<p>ACADEMICS:
(note: no AP/Advanced level classes were offered in my school and all schools in Greece and the curriculum is the same for all students. We cant choose courses.)
10th grade: 18.5/20
11th grade: 16.8/20 ( I did really bad that year because I was in a very bad school, like a hood school)
12th grade: 19.1/20, class rank 5/69</p>
<p>HONORS AND AWARDS:
3rd place Internationally in NASA aeronautics competition
European Young Scientists Competition finalist
In the top 10 list of student bloggers in Greece
High school excellence award</p>
<p>ACTIVITIES/SPORTS:
Programming(web/mobile developer- Founder of a startup which might get funding), Journalism(professional tech blogger on major Internet media), basketball player, Community Coordinator on Cogito.org, founder of a music label/media group company</p>
<p>COMMUNITY SERVICE:
Volunteer work for the creation of an educational mobile application
Volunteer work as a webmaster on the site of a community organization</p>
<p>LEADERSHIP:
Community Coordinator on Cogito.org
Founder of 4 major international projects(two companies)</p>
<p>Note:
I am a Greek student and I come from a public school, in which applying to a US college, looks like going to the moon. I am the first from my school to apply to a college abroad. I would appreciate if you tell me what you think about the chances I have applying to such top schools like Stanford. If you need additional information feel free to ask me. Thanks. </p>
<p>Hmm. Well, you do seem like a good applicant to me. But Stanford is a very hard college to get into. It looks for a more pronounced hook than you have. Your chances are slim, just like anybody else`s.
Infact, you have a slightly better chance at MIT and caltech. I like your thing with NASA aeronautics competition, thats commendable and likely to be liked by MIT.
Goodluck!;)</p>
<p>Thanks! 
I am planning to apply to those colleges too. MIT for sure. we will see about Caltech, because I can’t afford to go to a school which does not offer full need based scholarships.</p>
<p>MIT’s hard to get in. Caltech’s even harder as they take approx. 900 or less each year and besides Caltech (I don’t like it) is not need blind but need aware.</p>
<p>Besides, these things do not actually work this way. I see …well…half of the posts in CC regarding ‘Chance me’. But do this things work? To me you have great stats that can either get you into 77 Mass. Ave. or out of it. I mean your stats are equivocal depending upon how smartly you apply and this is what that can make a difference.</p>
<p>I completely agree with what you said. To be honest, I used to be-and I still am-against the chance me threads because many people believed that what random strangers say on forum is what admission officers will decide. However, I have no problem with chance me threads which talk explicitly about stats. There are many background information that simply cannot be described in a thread. </p>
<p>This is what I believe too, I might have the stats to get into every college I want but it’s all about the way I will apply. If I write superficial essays then I have zero chances. Again, thanks. :-)</p>
<p>Hey Dimitris,</p>
<p>That’s definitely an impressive list of accomplishments. I’m a member of the Class of 2015 at Stanny, and I was international too, and you’ve done a lot more than I had before college. What really stands out are things like the blogging, the aeronautics competition, and the music label you founded. </p>
<p>Make sure you highlight those and I think you’ll shine well in admissions. Obviously, there’s a lot of other factors and Stanford is a reach for almost everyone, but you have a really solid basis for your application.</p>
<p>Back it up with some strong essays, communicating your passion (hopefully) for some of the things you’ve done.</p>