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GPA...
3.93 weighted
3.48 unweighted
(There's a huge difference between W and UW because of my heavy courseload, which includes four AP's, plus I'm taking five more next year. The grades are mostly A's and B's, but I did get one C my sophomore year in history.)

Rank...
25th out of 241
(Just barely missed the top 10%... will this hurt me?)

SAT I...
790 in math
710 in verbal

SAT II...
770 in math IIC
770 in writing
710 in United States history

Extracurricular...
Drama - I've done eight plays in high school including one as a director... I'm a five-star member of the International Thespian Society
Quiz bowl team - This will be my third year on the team... I was the B-team captain my junior year and will be the A-team captain as a senior.
Student newspaper - I've been a staff writer for a year and layout editor for another... I'll be the assistant editor my senior year
Forensics - I've been a state finalist all three years so far in the Virginia High School League... I've also qualified for Nationals twice in the NCFL
NHS - Joined during my junior year

The grades aren't that great, but I think everything else looks pretty solid... so how will I do at the College early decision?

Probably want to major in PoliSci by the way.

By Eclinchy (Eclinchy) on Friday, June 18, 2004 - 03:56 pm: Edit

By the way... also have had a job for 3 years, have done 200+ service hours, and am a shoo-in for National Merit with a 229 PSAT index.

So can anyone give me an assessment of my chances?

By Invalidusername (Invalidusername) on Friday, June 18, 2004 - 08:57 pm: Edit

"Just barely missed the top 10%... will this hurt me?"

in most likelihood, yes. about 86% of Columbia enrollees are in the top 10% of their HS classes. This doesn't rule you out, however; there are a few of us here with less-than-stellar class ranks.

Your chances actually seem fairly good ED.

Where else are you thinking of applying? With a few exceptions, I'd say you should definitely apply ED, and the odds will be in your favor, though it'll still be a crapshoot.

By Eclinchy (Eclinchy) on Friday, June 18, 2004 - 08:59 pm: Edit

Also applying to G-Town, Tufts, UVA, NYU, and BU.

G-Town's EA pool is really competitive, and unlike Columbia, they don't make it easier early than regular decision. So I definitely agree that ED at Columbia is a good idea for me.

Thanks for your help!

By Eclinchy (Eclinchy) on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 10:32 pm: Edit

Bump... anyone else? Is it true that the odds are in my favor ED?

By Invalidusername (Invalidusername) on Sunday, June 20, 2004 - 03:56 pm: Edit

If those are the only schools you're looking at, it's a tough choice between Tufts and Columbia ED, but I'd say give Columbia ED a shot.

Now that I think about it, your EC's look a little thin...

My opinion isn't too sure at all. Take what I've said with a grain of salt.

By Eclinchy (Eclinchy) on Saturday, July 03, 2004 - 09:15 pm: Edit

If it makes any difference, here are my AP scores...

5 on Calc AB
4 on CompSci A and US History
3 on English Language

Can anyone else post their opinions? I'm still really unsure here...

By Daria1000 (Daria1000) on Saturday, July 03, 2004 - 10:41 pm: Edit

Your gpa might hurt you some. Even if you take the hardest classes possible, uw is kinda low. Your Sats might balance it out enough. Are you definately going to use US history as your 3rd sat 2? You have another chance to take some, and you might be able to do better than a 710. Do you play any sports? Unless you really devote a lot of time to the ECs that you have, they do seem a little thin. What's your job and do you do it just to have some extra cash or is there another reason? Getting in Columbia is tough for anyone, so it's hard to tell what your chances are, but ED will help some.

By Eclinchy (Eclinchy) on Sunday, July 04, 2004 - 11:15 am: Edit

Another question...

I have 710's on both my verbal SAT I and my history SAT II. Which one should I retake and why?

By Eclinchy (Eclinchy) on Sunday, July 04, 2004 - 11:18 am: Edit

Another question...

I have 710's on both my verbal SAT I and my history SAT II. Which one should I retake and why?

By Number9 (Number9) on Sunday, July 04, 2004 - 08:47 pm: Edit

Why not both? You have October and November for the ED deadline...