<p>Hello all, I am 14 years old, I live in Atlanta, GA. I am a mixed race male. Highschool starts in 2 weeks, and I will be in my freshman year. I have 3 AP classes right now, Honors Biology, AP World History and AP English/Language Arts, as of right now I am taking French but I was told that I should take Spanish. I was wondering what should I do starting now to make sure that I get into Columbia University starting on the first day of school.
The career I am trying to go into is railway architecture/architecture and partially civil enigineering. I just need to make sure I’m doing the right thing so I can get out of this …“house”</p>
<p>Who told you that you “should” take Spanish? It’s certainly more useful, but if you like French better, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go with it (Columbia doesn’t have preferences for foreign languages). </p>
<p>Honestly, the best advice I can give is very general and applies to all high school students trying to get into a good school. Focus on your interests but not at the expense of your academics. Do well in school, take the most challenging classes, and do well on the SATs. Join clubs and take initiatives - try getting an internship in high school or starting a club…if that’s what you really want to do. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you tell yourself that you’ll do whatever it takes to get into Columbia. That attitude can quickly lead to misery and disillusionment. It’s good to set goals, but please realize that you’re only a freshman in high school. Your career and school choices may drastically change in the next few years, and to become fixated on getting into one school so early on really isn’t a good idea.</p>
<p>If you read through many of the old threads in this forum, you’ll realize that it’s incredibly difficult to pinpoint exactly what Columbia likes to see in its students. And most students here did what they did in high school not with the sole intention of getting into Columbia but because they enjoyed it and wanted to push themselves.</p>
<p>it’s common. i used to live in the south and Spanish was the more popular language (people thought it was “easier”). at my old school, there was one period of French and three of Spanish. </p>
<p>i’m not in college yet, but the application process is a lot easier if you really know yourself. it doesn’t matter what track you follow in high school. just try to come into your own.</p>