and an ability to do the work in math. Bottom line is students tend to go one way or the other and they want 800’s in the directon the student is going. (If she had 750 in reading and 680 in math that would not be so great. But the 800 and 680 makes a much stronger statement about one area of her abilities.)</p>

<p>This student is clealry NOT headed to engineering. This is why I would respectfully suggest that her average math scores are less damaging than one might first think.</p>

<p>I think what is hurting her is not going ED and showing a clear desire for Columbia, not having national recognition, and the obvious competition in her niche. However, her niche in the class tapestry is NOT going to be the math geeks.</p>

<p>Think this is a perfect example of someone that should have gone ED.</p>

6

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<p>Wrong. They totally are using it and it is wrong to say they are not; they’re treating the SAT Writing score like they treated the old SAT II Writing score. And SAT IIs have always been very important at CU.</p>

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<p>Huh? If Columbia is not using the Writing score, how are you learning “from friendships with ad coms” how Writing balances with Reading?</p>

7

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<p>ontop of what C2002 said…columbia was one of the schools that REQUIRED that everyone (CC or engineering) to take the SAT II writing…y would it be any different now that it is tacked onto the SAT I? That’s illogical.</p>

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<p>this is a gross oversimplification of the issue</p>

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<p>noone “should go ED” …if you are unsure about where you want to go you do RD…though ED is an advantage they will be able to tell if you are just doing it for the advantage or if you really really want to go to columbia for the right reasons.</p>

8

<p>Just the same, I find most of About Time’s reasoning persuasive. Columbia loves to see well-rounded people who are superstars in a few things, and if someone’s a very strong verbal thinker and arts/performer, well, ok, but there are hundreds of people just as good who also don’t have barely-above-national-average math scores. To me, that’s a big red flag. OK, if she doesn’t love math or pursue it passionately, no big deal. But to do poorly at it is a definite negative just given the usual applicant pool.</p>

<p>As AT said, the lack of national or even regional recognition for anything significant (and i’m not sure i can count the art ribbons at the state fair), and especially the lack of passion for something fundamentally academic (Columbia doesn’t have a theater program!), will be a difference-maker.</p>

<p>I would find this profile a hard sell to the committee.</p>

9

<p>I’ve read that it looks really strange for someone to take the AP class but not the exam.</p>

<p>I’m not sure how the committee will react, especially considering your extenuating circumstances. I’ve had a couple awful teachers but I prepared myself using review books. For the most part I’ve been very fortunate with my teachers.</p>

10

<p>Denzera…I’m not sure what percentile 520 is on the Math IIC exam is…but I know a 680 is about 50th percentile. I would know because I got that score on that exam and went what the heck? when I saw the percentile.</p>

<p>To the OP…is there any SATII that you can retake? Something you can try to get over a 700 in?</p>

11

<p>Thanks guys to all your comments and suggestions!</p>

<p>To address some concerns: </p>

<p>***I don’t know if this will make a difference but I come from a single mother household, and I do not have any contact with my father, socially or financially. My mother and I now live with my Grandmother and Great Grandmother so that we can take care of them. My mom makes about 40K a year. </p>

<p>***I plan to major in theatre, yes they do have a theatre BA degree, because I did not want a conservatory program. I like the core system at Columbia and do not want to pigeon hole my growth in one area. </p>

<p>***I deeply considered applying ED to columbia. It is my number 1 choice, but I did not want to go ahead because I didn’t have my new Sat scores in or any SAT II scores at all. I kind of got on the bandwagon late about SAT IIs, or counselors still tell us that they are unnecessary. In NHS I actually started our College Initiative Program to clear stuff up about the entire college process, and then we can see the results after a year by the statistics regarding what percentage go to 4 year college and 2 year. Which is now 40% and 20%.</p>

<p>***SAT IIs: I’m gonna take the Math over again. I really wasn’t nearly prepared as I ought to have been. I do much better the second time around. The first time taking the SAT I got 680/650/600 (1930). and went up 200 points the second time. I’ll probably take the Lit over again as well just to get it up.</p>

<p>***Recognition: There’s not too much I can do about it before they read my app. I would like to think that being a Internationals qualifier from the TX Thespian Convention would help out. And winning a scholarship that only 8 students receive. In UIL competition, you don’t start competing and winning until march and april. My school is big on academic competition, the only thing we have is Academic Decathlon, which is just a joke here. So I expect to be winning come march and april, but they will have already made their decision. </p>

<p>680 in Lit is 76 percentile
620 in Hist is 51 percentile
520 is just bad</p>

12

<p>Hey, yeah I’m an idiot. </p>

<p>I have also taken courses at my local UT: University of Texas at Arlington</p>

<p>After 10th: US Government (summer) - A
After 11th: English 1302 (summer) - A
During fall of 12th: Sophomore Year American Literature (Aug-Dec) - A</p>

13

<p>Texas applies to Columbia. Columbia takes some good numbers from Texas.</p>

<p>You are competing with world class schools in Texas that have along track record at Columbia.</p>

<p>Texas is a tough sell. It would be easier if you were from Arkansas or Oklahoma.</p>

<p>However, the fact that you take care of your grandmother and from a single home is special. I would play up the matriarchial, self-reliant environment.</p>

<p>I have reread your stats because there is something special there.</p>

<p>I misread the math. I confused the writing score with the math. 650 in math is risky and low. </p>

<p>You must explain your hardships in order to compete in Texas. </p>

<p>I am afraid you will have a really tough sell because the adcom committee knows very well what to expect form Texas students.</p>

<p>I really hate to say this but I think Columbia is a long shot. If you could get your math up to 680, emphasize that you took care of your grandmother, and have your recs address some sterling character in addition the usual great student and the same for you counselor … you have a fighting chance.</p>

<p>Don’t be shy. Give them a list of what you have overcome.</p>

<p>In private schools the parents and students make just such a list that they go over with the counselor. These things are incredibly well orchestrated. Public school kids don’t understand this and have a tough time competing with the orchestrated – as a matter of course – teacher rec and high school counselor recs.</p>

<p>In your geographical region you are competing with some of the best endowed private high schools in the world only exceeded by a few in the northeastern United States which have been in existence over one hundred years.</p>

<p>It’s not fair. But it’s a fact.</p>

<p>Orchestrate your recs to be competitive.</p>

14

<p>Just remember if you go to any of your other schools that graduate school is what it’s all about anyway. Columbia undergrad is great but it’s just a weigh station for med school, law school, or what you find as your passion.</p>

<p>You can get there from any of the schools you listed. Those are great feeder schools for Ivy League graduate schools.</p>

<p>Try to keep undergrad in perspective. Go where you get the best financial deal and get yourself in position for the best grad school you can find.</p>

<p>The long term payoff is there.</p>

<p>Also see the posts on the Juilliard/Columbia program. A few years ago Juilliard told me the do NOT accept Columbia students into their acting programs.</p>

<p>At Columbia you will find many, many opportunities to act and often school production end up Off Broadway.</p>

15

<p>Thanks alot you guys</p>

<p>I always knew Columbia would be my long shot. But there’s no risk in applying, all they can do is say no. And seeing as how I’m applying to 3 other New York schools, I think it will all be okay. </p>

<p>I just hate that my biggest problem is my standardized test scores. Although I don’t see how 30 pts makes your opinion change that much, I do know that it is an issue. Try again in january, maybe show myself up!</p>

<p>If you’d like to critique my essay, Id love that. Maybe give you an idea of the rest of my app.</p>

<p>Thanks again guys!</p>

16

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<p>Um, no. Many people, including Columbians, do not go to grad school because it’s not necessary for their profession. If you’re going to be a doctor, lawyer, professor, etc. you absolutely need to go to graduate school. If you are going to be an engineer, banker, accountant, etc., going to grad school is quite unnecessary given how employers would value the graduate degree versus on the job training. I don’t know why you keep persisting with your “grad school is the be all and end all” fetish.</p>

17

<p>As C2002 said, grad school is unimportant for most things. Once you get a PhD you will most likely find a job only as a teacher or researcher. If that’s your goal in life then great but most people dont need or want that.</p>

18

<p>I believe in graduate school, surely a reflection of the value my family puts on education. Undergraduate school is just a foundation upon which you build your basis for a contribution to society, a life, and a fuller, deeper eduction, in my opinion. (To refer to these strongly held beliefs as a ‘fetish’ reflects upon the poster and not upon me or my family’s values, standards, and traditions.)</p>

<p>In addition I would note the following:</p>

<p>The College Board, a nonprofit association that is best known for its SAT program, goes out of its way in a report, “Education Pays: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society,” to tout the economic benefits of higher degrees. </p>

<p>In the report, Gaston Caperton, College Board president, writes that “in the current climate of rising college prices and budget constraints at all levels of government, it is particularly important that the benefits of higher education receive as much attention as the costs.” </p>

<p>In 2003, the median income for a full-time, year-round worker in the United States with a four-year college degree was $49,900 annually, up from the $30,800 earned by the comparable worker with only a high school diploma, the College Board report found. </p>

<p>But the median for workers with master’s degrees was almost twice as much per year ($59,500) as for those with just a high school diploma. And those with professional degrees earned more than three times as much per year ($95,700) as a high school graduate.</p>

<p>Nellie Mae notes that repaying student loans which do not exceed seven percent of your net income are manageable. Beyond that limit alternatives might be considered to loans.</p>

19

<p>Our family adcom friend noted they did not trust SAT grading of writing.</p>

<p>Those SCORES are disregarded.</p>

20

<p>Regarding a “gross oversimplification” …</p>

<p>the whole admissions process is a gross oversimplification of a young human life.</p>