Feedback!!! What are my chances??? (HYP).

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey CC posters, I need any advice that I can get. ie; which of the schools that i have listed are my safetys, reaches and matches. Also please comment on any area's that I should work.</p>

<p>I am from Botswana but I attend a boarding school in South Africa (Because the schools there are generally much better).</p>

<p>SAT I: 1980 (M: 750, CR: 650, W: 580)
SAT II: </p>

<p>Math I: 780
Math IIC: 740
Literature: 680</p>

<p>Subject marks for school:
Computer Studies: 83%
Maths: 88%
Additional Maths: 94%
English: 80%
French: 70%
Science (Physics and Chem Combined): 84%
Accounting: 86%</p>

<p>(These marks are on the IEB matric system, simmilar to the european IB)</p>

<p>Average: 84%
Aggregate: 92%</p>

<p>Rank: Top 5%</p>

<p>Merit Awards (Grade 9,10,11 and 12)
3 Subject Diligence Awards
2 First in Subject Awards
1 Most improved mark award</p>

<p>Maths Olympiad (Round 2 for 3 years)
Exemption Certificate in National Science Olympiad
National English Olympiad Bronze Medal</p>

<p>EC's:
Rotary Interact Society
Member of the Blood Donor Representative Council
AIDS orphans Soup kitchen
Photographic Society
Debating: (2nd Team: 2yrs)
Botswana Harvard Partnership: Volunteer Work
Khazimula Project: Helping to build a school for AIDS orphans</p>

<p>Leadership:
Academic Student Leader
Volunteer: Teaching Support Classes</p>

<p>Sport:
Tennis: (4yrs: Various teams represented)
Hockey (2yrs: C and D teams represented)
Squash: Played socially
Golf: Played Socially</p>

<p>Work Experience:
1 month for an Engineering Firm - I.T. related
1 week working for an Actuary - AIDS statistics for UN related work
2 weeks working for the government in AIDS related research
1 week working for The Botswana Harvard Partnership</p>

<p>Also:
- I will need financial aid
- Decent Teacher Recs
- Decent Essay
- I go to a private school</p>

<p>These are the colleges that I am applying to:
Harvard
Columbia
Brown
Cornell
Chicago
Grinnell
Middlebury
Colby
Colgate
Northeastern</p>

2

<p>I am not famililar with the colleges except the ivies/MIT/Caltech, and from what I've seen so far, harvard, Columbia, Brown, and Cornell seem to be high reaches. First of all, you need to raise your SAT scores to at least 2100 + to have a chance at getting accepted at one of those schools. Your GPA is not high at all, but looking at your ranking at school, either your school has a really hard curriculum or is really easy. Your EC's seem ok, not EXCEPTIONAL, but not lacking either. They shouldn't hurt/help you in the admission process. But of course, if you can get some outstanding EC's, that'd certainly help you.</p>

<p>So, things you should work on,
1) SAT scores
2) EC's (competitions, research programs, etc.)
2)</p>

3

<p>Get this out of the way first:
Reaches- Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Middlebury
Colgate- match/reach?
Northeastern- I think match, but I don't know this school well
I'm not familiar with Colby and Grinnell</p>

<p>Your ECs are impressive, I don't know the particulars of the grading system (how does that translate to weighted/unweighted GPA?). The SATs will hurt. Unfortunately, colleges put a lot of emphasis on scores as part of the weeding out process. Can you study and take them again? At least break 700 on each section if you're thinking of Harvard--many people say 750 but I think that's asking a lot.</p>

<p>You have a very top-heavy list. I'm assuming the ones I don't know are viable matches/safeties, so I think that's okay. As long as you are happy going to your lower-listers, you can apply to the big ones as a crapshoot.</p>

4

<p>Hi.</p>

<p>From what we have been told (By the US Consulate) our grading system is very stringent compared to the US. I have been told that the marks I usually get for term-work (which are a bit higher than the exam marks I have given) are equivalent to a 4.0 or perfect GPA. </p>

<p>I have taken the SAT 3 times. But my Math and CR scores (2 of which were taken on the old SAT) have gone up a lot. I think that this was due to practice. Do you think that it would be worth it to take the SAT again to help my CR go up to about a 690 and my writing to go up to about a 640??? I think that both of these are very possible, but it would be my 4th attempt.</p>

<p>Also Grinnell and Colby, I consider to be fairly safe. Grinnell is pretty friendly to international students, I am told. </p>

<p>With regards to EC's. This is South Africa, things like Research Programs and Competitions are hard to come by in the city let alone at a boarding school in the middle of nowhere. </p>

<p>Thanks, any other advice is very welcome.</p>

5

<p>From what we have been told (By the US Consulate) our grading system is very stringent compared to the US. I have been told that the marks I usually get for term-work (which are a bit higher than the exam marks I have given) are equivalent to a 4.0 or perfect GPA. </p>

<p>True, It's hard for me to figure out your grading compared to the U.S. because I know in many other countries an 80 is pretty good and here an 80 is like ok?</p>

6

<p>At my school, 80 is like "Dude, what were you thinking?!" People weep over a B-. But my mother is always jumping for joy when we get As because she grew up in Singapore, where they're virtually unheard-of, and since Canada has similar history (regarding English influence), it makes sense that your grading curve is similar. The US is a nation of child self-esteem consciousness.</p>

<p>I had no idea you had taken the SATs so many times. I only took it twice, and that was because I had to take the old and new versions to make my parents happy. I would not suggest taking them again, that makes you look like a score-hunter. Just be aware that Ivy league applicants usually get circa 1500/2250.</p>

7

<p>You are definitely into Northeastern...My friend received a 15,000 a year merit based scholarship with an average GPA and a 1340 SAT score (old system)</p>

<p>HYP, like always, are a crapshoot. Not to sound like a racist, but being of color could help you substancially in the admissions process. Affirmative action will definitely bolster your chances.</p>

<p>ps: get your SAT score up to at least a 2100</p>