A unique high school story + What college is within my reach?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Alright. This is going to be my first post EVER on CC.
Please bear with me as I vent all my high school stress into this post</p>

<p>I've been lurking around on CC for a long time, visiting chance threads and stuff, and I finally believe that it is time to jump on the college application bandwagon. So, I'm a rising senior in Central New Jersey, about 10 miles from Princeton University. I'm Indian Indian, so it's generally understood that my parents are strict as hell when it comes to college stuff. I find it difficult to assess my high school situation and to compile a list of Universities I want to attend as I completed half of my high school (9th and 10th grades) in India and the other half (11th and 12th grades) here in America.</p>

<p>I was born in Boston, MA in 1993 and moved to Princeton Junction, New Jersey at the age of 2. I attended school here until the end of my 8th grade. Prior to 9th grade, I played lots of tennis (ranked 51 on the East Coast by USTA), was a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do (I bet I could've whooped your 8th grade ass...jk :P), and was also a member of the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, terror struck during the summer between 8th and 9th grade: my paternal grandpa died and my dad's brother in law died just a week apart. My dad was completely destroyed and my family went to India for the funerals. Here, my parents decided to ask me if I would continue my education in India for a few years. For some reason, I now cannot recall, I agreed to this proposal and stayed with my rich aunt for two years. Initially, I thought living in a 5 floor mansion with 4 drivers at my disposal would be fun; this could not be further from the truth. My aunt was probably the world's strictest guardian and forced me to be tutored for 2 hours every day after school and then study by myself until 11:30 pm every day. I had nothing in my room except a bed, a desk, 2 pairs of shorts, a pair of jeans and a few t-shirts. It got so bad that I even contemplated suicide. Anyways, If anyone knows anything about the education system in India, I followed the ICSE syllabus--one in which a 40% was a passing grade and a 75% or above was an A. When I tell people this today, they think that it's simple to excel in the Indian system because of the low percentage cut-offs. However, this is not the case. The tests are graded like AP tests here in America.</p>

<p>So I studied super hard 9th and 10th grade and ended up with a 74% overall for 9th grade and 80% overall in 10 grade. Keep in mind that a 75% is an A in the Indian system and that just like how emphasis is placed on junior year here in America, emphasis is placed on 10th grade India</p>

<p>I found the experience of coming back to America eye-opening. It was like going to a completely new country. My friends changed, the way I understood changed, and the way I thought changed. This was my junior year workload:
1. AP US History - B
2. AP Calculus AB - A
3. French 4 Honors - B
4. Human Anatomy and Physiology - A
5. LA Honors (Semester classes) - B
6. Independent Study - A
As you can see I have a perfect split between As and Bs. The one course that was different junior year was my Independent Study class. I dropped AP Bio (still self-studied and took the AP test) for this class after receiving an F on my 30 page lab on my birthday :(. My topic was "The Science behind Love and Attraction--the brain's reward circuit". THrough this class, I came in contact with many professors and students from Stanford U and Princeton U (My Independent Study advisor matriculated from Princeton) who studied the same thing I was studying.</p>

<p>I'm going to be a senior next year, and here is my workload:
1. AP Calculus BC
2. AP French
3. AP Computer Science A
4. AT Physics
5. LA Honors (Semester Classes)
6. Speech and Drama</p>

<p>My SAT score is 2110 (800 M, 700 W, 610 CR). I'm going to study hard this summer and retake it this October.
My SAT II scores are Math II-800 Bio M-780.</p>

<p>I'm not really sure what my GPA is because my guidance counselor can't calculate.</p>

<p>I have a lot of EC's, so I'm not going to bother listing them all.</p>

<p>I feel like I'm droning on and on. I'm gonna stop here and add anything if I remember.</p>

<p>What colleges do I have a chance at? Also, I'm applying to UPenn ED and sending them a REALLY creative video with my application. do you guys think I could get into UPenn?</p>

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<p>You are unique and obviously intelligent. I think a lot of colleges will really appreciate that. I would think that with your grades, connections, individuality, and test scores, you would have a solid chance at any of the ivies.</p>

3

<p>Thanks so much for your response!
I can’t put in words how much each piece of feedback helps me!</p>

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<p>That definitely IS a unique HS story - I bet you could write some really good essays with that. Bring up that SAT score, and youve got a good shot.</p>

5

<p>You sound like an extremely interesting candidate. Increase your CR score, continue your upward trend, and you should be fine. It’d be easier if we knew what your ECs were though. A smattering of NHS-esque clubs probably won’t do any good.</p>

6

<p>Your story has the potential to make your application stand out. PM me if you need more advice on how to accomplish that.</p>

<p>I can’t really chance you without knowing which undergraduate school at Penn you will be applying to (your chances at all 4 schools would be different).</p>

7

<p>Thanks so much guys!
Again, I can’t thank you guys enough for the feedback</p>

<p>Well, here’s a list of my EC’s:
FBLA VP
Math Honor Society
Help Club
MUN
House Tennis
Boys State (If anyone knows what that is, I was Mayor and a Boys Nation Candidate)
80 hours at my local Red Cross
Youth Orchestra Of Central Jersey (Violin)
J.V. Crew during the fall and spring of junior year
Varsity Crew will start this fall
Acting in the Fall play this fall
and my personal favorite:
I’m a certified professional EMT (just got my certification to practice emergency medicine :slight_smile: )
I’m so excited about being an EMT because I volunteer at the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad and surround myself constantly by brilliant Princeton students. I learn to work with them and their behaviors while we are helping a patient.</p>

<p>Also I plan on applying to UPenn’s CAS ED
Thanks so much guys!!</p>

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<p>you have a decent shot your EC should help especially the EMT since your it seems like youre interested in the neuroscience/biology/medical field
with a slight bump in your SAT’s and turning your story into a good essay you should be fine
GPA/Class rank would be good to find out though
& also start making a list of other schools youre interested in instead of just setting your heart on UPenn</p>

9

<p>Very interesting story, Penn ED is a possibility. Do you know what you’re interested in studying yet? Neuroscience/Bio/Etc? Also, do you have any other qualifications for a college? (size, location, personality, etc.)</p>

<p>If you do share that story with colleges be careful as to how you do so – or perhaps have your guidance counselor write about it on your behalf in their recommendation. It’s definitely something that plays a sizable role in making you who you are, but the way it’s delivered would need to be done in an appropriate/tactful fashion. Best of luck!</p>

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<p>Umm…just to clarify, a 75% in ICSE is not an A in India, 90+ is an A. Your story is interesting and by the way you write it seems as though you could convert your story into a good essay so you should be set. Just keep in mind though that many ICSE students from India will have a much higher percentage in the boards but then you might have an edge over them in ECs. I know about ICSE because I took it too.</p>

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<p>I don’t want to sound mean or offensive or anything, but i don’t see the significance about the story? sorry… maybe i’m missing something but i just don’t get it.</p>

<p>I would highly recommend you get an 2250+ sats, because then, Cornell would be good for you. This would also greatly help you in terms of upenn ED.</p>

<p>ECs looks great, but what about leadership positions and/or awards?</p>

<p>Also, could you post up your AP scores? since you self studied for bio and etc</p>

<p>You could also consider Rice.</p>

<p>If most of the above checks out, I actually think you’ll have a decent chance at any school.</p>

12

<p>Again,
Thanks a lot for the feedback guys</p>

<p>@Putturani Well according to my report cards a 75% and above is an A.
65%-74% is a B
55%-65% is a C
40%-54% is a D
<40% is a fail mark
And yes, I know people did better than me. I was just growing accustomed to the education system in India, because I went to school in America before leaving for 9th class in India</p>

<p>@freezingbeast I understand if it doesn’t sound that significant. It’s hard to put heart-felt emotions in words. I’ll try my best to convey my feelings in my applications
and yeah, I’m going to study a lot this summer for the October SATs. Hopefully I’ll increase my score to a 2250+!
Thanks for all the feedback!!</p>

13

<p>The grade inflation may hurt your application. While ICSE may be difficult, I highly doubt it’s more difficult by a margin of 10% in grades.</p>

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<p>Bumpitty bump bump</p>

15

<p>There’s an essay in there somewhere. I’d recommend writing about how you saw the world through new eyes when you returned to America. That’s what struck me.</p>

<p>But unique? Yes, your history is quite interesting, but it’s not unique. For two years you studied abroad for family reasons and found it quite challenging for a variety of reasons. Go easy on the melodrama in your essay.</p>

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<p>^Yes, of course. In no way do I mean to be pretentious be assuming that there are no other WAY more unique stories.</p>

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<p>I feel like in comparison to other universities, the Ivies seem to be a lot more… personal when it comes to their applicants. They receive so many students with outstanding grades and test scores that the only way they can choose who is fit for their school is by really taking in account the essay.
Use all your writing ability and emotion when you write yours and make sure you talk about your struggles between 9th and 10th grade. I’m sure these Ivies have some idea about India’s education system, especially since so many Indian students do attempt to study abroad in America and apply here.
Good luck!</p>

<p>PS - I agree with other people in bringing up your SAT score. Its not bad, but seeing that you are from a very academically competitive stat, you want to make sure you’re at the top of your game when you apply.</p>

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<p>Well, your personal experience might be good for some essays, but your stats will make you a true applicant. Your SAT score is pretty good; I’d retake for 2200+. As for GPA, it will likely be pretty low (do you know if your GPA calculation will include your Indian scores? If so, how will that work?), and your course load (junior year) was not that rigorous (correct me if I am wrong). Your senior year courseload looks fairly reasonable… think you can drop drama for another AP? Finally, will your dropped AP bio course show up in your transcript/etc (basically, will colleges see it?). If they can see that, then it might have a negative impact. </p>

<p>Please don’t take my comments as hurtful; I am merely being frank with you so that you can improve your scores/etc and get into the schools you want to.</p>

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<p>Also, are videos allowed in the application? Even if they are, I would reconsider, as a video might be a little overboard.</p>