Columbia/Chicago.....feel hopeless

[Scorpio]

<p>I'm applying to Columbia ED and to Chicago EA. Please let me know where I stand!! All I hear is horror stories of 1600/4.0/Valedictorian/Presidents getting rejected. </p>

<p>I know it's long but I tried to make it easy to follow.</p>

<p>SAT: 1540 800v, 740m
SAT2: 800, 770,770
APs: 5s on 5 of em (2 independent study)
GPA: ~4.1
Rank: top 3-5% of ~215
High School: Crappy. Maxed out all subject areas except language, school letting me take a class at community college for HS credit (first time ever)</p>

<p>ECs:
EIC-Newspaper
Founder/Prez-Amnesty International
Team Captain-Academic League
Section Editor-Yearbook
Parliamentarian-FBLA
Some other stuff</p>

<p>Other activities:
2 college classes during the summer (As for both, 6 credits)
Non-credit writing class at Columbia (part of Academic Year Program which I think they got rid of)
Another college class but at the HS in the morning (A, 3 credits)</p>

<p>Awards:
The "usual" Commended, AP Scholar, Book Award, FBLA awards, poetry award, Honor Roll</p>

<p>Recs: best-in-career, another good one, good one from college prof
Essay: Hopefully slightly above average once I get around to writing it!</p>

[blaineko]

<p>It's not hopeless...</p>

<p>You have a good chance at UChicago, and a decent shot at Columbia. ED/EA definately helps in your case. Try and stay positive and have a few safeties as well, Columbia can be unpredictable.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

[bluedaisy1234]

<p>you should not be hopeless at all. My friend last yr had stats ofo 1460 (SAT I) and 700, 650, 750 on SAT IIs. He's pretty mediocre and he got in ED for Columbia. You will fair well. Just make sure that you pursue your interests out of school (i.e. summer research project, summer clasess at universities, etc...)</p>

[musicbuster007]

<p>Yeah I think you have good shot at both, esp. chicago</p>

[Scorpio]

<p>Thanks guys! But sometimes it does seem like there is no hope for kids who're just excellent students and really want to learn but have no "hook," you know?</p>

[sac]

<p>I think you have a good shot at both, and both are places that value people just like you. Loving to learn is definitely a "hook," because colleges, especially these two colleges, really do try to sort out the resume builders from the students who love ideas. I hope your school gc includes in your recommendation the fact that you are the first to be allowed to take a community college class and that you were the one who initiated the idea. Your essays, too, are an opportunity to get across the "hook" that you love to learn. It's not true that your statement has to be about an extra curricular because they'll see from your grades and scores that you're smart. You can show them in your essays how you really engaged a particular idea or subject and pursued it on your own as far as it would take you. I'd suggest, if you haven't already done this, that you write the Chicago essays first since they lend themselves to creativity. Then, take the Chicago essay that came of the best and adapt it for the Columbia application. Good luck!</p>

[Scorpio]

<p>Thanks sac. Would you recommend writing about my extra classes and such in a supplemental essay? Because my main essay/personal statement is like a self-portrait. But then again, I don't want tired admissions officers to disregard an extra essay if that's going to be my so-called "hook."</p>

[sac]

<p>I don't recall whether Columbia and Chicago take supplemental essays, but I think not. If your statement is a self-portrait, then I'm sure you've gotten something across about your intellectual curiosity. Good luck.</p>

[Scorpio]

<p>No, they don't take supplementals. But they do ask for any additional information you may have to add. There is something on loving to learn in my self-portrait but it's not emphasized.</p>