First of all, I am an Indian, average student with big dreams. Being in Senior year, I am planing for Columbia University. Actually, I really, really want to be within this College for Under graduation. But Whenever i stare my grades, i always feel low. As our grades are judged over scale of 10, i.e. 0-10, i have scored 7, 7.2 and 6 CGPAs, unlike GPAs in US, in my first 3 years of high school. Now what is their in my take, is this last year, which is gonna be my deciding year. Since, I am in the best school in my area, with respect to academics, and also I’ve heard by many people, and felt, that getting grades in my school is like a hard nut to crack. Even so, i am left with what i have got. I just Wanna know, wheather my CGPAs are considerable, is their any hope left with me. What should i do in this year, to make this dream a reality. Thanks for any opinion or suggestion
It depends.
What is the passing mark at your school?
What was the highest gpa in your class?
What is your rank?
Those are questions the adcoms will ask when reviewing your file. Also, if your counselor has uploaded a school profile they will probably know if getting high marks at your school is really tough or not. They will look closely at the school report and will put everything into context.
At a glance, a 7 and something out of 10 is bad, but I only have the numbers, they have a lot more information to work with.
In my school we also use 1-10 grading scale and 5 is the passing mark in different subjects but at graduation you have to have at least 6. So everything differs.
Uuhm…, You know what, it was like a bullet went straight through my heart. Well, As you asked me, 3.5 CGPA is consider an passing one. But, Actually, we don’t get ranks mention in our transcript (or report card). But, i can give you a hint. Last year, i got 10th rank among 300 within my School (and 557 in international) in Maths Olympiad.
-If your school doesn’t rank students, that won’t be a problem
-With that said, Ivy League schools look for for some of the best students in a country (think top 5) among international applicants. If 9 students at your own school scored higher than you in this Math Olympiad, I wouldn’t rely on getting in by virtue of being a math genius.
Also, extracurricular activities will be a big part of whether you get in, so these grades aren’t everything that matters.
So, it means, it’s not over, quite yet, no? Also, As i said, what should i do in this year to wide my chances of receiving an acceptance letter from Columbia.
No a 6 CGPA will get you nowhere. Be realistic with a 7.2 CGPA. Last year a neighbouring school got 70 students with perfect 10’s. If you are CBSE i.e. . If not I have no idea.
Your grades will be viewed by someone with expertise reading applications from India. So basically you will be compared to all the students from India/SE asia applying. Some schools in India having a 76% average is pretty good. Depends.
A lot will hinge upon how strong your SAT I and SAT II scores are.
Yeah, Actually, I wanna know the least best shot for SAT (Reasoning and Subjectives - Physics, Chemistry, And Maths) for Columbia. I really wanna do my best this year, in both CGPA and SAT, or might be ACT. I also wanna know if Olympiad achievements will help me to boost my application.
Olympiad achievements=MIT, SAT aim for 2200+ and perfect scores in subjects. MIT has a history for blindly taking NMO winners from India.
Again are you CBSE?
Yes, Its my problem too. Can i compensate low CGPA through SAT Subjectives