<p>Hey Guys,</p>
<p>I got rejected. Saddening :( After all the toil in High School...</p>
<p>I just want to confirm a trend so that I can advice my juniors. Who here is an international who got in without an international olympiad win?</p>
<p>I’m an international, who got rejected without an international olympiad win 
But my other stats weren’t mind boggling either. So a rejection was always on the way :)</p>
<p>I got in without even a national Olympiad award. You have to have good scores and GPA.
and I think essay is the most important part in the whole application process.
I spent 3 months writing the Feynman essay. I think perhaps my essay helps a lot. </p>
<p>Good luck with your other schools man!</p>
<p>damn man…feels very crappy…after all that work in HS…</p>
<p>till now, all the admits I know who are international are olympiad winners. dont they see other applicants too?</p>
<p>dawncoming: did you apply for financial aid?</p>
<p>@dawncoming: whats ur most prominent hook?</p>
<p>fyi: applied fin aid.</p>
<p>@ayushkhaitan
@indianmonster
No, I did not apply for FA. Don’t you know that Caltech is NEED-AWARE?
applying FA will definitely hurt your application a loooot.</p>
<p>and I don’t have hook I think. You just show yourself as a whole, and especially your passions for science and mathematics. I don’t think AOs care that much about awards and things like that.</p>
<p>@dawncoming: my school is especially competitive and some of my friends (who have REALLY good credentials) like ISEF medalists, national Olympiad winners, space competitions etc did NOT get in, inspite of not applying for aid. I only know international olympiad winners who got in.</p>
<p>and yes, i know its need-aware. but its quite a big surprise to me seeing an international like you get in without any particular hooks…</p>
<p>If you’re applying for FA, I guess the administration doesn’t want to take chances, and puts a lot of importance on international awards to demonstrate ability. </p>
<p>I HAD to apply for FA :)</p>
<p>I’m just a little disappointed that i wasn’t waitlisted…but then again, you fantastic people deserve to go to Tech more than I do!!! I’m happy for you!! :)</p>
<p>well yeah, i am happy for dawncoming too…but its just my primal nature to ask questions like “why didnt I not get in”…but well, life goes on</p>
<p>I was rejected and I have an international olympiad bronze medal (also applied for FA). Now I wonder why did they reject me… Because of FA? Because I didn’t present me well enough? Because I wasn’t good enough?</p>
<p>@indiamonster: thanks!</p>
<p>Now I am beginning to doubt if they had sent wrong letters to me! ISEF medalists! space competition winners! Olympiad winners!! I really don’t understand why they could not get in. You see as I have told you I don’t have impressive ECs. Perhaps you guys will get into Ivies or MIT!</p>
<p>o and one of my friends got in and she APPLIED FOR FA too. She’s got no Olympiad medals nor any other great awards. So this is really weird…</p>
<p>Rejected even without FA. w t f?</p>
<p>dawncoming: Not trying to put you down or anything, but maybe the UK pool of applicants wasn’t as strong as the Asian ones…no idea [:)]</p>
<p>The bad thing (for me) is that I have only applied to 2 schools – Caltech and Stanford. Now after getting rejected by Caltech I don’t think I have a “good shot” at Stanford. And one can’t say to me: “there are many other good schools, which will admit you and you’ll be happy with them.”
I’ll probably end up attending a university in my country (which is considered one of the most prestigious in my country, but it’s not the university you could be happy with) and maybe I’ll never even visit America!</p>
<p>I think US colleges accept only a couple of applicants from each country or something…</p>
<p>but you obviously also have awesome stats :)</p>
<p>And about the “applicant pool” – I’m 99% sure I am the only applicant to Caltech from my country.</p>
<p>@ayushkhaitan: I live in UK but apply as Chinese. so I think I was in Asian pool?</p>
<p>haha. no. I don’t think it works that way.
If I’m an African American, I will still be considered a Papa New Guinean if I reside there :)</p>
<p>@MSGM16: so where are you from? applied to two schools only? don’t you think it a bit dangerous? I have applied to 17 schools!</p>
<p>I don’t think Caltech has quota for each country or uses Affirmative Action. But I do think the admission office likes Asians very much. Many accepted students are Asians!</p>