Future Chance Me?

Colleges & Universities Columbia University
1

<p>These are my goals that I’m aiming for by November 2009, when I plan to apply ED to Columbia. The reason I’m asking for people to chance these stats which may or may not even be true for me in 2 years is because I need a good goal to work towards. For example, if the EC’s I plan to take part in are not enough, then I need to start looking into more of them pretty soon. </p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 UW, 4.3W
Rank: 1/40-70 (There are about 70 people in my class right now, but many people tend to drop out in my school. Two years ago the senior class was only 20 kids.)
SAT: 2250 (Almost certainly an 800 on the Writing section.)
SAT II: (No idea how difficult these tests are, or even what subject I want to take them in, therefore, I don’t have a clue what my score(s) will be :))</p>

<p>APs: Spanish - 5, US History - 5, Science (not sure which is offered) - 5, Calc - 5, English - 5. (These are all that are offered, hence the low W GPA.)</p>

<p>Essays - Mind blowing. If my essays are not my strongest suit in my application then I will have no chance whatsoever.</p>

<p>EC’s:</p>

<p>“Hook” - I plan to publish many pieces of writing in various literary magazines (from the school newspaper to, basically, the most prestigious magazine that will publish me.) Writing is by far my strongest suit, so hopefully, on the tiny chance that the New Yorker rejects me, I’ll have a short story or conspiracy essay published in well-known paper or magazine. </p>

<p>Volunteering:
Peer tutoring - 80 hours
Guitar tutoring - 40 hours
Community Service - 35 hours </p>

<p>Jobs:
Family business, 5 hrs/week (9-12th)</p>

<p>Other:
Columbia’s summer program (2008)
Guitarist, bassist, pianist
Writing club (10th)
(Clubs vary by year, so I can’t say what my club will be in 11th or 12th.)
Self taught fluent in Spanish (will this help? Or will it just seem arrogant?)
Possibly a musical performance either this year or next for the school</p>

<p>Awards:
Best revolutionary leaders essay (9th grade. This was a year long History project, after which I was awarded best essay. I’ll find a better way to phrase it)
Best short story (9th grade. Same kind of thing as above)
Best piece of writing (10th and 11th. Hopefully there will be many contests this year and next, which I will hopefully win.)
NHS
National Merit Scholar (my state, MA, has the highest cutoff, so this one will be tough)
1st place in Science Fair (11th)</p>

<p>Logistics:</p>

<p>Family income: Between 50k and 200k (depending on if my father’s scheme works :D. However, my parents are divorced, and if they only look at the income of my mother (with whom I live), it will be about 15k.</p>

<p>Race: White
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts</p>

<p>Thank you to the readers, and it will help me immensely if I could receive some feedback. It probably seems arrogant to list the scores and awards that I “will” receive, however, these are my GOALS. Thank you again, and if anybody needs any clarification on anything I’d be happy to give it.</p>

2

<p>You have a good shot. The Ivy League loves writers, and if you do manage to get those awards, you have a better-than-average chance.</p>

3

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<p>school awards mean a heck of a lot less than state/national ones or being published in a national journal/magazine…for example, being published in the new yorker would be a pretty big thing…</p>

4

<p>Come back in two years and we will let you know…</p>

5

<p>These are the goals I’m aiming for my November 2009, when I plan to ask out Giselle Bundchen:</p>

<p>Bank Account: $500-600MM
Rank on Forbes’ Richest Americans: top 1000
Body Fat %: 3%</p>

<p>Jobs: NFL Quarterback, 50-60hrs/wk</p>

<p>Awards: Super Bowl MVP, Super Bowl Ring</p>

<p>Other: named to people’s top 50 most beautiful people.</p>

<p>(OP, I hope this post demonstrates the uselessness of your question and teaches you something.)</p>

6

<p>Oh boy, two sarcastic answers :)</p>

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<p>What good will that do? If I post my stats as I’m applying then I can’t use the responses. If in 2 years someone tells me that I need better grades or more community service hours all I can do is wait a month and a half for Columbia to tell me the same thing. For example, Skp told me that writing is a good skill to work on, therefore during these next two years I know to focus on it. However, if I had taken your advice and come back in two years, the only way I would be able to use that knowledge is by building a time machine and telling my 2007 self that I should write that story, even if it means sacrificing some community service hours. So, unless you plan to supply me with a time machine, I’m gonna stick with my plan.</p>

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<p>Still think my post is useless? (Yes, this sentence will be quoted by Columbia2002 with “Yes” as his answer).</p>

7

<p>Oh, and thank you very much to Skp and Skraylor. Contrary to C02’s utter hilarity, this kind of advice helps a lot.</p>

8

<p>Nobody cares about how many community service hours you have. Unless you do something meaningful and accomplish something, it’s just filler. Columbia doesn’t measure ECs in hours.</p>

<p>Your grades and SATs are by far the most important thing. There’s nothing more to say than to make sure you do well with those.</p>

9

<p>I don’t know man. I know this is supposed to be an “ideal” post, and that you try to preempt accusations of arrogance.</p>

<p>Yet being the best writer in a school of 40-70 (and, to boot, a school in which many seniors drop out!) doesn’t strike me as that impressive. And a high schooler getting published in the New Yorker (whose fiction section, if you don’t know, is kind of a joke in the literary world anyway) is a foolish goal (“but if you shoot for the stars…”). I would love to see your writing, as I doubt it’s as good as you think it is (perhaps I would be surprised, however). And that send off–“thank you to the readers”–oh, don’t get me started on this.</p>

<p>Man, what arrogance.</p>

10

<p>I hope you don’t go to CRLS. Those bastards were my rivals growing up.</p>

<p>+5 points for wanting to get out of the boston area though. After two years of driving over harvard students on my way to work every morning, I definitely wasn’t going to college in cambridge. At least Manhattanites have the proper fear for their lives on the streets.</p>

11

<p>Lol, no I don’t go to CRLS, but I live about 20 minutes from it. My school, PHA, is about one tenth the size of it and one more stop on the redline (Central). </p>

<p>To C02, thanks for the help. (Disclaimer: This is not sarcasm.)</p>

12

<p>How about you just aim to do your absolute best?</p>

13

<p>I think it’s to the point of ridicule that you could predict so far ahead… just do your best and see what happens…</p>

<p>Btw, how do you know you’ll definitely finish first? What if a genius enrolls in your school tomorrow?</p>

14

<p>Because my school doesn’t allow anyone new to enroll past 10th grade :)</p>

15

<p>Haha… great for you then… Just work hard and you’re fine… And don’t plunge to deep into Columbia… consider other good schools like… other good schools… good luck…</p>

16

<p>If you apply ED with those grades and scores, you’ll have a good chance. You seem to be fairly passionate about writing, but maybe you can do more, like getting an internship at a writing place. Your only nice EC atm, is the fact you’re a writer among 40 HS students which really isn’t much.</p>