Chance Me , 2012 , India

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>International Applicant : India</p>

<p>Applying for Full Need Based Scholarship
(Parents can afford only $1500 per year)(I know it is very very low)</p>

<p>High School Grades : Board CBSE</p>

<pre><code> 11th standard (junior) : 82%
12th standard (senior) : 80%
But my mid year reports are a little low in individual subjects ( have a 75 and 80 %)
</code></pre>

<p>GPA : Converting CBSE to US GPA : most probably 3.75+</p>

<p>School Rank : School doesn't have ranking system ( maybe top 10 to 15%)</p>

<p>SAT :
General : 2360
Subject 1(Math 2):800
Subject 2(physics):800</p>

<p>EC:
NON ACADEMIC:
1)3D animator , Graphic Designer :
Was called for the post of associate trainee in a multimedia company in my 11th grade
(Maya,Mudbox,phtoshop,aftereffect)
2)Pianist:
Played at lots of school cultural and at hotels for pay
3)Painter:
Oil painter with prizes in state level , and recognition at international level , was a
school representative for painting
4)Drummer(mirudangam : classical instrument)
Learn t it both from school and private organization : won prizes at school level and
staged a lot of stage performance at city and school level
5)Basketball player</p>

<pre><code>ACADEMIC:
1)Computers:
c,c++,SQL,Linux,HTML,Java(amateur)
2)Took 2 years private classes from UCLA physics PhD graduate on university physics
3)Took 4 college level courses (mainly self study with lots of help from above mentioned):
Quantum mechanics 1
Special Relativity
Tensors
General relativity
4)Created a Physics Blog and Write my ideas and current trends in modern physics
5)University level books completed:
University physics
Resnick halliday
IE Irodov
Feynman Lectures On Physics : All the 3 books
</code></pre>

<p>WORK EXPERIENCE:
Work experience for 2 hours per week on 4 different categories</p>

<p>ESSAY:
A very strong essay that portraits my passion for physics which i keep following from 7th
standard
Ex:I read 'Barton zwieback : Introduction to string theory' which is a graduate level text
book , I understood very little but I stuck on it and read till the last page
Ex:Read and understood all those popular books on general relativity ,quantum mechanics
,string theory,
I sacrificed my full life studying only physics (loop quantum gravity,gauge field theory)</p>

<p>RECOMMENDATION:
I have argued with my teachers a lot of time on the lame methods they use when solving physics problem so I am not very popular among teachers</p>

<pre><code>Average Recommendation from 2 school teacher
Very Good Recommendation from UCLA graduate
</code></pre>

<p>RESEARCH :(completing soon)
1)Written my theories on Black Hole event horizon
2)Big Bang Chaotic inflation
3)Hypothesis on some physics topics(completed)</p>

<p>THE END</p>

<p>1)Do you think I have a chance at Yale , Harvard , MIT , Princeton , Amherst college , Dartmouth ?
2)Do i have a chance with my poor financial condition?Will my 100% need be met?
3)Even without submitting a research paper , Do i have a chance with 100% need met?</p>

2

<p>Please help me out guys…</p>

3

<p>Great Scores!! I think you are a competitive applicant. Just be confident!
it is right to apply universities with need-blind policy because of your current financial situation. However, need-blind schools are highly selective. so, probably you need also consider some genorous safety schools. I recommend you to apply more LACs which give international applicants large financial aid. Anyway, Good Luck!</p>

4

<p>You stand more than a chance at the colleges you have listed ^^. They will probably see you as someone with the potential for a doctorate or something.</p>

5

<p>Need based financial aid is very difficult for International Students. They are mostly reserved for US citizens/permanent residents. And for the ivy league, you have to be THE top. meaning not just research paper. For instance, I was watching a TV program where the top 6 AMC US team that represented the USA in math competition internationally, they got into harvard with full financial aid. So it has to be that calibre. You have a good chance at other (non ivy) colleges, but again financial aid will be very difficult.</p>

6

<p>Hey dont worry , just cross your fingers and apply to Ivies with stellar essays … Ivies like Upenn do give full financial aid to International students … At the current moment , you have got everything in the right pos including SAT score … Rest depends on your application and essay … Hoping for the best … Do let us know :)</p>

7

<p>A few comments:</p>

<p>Firstly, don’t convert Indian scores to GPA. Colleges know that most international students don’t even use the GPA system and allow you to leave that field blank.</p>

<p>Your SATs are impressive, and you seem to have a solid application. I notice that all the schools you have listed are need blind for internationals, and meet 100% aid. Therefore the question you should be asking is, do I have a chance of getting in, because once you do, all these institutions guarantee to meet any financial requirements you might have. They decide this amount based on the financial documents you provide, so there’s no question of applying for a 100% aid - they’ll decide how much you need and give it to you. Usually, they’re pretty good at estimating need, so if you do get in, you’re set.</p>

<p>As for whether you might get in or not, I’m thoroughly unqualified to offer judgement as I’m just another applicant :slight_smile: However, IMHO, you stand a solid chance. Even sans research paper(s).</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

8

<p>Thanks to all of you guys…i am really encouraged by your responses…:slight_smile: :)</p>

9

<p>Yeshwanth78,</p>

<p>What happened to your applications and financial search? Did you get a dream school and the money with it. Do update.</p>

10

<p>Standing in a similar position today, I’m curious to know how your applications process turned out!</p>