<p>Garland’s post is the most worthwhile thing posted in this thread. Another way to make the point he makes is that it’s not a formula and not something that can put put on a spreadsheet to compare people head to head. Things like “tiddlywinks 4 years” really mean nothing in a vacuum.</p>
<p>You need a total application package that oozes with stellar stats, energy, and mind-bending uniqueness. That will get you into Columbia.</p>
<p>I second garland’s idea. There is no definite way to choose applicants, and I’m sure we’ve all heard “I am valedictorian and got a perfect 2400 and got rejected!” before. </p>
<p>In my (non-professional, non-adcom) opinion, personality is what gets you in. Personality is best demonstrated in interviews and essays, and there is no way to measure it.</p>
<p>It’s more than personality, you’ve got to have the total package.</p>
<p>Personality in the sense of “character”, “values”, and “work ethic”. Intellectual curiosity is the catchphrase I hear the most often, and I saw it reflected in the hundreds of students that I met. Not everybody at columbia is passionately driven to acquire academic information and become experts and researchers, but a surprising chunk of them are. And a lot of those people are pretty awesome to talk to, because if you get them on the right subject, their eyes light up and they get excited just to be thinking about (say) chemistry. or history. or politics. etc. Maybe you know people like that, maybe you’re someone who IS like that, but if the admissions committee can tease a sense of that curiosity out of someone’s admissions portfolio, they’ve done a good job.</p>
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<p>This is EXACTLY what Columbia looks for. Great post.</p>
<p>does community service done thorugh key club count?
and if you had to have a job throughout the academic year to support some family bills will they excuse the fact that you might have less extracircular activities than other people if you still have some.</p>
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“Community service” doesn’t “count.” Nobody gives two sh1ts about how many hours you spent mopping the toilets at the homeless shelter. (No pun intended.) It’s about whether you’ve done something meaningful and made a difference with something.</p>
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<p>Jobs are great in and of themselves. They show maturity, commitment, etc. Columbia will understand that lower income kids have family responsibilities.</p>
<p>will all schools understand that (such as princeton, stanford)?</p>
<p>If you present yourself well, all the schools will understand it.</p>
<p>but will it be an advantage? also how significant will it be if i join track next year.</p>
<p>If your life long passion is running, and you join track next year and win many competitions, awards, or medals, then yes, it will be significant. But if you don’t really like running, and you just join to pad your resume, then it probably won’t be significant because you’re not going to accomplish anything if you suck at track.</p>
<p>im gonna pm u about my situation no gardder.</p>