Did Columbia make a mistake?

philosophie1
Sun, 14 Dec 2014 08:01:37 +0000

I was accepted into Columbia ED a few days ago. It has been my dream school for years, and I was so shocked to get in. I come from an area where 6-12 people get into ivies every year, and compared to all of them I feel incredibly unworthy. I personally know internationally-ranked musicians, math and coding geniuses, Siemens finalists, etc.

I had good scores and took difficult, but I had no crazy extracurriculars. I did very normal things: music, writing, model UN, language learning, and a little research (got a supplemental rec.) I am not a minority and am not legacy. My essays were good but not spectacular. Why would they accept me?

I am beyond thrilled to be attending Columbia. I am just confused why I got in ahead of a Siemens finalist and someone who played at Carnegie Hall.