How less is too less?

International Students
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<p>Okay everybody!
Out with it!
We're all from India and we all know about the horrible marking system here.
Now,from everything I'd heard,colleges in the US do know about the system.However,when I spoke to a few renowned counsellors(Im not using one bdw-I just spoke to a few a while back when I was contemplating using one,but ultimately decided it would be a waste to do so),
they said that anything below a 90 or atleast an 85 would be deadly for a potential applicant to Harvard,Yale,etc.They basically told me to kick them off my list.Just because of my 79%.
Their words were "That shall make things very,very hard for you,no matter what your class rank is".</p>

<p>So,I want to know the stats.If you know anybody who's gotten into HYP/any other college in that bracket,what kind of school scores did they have for 11th and 12th midterm?</p>

<p>I know one who went into Yale and one into Princeton,and they both had 80+.
Please help out and thanks :)</p>

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<p>The 85+ thing is true for Harvard and Yale. Even with the messed up system.</p>

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<p>even i had 71 percent in 11th i talked it out to my school principal and they hosted reexams for me and i gave them, and my percentage is 93.5 now enough for every college. Ah and for your info as you are new, i am at kota and my school is at my home town and i dont attend classes there and i go in the end of the year and give all exams in one go.</p>

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<p>That sucks.
I hope some more people can give some more info.
nomad-I had kinda guessed the kota thing tbh.Bansal ID ring a bell?</p>

<p>I’ll talk to my school principal(what will I talk???)…
What if the counsellor explains the situation and mentions my rank?
Is it still no go?</p>

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<p>blue_box-Another thing.My school is going to predict 90+ in all subjects except english(of course) and physics(80-85+ i think,idk).
How would that look? Imo it looks kinda silly,(79-90+!!! whohoo),but that’s how the scores turn out in my school.</p>

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<p>I had the same predicted scores. 70%, with a predicted score of 90. Just ask your counselor to explain it in her recommendation. A few lines talking about the difference between the board and school exams, or explain it somewhere in your application.</p>

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<p>I hope you realize that there are many other schools just as good as harvard, princeton and yale. Why don’t you give other schools a try?</p>

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<p>I know this guy who got Yale in Dec/ Jan 2008 (for Yale '13). He got 85% in ISC. His school scores were like 60%-70%, but he had 800CR and his Principal recommended him - “he is the greatest student La Marts Boys has ever seen”…</p>

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<p>Audrey: No one applies to just HYP. Not if they’re serious about studying in the US. But HYP are still “dream” schools, because of the prestige, and because they’re need-blind.</p>

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<p>i’m only emphasizing my frustration at people that tend to assume that ivy leagues are the only good schools in the country. why can’t someone ever say that their dream school is middlebury college - it has prestige, it has better financial aid than places like columbia univeristy even, but still, in a country with over 5000 colleges/universities, everyone just wants hypsm</p>

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<p>@Audrey-I do have other schools on my list.H and Y are the reaches.Please do not presume my ignorance.</p>

<p>Bluebox-Yes,but still my app goes in the dustbin when the adcoms see the 79 innit?
Should I just get them converted into grades percentile wise like Modern,Barakhamba does?They manage like that.</p>

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<p>

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<p>The admission process is a holistic review of the whole applicant. Adcoms don’t just evaluate your academics and ECs, they evaluate the WHOLE PERSON (YOU). Only one part of the application won’t make or break the decision. </p>

<p>Consider
Basant Vivek Sagar MIT’11- Class 12 boards - maths - 63%
Anshuman Panda MIT’12 - SAT CR510, W540, M770
one Int’l Chem Olympiad great performer - denied by whole bunch of universities he applied to and is presently in IIT-K.</p>

<p>Can’t believe??? no matter… ask them on facebook, like I did… You will know the reality…</p>

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<p>Also my friend at Upenn got 50 in maths in his half yearly exam (mid-term)… dunno the whole average, but sure of his maths</p>

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<p>The 900+ students who apply early decision every year are essentially saying that…</p>

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<p>Because not many people in India have heard of Middlebury College, so its prestige is essentially zero.</p>

<p>PP- Not the dustbin, no. Your application might stand out in other ways.
Percentile might be a good idea, just make sure all the colleges you apply to are fine with it.</p>

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<p>@harisheena - I know the guy you’re talking about (Yale’13). I scored a 91% in his ISC, topped his class throughout high school, was a brilliant quizzer and an amazing violinist. He was well rounded, and I guess that’s what did the trick.</p>

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<p>@qiuzaddict - Hello SV. How was your SAT? You only told me that he was an average student in school and got 85% in ISC. Now you r turning away (such a hypocrite). I think you have grown busier these days or you think its not worthy to reply Harish, since you don’t even reply to my SMSs… by the way I think you are gonna get more than 2350… anyways… y aren’t u on FB??</p>

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<p>I think you will recognize me if I say BHS - chessaddict…</p>

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<p>85%? Really? I dont think I’ve mentioned that, I’m positive. And the 60-70% bit, where did you hear that from? </p>

<p>It was nice to bump into you while taking the SAT.</p>

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<p>*bumping
10 char</p>