I am Totally Confused!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello, I am an international applicant from India. I need help to choose universities for my higher education. I am really getting confused here so please see my profile below and help me to choose some.</p>

<p>SAT-1: 2140 (CR - 600, WR - 760, M - 780)
SAT-2: M2 - 800, CH - 780
AP: Calculus AB - 5, Computer Science A - 5</p>

<p>Academic Summary (in terms of marks):</p>

<p>Strong subjects: Mathematics, Computer Science.
"Ok-types" subjects: English, Physics.
Weak Subjects: Chemistry, Foreign Language. (Terrible in both)</p>

<p>Subjects I want to study in college:</p>

<p>In strong concentration - Mathematics, Computer Science.
In low concentration - Physics, Business Administration. (I have explained how Business Admin. came into this few lines below!)</p>

<p>I have completed a few online courses from MIT and Stanford.</p>

<p>6.00.1x - MIT - Programming in Python - 97% result.
6.002x - MIT - Circuits and Electronics - 96% result.
Technology Entrepreneurship - Stanford - World #1 TeamRank earned in the course out of 22000+ students.</p>

<p>Activities - Strong, math/science stuff done. I have coded my own website and done some awesome programming, teaching and math related stuff. I taught underprivileged students for a year, I always wanted to help them. Also represented my school at State Level and have International Rank 324 (School Rank 1) in National Cyber Olympiad.</p>

<p>LOR's - Strong.</p>

<p>Essays - Main Common App Essay is strong, other essays depend on which colleges I select.</p>

<p>Career Aim: I want to get a job as a Computer Engineer and Technology Entrepreneur at Google. That's why I say that I intend to focus mainly on Computer Science and Mathematics only and may be for the Entrepreneurship part, take some Business courses too. I know being determined only for Google sounds weird, but Google is just an example I am using here. My aim is to work for one of those great companies like Google one day as an engineer and entrepreneur.</p>

<p>Financial Aid: I need substantial aid to cover my expenses of studying. I am an international applicant from India.</p>

<p>Shortlisted Colleges:</p>

<p>Purdue (for safety)
MIT (my top choice)
Columbia
UPenn
Stanford
Harvard
Princeton
UChicago</p>

<p>THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading through that stuff about me. I REALLY appreciate your patience. That's basically what I am. In a gist, I am strong in Mathematics, Computer Science and Entrepreneurship stuff. I like Physics but that's probably not in my future. And I wanna work for Google (or some similar company) someday.</p>

<p>Questions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Please CHANCE ME for each of the above colleges I have shortlisted. Well you have details of my activities, achievements, test scores, academics, career aim and everything else above. I know I am asking a lot of favour from you all but PLEASE, I just want to know whether I have a <em>GOOD</em> chance at these 8 colleges or not.</p></li>
<li><p>I am considering selecting 2 more universities from Duke, Dartmouth, Yale and Caltech. On the basis of my profile, financial need and my career goals (no Physics, only Computer Science/Math/Entrepreneurship stuff for me), please tell me which 2 of these 4 universities I should select?</p></li>
<li><p>Now you all have a good picture of me from this heavy post (apologies for making you read so much, I am all frustrated and confused). Just tell me which other colleges you suggest besides the 8 I shortlisted and the 4 I am considering?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I am sorry if I am being a big bother. I just need some guidance. Please help out. :(</p>

2

<p>I guess the college procedures and their toughness to get in is freaking me out. Apologies to anyone I have bothered unnecessarily. :stuck_out_tongue:
I understand that I am the only one who can help myself. What you see here is my condition and now I feel like I have vented out my frustration with that post.</p>

<p>OK! Time to be cool! Thank you for your kind attention readers. Any help is deeply appreciated, otherwise I will just go on…</p>

3

<p>Did you post your GPA? I didn’t see it when I skimmed.</p>

4

<p>My curriculum here has no GPA/Ranking system. My ICSE Board Examination Marks in Class-10 was 93.4%. According to my calculations, I was/am in the top 10% (but sadly, my Counselor wouldn’t report that).</p>

5

<p>what do you think of as your strongest EC, the one most likely to recommend you to schools like these?</p>

6

<p>Well I teach AP Calculus to around 150 students online on youtube and on my website <a href=“http://www.pankedu.in”>www.pankedu.in</a> , which, by the way, I designed. Teaching is my most favourite activity. I also taught 3 classes of underprivileged students in Mathematics and Computer Science. It’s an activity I am most proud of. I wrote my Common App Main Essay on it too. (and I know it’s unusual…and a bit weird, is it?)</p>

7

<p>I, too, think those are your best. Did you write about them in your essay?</p>

8

<p>Yes my Common App essay is on my experience in teaching. :)</p>

9

<p>I am thinking of the following colleges. What do you think are my chances? What other colleges do you suggest?</p>

<p>MIT (top choice)
Purdue (safe)
Harvard
Princeton
Yale
Dartmouth
Columbia
UPenn
Stanford
and either UChicago or Caltech. UChicago vs. Caltech, which one would be better?</p>

10

<p>I think in that case there are schools on your list who are going to be interested in you.</p>

<p>However, the SAT is not going to be helpful at most of these schools. An international in need of aid has to REALLY have primo stats and a hook. You have a hook, perhaps, but it’s going to be tough to get into those schools with a 1380/2140. </p>

<p>I’d also add some aid-for-internationals schools that aren’t quite so tough to get into: Union, Dickinson, Skidmore, Colorado, Trinity, Carroll, Augustana, Centenary, Denver, Wesleyan, or Colgate.</p>

11

<p>Thank you, I will see those. But UChicago vs. Caltech? Which one would be better for me? I can choose one or maybe none of these two.</p>

12

<p>I’m thinking Chicago because of your SAT and your strength in English and weakness in Chemistry.</p>

13

<p>jkeil911 is right – if you need financial aid, you need more safeties than just Purdue. Don’t spend all your energy trying to choose which reach school you like better – put some serious time into considering safety schools and learning about them. </p>

<p>As an aside, I really don’t understand when people post a list of all the most selective schools in the country and say “please chance me at these schools.” The answer is always the same for every single school: your chances are good but not great – because that’s the answer for every high-achieving kid in the world. Nobody who isn’t actually making those decisions right now can tell you what is the minimum SAT score or the magic EC that will get you in to Caltech or Columbia. They’re all hard to get into, and nobody knows what’s “good enough” for any of them.</p>

14

<p>yes I know! True that. This thread was made out of frustration. Although I am glad I vented it out. Need to be calm and relaxed.</p>

15

<p>Have you looked at MIT’s admission stats’ page? Here are their CR stats:</p>

<pre><code>Applicants Admits Admit rate
</code></pre>

<p>750-800 4,181 557 13%
700-740 3,209 314 10%
650-690 2,698 212 8%
600-640 1,929 97 5%
< 600 1,994 44 2%</p>

<p>I would personally recommend applying to some real safeties. You aren’t doing yourselves any favors by not and it will only relieve your stress to know that you do have acceptances somewhere for sure.</p>

16

<p>Your list is too reach heavy, especially given your CR score. You should find some more match and safety schools to apply to. </p>

17

<p>Also, if you need a ton of fin aid, Purdue isn’t likely to be affordable for you, so they’re not really a safety.</p>

<p>Finally, the answer of the CalTech or UChicago question is likely “none”. I don’t see how having a lowish GPA or being weak in chemistry will help you at Chicago.</p>

18

<p>I think you got the GPA part wrong bro. I top my class in Mathematics and Computer Science. Been doing that for years. We don’t have a GPA/Ranking system. Our system is based on percentages.</p>

19

<p>That’s the problem. The reason why I chose only top colleges is because they are the only ones I found can help me finance my education. I researched many other universities which were excellent for my choice of major but most of them do not offer any institutional aid or scholarships to international students. I chose Purdue because there is a work-study option there along with opportunities to earn stipends through teaching assistantships. (Oh I would love to do that!) And I can always go for a loan if Purdue is where I end up.</p>

<p>At this time, I think I do have one great question. LEAVING OUT the best ones, is there a university which:</p>

<p>(i) suits to my choice of Major, concentrating mainly on Mathematics, Computer Engineering and Business Courses,
(ii) offers substantial to full financial aid/scholarship to INTERNATIONAL students,
(iii) has work-study or teaching assistantship opportunities?</p>

<p>Honestly, Purdue was the only one close to the above points I have focused on in choosing my colleges. Other than these, I only found great universities like MIT, Harvard, Dartmouth, etc. who will help me to meet my need. I couldn’t find one such ‘safe’ university in the mid-level. Places like Illinois, Northeastern and UC’s don’t offer aid to internationals. Please help if I am wrong and if there is a university which meets the above points and especially, the financial aid part.</p>

20

<p>OP, your best option is to get admitted to one of the 5 original IITs. If you do well, you will have ample opportunities to join the likes of Google (direct campus recruitment) or do post-grad in one of the univs that you have listed. As other posters have mentioned, the only one in your list that is a ‘match’ is Purdue but chances of aid are slim to none.</p>