Funky student needs to get some thoughts about his chances

pecoisne · November 26, 2007, 4:12pm

Namaste, Bonjour, Ciao, Buenos Dias and Nihao, everyone!

OK, at first I didn't want at all to post such a thing, but as application deadlines are getting dangerously close I just can't help to ask for some college wisdom: What are my chances.

I do realise the replies will be extremely subjective, since (I guess) people posting here do not belong to admission offices... Or Maybe.

SO. I graduated from french high school 2 years and a half ago, and started studying law in a french university. I've always been very bored by the french education system, because it's so narrow minded and doesn't let students any freedom in the way they want to study. Courses are compulsory, and one has little choice but to do it the way the government wants. Therefore my grades are not brilliant, and the comments are systematically the same "we are aware of his capabilities but needs to work more and take interest in the classes taught".

After a 2 month long trip by myself to India (when I was 18, summer '06) I realised that law in france definitely wasn't my cup of tea. I found it too boring, too predictable, and too narrow minded in a sense that I wanted to get a much wider education. As a result, I dropped university (exactly a year ago!) to get a job in the US, with the goal of eventually getting in a US college.

And I did found a job! I've been working in the back-office of a hedge fund in New York for 10 months. Although I didn't have any education in this field, I perfectly integrated myself in the team and did a more than decent job for the whole time I stayed here (they proposed me to stay work for them!).

But I took the SAT, ACT, and TOEFL, in sight of College admissions. My scores are:
SAT: CR 610 M 670 W 630
ACT: 27/36 including a 34/36 in Maths. Other scores are average 23/24
TOEFL iBT: 101/120

My essay has been read by many different persons, all of them loved it and thought it was original, funny, acurate etc... And my recommendations should be very good.

Also, I'm going to find a work in Spain, to spend 6 months there next year, before going to college. All by myself, while being close to 20 years old.

By fall '08 I will be fluent English, French, Spanish and decent in Hindi. By this time I want to start learning Italian, too. Or Arabic, maybe. I'll see.

So I don't have the most amazing grades, but I definitely have been through unique experiences that brought me a lot of wisdom, boosted my curiosity, and made me longing for an authentic Liberal Arts education. I can't wait to study, in the same time, History, Arts History, Economics, Sciences... You name it, I want to study it!

And now, the very awaited! The very much scary! The terrifying college application list:

Cornell Hotel School
Cornell Arts and Sciences
NYU
Hamilton College
Union College
Boston University
George Washington University
TUFTS

What do you people think? Do you have anything else to advise me? I truely trust in my experience and am definitely going to emphasize it, and how much I could bring to a university (in all modesty...).

I thank very much whoever will have taken the time to read this post, and even more to reply to it!

Bye,

Paul-EtienneNamaste, Bonjour, Ciao, Buenos Dias and Nihao, everyone.

OK, at first I didn't want at all to post such a thing, but as application deadlines are getting dangerously close I just can't help to ask for some college wisdom: What are my chances.

I do realise the replies will be extremely subjective, since (I guess) people posting here do not belong to admission offices... Or Maybe.

SO. I graduated from high school 2 years and a half ago, and started studying law in a french university. I've always been very bored by the french education system, because it's so narrow minded and doesn't let students any freedom in the way they want to study. Courses are compulsory, and one has little choice but to do it the way the government wants. Therefore my grades are not brilliant, and the comments are systematically the same "we are aware of his capabilities but needs to work more and take interest in the classes taught".

After a 2 month long trip by myself to India (when I was 18, summer '06) I realised that law in france definitely wasn't my cup of tea. I found it too boring, too predictable, and too narrow minded in a sense that I wanted to get a much wider education. As a result, I dropped university (exactly a year ago!) to get a job in the US, with the goal of eventually getting in a US college.

And I did found a job! I've been working in the back-office of a hedge fund for 10 months. Although I didn't have any education in this field, I perfectly integrated myself in the team and did a more than decent job for the whole time I stayed here (they proposed me to stay work for them!).