hopefully a future lion wrote:
Ivyguy wrote:
Are you a senior? Junior? Soph?
Are you male? Female?
Are you a member of an underrepresented minority? Overrepresented minority?
What are your times? Any significant placings in cross-country?
Have you been in touch with the Columbia coaches, or they with you?
What potential major, if any, would you be likely to choose?
Sophomore
Male
Straight, white
Should be (estimated, but I mean going to UofC is a hypothetical too) 9:20ish 3200, 4:25ish 1600, plus/minus 5 seconds
Haven't contacted them yet, but probably will after outdoor track states this year
Biology/Biomedical engineering/something along these lines, I want to go into oncology (also considering a double major in biology/philosophy)
Okay. The 4.0, hard class schedule (should be about the hardest that your school offers), and high test scores (I'm going to assume that you'll get those--you seem smart enough to realize that test prep is a thing) will all help.
But those are necessary, not sufficient. As a straight white preppie you still need a "hook" to get in. Fortunately, running might be that hook. Coaches do have a limited number of admissions "pushes" that they can use each year; those won't get somebody in who's academically unqualified (except maybe at *cough* Princeton *cough*), but they can tip the balance in favor of one qualified person over another. There are other potential hooks too; just remember that Ivies are looking for well-rounded classes and not well-rounded individuals, and try to achieve real mastery/leadership in one or two extracurricular activities, rather than loading your schedule with a bunch of "meh" activities.
The projected times you've listed for your sophomore year should put you in the "possibles" category, but may not be enough to prompt an inquiry from the CU coaches, so you definitely should be the one to initiate contact, not later than early this summer. (By the way, it's "CU" and not "UofC." The latter would, I think, be the University of Chicago--also a fine school.) You would have to continue to show solid progress as a junior to rate one of those coach's pushes. In all seriousness, develop a habit now of getting good sleep every night (weekends included)--getting away from the computer/TV a half-hour earlier than you're used to is a good start for that. And make sure you have a good summer of prep for cross-country--a really high-quality junior xc season will raise your stock.
For your other questions: Though I have coached in the League and in NYC, and obviously have known the Columbia coaches, I cannot speak about their situation with authority and I hope someone with first-hand knowledge will weigh in. These are the general impressions of an outsider:
*At many/most academically competitive schools, your best bet is to list your major as "undecided" unless you are truly locked in to a particular major. Do keep in mind that if your long-term goal is med school, your undergrad major can be anything (as long as you cover the prereq courses for med school). You should settle on a major that you find interesting and in which you can get top grades. I have met too many premeds who felt obliged to have a hard-science major, didn't do especially well in it, and never got into med school. I've also known premeds who majored in history or comp sci or business, rocked their GPA, and got into great schools.
*As you already know, financial aid is need-based at all the Ivies and unaffected by whether or not you're on a team. BUT it is very generous at all the Ivies (a lot of upper-middle families still get help) AND most/all of the Ivies have a policy whereby they'll match another Ivy's proffered aid package, so don't be afraid to play one school against another.
*Team culture is very difficult for an outsider to assess, but my impression is that the CU guys have a lot of camaraderie, especially in cross, and give a lot of mutual support. When I see them running around Central Park, they seem to be having fun: serious, but not grim. Still, a campus visit and overnight stay with a team member would probably give you a lot better idea of what the team is like.
Again, I hope a CU student/alum will speak up and give you more complete and accurate info!
Good luck with your running and your classes this spring.