<p>Hey, Im a naturalised American who's orginally from India. I moved back to India from the US after the 4th grade, and I'm planning to move back there for my bachelor's. I'll be going into the 12th grade,ie, my senior year, this June.</p>
<p>My problem is that I want to join NYU, Columbia or Fordham. Basically a prestigious college in NYC. I'm giving my SATs next month too, and based on practice tests and such I'm expecting a score in the 2100-220 region. </p>
<p>I'm really confused about what to include in my application to these colleges, and whether my achievements will actually give me a chance of getting admitted. I have a long list of extracurriculars and achievements UNTIL the 9th grade. Mainly a lot of quiz bowls, creative writing contests and debates. I was also involved in the UKIERI program, which developed relations between students in India and those in the UK.I was selected, from among 5,000 students for the Infosys Catch Them Young Program which held a month's camp for 50 mathematically proficient Math students and provided a working knowledge on large Multinational Enterprises as well as basic programming skills in various languages. The issue is this all took place before 9th. Afterwards, I've not done a lot, to put it mildly. I've been in the organizing team for a cultural dance event in my school, which welcomed over 2000 people. I've also been in my basketball and soccer teams, and in another year I'll have probably passed the CPT which is an exam that makes you 1/3rd of a Chartered Accountant over here. I'm taking coaching classes for the same.</p>
<p>I got an 88 in my ICSE board exams after the 10th grade. I'll be giving my 12th grade boards next February. I think I might get a couple of good recommendations from a couple of my teachers, and I should be able to write a solid essay. So, where do I stand and what do I include? Do I have realistic chances of getting into any of these schools? How will my 10th grade marks be interpreted? And if I don't have a hope getting into any of these three, is Baruch a good option? (I'm from Mumbai and I'm a city kid, even though I lived in Jersey for 10 years. So I need large, diverse crowds, public transport options and people out and about at 3 in the morning. Subtracting the climate of Mumbai, New York seems the only good option)</p>
<p>PS:- I'm not sure what I'll be majoring in, but it'll mostly be in Business or Communications.</p>
<p>I don’t think people are out and about at 3 am in the morning even in NYC. </p>
<p>You don’t need to be in the city…you could be 30 min from the city. Also apply to NJ schools, most have good access by public transportation to NY.</p>
<p>NYU is low reach, columbia will be high reach (aka very tough to get in). You need to be in the top 1-5% in your high school. Try a chance thread after you get your SAT scores. Take the SAT subject scores.</p>
<p>Yeah, I doubt it too. I was just referring to the general feeling of security and comfort on the streets of Mumbai which I believe is the case with New York City, or rather Manhattan.
I know this might sound stupid, but I believe that living in the city and commuting back and forth are two very different experiences. That is why I haven’t really given any thought to any schools in NJ, even though I would qualify for in-state fees as my parents live in NJ.
Would NYU Stern be low reach even with my below-average EC’s and an 88 in the 10th grade? That would be in the top 10% in my high school, but how that would be viewed considering the higher level of studies in an Indian 10th grade class? Would the admission officers even care?</p>
<p>Your application is reviewed in context of your school (India) so you are international in terms of admission, but where this differs is in the financial aspect. So your admission is need blind. Also you are eligible for federal loans etc.</p>
<p>I dont think your ECs are bad, it is how you write about it in your essay. You don’t need to have a big laundry list. I dont know what your 10th/11th grade gpa converts to. Where do you fall in ranking of your class. You have to be in top 10% at least for nyu.</p>
<p>Yes, it is nice to live in a big city but problem with both NYU and Columbia is it is so integrated with the city that there is no campus feeling. If you are ok with that, then NYU is good. I dont know much about Fordham.</p>
<p>Don’t be surprised. There are people out on the streets of Manhattan at 3 am. I am telling you from personal experience. I think all college students become night owls.They sign up for afternoon classes beginning at 1-2 pm and wrap up lectures by 6pm. So the day begins not before 12noon or later. And God knows when they go to sleep at night. </p>
<p>No amount of nagging from home is going to help. Also in NYC the students also have the added attraction or distraction of pubs which are really active during big games night, the plays, the events, the movies and never ending college events. And plus you can order food delivery at 2am. The night activity is unbelievable.</p>
<p>As far as security is concerned no worries at all. NYC has been voted the safest big city in US for years in row now. The NYU campus, you are safer walking alone at 3 in the night then you are at 3 in the afternoon in Mumbai. There is Campus Security, NYPD, Park security and safe zones, non NYU buildings all over marked with Green lights, which allows all NYU students access in case of an emergency.</p>
<p>Now the ECs, I personally think one should have a handful but with sincere and passionate involvement the can bring attention to the strengths of your personality outside of academics. So it makes the application well rounded and adds a “different or that extra” and makes the reader take notice. So that when applications are being screened in the first round with GPA - GREAT, SAT- GREAT, CLASS RANK/PERCENTILE - GREAT, RIGOR - GREAT, RECs- GREAT, SUBJECT COMBINATION-GREAT, ECs- hmmm… that then becomes the aha moment. Because there is no dearth of super achiever candidates.</p>
<p>And as far as your Class 9th onwards GPA or percentage is concerned, if one can show an upward or consistency then you are going to fine. Also Class 11 onwards, the focus will be on subjects which one would want to pursue at undergrad level. So the performance in those particular subjects will matter more than say, for eg an abinitio foreign language or an art class.</p>
<p>Also your class percentage is measured in terms of you vs the rest of the class in your school. This part is usually highlighted by the school counsellor. </p>
<p>And there no good or average ECs. It is more about what was available to you and what you did with them and what did you get out of them.</p>
<p>The adcoms in US are well aware of Indian Education system and are able to put things in perspective very well. Also if you have had placements in a particular college in earlier year from your school, an added advantage, I would say.</p>
<p>Correction should be than not then please. Sorry…
The NYU campus, you are safer walking alone at 3 in the night (then) you are at 3 in the afternoon in Mumbai.</p>
<p>When you apply, you’ll be considered American for financial aid, but your application will be considered in the context of your country; that is, you’ll be compared to other Indian students.</p>
<p>Also look at other good cities in the USA (NYC isn’t the only one). Instead of desperately clinging on to universities in NYC and ranging from Columbia to Baruch why don’t you consider cities such as Boston (which is such a vibrant college city) and has places like Tufts, BU, BC (low reaches), Harvard, MIT (high reaches) and Philly - UPenn (CAS reach Wharton high reach). The city shouldn’t be the ONLY thing that matters. Work out a compromise between an active city and a university that meets your personal goals.</p>
<p>I am aware that NYC is not the only city in the USA. I have lived in Houston, San Francisco, Phoenix, Omaha, Little Rock and DC for short periods, when my dad’s job was somewhat unstable. I found them all to be great cities. I have also been to Boston and Philly, and have read a lot of positive things about BC, UPenn and of course MIT and Harvard.
Having said that, I feel that New York has a significantly more liberal and vibrant atmosphere than other cities, and I see myself fitting in there without any hassle. In addition, I believe that students from universities in NYC have a noticeable advantage over students from cities like Boston, LA and Philly when it comes to recruiting, internships and jobs, be it in Business or Media. I will have some student debt to pay off (75-80k) after college, and I would rather pay it off myself, so this is another thing I have had to factor in. That is why getting into either NYU or Columbia, and if not, Fordham, would be ideal.
I am not restricting myself to NYC, I will be applying to UCSD, BC and Georgetown and I’ll look into a couple of others. I am somewhat hesitant to go to Boston though, being a huge Lakers fan and all.
Thanks for your time and suggestions.</p>
<p>Rutgers will probably be one of my safeties, especially considering in qualify for in-state.
Barring Rutgers though, what other NJ colleges are you referring to? Seton Hall, I have heard, is horrible. The other colleges in NJ are all strong in the engineering/computer fields.
Princeton, perhaps? :D</p>
