<p>I was accepted ED for the Class of 2016, despite the fact that Barnard was a reach for me. It wasn’t hopelessly out of my range but it was more than enough to give me the jitters when I waited for my letter.</p>
<p>Barnard is the most selective women’s college in the nation, with its Class of 2015 acceptance rate hovering at 24.9% (and considering the fact that the ED acceptance rate was in the 40s and the overall acceptance rate is an average, the RD acceptance rate was…abysmal, to say the least). For comparison, Wellesley’s is around 33%, Smith’s is around 45.5%, Bryn Mawr’s is around 48%, and Mount Holyoke’s is around 52%. The reason for this is not that Barnard is a better school, because that’s completely subjective - it does mean, however, that you have many strong applicants who A. would not usually look into a women’s college but are attracted to Barnard’s location and Columbia connection OR B. want a “back door” into Columbia and see Barnard as a “safety.” The latter is what makes the acceptance rate so low compared to the average stats. Granted, the average stats at Barnard are nothing to scoff at with around a 2050 SAT and a 3.8 GPA, but they’re lower than Wellesley’s (2082) and Wellesley’s acceptance rate is significantly higher. There are tons of well-qualified applicants who are rejected because they only seem to be interested in the school for its Columbia ties and there are slightly less qualified applicants who are accepted because they show passion and interest for Barnard rather than its affiliates.</p>
<p>What I’m getting at is that Barnard doesn’t put too much emphasis on standardized tests, rankings, etc. They do consider your SAT scores and care quite a bit about your GPA and courseload but they mainly want to find students who are passionate, involved, and natural leaders. Focus on a couple of subjects you love in-depth rather than dabbling in several, get involved and in charge of many different clubs, and show the school that you’re interested. Talk to professors and admissions counselors. Level of interest is a huge factor in Barnard admissions. And don’t sweat it if you’re imbalanced - focus on your strengths, even if it means taking two AP science classes and taking honors or regular English classes (in my case it’s the other way around). Being specialized and passionate in one subject is an asset, so embrace it!</p>
<p>But I should warn you: Barnard does heavily stress writing in the application, so if writing isn’t your strength then you’ll probably have to stand out even more in other subjects. The ACT might be a good idea in that case because I’ve heard Barnard weights the writing section of the SAT the most heavily.</p>