HYPS, MIT, Caltech, Colgate (international)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Please chance me. I am an international student from Bangladesh.</p>

<p>** College list:**
1. Harvard
2. MIT
3. Caltech
4. Princeton
5. Stanford
6. U of Penn
7. Cornell U
8. Macalester
9. Colgate</p>

<p>Not sure, but I might apply:
10. Yale
11. Columbia</p>

<p>Safeties: Trinity U, Trinity C.
Should get auto admission: NUS, NTU (Singapore)</p>

<p>** Unweighted GPA (4-point scale) ** In our Country we use a scale of 5.</p>

<p>** Weighted GPA (5-point scale) –** 5.00/5.00 (but I got 4.00 in a subject :( (Bengali Language) )</p>

<p>** # of AP/IB/honors courses: ** In our country, the schools does not offer AP.</p>

<p>** Class rank/size: **1/340</p>

<p>** SAT scores –** CR: 700, Math: 800, Writing: 600, M+CR=1500/1600, Total: 2100/2400.
(I shall retake, I usually get ~700 in practice tests, so hopefully it will be ~2200)
** SAT II scores— ** I shall take soon. Predicted (practice test scores): Math II: 800, Physics: 780+, Chemistry: 770+.</p>

<p>** ECs: **
1. Participated in National math camp 5 times. I was a trainer in 2 camps for juniors.
2. Social service (?): I run a math circle in my area. It was really well organized and I got national recognition for that. I have also made a website to publish the training materials online, and students from all around the country use that training materials.
3. President, and co founder: Debating Club. We have organized National debate festival in our school. We have also organized some local workshops to popularize debating.
4. Member: Project PEN (an international collaborative project for collecting and writing papers on Number theory problems)
5. I have written a research paper on geometry, which is going to be published in a recognized journal.
6. Journalism: I write in national dailies, and I am an editor of my school magazine.
(in common app. I can write upto 12 ECs. * Should I write some other not-so-important ECs, like: singing/sports/raising funds for flood affected people?)*</p>

<p>** Honors/awards: **
1. ** Bronze medal in International Math Olympiad<a href="missed%20Silver%20by%201%20point,%20last%20year:%20missed%20bronze%20medal%20by%201%20point,%20but%20got%20Honorable%20mention">/b</a>
2. Absolute winner: National Math Olympiad.
3. National Prize: National Debate Championship
4. Chemistry Olympiad: Divisional winner
5. Linguistics Olympiad: Divisional winner
6. Singing, Sports: School level.</p>

<p>** Recs/essays: ** The recs should be really good. I shall get an additional rec from our math Olympiad coach.
The essays should be ok. However, I have a question. I heard that the adcoms like well-rounded student. But I don’t really know if I should avoid writing math related essays for common app. * Can anyone give me some suggestion on this point?*</p>

<p>** Other info: **
* Country (if international applicant): Bangladesh
* School Type: Public
* Ethnicity: South East Asian
* Gender: M
* Income Bracket: low (for US, and I need a lot of financial aid)
* Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I don’t know what counts as a hook. But I am from a small town, where we don’t get that much opportunities. <a href="Should%20I%20ask%20my%20teacher%20to%20write%20it%20in%20the%20recs?">i</a>* </p>

<p>I really look forward to reading your comments. I would appreciate your comments on my college list as well. Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>I think your list is a little top heavy— I would research a few schools more selective than Colgate and a little less so than Cornell. Your SATI score is a little low for the range of schools you’re looking at… not that 2100 is by any means a bad score, but it would put you at the lower end of the score range for some of the schools on your list. </p>

<p>The international student pool can be extremely competitive, and I would think South East Asians who are good at math are not uncommon. A potential problem is that you need good financial aid, but the schools that gives out the best aid and are need blind for internatinals are far far from guaranteed admits in your case.</p>

<p>Should I write some other not-so-important ECs, like: singing/sports/raising funds for flood affected people?</p>

<p>I don’t see them as any less important. </p>

<p>I heard that the adcoms like well-rounded student.</p>

<p>Yes, but they also try to admit a diverse group of students so that they can create a well rounded class.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for your reply. I know that the first 7 colleges of my lists are very,very selective. I have selected Colgate and Mac, as they are relatively easier to get into than the first 7.</p>

<p>By the way, just being good at math and winning medal in international math olympiad is not the same thing I guess. Because there is no other medallist applying to USA this year from our country. Last year one of my teammates (she was a medallist) got into most of these 7 colleges with 2100 SAT I.</p>

<p>Anyway, thanks for your reply.</p>

4

<p>By the way, just being good at math and winning medal in international math olympiad is not the same thing I guess. Because there is no other medallist applying to USA this year from our country. Last year one of my teammates (she was a medallist) got into most of these 7 colleges with 2100 SAT I.</p>

<p>That’s great to know. Perhaps I was just being overly cautious— anyway, good luck :].</p>

5

<p>I think your list is a little top heavy— I would research a few schools more selective than Colgate and a little less so than Cornell.
Could someone please tell me about a few colleges that are so and also give generous aid to (many) intl’ students?</p>

<p>I have another question: are liberal arts colleges harder/easier to get into that National colleges? Should I apply to more top liberal arts colleges than applying to ivys?</p>

6

<p>If you need a lot of aid, unfortunately you have no US safeties.</p>

<p>Money for interntionls is more limited than ever. Each of these schools will take a student or two from your country unless there are astonishing applicants. In the end, it will just depend who your competition is this year from your own country.</p>

7

<p>Do you need an inexpensive U.S. college to use as a financial safety, or would you rather go to college at home in Bangladesh than go to an inexpensive and not well known American college?</p>

8

<p>@Redroses:I know that.</p>

<p>@MidwestMom2Kids_: No I don’t want “inexpensive college” for financial safety, because I think that I won’t be able to pay for that “inexpensive college”.
I don’t think that I am going to the colleges of Bangladesh, because: 1) I want to study math/physics, and we don’t have good colleges for these subjects.
2) As I have won a medal in IMO, I shall get auto admission in two colleges of Singapore: National U of Singapore, NTU; they are ranked(world ranking) as 18th and 73rd respectively.
I think that most of the CC people are unaware of the prestige of international math olympiad…Though nothing can ensure guaranteed admission in US, according to many people IMO medal gives the maximum amount of boost to anyone’s chance. Moreover, my performance in the IMO was the best performance ever by any Bangladeshi student. (Please don’t interpret it as bragging; I just wanted to let you know everything)</p>

<p>Thanks for your comments. :slight_smile: Anyone else?</p>

9

<p>Decent chances Penn, Cornell, Mac and Colgate. IMO is a significant achievement but the competition from Bangladesh is rarely as competitive as that from other countries so you should do just fine. Your only worry should be being grouped in the wider South Asian pool, i.e. with India and Pakistan since the competition in those two countries is much more brutal. Getting aid will be tough but some exceptionally talented internationals do receive a lot of it (are you one of them?).</p>

10

<p>@PrincetonDreams: Thanks for your comment.
But I don’t really understood your what kind of exceptional talents you are referring to. Do you want to mean some quirky and uncommon ECs?
Am I not supposed to get sufficient aid, if I get admitted into these colleges? (However, asking for aid will significantly hurt my chance, I know)</p>

<p>Though I concede that students, who are good at math, are very common in my region. But how many IMO medallists from South East Asia are going to apply? All (except one) the members of Indian team has already got admitted into Indian college. Pakistan has no IMO medallist, who will apply this year. So, at least in this way, I should be exceptional ;)</p>

<p>Anyone else interested to comment?</p>

11

<p>Harvard’s benchmark for need based full rides was $60,000 last year, so if you do end up getting in and the school’s policy extends to international applicants, you’ll be fine.</p>

12

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<p>I don’t know if you’ll deem the FA packages “sufficient” when you receive them in May, but applying for financial aid should not hurt your chances for most of the schools on your list. </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Mathmad, no one is questioning your brilliance :]! I do agree with you completely that being an IMO medallist is extremely impressive, but be sure to not underestimate the U.S. admissions process---- it can be very unpredictable.</p>

13

<p>Dartmouth College is need-blind for international students.</p>

14

<p>University of Chicago, is need blind for international students, so you should check them out.</p>

15

<p>@nothingto: know your facts before you brag about them. Dont try to mislead mathmad, and dont be so ill-informed. U of Chicago was never needblind to internationals.</p>

<p>@mathmad: you have a pretty good chance of getting into most of the schools in your list. i dont think anyone who has so far replied in this thread understands the value of an IMO medalist. so dont worry, you will end up in a great uni.</p>

16

<p>You don’t have the hook of being a URM because you’re Asian. Sadly that is a disadvantage.</p>

17

<p>An IMO medal will get you into every single school on planet Earth, as long as you don’t have a criminal record.</p>

<p>Retake your SAT I just to be safe, but you are nearly guaranteed admission at all of those school. Be sure to focus on the other part of admission like essays too and don’t come across as too pompous over the IMO. But you are GOLDEN!</p>

<hr>

<p>For the record people, an IMO medal is not just for people good at math. It is much harder to get an IMO medal than to go to HYPS. It is amazing how you are this good at math and yet still excellent in other subjects.</p>

18

<p>Might be a little difficult to get into Caltech since you’re asking for financial aid. But with your unique background and excellent academic record, you should really try applying to Caltech since they love international olympiad medallists.</p>

19

<p>Kafka911,</p>

<p>[College</a> Search - University of Chicago - Chicago - International Students](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)</p>

<p>Sorry, I meant internationals get full tuitions paid.</p>

20

<p>You say you are from a small town: from which town are you from? I am from Bangladesh and I always think around Dhaka :(. Amazing stats :thumbs up:</p>