Admission Chances / Advice Needed

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi CCers, I am an international student and I have to serve a two-year national service before college. Well.. that basically means that I am fortunate enough to go through the application process three times! How fun...</p>

<p>Anyway, I've posted my stats on CC last year :
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=19797%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=19797&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>From the way I look at it, there is very little I can do about my academic results. Although they are not perfect, but I think it should not be a problem. (1600 SAT I, 2370 SAT II, perfect GCE O and A level, top 1% in school)</p>

<p>There comes my ECs. Held leadership positions in different CCAs. Founded a new club during my last two years in school. Got awards at many national IT competition. Represented my country in programming compeition in India. Did few hundred hours of community service. Even went for a three week overseas project in a rural village.</p>

<p>My science research background was strong. Got involved in two research programs. One with a local university, the other with a defence research organisation. My paper got a gold medal in the National Science and Engineering Fair and merit in the National Science Talent Search. (Local version of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and Intel Science Talent Search). My mentor also put in some good words for me.</p>

<p>My recs were good. Definitely above average. Since the teachers kinda like me, esp. the one who helped me found my club.</p>

<p>So I guess my essays are bring me down? I spent hours writing, trying to show my passion in science and research, how managing a club brought out the leader in me, my dreams and ambitions etc. They shouldn't be too bad as they are carefully proofread and supported by facts.</p>

<p>Still, I got rejected last year by the schools I wanted to go the most. Namely harvard, princeton, yale, stanford and mit.</p>

<p>I have a private scholarship so finaid is not a problem. </p>

<p>So what's really wrong with my past applications? Am I just not good enough (no olympiad medals etc...) or just because I am an intl? Or I should try something different and possibly risky in my essays? Please help...</p>

<p>Also, if I re-apply to the colleges that I got rejected from, will I be given a second (third for harvard) consideration? Or it will just be a waste of time and money as the school's record will show that I was a reject. Once a reject, always a reject?</p>

<p>Any inputs will be very very helpful. PM me if you need more info like my essays etc.</p>

<p>Thanks CC.</p>

2

<p>Thanks once again..</p>

3

<p>no one knows anything about re-applying?</p>

4

<p>I think that you are an excellent applicant, but there is more to life than college. Harvard, MIT, and Stanford are all HIGHLY unpredictable, something you already know. I would look at more practical schools, schools such as Cornell or Georgetown, because at the BIG BIG name schools (HMS), it seems to me that there are more politics involved than grades (a sad thing.) I would be proud of your accomplishments. Plus, what is it that you like about these schools? The name? Because if your a really interested in majoring in engineering or sciences, there are other schools, that in my opinion, are better than any HYPS. You could reapply, but would you really want to a school that rejected you the first time???</p>

5

<p>Thanks IHATESAT.</p>

<p>I was admitted to cornell eng, cmu cs and nyu stern last year. I guess the reason that I can't "let go" the big names is peer pressure. Most of my friends / colleagues are in/from HYPS. Half the people I met during the scholar's lunch are stanford alumni... </p>

<p>Still, two questions remains.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Does the ad com even take a look at re-applications?</p></li>
<li><p>Big name == good school? Esp. when I am looking for a good all-rounded broad base college education.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Anyone?</p>

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<p>Or maybe some advice on how to improve my application? Thanks. ^_^</p>

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<p>feel like talking to myself :(</p>

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<p>Did you read my last line in the other post... would you still like to go to HYPS after they rejected you? I don't think college is worth giving up your dignity. I would go to Cornell, find the cure for cancer, win the nobel prize, and laugh at Harvard. Plus, if you're just applying for the name or the prestiege, that may have come through in your essay.</p>

9

<p>Yours academics are fantastic - the colleges may have unfortunately been looking for something specific. If you reapply this year, change your essay however and remember facts are not as important in college essay; they want a picture of your personality. Stick to a 5 paragraph plan and make it personal. Maybe how being in the service has affected you?</p>

10

<p>ihatesat: i liked your idea :)</p>

<p>emily_uk: perhaps. afterall the military is not a very intellectual place. thanks for the essay tip.</p>

<p>hmm.. exactly how important are the essays? 25%? 33%? 50%?</p>

11

<p>There are any number of other great colleges and universities to consider. Pick some and get on with your life.</p>

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<p>Nothing is wrong with your application. The problem is that you are applying to the most competitive colleges in the US -- places that have an overabundance of stellar candidates like yourself. They simply can not accept all of the outstanding students who apply.</p>

<p>In addition, those colleges get an abundance of excellent US and international applicants who have outstanding backgrounds in the sciences.Yet, those colleges want students who'll major in other areas, too: the humanities, arts, etc. This even is true for MIT.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, your interests and background place you in the group of applicants that is most competitive. </p>

<p>My advice would be to be happy with where you were accepted and to move on with your life. Going to HPYM is not the be all, end all of life. </p>

<p>Last year, there was a student from some place in Asia who was doing what you were doing: reapplying because he wanted to go to, I think, Harvard. After obsessing over how he could improve his application despite having an overall stellar application, he applied EA to Harvard and was deferred (exactly what happened to him the year before). He ended up getting rejected from Harvard and going to another good school (just like you already could go to another good school). </p>

<p>IMO what he did by chasing some dream that only one college could meet his needs was waste a year of his life.</p>

<p>"Still, I got rejected last year by the schools I wanted to go the most. Namely harvard, princeton, yale, stanford and mit.</p>

<p>I have a private scholarship so finaid is not a problem. </p>

<p>So what's really wrong with my past applications? Am I just not good enough (no olympiad medals etc...) or just because I am an intl? Or I should try something different and possibly risky in my essays? Please help..."</p>

13

<p>Thanks for all the advice northstarmom.</p>

<p>I think wasting a year on college application is just not worth it. I am re-applying because I have been serving a two-year mandatory National Service. No harm trying.</p>

<p>My background - asian, strong in maths & science, passionate about research etc. does put me in a very competitve pool of applicants. The question I have now is that will my background affects my chances in applying to the humanities/arts etc?</p>

<p>Other then computer science / maths, I am also interested in economics, esp. the quantitative aspect. However, I have little to backup my application. Since schools in my country (or asia in general), put more focus on maths & science, I have fewer activities to participate outside science.</p>

<p>How can I tell the adcom that I am genuinely interested in something that I have not been participating?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

14

<p>Purplefish, I don't want to sound rude, but you seem not to be listening. If you truely want to go to a school, apply EA or ED. But Harvard is a REACH for anyone; hence its extreme desirability. Like what Northstar said, they turn down VERY highly qualified students all the time, and Harvard is used to it now. I think you should apply to Cornell, UPENN, and Stanford, schools that are actually admit more than 9% of applicants. You should be very proud of your academic achievment, but, come on, it's ONLY college. Just because you go to Harvard doesn't mean you will come out and become a millionaire, or people will just automatically respect you because you were wearning a "Harvard" shirt. I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best.</p>

15

<p>ok. thanks. wish me luck :)</p>