Hello everyone, I am Sarthak.
I would be joining IIT Kanpur in India for the BS Mathematics and Computing Science four year program and I am planning to apply for transfer after the first year.
I had 94.8% in my ICSE examination ( class 10th ) and 97.25% in my ISC examination ( class 12th )
I am a KVPY scholar with a national rank of about 460. BITSAT score of 374.
My SAT scores = 2240 ( 760/740/740 - Writing/Critical Reading/Math)
My SAT subject scores = 2400 (800/800/800 - P/C/M)
I also had All India Rank 1095 in JEE Advanced exam.
Took part in city-level creative writing competitions and won accolades.
I plan to keep a 8+ cgpa in IIT Kanpur
Apart from that, I will be joining college next month and would like advice on what all I can do to better my profile. Also I would really be thankful for some idea as to how my chances would be in the top universities of United States, as mentioned in the title of the post. Thank you for your valuable insight.
I would also love to know IIT Kanpur’s reputation in the Universities of US. Thank you.
Can you afford schools at the U.S.?
Your stats are really good but as international is more difficult to get into those schools.
Do you have EC’s?
No, I will be applying for scholarship and need based grant.
I don’t really have any outstanding ECs. I play some sports but no distinction in any. I participated in sofworld olympiads and won school level gold medals and some national ranks but i don’t think that stands for much. Also cleared first level of NTSE.
Other than that I like to write stories and poems and have won inter-school awards in the mentioned. I would be participating in some sports and extra curriculars in IIT, probably the programming and literary clubs and some sports. That’s about it.
You don’t seem to have any ECs. On the slight chance that you do get in, it’s unlikely that you’ll get aid. There are much better Indian students tbh
I understand that but what type of ECs really? I have an interest in writing and i will be pursuing that. I will try to participate in MUNs. Can’t think of anything else much. What else can i do to increase my chances?
Update: i also got an AIR 3503 in JEE Mains, top 0.3% of the country.
Also, is it necessary to have absolutely amazing ECs because I am more interested in academics than extra curricular activities.
Yes, most, if not all ivies look at extracurricular. They prefer all-rounded students to bookish ones.
It is necessary. There’s nothing here that distinguishes you from the thousands of international Asian students who get rejected when applying as freshmen.
You got rejected by all of these schools the first time around, so what distinguishes you and would make them want to accept you as a transfer? Learn how to take a hint.
When transferring to elite colleges, you need to provide specific reasons as to why your current educational institution is not meeting your academic goals and simply saying you want something more prestigious will not cut it especially seeing that you are going to the top school in India for your desired field.
Yeah as a high school student, I did not have my KVPY rank, ISC percentage, JEE Mains and Advanced rank which would distinguish me from the thousands of students who applied academically ( since academics is the biggest advantage I think I have ). My point is now I have, with my ranks, backed my assertion that I am academically bright.
Why I want to transfer to US colleges is because US colleges offer more freedom in their courses and branch changes along with well rounded education. I can pursue my writing interests in US colleges, but not in IITs.
I think what would distinguish me when I apply for transfer, as compared to before, is good proofs of me actually being well enough in academics. As you might know, getting admission in IIT pretty much requires, on a general basis, no life outside of studies for two years. Now that the examinations are done, I would surely be participating in some extra curricular activities and sports in the institution. The point is, do I have to be exceedingly well in sports and other things too ( by the show of prestigious accolades ) or is it enough to be good in academics while being someone who dabbles in other activities.
The U.S. universities and colleges have limited spaces for students so they can afford to be picky. The schools are here to educate US residents and funding comes from US tax dollars that our citizens pay annually. International students are guests. It doesn’t matter that you are more interested in academics. Stay in your country if that’s what you want to do because you seem to want “no life outside of academics”. That won’t work well here and you will obviously be rejected.
You can argue that your academics are exceptional, but US schools don’t want robots. They have hundreds of thousands of students that they reject with perfect scores because the schools want students who will add something to the local college community. How do you think our schools have more “freedom” in their courses? Former students have molded the coursework.
You are at an extreme disadvantage because you want a:
*US funded education as an
*international
*transfer
Ivy League???
*Plus you are from the over represented country of India, Lacking meaningful activities that are non-academic. (Indian dance, music, and coding are too common in Indian EC’s).
You might get into a LAC in the less popular areas of the country if those colleges need “diversity”, but those colleges are typically needy for a reason: weather and isolation. Expect to pay.
If you really want to transfer to a US university, you might also want to apply to some safety schools that have a higher acceptance rate and less expensive tuition (or more scholarships).
@“aunt bea” , No it’s not like i want no life outside of academics. My point is that I will be participating in sports and activities but probably won’t be pursuing them so much so to get state or national level awards in them. And is it really necessary for all people good in academics to have national level sports and such awards? Is being more interested towards academics actually a wrong thing, because i do think you are trying to say that. Won’t someone interested in research “add something”. Also, aren’t quite some of these institutes need blind? Also, would you care to elaborate what " meaningful activies that are non academic" include?
@MITer94 No I probably won’t be applying for safeties because I want to study in the best colleges of US, and if I can’t transfer to them, I will try again for masters. I don’t think I would want to give up IIT for a safety college.
Everyone would like to apply there but I know stats make think that it will be impossible to get in. And It’s true. You need to see the reality of the things, getting to those schools are so hard and you are looking for aid, which makes harder to get in. I know there are other schools that students like. “Safety schools” means that you will like to spend your years at that school if others schools reject you. There are a lot of great schools!
Do your best and Good Luck!
All right, but that’s the worst case scenario. What all can I do to improve my chances in the mentioned universities?
Thanks @Jr12317
Strong EC’s(look here: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/f/what-is-an-extracurricular-activity.htm), awards, strong essays(make them unique), your GPA and SAT score is good for those schools. The Subject tests will give weight to your app. Strong letter of recommendations. Each thing of your app counts. What makes you a better candidate than others with same or better stats.
@SarthakMittal make sure you stand out in your academics/other activities and also who you are as a person. Be clear and specific why you want to transfer to a US university. And finally, avoid the mindset of “getting XXX award in sports or whatever for the main purpose of boosting admission chances.”
Agree, don’t lie about awards or anything you haven’t achieved just to increase your chances. If you have awards, list them.
Look, every Indian applying has really good test scores. All your JEE’s and stuff will count for very little, because that’s something you’re submitting only because you took a break year. The fact that you’re taking a break year might go against you, because most people who have done that have really used it to do incredible things with all their free time.
You should brainstorm some activities you can do. Go for quality not quantity.
Also, you shouldn’t be worried about not getting into the big American places. After all, you are at IIT now, right?
I would suggest that you continue your current schooling. Why change to US schools that are too different from what you expect?
My son attends Caltech. I now know what they expect from their incoming students. It’s not just studying all day and night. An arrogant attitude (only the Ivies) won’t gain admission. You do understand that these are small schools with very limited spaces? They have to select intelligent people who step out of the comfort zone and who make worldly advances outside of the classroom
Stick to what you feel comfortable with and you will save yourself lots of headaches.
@Jr12317 Okay thanks for the information. I will do my best to find and follow my passions in my freshmen year.
@MITer94 , I agree and I probably won’t be doing anything just for the sake of a better profile.
@TheTactition I haven’t taken a break/gap year. I finished my high school and am just going to join college this month. I don’t know how much JEEs and KVPY count in US but they are kind of a big deal in India. And yes, I will be joining one of the older IITs in the coming days.
@“aunt bea” , the thing is IITs provide very good undergraduate education but lack good research facilities. One big reason I want to apply only to the ivies and the top schools is because they ( most of them ) do give big grants to the accepted students. I am not saying I will be just studying all day. I will be participating in many activities but practically, in a year that I have left before applying, I won’t be able to climb very high up the ladder in sports and writing, not that I don’t want to, but it would be very difficult to do in a year.