Do I have a shot at getting into Ivies? Should I apply?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Demographics
International, Indian, female
competitive private school, not international
legacy at NYU

Stats
1520 SAT, taken twice, superscore 1600
96% average, CBSE curriculum
no APs, but very challenging coursework
no rank, but estimated around 10/110

Honors/Awards
Strogatz prize: prestigious intl math communication prize
indian olympiad qualifier in astronomy: top 500/30000
regional math olympiad: one of the youngest to qualify, top 1000/40000
local police dept award for advocating for traffic light
nyt stem writing commended
iranian combinatorics olympiad top 10
FYKOS Physics Brawl top 10
USACO silver
national movie review contest

I’m participating in chem/phy olympiads this year and will include these in RD apps if I obtain a good result. More honors in ECs/add info section. unsure where I’ll put what.

Letters of Recommendation:
chemistry teacher, grade 11: 10/10, good relationship, highlights passion for subject and major project ive worked on, strong emphasis on work ethic
english teacher, grade 12: 8/10: slightly generic, but emphasis on writing development
research mentor chemistry 10/10: world renowned prof, very good relationship, very unique lor

Essays
decent writing, unique content, center around experiences doing inventory at a buddhist monastery, development of a chem reaction project i worked on, challenges ive experienced while scuba diving (more info below) 8/10

Extracurriculars
award winning math blog , combinatorics centric, articles republished on oxford uni website, published book on combinatorics forthcoming, started for students at a math circle i founded

padi certified adv/rescue scuba diver, interned at dive resorts, 50+ dives, perfect scores on licensing tests, participated in ocean cleaning missions, conducted workshops on coral reef protection etc.

science writing: science blog on niche topics in chemistry research, intl essay award, articles also written in collaboration w top chem researchers, one article to be published in national newspaper

developed an online chemistry reaction converter/mechanism generator to be published, exhaustive ochem itinerary

national linguistics olympiad top 50, studied sanskrit scriptures in depth under priest, won local recitation competitions and performed in local fundraising recitals. also studied sanskrit at school for 7 yrs

founder of regional math circle, top 10 in iranian combinatorics olympiad

2 paid internships: one software, worked in pipeline/workflow management on react native, one drone company, employee of the month

tennis: tennis blog on tennis equipment, tournament coverage, have interviewed top 10 players, articles published on WTA website, also worked as racket stringer at local club shop and may include racket designs in optional art supplement.

captain of varsity tennis, table tennis teams, placed 2nd regionals

shadowed propulsion scientist at indian space research organization, wrote reports

developed a twitter sifting algorithm during covid 19 and included on an app, 20000+ users peak, helped people find relevant tweets on medicine, oxy cylinders etc

founded a local aerospace enthusiast circle, identiified meteorite, submitted to NASA challenge, conduct workshops for primary school students in underfunded schools

won a govt recognition award for an initiative to provide home cooked meals for migrant workers during covid 19 crisis in india. also part of ngo in village that recently constructed a tennis court through fundraising

costs:
can reasonably pay $40000 a year, will not apply for financial aid. may take out a student loan for the rest.

Some more background info: I belong to a competitive school that has a track record of about 10 top 20 offers, 2-3 ivies and 1-3 oxbridge admits. This trend has been declining and my class in particular is very competitive. I am also a legacy student at NYU, of a notable alumnus.

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If you need financial aid to attend, apply for financial aid. If you don’t have sufficient funds to attend, you won’t be granted a student visa.

Re: your chances? They are like every other international student applying to the Ivies from India. Apply and see. Acceptance rate is VERY low even for tippy top students…because so many from your region apply.

And NYU is not an Ivy.

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Where will you get loans to cover the difference ? Why get a loan when you don’t need one? That’s why aid exists.

I don’t know if you have a shot at getting in, but if you don’t apply then I know you don’t have a shot of getting in.

So why Ivy ? They are tons of great schools and you’d get into tons. There are also non Ivies like Bowdoin that are need blind and meets need and other schools like W&L and F&M that meet need (if they determine you have it) for international.

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If finances are an issue, research need-blind and meet need schools, but there are others that may be affordable.

I almost feel as if you have done too much. Your activities don’t feel cohesive to me somehow. I found your scuba diving to be interesting.

Apply where you want but yes, look beyond Ivies (including little Ivies, which you can google). Applying to a huge number of schools is very stressful and you look very busy. Make sure to get enough sleep and down time!

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It’s ok not to have cohesive ECs!

PS several schools have announced they are need-blind for International students, definitely apply for financial aid with them!

Investigate the Johnson Scholarship at Washington and Lee University as well.

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So this seems to be more of a cultural pick of all ivys but if you are applying to Brown and Harvard etc you are not understanding the differences of the schools and might just think applying to elite schools is the thing to do. I would challenge you to do a deeper dive into the schools and your proposed major. Even though your stats etc are great, don’t expect a windfall of acceptances but I wish you the best. Have safeties and other schools that speak to you but not 5% schools.

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You propose taking out loans for “the rest” as if it were just a small gap. 40K/year would cover only half the cost of attending an Ivy. Even if the shortfall did not interfere with getting a student visa, it would leave you and your family with a six-figure debt, for an undergrad degree. This would have a very significant impact on your life.

There are many excellent colleges and universities where you could get significant merit aid, and/or where the “sticker price” is lower.

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Amherst, Dartmouth, Bowdoin, and MIT are all need-blind (and full-need-met) for internationals. If you have demonstrable financial need, refraining from applying for financial aid at any of these would be exceptionally foolish. As an international applicant, you’d essentially be incurring the disadvantage of competing for that rare international aid without reaping the benefit if you do get in.

Obviously you have an extremely strong record. I hope you’ll make all that hard work pay off by applying to schools that will reward your achievements either with merit scholarships, or by accepting you with need-based aid even though they’re need-aware. (But of course, the latter can happen only if you apply for aid.)

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@cinnamon1212 I “misspoke” in using the term “cohesive.” There is just such a long list.

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You’re definitely a competitive applicant. As others have pointed out, apply for the aid. Most Ivies are need-blind for international students, and very generous.

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Actually that’s not true. Only four of the Ivies are on this list. The only schools that are both need blind and meet full need for all accepted international students are:

U.S. institutions that are need-blind and meet full demonstrated need for both U.S. and international students

  • Amherst College.
  • Bowdoin College.
  • Dartmouth College.
  • Harvard University.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Princeton University.
  • Yale University.

Only half of the 8 ivies are listed here. That’s not a majority.

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Fair enough. Half.

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OP- if you are attending a university with a 320K pricetag over four years, and can only show 160K in available funds, you will not get a visa to study legally in the US.

Please come up with Plan B! If you need aid, apply for aid. I don’t know where you’re going to get loans for so much money- certainly not in the US.

Best of luck to you.

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You will likely be admitted at NYU, but if you can afford only half the cost that’s going to be a big problem as so many people here have correctly pointed out.

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