Official Columbia University 2016 RD Results

Metrical
Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:41:41 +0000

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2260 (Math: 790, CR: 730, W: 740)
[] ACT: Did not take.
[] SAT II: 760 Math II, 770 Physics, 750 US History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/400
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics B (5), Physics C (5), US History (5), Calculus AB (5), Biology (5), Chemistry (4), English Language (5).
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): None.
[] Senior Year Course Load: Slightly less rigorous than Junior year. Still taking APs / College level classes.
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit, QB Finalist, AP Scholar with distinction.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Club (president), Science club (president), Quiz Bowl (captain), Local science competitions and some awards in each, research at a university, summer research fellowship, sports for three years, 2 foreign language honor societies, NHS.
[] Job/Work Experience: None.
[] Volunteer/Community service: Recycling community service leader, 4 years.
[] Summer Activities: Research Fellowship during Junior year, travel the rest of the summers.
[] Essays: I spent a lot of time writing them and perfecting them to the best of my ability. I think they were a very good reflection of me and were well written.
[] Teacher Recommendation: One was spectacular, the other was very good too, but not written very well.
[] Counselor Rec: Wonderful, she and I have a very good relationship.
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview: Very good!

[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: <$50,000
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not exactly “hook” by definition, but “woman in science” may have helped in some schools.

[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Schedule, APs, focused extracurriculars, essays.
[] Weaknesses: No outstanding national awards.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I feel very fortunate overall. I think being an immigrant and a QB finalist really helped me standout.
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Harvard, Yale (likely), Dartmouth (L), Columbia, UPenn (L), Cornell (L) , Northeastern.  Rejected: Stanford  Waitlisted: MIT, Princeton

[/ul]General Comments: Congratulations to everyone for making it through this process, and to the amazing schools you have gotten into. If you didn’t get in to your top school, don’t beat yourself up over it. As everyone else will tell you, this process can be very unpredictable and those who get in do not always know why. You will succeed anywhere you go if you take advantage of all the opportunities provided. To those who will be applying in the future: don’t obsess over one school and don’t stress out about this entire process more than you have to (I did a bit too much). Work hard on your applications, don’t leave them to the last minute and once those applications are out of your hands, let the chips fall where they may.