Do I stand a chance?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Colby College
1

<p>I am an Indian male and graduated high school on 2012. I have studied under a State Board. Here are my brief stats:</p>

<p>Academics:
9th 89.3%
10th 91.5%
11th and 12th combined (Yes, combined) 94.4%</p>

<p>SAT 1:
1st try 1910 (520CR 770M 620W)
2nd try 2050 (590CR 720M 740W)
SS 2100 (590CR 770M 740W) -- I know these are very low. I tried but failed to improve my CR score:(
SAT 2: Math L2 800, Physics 780, Chemistry 750
TOEFL: 109/120</p>

<p>ECs: (Absolutely nothing in 11th and 12th)</p>

<p>a) During 9th and 10th:
1. School Head Boy (=President of Student Council) in 10th and House Vice-Captain in 9th
2. Math and Science Cub President
3. English and Debate Cub President (School anchor for three years, also won many debates in the SCHOOL)
4. School Cricket and Volleyball teams Captain in 10th and Vice-Captain in 9th. We have some six branches of our school at different places across the city. Our Cricket team won the competetion in my 9th and 10th. Our Volleyball team lost the finals both those years.
5. National Cadet Corps--attended annual camps, A-Certificate->this is not so great, I know.</p>

<p>b) During Gap year:
1. Math and Science tutor for middle-school and lower secondary school
2. Karate Assistant Instructor--Black Belt
3. Member of a local Youth Association--incredibly active in welfare and development of people and community.</p>

<p>Essays are probably very good. Recs are awesome.</p>

<p>Applying to: (need financial aid)
Cornell
Columbia
Yale
Dartmouth
UChicago
Yale-NUS
Middlebury
Trinity
Colby
Union</p>

<p>Prospective major: Engineering/Sciences (Physics or Chemistry at Colby)</p>

<p>Can I get accepted in any of these colleges? Am I dreaming high? Should I concentrate on Indian competitive exams? BTW I got admitted into IIT-V (Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi which is previously IT-BHU) for Biochemical engineering. I didn't want to go there and also, I don't like taking that engineering course. So I took gap year.</p>

2

<p>I think you stand a good shot at Colby, and possibly Trinity. I think your SAT’s are a little low for some of the others (Middlebury, Yale, Columbia), but honestly who knows? I don’t think anyone knows except the admissions officer evaluating your complete application. Your SAT 2 scores are sure great. The thing about some of these schools like Middlebury, Columbia, etc., is that they probably get at least 5 applicants who are qualified for every spot they have to fill, just like there are many qualified applicants to IIT for every spot open. You have a better shot at Colby because fewer people apply there because it is so remote and the winters are can be harsh, and at Trinity because it has historically not been as hard to get into as some of the other schools, though that has changed in the past few years. I think you should apply everywhere you think you want to go and see what happens. My daughter was not accepted into some of he schools she considered safety schools, but was accepted into some of the schools we were not sure she could get into.</p>