<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1606501-help-me-predict-am-i-doomed-to-enter-community-college-or-have-a-gap-year.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1606501-help-me-predict-am-i-doomed-to-enter-community-college-or-have-a-gap-year.html#latest</a>
The link above is my personal background as an int’l Chinese applicant heading to Unis around the world, so my outcome might be somewhat different from the results that domestic guys get. Nontheless, I think it’s still valuable to post my results online, for prospective int’l’s reference and for more motivation to those who’s feeling distressed.
Admitted: HKU(with a huge scholarship, currently attending); ChineseU of HK; Mcgill(with partial award), Baylor(with partial award), National U of Sg(with binding FA after acceptance);
Waitlisted: Cornell, Vassar, Colby, Kenyon, Wash & Lee(all said no eventually)
Rejected: All the rest(I’m not that distressed with the outcome, since I’m well-aware of the need-aware policies for international students.)
Perhaps my actual result may come as a great surprise to you all, but keep in mind that I’m an international student from China pursuing FA. In such a scenario, regardless of one’s talent or the prestige of the institutions, all the schools become reaches or extreme reaches, so chances are pretty high that an int’l candidate can be rejected everywhere. Granted, there are people(or legends on paper) who manage to receive admission offers from reputed schools such as the Ivies with sufficient financial assistance, yet these guys belong to one of the very few - not just because of the quality of resume, but because of many other factors, or even luck.
Though having lived in a city where educational agents do the utmost to advertise ‘personal packaging’ and the successful cases to Ivies with such assistance, I chose to handle everything in my own style, not so much for any sort of thriftiness(the commission involved could be $30- 50k sometimes) as for my integrity that I ought to endeavor for entry to top universities by devising my own extracurriculars and embracing my own ideas. And thus I worked by myself only throughout the process, without ANY HELP FROM THE EXTERNAL AGENTS - from my band at school to my experiences in one of the top Chinese National Youth Scientist Conferences, I overcame many barriers and eventually won many awards. Even if I had reapt nothing in the process, I still would have cherished these precious memories, for just as we all applaud to those who can’t win the champion in a marathon, so we should all cheer for the process rather than the glittering offer letters.
And then I waited for offers, feeling a sense in limbo occasionally yet often have no time to stew over trifling worries as I looked forward to the Intel ISEF as a part of Chinese delegation. Days, weeks, and months had gradually passed when, at the end of March this year, all the decision letters from US flew into my email and mail box. Waitlists. Rejections. The harsh reality loomed in front of me - with 90% of Chinese applicants willing to pay full-ride(even by selling their family flats) to go to virtually EVERY more or less famed school, FA candidates like me stand nearly no chance to win.
But I have my concerns. I should not rely on resources on family too much, because I’m the person who is going to shape my future. Those who see the Chinese kids riding on fancy Falarris or spending money like a genuine ‘tuhao’ do not understand many aspiring independent Chinese candidates, who strive for the best because we know our responsibilities in our family, who would stay true to ourselves when lured by agents devising all the nice-looking activities that make up a ‘shiny’ resume,who always remain original even when external agents produce batches and batches of students to good schools. Those wanting an easy ride by paying huge sums from family assets of $$ to agents and schools, we all fondly believe, will bear the responsibility that they should shoulder in the future.
Would my post seem kind of cliched? It definitely would, as so many high-achieving international guys had aired their views from a wide array of outstanding schools. However, I still would like to share with you my ideas and thought, because I think whatever is real demands no embellishment, whether at Harvard, Yale or anywhere else. Wish all the studious candidates good luck, and hope that my comments can serve as motivation for you guys(esp. Chinese DIY candidates) to some degrees.
