Decision: Accepted
Objective: Columbia College
SAT I (breakdown): 1580, 790 math and reading
ACT (breakdown): 35, 35 math, 36 reading, 35 English, 35 science
SAT II: NONE
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.67
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): We don’t rank at our school, but I would say top 10, so top 2%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography 5, US Government 3, World History 4, Calc BC 5, US History 5, Language and Composition 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): NONE
Senior Year Course Load: AP Macro and Micro Economics, Calculus 3, Linear Algebra, Band 3, AP Lit and Composition, Living On Your Own, Advanced Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NONE
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chess Club (President and Co-Founder), Track and Field (Letter all four years, Captain Junior and Senior), Cross Country (Captain Junior and Senior), National Honor Society (Treasurer), Band (Low Brass Section Leader, Junior and Senior)
Job/Work Experience: Junior Ranger (3 years, worked in local ecology, building and maintaining trail ecosystems for recreational use in the community), Noodles (3 years, 10-15 hours per week)
Volunteer/Community service: Co-Teacher for I Have A Dream Program (helping low-income students achieve college and high school success, Junior and Senior), St. Baldricks Speaker and Shavee
(Organization that raises money for childhood cancer through head-shaving events. Spoke at multiple regional events and raised over $3000 in donations.)
Summer Activities: Volunteered at 3 camps for childhood cancer patients and their siblings
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App (8/10, I wrote about PASTA and how it related to my brother’s cancer and my journey as an individual, using pasta as reference points for key moments in my life and family)
Why Columbia (9/10, Talked about love for the night and how staying up late is an obsession. Tied into how Columbia fosters that desire to stay up late and pursue that extra book, paper, math problem etc…)
Major (7/10, Talked about my brother cancer with my biology teacher and how they’ve inspired me to want to pursue plant-based medical biology)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teachers (9/10, One was from previously mentioned Biology Teacher, other was Lang and Lit teacher who pushed me harder than ever before, made me the writer I am today, talked with her every week)
Counselor (6-7/10, We don’t talk much but he knows who I am and I’ve used him to network alot of my volunteer work ie I Have A Dream, so that helped)
Interview: Pretty Average 7/10, Was super nervous and conversation was pretty standard, nothing extraordinary. She was a young graduate and was blunt about the rigor and true challenges I would face, which was refreshing to not be kept in the dark, very informative.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: YES
Intended Major: BIOLOGY
State (if domestic applicant): COLORADO
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: PUBLIC (500 in my class, 2000 total)
Ethnicity: CAUCASIAN
Gender: MALE
Income Bracket: UPPER MIDDLE CLASS, 100,00+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My familial struggles with cancer
Reflection
Strengths: ESSAYS AND LETTERS OF REC, GRADES HELP ALSO, TEST SCORES
Weaknesses: NO STRONG HOOK, NO AP SCIENCE CLASSES, NO SAT II, LACK OF LEADERSHIP FRESH AND SOPH YEARS
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My essays pulled weight. I will say it once, TAKE A RISK, for my pasta essay, everyone told me I was crazy, but I think it made the difference. In all my other acceptance letters, they all referenced that essay and wrote handwritten notes lauding it. SO TAKE A RISK, put yourself out there, I strongly believe it a crapshoot and there is no rhythm or reason to these decisions. BUT I AM SO HAPPY TO BE A COLUMBIA STUDENT AND BE ENROLLED
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: University of Colorado, Willamette, Lewis and Clark
General Comments: To whoever is reading this, there is no definitive way to tell yes or no, please don’t stress about it, I said it before, but your stats do not matter at a certain point, it is about fit and risk-taking. SO I ADVISE, BE DIFFERENT, BE RISKY. BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME!!
CALV 