<p>Hi,
This is my first CC post, though I've been scouring the forums for a few months now. I've seen (and sneered at) so many "chance me" threads that it's rather embarrassing that I'm posting something akin to a chancer myself. So I begin by apologizing for the s**tloads of hypocrisy. It's just that I'll be applying to colleges in the States about a year from now and I'm totally freaking out! Enough blabber, let's cut to the chase:
XI-th grader from Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
I'm extremely passionate about the sciences, especially math.
School records: Good, but not exceptional. I'll be honest, I've never felt motivated to do well at school and now I'm regretting it. I mean, I'm ALWAYS in the top decile and stuff, but I never top my class or anything. On the other hand, my school is rather reputable and grades don't really come easy... Also, my school does not offer GPA's or anything.
10th board- 88% aggregate, 196/200 in the sciences and 100/100 in math.
Achievments: Mostly academic, but outside of school (I've always felt stifled in the routine school environment). I'll list a few significant (and some pretty insignificant) ones.
National Talent Search (NTS/NTSE) Scholar 2009-10- Grades 8,9- 3rd in state.
Some good performances at the SOF (read: fake) Math and Cyber Olympiads starting from 7th grade with one AIR 3, a couple of AIR top-50's, some top-100's, etc.
[MO-Math Olympiad]
Regional MO 2010 Awardee in 9th Grade. Represented Bengal at Indian National MO 2011.
RMO 2011 Awardee in 10th Grade. Represented Bengal at INMO 2012.
INMO 2012 Awardee. Attended month-long training-cum-selection camp for the International MO as a 10th grader, something I'm pretty content with. Sadly, I didn't make the team, let alone win a medal.
Recipient of Izhar Hussain Memorial Award for Best Solution Presented at IMOTC 2012, but that isn't really anything compared to actually representing one's country.
As you can realize, Math Olympiads are my main focus now and I'll be trying really hard to make the team for IMO 2013. Again I'll be honest and state outright that my chances of making the team and winning a medal are rather low, even though I have two more shots at selection as a Senior Batch participant during IMOTC's 2013 and 2014 (the latter won't be in time for my college applications, though).
I appeared for the KVPY this month and I'll probably be selected if I don't screw up the interview.
SAT's: I'm yet to take my SAT's. I've registered for the Jan 26th test. Based on my performance on the official practice tests, I'll say that 2200-2350 is my score range and I'll be trying very hard to keep it towards the higher end of that spectrum. I'm pretty confident of 800's on SAT II Math 2, Physics and Chem and I'm considering sitting for the English Literature, World History and Biology M SubTests too. (I don't study history or bio in school, though, and my school English is - as a true MO fellow would say - trivial.)
EC's: The one EC activity I'm passionate about is quizzing. It was in fifth grade that I accidentally discovered the joy of quizzing when my class teacher made me try out for the school team. Needless to say, I was selected and I haven't really looked back. Well, I did skip quizzing for about a year when I transferred from Primary to Secondary School because I wasn't aware that a club existed (our school is colossally chaotic and large, you see), but you get my point. So I have some inter school quiz awards with the events ranging from general quizzes to tricky topical ones. Apart from that, I've painted from Kindergarten to 10th grade, but I wasn't that good; I was into vernacular elocution and poetry recitation as a kid; I took cricket guidance from grades 1 to 5; I used to swim regularly till 8th grade; blah blah blah...
The top Ivies are obviously the goal, but I'm realistic about my chances. It'd be nice if I could learn about some more realistic options. Oh, I should make it clear that I CANNOT afford to go abroad without nearly full financial aid. I've already been accepted by the Indian Statistical Institutes, Kolkata and Bangalore, as well as Chennai Mathematical Institute, Chennai, due to my INMO performance so I won't go abroad unless I get into a significantly better college (CMI and the ISI's are the top math schools in India at the moment).
Thanks.</p>
<p>P.S. Yeah, I'm gonna say it- CHANCE ME! XD</p>
<p>P.P.S. I also plan to start with some original research this December and maybe try out the Google/ Intel Science Fairs. But I'm aware that without a mentor, it's not gonna be easy- say a 1 in 3 chance of it materializing into something worthwhile.</p>