<p>Hey guys! I live in India, but it has been my childhood dream to study in a college abroad like Harvard, Princeton, or something of their likes. I am really interested in science and technology.
I'm only in the 9th grade, so there are at least three more years before application, but I wanna start working on it from now.
Okay. Here goes. I consistently come in the top 3 students of my class(not sure if grades from here count or what), but I guess what's important are the 11th and 12th grade grades. I love studying above my age, and I love reading. My English is pretty good, and I know both the local languages(again, I'm guessing useless) and French. I've won the English essay writing competition and my essay has recently been submitted for city evaluation(results yet to come) I don't have any major achievements from outside school. I made the second stage of a prestigious science competition, that's all.I'm pretty good in sports, but I'm very shy, so I don't compete. I plan to compete in a lot of events this year, and give the science and English Olympiads next year. Recommendations shouldn't be a problem.
I play chess, mostly at the district level itself.I don't do TOO well, somewhere around the middle of the pack. I've won the gold medal in school three years in a row. I play badminton and table tennis too, but nothing special there.
I'm a captain in school, and people consider me a serious candidate for being elected the General Captain(highest rank among students) next year.
So that's it. I'm kinda a jack of all trades, but a master of none.I'm prepared to really work hard from now onward, with a clear goal in mind.
I know I'll have to take the SATs and maybe something else. I'd like advice on them as well as my extracurricular activities.
Thank you very much.</p>
<p>Start dreaming about other schools and about schools in India. These are incredibly hard to get in to even with perfect everything! Take a breathe and enjoy life.</p>
<p>It’s incredible that you are from India but speak such fluent English!</p>
<p>However, as Murphy said, start thinking about other schools or schools in India (study hard as if you would for IIT. Top U.S. colleges are certainly not easier to get into than IIT, but they do look at diff. things from IIT). I don’t know why you want to go to Harvard or Princeton or top schools so badly, but if it’s only for the reputation/rank I suggest you to consider some lower ranked schools (like, ranked >30) that will still offer you a fabulous education. It is incredibly hard for an international student from such a competitive Asian country to get into Ivies or any other top 10 schools. You’ll need to have an incredible extracurricular activity such as running a very successful business, win a top award such as top 10 in an India national Olympiad (math, physics, chem, w/e), or be super good at a sport (like, top in India or even Olympics level), aside from very good grades and decent standardized test scores of course. Even if you achieve such things, you may still not get into Harvard/Princeton.</p>
<p>What’s the use?.. I really dislike this country, it literally kills me…if I can’t get into a good college abroad, I may as well rot in any one of the stupid ones here. Try living here for more than a week, you’ll feel like never coming back…
So isn’t there scope anywhere? If not the top colleges in US, then the lower ones? What about ones in UK, or some European countries? Note I have to get in on a scholarship- my family cannot afford extravagant fees.</p>
<p>Check for threads on financial aid for internationals. Yes broaden your search!</p>
<p>There are many other wonderful US colleges besides Harvard. Please read: [Before</a> Applying to College, Answers Every Indian Student Should Know - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/before-applying-to-college-in-the-u-s-indian-students-should-be-able-to-answer-why/]Before”>Before Applying to College, Answers Every Indian Student Should Know - The New York Times)</p>
<p>“It used to be (and is probably still the case) that Indian students applied largely to the Ivy League schools. While this is not a bad decision, I believe that the range and breadth of institutions of higher learning in the U.S. is what makes a U.S. degree so appealing. Like everything else in America, your choices are vast, and customization is possible. You can decide, for instance, to major in journalism with a minor in music, or major in history as a pre-med student (going on to become a physician), or major in bio-chemistry with an entrepreneurship minor. The choices are endless, and your end goal can, and must, inform the choice of institution to which you decide to apply.”</p>
<p>I guess. I don’t really know why I so badly want a degree from the US, I guess its just because life in the country is downright bad. Even for wealthy upper middle class families, no one can escape from the dirt, corruption, and attitude of the general Indian public…
So you’re saying with relatively good grades I can get into one of the lower US colleges? How much are extracurriculars valued there?</p>
<p>^^ All US colleges want students from India. By applying to a broader range of colleges, you will increase your overall chances of getting in somewhere. Harvard is a great school, but you need to investigate more options than just Harvard.
[From</a> India, Hoping to Find a U.S. College That ‘Feels Right’ - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/from-india-hoping-to-find-a-u-s-college-that-feels-right/]From”>From India, Hoping to Find a U.S. College That 'Feels Right' - The New York Times)
[National</a> University Rankings | Top National Universities | US News Best Colleges](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities]National”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities)</p>
<p>IIT is the best engineering college in the world-Gates…
Anyways, I see why you want to go to a college here. Get really good grades and a super good SAT score for lower-ranked colleges (2200 or something); do many extracurricular activities that you LIKE and that are somewhat mainly centered at one topic (such as, you like math and science or history or something); do some volunteer work; get award at one or more prestigious academic competition (I suppose India high schoolers don’t really focus on sports? I may be wrong). You’ll probably get into multiple top 100 colleges that will give you a full ride- go do some research on each college on its financial aid and scholarship for int. students (they are all available under each college’s “admission” website).</p>
<p>That is really debatable. Indians are known to be oversensitive people, and they get offended even at the tiniest prod(which very often is the truth). Most likely that remark was a diplomatic one.</p>
<p>Back to the topic. So basically, I do exactly what I am doing? Study really hard, get good grades in standard 12, give the SAT’s or whatever is required for applying to one of these international colleges, manage my extracurriculars(whether its science or a language or sports) and basically do exactly what I was going to, just apply to a wider range of colleges? Also, does knowing an extra language help? I really want to learn French and it will be good if there is an added bonus 
Thanks to everyone for their support!</p>
<p>Hi, I’m also a student applying from India.
First answer these questions:
- Are you willing to pay the full tuition and living cost?
- Can you live away from home for 4 years?</p>
<p>I began working on my application really late and although I have applied to some really good schools, I don’t know whether I’ll get into them or not. Once you’re done with your 10th Grade, begin working on your SATs. If you’re doing the ICSE you should get a 3-4 month break after your vacations. Take the October SAT and try to get an exceptional score (2250+).</p>
<p>Try and figure out what you’re interested in, don’t waste your vacations. If you’re interested in Biology, or want to major in Biology, try to spend your vacations doing research in the Biology. If you’re interested in Economics, do an internship or something similar that gives you extracurricular knowledge about Economics. The more intense your work in the field of your interest, the better.</p>
<p>Take up one sport, work hard and try to represent your state or something. It’ll really help your application. If Chess is your sport, go for it.</p>
<p>Ensure that you keep up your good grades while you do all this, and you stand a good chance at ANY university.</p>
<p>Hope it helped. :)</p>
<ol>
<li>Can’t, yes</li>
<li>Yes</li>
</ol>