Basically there’s now a new girl in my class and she’s really smart. She also really wants to go Cornell and to all the other US universities I’m applying to. We’re now enrolled in the exact same classes - only she’s a lot more active in class than I am and she understands many subjects in Maths better than me.
What should I do? Will us taking the same classes have an impact on admissions? The universities surely won’t take the “same” student twice, especially as we come from a small international school in Europe.
Why would you switch your courses? I’m assuming you’re taking the most rigorous ones possible. No international student has good chances at Cornell. You’d be foolish to alter your own education to look different than this new student. Stop looking at her and focus on what you can control.
I would assume you are not also involved in all the same activities outside of class, with the same leadership roles and honors, and plan to major in the same subject at a university, and have the same family background, and the same standardized test scores, and same teacher recommendations, etc. There will be plenty to distinguish you from the other student, even if you made the exact same grades in the exact same classes, with the same overall GPA, which is highly unlikely.
I agree with the previous posters; you are focusing on the wrong subject. I call it as I see it: jealousy and envy.
The US universities aren’t your domain. We take few internationals into the elite schools. Stop blaming her for being better than you. There will always be people better, smarter, and more enlightened than you. That is true of me and EVERYONE.
Do your own work. If you don’t get in anywhere, which is very likely-given that you are an international student, you cannot blame her.
OMG so many kids seem so stressed out today and so misinformed. OP just worry about yourself and no one else but yourself. You will either get in or not, based on your own application and its strengths.
Reminds me of classmates of my DD… A set of identical twins who basically were the same person! They had the same GPA, both were artists, played musical instruments, and played tennis. One scored slightly higher on her SAT test and the other immediately insisted (good-naturedly) that they retake the test, otherwise, “Everywhere we apply, there will be a better version of me”! Result: both scored 2400 the second time around.
OP: college admissions will be filled with things out of your control. Many things do not flow in a linear fashion. Worrying about this one item will do you no good.
OP - as @mommyrocks says, don’t change your course. Why anyone gets into a college is anyone’s guess. I also think it is not a bad question - yes, represents a stressed student. So, in nutshell, do what you are doing, do your best, choose multiple options - including proper safety and matches and hope for the best!
