Admission Chances

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>I'm an applicant from India, and have applied to Harvard(EA-Deferred), Columbia, Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton, Brown and UPenn, amongst the Universities.
I've also applied to the following LAC's: Williams, Bates, Colgate, Grinnell, Swarthmore, Reed and Carleton. </p>

<p>I want to major in Physics, and my scores and extra-curriculars are as follows:</p>

<p>SAT 1: 2150, CR=710(national percentile=96),Math=710(national percentile=94), Writing=730(national percentile=97);
Math Level 2:800(national percentile=88);
Physics and Chemistry: 770(national percentile=82 and 83 respectively);</p>

<p>My school transcripts placed me at the top 1% of my class for my 9th and 10th years. However, ranks have slid down badly over the past year. </p>

<p>My Co-Curriculars include:
30 odd wins at city, regional and national level at quizzing events, for one of these quizzes I received an award from the ex-President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
Several leadership posts at school.
Have won a few national level essay/creative writing competitions, and a handful of national/city level debates and/or Model United Nations conferences.
Over the past 2 months I have received decent ranks in 3 Olympiads, which are held in India, and 7 other countries in Asia(though I think South African students do take part too).
(I came State Rank- 3rd, International Rank-81st in the Science Olympiad,
I came State Rank- 12th, International Rank-323rd in the Math Olympiad,
I came State Rank- 24th, International Rank-420th in the Cyber Olympiad)</p>

<p>I have helped at a home for the elderly, and have helped to educate underprivileged children from city slums.
Played for my school soccer team.
Have certification in Piano and Music Theory till Grade 5 from the Royal School of Music London.
....etc.</p>

<p>I think my essay was quite strong and does me justice.</p>

<p>I was deferred by Harvard, and while that did dampen my hopes.... Its never wrong to keep hoping right? I need full financial aid though, or as near to full as possible.
A school senior who did his undergrad at Harvard, and is now at Harvard Law, wrote me an additional recommendation after deferral, as did my school Chemistry master. While I know my stats are not nearly stellar compared to those of the applicant pool of Harvard, somebody please chance me?</p>

2

<p>Funnily, I didn’t get an interview chance. I emailed, asking for one, but was told that they didn’t have enough people at the time or something like that. :/</p>

3

<p>Anybody…bump?</p>

4

<p>Hard to say honestly, international admissions is so selective.</p>

5

<p>hmmmmm. I know right? :confused: finger’s crossed and all that. But if harvard rejects me, i’d probably take it in my stride and try again for grad school. :)</p>

6

<p>you are an international indian applicant who wants to major in physics, who has doesn’t have a perfect math or physics score on either SAT I or SAT II. Nothing special about that.
Your awards are normal and so are your extracurriculars.
Just Saiyan</p>

7

<p>i have a sat math 2 800. I know, my stats aren’t spectacular. Let’s hope luck’s on my side. :slight_smile: the olympiads could count maybe?</p>

8

<p>“30 odd wins at city, regional and national level at quizzing events”</p>

<p>Which national ones? If you don’t mind telling…</p>

9

<p>btw, a deferred Indian-quizzer here as well :)</p>

10

<p>where are you from fellow quizzer?</p>

11

<p>@astrobling</p>

<p>down south.
So, which national ones?</p>

12

<p>south? Where exactly?
The land of pickbrain!
Aqua regia regionals 2008
TI jack kilby science and tech quiz 2009 regionals.
Didn’t do travel requiring quizzes post 2010. Why so curious?</p>

13

<p>@hcaulfield…salinger fan?</p>

14

<p>“The land of Pickbrain” haha. Not curious…just wanted to see if you were someone I knew.</p>

<p>Aqua Regia regionals! :open_mouth: Thats huge. The mere thought of qualifying out of all those thousands in the auditorium…! Regional=> You won Kolkatta…!</p>

<p>But thats not “National” nah? Its just a quiz that’s national. And you made it to the regionals of that particular quiz. How do you call it “national”?</p>

<p>Salinger fan? Not really.</p>

15

<p>So how does it feel, in Aqua Regia? With that sea of faces watching and those beautifully set questions coming your way?</p>

<p>TCS is a big quiz right? In Kolkatta too? Thousands of people participate in my city itself. Across the country…tens of thousands. Is it that big in Kolkatta as well? Here, it is the ultimate crown of school quizzing.</p>

<p>Limca is a stupid quiz. We hate Derek O Brien.</p>

<p>The Hindu Young World Quiz is lovely!!! Great quizmaster, great quiz. It happens “nationally” but not in cities up north…Its primarily south India based.</p>

<p>But Aqua Regia according to me takes the cake…</p>

16

<p>Our school avoids derek like the plague. tcs, embarrassingly enough i came 8th in class 10 got the consolation prize, didn’t go in 11. In 12 our second team answered same no. of right answers but more stars, hence they went onstage qualifying first and came last. As a result my quizzing goals at school level remained unfulfilled. Frankly i was angry to see teams onstage with lesser answers in qualifiers than us, all because our second team got a star more than us. Ah well.
Aqua Regia was one more nice one, came 3rd when i was in 8 i think, rest of the competitors were class 10s. Felt good, but didn’t get through to nationals. Regionals means pretty much teams from everywhere in fast india.
The texas instrument jack kilby one was again similar 3rd, with the rest of the competition in 11, 12.
I moved into munning more than quizzing post class 10.<br>
Caulfield’s salinger’s character, hence my question.
Where all did you apply?</p>

17

<p>we won aqua regia in 10, didn’t go for nationals. It clashed with exams. Unfortunate.</p>

18

<p>we won aqua regia in 10, didn’t go for nationals. It clashed with exams. Unfortunate. What i enjoyed though was getting a best quizzer and winners award from kalam who was the chief guest at another regional.
Kinda made up for the tcs disappointment.</p>

19

<p>extra curriculars needed</p>

20

<p>i tried my best with my ec’s. Rest is in the admission office’s hands! :)</p>