Chance me for MIT, Caltech, Princeton and Harvard.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am 1/2 Iraqi and 1/2 Afghan and I live in Europe. I am in a high school only for intellectually gifted children that has ranked #1 in my country for multiple years in a row. I'm going to graduate this high school 'cum laude' (meaning with high grades) easily. My class rank is 1/90 in this extremely competitive environment. My high school thesis (mandatory for every student in my country) won first prize nationally and it was about Quantum Physics. My only problem is that my ECs are pretty much non-existant with the exception of a really good one- I represented a country with around 20 million people in the International Physics Olympiad. I still have 2 more years left: Do I have a chance at these schools? What should I do to improve my chance (if that is possible)? I actually want to go to Cambridge University the most because they only focus on academic merit and I find that part of my application to be flawless instead of ECs (extremely weak part of my application), but I just wanted some chances. </p>

<p>Ps - If itwasn't clear already- I want to study Physics.</p>

2

<p>BumpBumpBump</p>

3

<p>How is your EC list weak?</p>

<p>If you participated in IPhO, then your ECs are stronger than 99.99% of CC (which is saying something due to CCs competitive environment).</p>

<p>You have fantastic chances. Good luck.</p>

4

<p>I have good chances? Why? Is my ethnicity considered a hook? Is it purely because of my IPhO participation?</p>

5

<p>Ranked number one in top school in country.</p>

<p>Major EC with international recognition.</p>

<p>Your race is no factor.</p>

6

<p>Correction: I’m going to graduate ‘summa cum laude’, not merely ‘cum laude’. But for American universities these distinctions are probably meaningless.</p>

7

<p>Unless your were a medalist, just IPhO participation won’t impress MIT. Even medalists are routinely turned away. Which country did you represent? I could not find that Iraq or Afghanistan had ever participated.</p>