Chance/Help a Swede!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Gender: Male
Nationality: Swedish
Grad. Year: 2010</p>

<p>Rank: Swedish schools don’t rank</p>

<p>GPA: 3,94/4,0 (haven’t translated yet, that is just based on a 19,7/20,0 in the Swedish system)</p>

<p>SAT Is (this is what's dragging me down atm...):
I have done it once, got a really low score, but waiting for the result for my second one now. Below are predicted from the latest practice tests I did before the real deal.
CR: 550-600
Math: 600-680
Writing: 630-710</p>

<p>SAT IIs:
Will be taking Math I, Math II, and French in december.</p>

<p>TOEFL: 110-120/120
Did it a couple of days ago, so the score is just my prediction.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
- Silver medal ”Best Company” at Young Entreprise (JA-YE) 2009: national business competition with over 5600 competing companies
- Dfuser (world’s first anti-stress drink) : Co-founder (june 2008), Marketing Director and Vice CEO. [url=<a href="http://www.dfuser.se%5DDfuser"&gt;http://www.dfuser.se]Dfuser&lt;/a> - The World's First Anti-Stress Drink<a href="sorry,%20only%20swedish%20site%20atm.">/url</a>
- Creative Youth (advertising agency) : Co-founder (september 2009) & CEO [url=<a href="http://www.creativeyouth.se%5DCreativeYouth.se"&gt;http://www.creativeyouth.se]CreativeYouth.se&lt;/a> - Logotyper, Profilering, Hemsidor<img src="sorry,%20swedish%20preview%20site%20only%20atm." alt="/url">
- 3rd place E-MAX (entrepreneur competition) : national entrepreneur competition where 200 of Sweden’s best young entrepreneurs are headhunted to compete in.
- Appearance on Dragon’s Den (swedish version) : aired for 10 min on national television with about 400 000 viewers. [url=<a href="http://svtplay.se/v/1604083/ni_paminner_mig_om_jonssonliga%5D%22Ni"&gt;http://svtplay.se/v/1604083/ni_paminner_mig_om_jonssonliga]"Ni&lt;/a> påminner mig om Jönssonligan" - Draknästet | SVT Play<a href="only%20swedish,%20no%20subtitles%20yet">/url</a></p>

<p>Letters of Recommendation:
Head of school (known as one of the best in the country at writing recs), history teacher and maths teacher will be writing. I think they will be excellent since my reputation amongst the staff is very good.</p>

<p>Essay:
Hard to predict, but it’ll probably be very good.</p>

<p>Academic Curriculum:
Demanding course-load (taking 2900 pt when only 2500 is required)
Several high-level courses (history, maths (highest level possible), etc)</p>

<p>Applying (RD) for (interested in studying business at an undergrad-level):
UPenn (Wharton)
Cornell
U. Michigan (Ross)
NYU (Stern)
Babson
feel free to recommend more schools :-)</p>

<p>Will be applying for Financial Aid as well.</p>

<p>My Plan:
I don’t think I’ll get enough on the SAT Is this year, so I’m thinking of applying next year instead and raise my SAT scores then. Meanwhile I will be applying to the UK as a ”safety” (really want to study in the US!)
A little scenario I’ve been thinking of:
I don’t send my SAT I scores, only the SAT IIs and TOEFL. Let’s say I get like 117 on TOEFL and 700+ on both Math subjects, could this act as a substitute for SAT Is? Just an idea</p>

<p>Please chance me! Also, give me some advice on what to do :-)</p>

2

<p>Please chance me :slight_smile: I’ll try to chance back!</p>

3

<p>I think you look good, but your SAT I scores are quite low, especially for Wharton which is a bit out of reach (same for me). And I’m pretty sure that most schools require sending SAT I scores from international students. But there might be some exceptions.</p>

4

<p>Ok, I’ll probably wait until next year to apply. But who knows maybe I get like a 2100 on the Nov SAT :stuck_out_tongue:
But hypothetically, if I get a 2000 on my Nov, what do you think my chances are then?
Or if I keep studying and do it again next year, and get it up to 2100, what are my chances?</p>

5

<p>Please chance me and get me out of this “socialist nightmare” :P</p>

6

<p>I’m afraid that it wouldnt be much better in Obama’s States of America. Once a state based on freedome and soon it will be one of the most socialist counntries in the world.
I’ve been to Sweden in September and from what I heard I think that the America has a long way to go to be as bad as Sweden… :-d</p>

7

<p>Your list is not a good one for an international needing aid. I don’t believe Michigan or NYU gives any to internationals, Wharton has only a little for intnls and gives it to very top stats students.</p>

<p>I would agree to wait and raise your scores for a shot. The business prtogras are especially looking for high math scores.</p>

8

<p>Your business creds are exceptional… your GPA looks really good, but the TOEFL/SAT’s are a killer; I’d go for Babson and UMich… NYU Stern, Cornell, and UPenn Wharton seem way out of your reach though, given your #'s; I mean, those 2 schools are very respectable, so if you really want to study in the US, go for it; but if you can take a year to raise up your scores, I’d suggest taking the gap year, but also do something meaningful! like expanding your business, interning at a big corporation, or traveling in the States</p>

<p>Please chance me back!!</p>

9

<p>Thanks for your replies, appreciate it! :)</p>

<p>To Cermi:
hahaha, true!</p>

<p>To hmom5:
I’ve been thinking about the aid part, maybe I’ll skip aid for a bigger chance and try to get scholarships instead. If i don’t get scholarships I’ll have to take the back-up plan… the evil loan…
I think I can raise my math-score a lot, it’s just hard scoring high at first when your not used to the American “way of math”. I’ve obtained the top grade for every math-test in high school, so if I study SAT-math a lot I think I can raise it.</p>

<p>To amr2014:
Thanks! But you mentioned TOEFL, do you mean my (predicted) score is too low?
I’ll probably take a gap-year to raise my stats, but also to expand my businesses (eventually start something new) and travel. Now that you mention traveling to the US, that actually sounds like a nice idea :)</p>

<p>To all:
About the low SAT-scores, how much do you think I need to improve? To be accepted to Wharton for example? Is there anything else about my stats that’s not good enough? </p>

<p>Btw. I just found out something wonderful! (If it’s true) As an international student applying to Cornell, SAT Reasoning doesn’t have to be submitted! Instead, you can submit TOEFL and Math I & II. Let’s say, hypothetically, that I get 700+ on both Math subjects and 115+ on iBT TOEFL, what do you think my chances are?</p>

10

<p>hey man, you should make up for your -dalig- sat scores by sending a couple kannebulle’s to the people at wharton. otherwise, consider your chances of gettin in with those sat scores to about… 0.1%?</p>

11

<p>wow SwedetoUs, your stats are really exceptional when it comes to business. :)</p>

<p>Strengths:
definitely ur ECs. its very relevant to the schools that your applyin, like Wharton whom i think will definitely love ur ECs. i have a couple of friends who are applyin to wharton too this year and they got strong academics and recs, but not as strong in their ECs compared to urs (and my school sends about 20 students to HYPS a year).</p>

<p>Weakness:
have to say its ur SAT. but dont fret on it, coz SAT isnt everything! they look at ur school grades and take a holistic approach. But do try hardddd to improve ur SAT. im trying too this dec. X.X and i think if u have strong SAT2 to back up (like >2300), it ll be great for u too.</p>

<p>Suggestions:
i think u have a very strong ECs and school grade, so probably in ur essay u can touch a bit on your personal side and how you are still “human” despite all the great achievements you have. dat’ll probably look nice and complement your stats well. :)</p>

<p>all the best!!!</p>

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<p>SwedeToUS: You have interesting and excellent ECAs which you can definitely put to good if you present them properly! Since you’re applying for financial aid, I’d suggest that you try applying to institutions with good business programs that are traditionally known for giving generous assistance to international students. I can’t suggest any names since I’m a science student and haven’t done much research in this field. Best of luck with your application!</p>

<p>I’m a bit curious though: Sweden has one of the world’s highest HDIs & is regarded as an wonderful, safe place to live. Plus tuition is free and what not. So why do you call it a socialist nightmare? Is it really that bad? =/</p>

13

<p>Life is not only about highest HDIs and safe places to live. I and many other people value personal freedom much higher. And freedom is something that socialism practically destroys. And I am not talking only about communist countries, even in socialist countries like sweden or post-communist countreis in eastern europe, you can find yourself very often in a situation when you have no control about your decisions, because they are made by some clerks or other jerks instead of you.
And beware! It’s going across the ocean now!</p>

14

<p>I didn’t know things were like that in Sweden. =/ But what kind of decisions/legislations are you talking about? I’m from the 3rd world, so many things in the first world don’t really strike me as bad without full elaboration… heh</p>

15

<p>cermi said: “you can find yourself very often in a situation when you have no control about your decisions”</p>

<p>Examples?</p>

<p>Kei</p>

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<p>For example, in my country people who were somehow dependant on the state (student, teachers, workers) were not allowed to go to the church. If they did, they would be fired/expelled.
Another example, H1N1 influenza is coming. Do you think that you could get yourself vaccinated? Of course not! People are not allowed to buy vaccines and they have to wait, if they will be chosen among the 10% who will be vaccinated. (And guess who decides who will be chosen…)
Or if you are an employer (you run a store or whatever else) and you have several application for a job, you are in a big trouble. Why? Because if there is someone from a certain group of people (Rom = gipsy, old people, handicaped, pregnant, woman(even that could be a problem) etc.) and you choose white middleaged man (even if he had most experience and best education), they might sue you and you are likely to lose… Same goes for firing people - you cant even chose who do you want to employ.
Big problems with unions - they have so many rights, but no responsibility whatsoever! They might decide to stop working, you have to pay them(not everytime, but mostly you do) and you cant fire them. Just few days ago, emplyees from trains, buses and underground in our capital said that they would go on strike if anyone was fired… Ridiculous but thats how it works here.</p>

<p>There are so many examples, but I cant remind of them now or it would be too difficult for me to express it in english.
I would be absolutely satisfied if I lived in a country where the state has no other rights than to take care of security and some other stuff.</p>

17

<p>To cumbiaqueen:
hahaha, I’ll try that trick, hope it works! But a chance is still a chance ;)</p>

<p>To sixfoottall:
Thanks for your! :slight_smile: I will definately try to up my SAT Is, that’ll have to wait till next years application though. I have SAT IIs in December, I’ll just try to score as high as possible and hope for the best. But I don’t think I’ll apply for wharton this year, but I here Cornell accepts TOEFL + Math I & II instead of reasoning, I’ll try that! :slight_smile:
But what do you mean about “human”? Can you define it more thoroughly, don’t really understand what you mean :P</p>

<p>To everyone who caught attention to “socialist nightmare”:
Didn’t mean to offend anyone, I was mostly referring to the general image of Sweden. “Socialist nightmare” is just referring to a video from a daily show in the US, when they made fun of americans being afraid of US becoming like Sweden :stuck_out_tongue:
It’s not THAT bad actually. But as Cermi said, there are many things that restrict your freedom. A couple of them, according to me:

  • you can’t decide where to buy liqour - the government has monopoly on liqour-stores
  • until recently the government also had monopoly on pharmacies.
  • There is a law called FRA, which gives the state the right to listen to ANY phone calls or read ANY mails.
  • highest taxes in the world (High-income is like 50+ % taxed, you don’t have control over the money that you, yourself, has earned)
  • very restricted market.
    • super high taxation on companies. salaries, for example, if I pay you 10 000, I’ll have to pay another 3 000 (30%) that goes to the state.
    • 25% VAT. there are also special extra high VATs, like for “luxury products” like perfume, deodorant, make-up, etc. </p>

<p>Some of them :P</p>

<p>Keep chancing/helping me people!</p>