<p>Hey there, getting straight to the point I have a bad school gpa- an 8 cgpa (10 in Science and 10 in english) in 10th and 68% in 11th (highest was 79%) and I have taken 12th boards recently and they went terrible except for the chemistry, just because I cannot cope with the lengthiness of the cbse exams, I have tried hard but its not possible for me. Just yesterday in maths exam I tried to speed up a lot the paper itself was easy but way too lengthy for me I managed to pull out all 6 marks questions and all the calculus but I couldn't even attempt about 25+ worth of marks questions.. ( but it honestly doesn't effect me that much since I was able to do the topic I liked 100% accurately) </p>
<p>I gave SAT Subject tests last year and I got 800 in physics and 760 in the Math 2 I know they are nothing exceptional I can probably get a 800 in math 2 though. But since my HS grades are so bad (hoping about 80-85% in boards) I want to know if there is a good school that focus less on the school results and more on the SAT or ACT or even the extra curricular even though I don't have those high extra-ordinary ECs in academics (like olympiad and all) but I have some decent self made achievements and some regional inter-school competition winning trophies and stuff like that. </p>
<p>Sorry for long paragraph but that seemed the best way I could explain my problem, thank you for reading(if you did). </p>
<p>Why are certain kinds of exams feeling too lengthy?</p>
<p>Most if not all “good” schools will be looking at your GPA as a primary criterion.</p>
<p>Its because of my writing speed I just cannot write fast enough for exams made for cbse’s machines… They’re too much of writing and all that marks for steps stuff I just cannot cope with that I know this might sound really stupid especially if you are not a cbse alumini. I don’t want to blame anyone now I tried my best to cover up maths exam it didn’t happen. </p>
<p>Any advice guys ? I am sorry if I violated any rule I am new to this forum…</p>
<p><em>Shameless Bump</em> </p>
<p>Also guys, my parents want me to appear for JEE Mains and get in a Indian College for mean time since I still need to give SAT Reasoning and TOEFL. So would it be possible for me to attend SAT I after joining an Indian College ? Also more accurate question - Will I still be eligible as a regular International Applicant ?
Please reply, I heard this community is very helpful I am getting my hopes a bit down… </p>
<p>if you join an Indian college , you won’t be able to apply as a freshman candidate. you will have to transfer after a couple of years.</p>
<p>What if I am registered with a college but haven’t completed even 1 year of college study ? </p>
<p>no , if you have joined any higher education institutions , you can’t apply as a freshman</p>
<p>@laxisdream
You have 2 choices.</p>
<ol>
<li>Take a gap year. Utilize it well. Finish your SAT 1 and TOEFL exams and apply as a freshman next year.</li>
<li>Join an Indian college, and apply as a transfer student next year.</li>
</ol>
<p>Very few transfer applicants are admitted to the top colleges.( Acceptance rate- around 1%).
Most colleges also do not offer financial aid to international transfer students.</p>
<p>Thank you I will complete the SAT 1 and apply this year (for next year), also do you have any say in the OP topic ? </p>
<p>It looks like you are thorough with some topics. You can try to ensure that you finish off the questions of these topics very quickly in your exams, so that you get sufficient time to complete other questions.</p>
<p>Practice does improve one’s speed. Also, try to take practice tests in say 3 hours, and then go on reducing the time for each test. This will help you account for the pressure of the exam, etc. ( People are almost always slower in their exams, than they are in their practice tests.)</p>
<p>If I could manage a good score in SAT 1 and TOEFL, do you think I would have a chance at schools like UCLA Henri Samueli or USC Viterbi ? </p>
<p>I don’t know much about those colleges.
Do check their Common Data Set to have an idea about the School grades and SAT scores of the admitted candidates.
You are not seeking financial aid?</p>
<p>I would need financial aid but I heard all the aids are based on your SAT and school gpa combined… ? </p>
<p>Yes, the process for internationals is both need and merit based. They use the need factor to prohibit the rich folks from paying less and use the merit factor to attract the brightest of the class. SO, to receive aid, you need to be meritorious as well as needy (poor), if you’re the former, you won’t be given any aid and if you’re the latter, you won’t be given admissions.
If I wasn’t clear, I can elaborate on it, just say! </p>
<p>I think I understand what you mean, I do come in ‘needy’ category but unfortunately not the brightest one from my class. Is there a school or external agency which gives aid for securing high SAT scores ? </p>
<p>Try applying to schools with lots of endowment $$ and schools that are ranked above >75. A Good SAT and recs can increase your chances dramatically, you can also ask your recommendation writers to elaborate on any extenuating circumstances, if any.</p>