<p>Wouldnt have done this, but at this point I'm kind of desperate. I really want to go to Duke, but i dont know if my chances are all that great.</p>
<p>3.8 GPA(UW)
Straight A's in O levels
Straight A's in AS levels (dunno if anyone here would be familiar with them, but they're cambridge based, so they have a greater weigthage in pakistan than regular school grades).
Regional Highest in Chem in o levels
A couple of other awards which are pretty generic</p>
<p>SATs
1) 750 W 800 M 710 CR Essay 8
2) 800 Chem 790 Bio 780 2c</p>
<p>I'll be retaking the reasoning test to boost my essay score</p>
<p>EC's</p>
<p>Editor of a weekly page in a local newspaper (a national one).
Freelance contributor for the same paper(i get paid if that makes a difference)</p>
<p>248 hours internship at a biotech research lab over the summer (I didnt write a paper or anything, but i did do an article on it for the aforementioned newspaper. Plus i'm getting a supplementary letter of recommendation from my mentor there)</p>
<p>Vice president Journalism Society
Vice President Society for Amateur Scientists
Secretary Einstein Society
Coordinator of a community service program to teach underprivilaged kids (its pretty generic though)</p>
<p>Attending a Chemistry Camp over the summer (one of 50 people selected from teh country to do so)</p>
<p>My essays pretty good, though i think its a little too selfcentered, and my recommendations will be kind of generic. Plus i have no real involvement in sports, my GPA's kind of low, My courseload(which comprises all sciences and maths) lacks diversity altogether, and i'm pretty horrible at interviews</p>
<p>I'm a US citizen btw, so asking for financial aid wont factor into this.</p>
<p>Colleges don't look at your essay score, so it would be pointless to take it over when you already have a 750. Unless you want 800, of course. But I'm pretty sure that admissions depts don't actually see your essay scores.</p>
<p>I think your scores sound fine and your activities are actually pretty strong, with evidence of leadership, research, work experience, etc.. Your GPA may need some explanation for us, but it doesn't sound that low either. What it depends on is what type of courses you are taking--are these from AP, honors, etc. courses? Do they weight those courses at your school? I think you have a good shot, though of course none of us can predict with any certainty. One never knows.</p>
<p>I think you've definitely got a shot. From the Duke admissions' officer I talk to every now and then, there are several Pakistani int. students on campus. They're doing really well too. Take a look at one of their many school publications. Every few pages, you read of a Pakistani Int. Student that came to Duke. You should be fine.</p>
<p>Interviews---Interviews are a way to get to know that you're a human....that you have personality. Who wants to talk to someone who is all numbers yet has no creativity no fun no flair..you know? Better yet, who wants to be taht person's roommate? Interviews are simply a way to guage your personality factor....and to see how involved you were in your activities.</p>
<p>Courseload--Maybe they'll view your heavy on math/sci courseload as passion for a subject. Be optimistic. If you begin to drag yourself down...it'll be apparent throughout the rest of your application whether you think so or not. Plus your interview!</p>
<p>If it's any motivation to you...my cousin is at MIT right now, and he came as an international last year.</p>
<p>"Straight A's in AS levels"
that's fine but haven't u taken any A levels??....don't want to offend u but in our school AS level is a joke.. we take A level exams and AS level exams together in same session in order to make the thing challenging enough... otherwise A levels in itself is so easy and i don't even want to talk about AS levels...
and u haven't told us about the no. of subjects u took in AS level... a lot of my friends have got straight As taking just 3 subjects.... so, tell us how many As did u get in your straight As??</p>
<p>i checked to see if you had written a novel or won some medals in international olympiads ... but couldnt find them... and u did as levels?? is that enough to get entrance into universities.. we did full a levels,,, if only we knew,,, we would also have given only as levels and got straight As in 6x2=12 subjects.</p>
<p>well i'm in the process of taking my a levels. thats the system most schools have started following now: as levels at the end of first year(so you have results and stuff to show colleges) and a levels at the end of second year (i.e. after you already know which colleges have accepted you). General's an exception though, we take general at the end of second year....no idea why though. If you've taken you AS, that effectively halves your workload in A levels(i.e. you only give 2 papers per subject instead of... 5 is it?). </p>
<p>And why would you want to put that much pressure on yourselves? IMO its much simpler to take half the papers in first year and be over with them. And arent AS a part of A levels to begin with? and anyway apparently US schools apparently prefer to see as level grades during the admissions process since they're more recent.</p>
<p>davincicodes i have absolutely no idea what you just said, and to be perfectly frank you sound like a babbling idiot who seems to have a personal ..vendetta (for lack of a better word) against me.</p>
<p>And i agree with the statement that AS levels are a joke btw. but the statement also applies to all cambridge exams. AS, O levels, A2, they're all one big joke if you consider the sheer number of people who get a's in them. It wont help you if you have straight A's in cambridge exams, but it will hurt if you dont.</p>
<p>u said this
""" davincicodes i have absolutely no idea what you just said, and to be perfectly frank you sound like a babbling idiot who seems to have a personal ..vendetta (for lack of a better word) against me. """</p>
<p>if what i wrote doesnt make sense to you then what u did in the first place is way illegible.</p>