<p>Since all college applications put emphasis on the course-load you took, invariably they ask how difficult it was in comparison and we are forced to say that we took the exact same course load as everyone (doesn't sound too impressive)......no advanced classes or anything like that cuz its not offered here.</p>
<p>My plan is to attach a letter explaining this situation, of how we don't have the option of choosing a course-load and getting my Principal to sign it........ any idea how to draft a note like this? what points can i include?</p>
<p>Here are few points which you might want to put in:
1.Use the AIEEE-IIT couching as a great disadvantage.
2.There is more stress on studies and high discouragement in schools and at home(Stick to your true points).
3.Dont forget to mention that you wanted to do the activities.
You dont need to get it signed by your principal..You can write it in as the Additional Eassy,it is evaluated everywhere!!!
BTW,I'll be sending the above situation too,as an essay this year,and I have been working on it!</p>
<p>Well, most colleges know about Indian systems like the CBSE and ISC, therefore they understand that a student can't choose the level of his/her own curriculum. Your school GC would be handing in an Int'l School report anyway regarding your school's grading policy, so you could talk with him/her and save your additional essay for something else.</p>
<p>What d'you mean "coaching as a great disadvantage"?</p>
<p>yeah evn i don't know what he meant.
I was just thinking it doesn't sound too great when ppl have taken such advanced courseloads and you haven't (inspite of not having a choice)... or maybe i'm being obsessive...dunno</p>
<p>If you take up the coaching,it requires a lot of devotion and school then becomes just a formality(I have experienced all..) and so you could sa it as a disadvantage....(now you know what I mean?).</p>
<p>Ah, I see what you're talking about. Well, badman89, apart from the titles, you'll find that in terms of actual content, our syllabi compare quite favourably. Plus don't be intimidated by CC, the students here are the exception rather than the rule, even at the top colleges.</p>
<p>yeah, i'm attaching a letter signed by my principal detailing the syllabus followed and how the school trains for iit.. i understand exactly what isaacnewton is talking about. at my school they prepare for boards in like the last ten days-the rest of the time is spent on iit portion.. plus iit syllabus is a lot harder thasn the ap syllabus. the only difference is probably the time period in which we complete it- it is spread over 4 years for us whereas in the US, courses for say physics are consolidated into one year which make their course load seem a lot more advanced. i don't think you should submit an extra essay. some colleges are very particular about that kind of thing.</p>
<p>
[quote]
plus iit syllabus is a lot harder thasn the ap syllabus. the only difference is probably the time period in which we complete it- it is spread over 4 years for us
[/quote]
IIT coaching for 4 years?:eek:
IMO IIT-JEE and APs are completely different things, they can't be compared.</p>
<p>Adcoms are pretty familiar with CBSE/ICSE. Although attaching a letter from your GC describing the system your school follows is a good idea.
And yes, APs are offered in India too, it's just that not much people take them.</p>
<p>CBSE and the curriculum followed in other countries are quite different. CBSE is purely based on rote learning while the curriculum followed in other countries are mostly based on application of mind.</p>
<p>K-twin... our syllabus does indeed compare favourably, The satIIs are a complete joke for anyone who's studied here (at least as far as MPC is concerned)
BtW, i too attended a coaching inst. during 11th n 12th but i don't think bringing up that point is going to work in your favour. They wouldnt really care.</p>
<p>I think its a good idea to put up the syllabus covered.... but wouldn't it be too cumbersome for adcoms to read a full list of the syllabus of all the subjects we did from 9th - 12th ?
And plus.... they wouldn't really understand it either (unless somone from the specific dpartment, i.e. math, phy., chem. read it).</p>
<p>Well again, I suppose it matters which colleges you apply to. Those colleges who receive a lot more applications from Indian students would have experience with our syllabi, so they understand what we study.</p>
<p>
[quote]
And plus.... they wouldn't really understand it either (unless somone from the specific dpartment, i.e. math, phy., chem. read it).
[/QUOTE]
lol... Haven't admission officers passed High School.
Most of the adcoms are alumunus of prestigious colleges and are pretty knoweledable persons.</p>
<p>And as far as Indian Educational system is concerned it's not sufficient enough for a tertiary study in a American/British Univ. Many of my friends faced difficulty during their freshman year in comparision to their counterparts from IB,Singapore,HK etc. In fact OxBridge insists that applicants should spend a year at university in india before applying. SAT IIs are a joke everywhere apart from US itself.</p>
<p>Colleges would obviously care about coaching. Adcoms would like to know how you spend your time after school. It could in some cases make up for not enough ECs. Either way it shows that you are ambitious enough.</p>
<p>^^ Indian education system is not sufficient for a tertiary study in American Univ.? i think you're mistaken .... you yourself agreed that the sat2 is a joke for us but for americans... does that not show us in better light?
the subject matter covered here is much more in depth compared to america.</p>
<p>And the coaching....it would reflect poorly in my opinion to say that you spent 2 years doing nothing but studying for iit (not even getting into iit in the end)</p>
<p>I agree if you say in comparison to UK our education sys. isn't great.... but i think its far superior to US</p>
<p>
[Quote]
And the coaching....it would reflect poorly in my opinion to say that you spent 2 years doing nothing but studying for iit (not even getting into iit in the end)
[/Quote]
:confused:
What exactly you mean?I did it almost for 2yrs but not got selected in it why?Because I left the coaching in the middle of 12th so that I could concentrate on 12th or else my 12th would have drowned away my chances to even apply to US elite colleges!!!(Hope you got my meaning!)</p>
If that would have been the case we all wouldn't be here.:D</p>
<p>Even for Americans SAT IIs are painfully easy, The application pool from here(India) is highly Self Selective which explains why we score higher on the SAT IIs then Domestic applicants.</p>
<p>Covering subject with more depth doesn't helps students grow, neither mentally nor intellectualy . Here too much emphasis is on mugging up, and when 80% of the paper comes straight from the NCERT book mugging doe pays off. Take p-block for example, did you gained anything from that chapter, The whole chapter was all mugging and no understanding. About the US having lower level courses, I can't say I know about courses there but atleast they understand fully what they study.</p>
<p>I could see many Indian posting here and there in search of answers, IMHO Indian Thread would be a suitable place to such discussions plus we could then have many people participating in the discussions.</p>
<p>"If that would have been the case we all wouldn't be here."
i'm talking about the secondary school system, we are here because we prefer the college level education in US.</p>
<p>Well maybe you're right about the mugging up and stuff....its really hard to say which is a better system, it depends what your consideration is and what you're hoping to achieve.</p>
<p>About the indian thread, i think its a good idea in principle.... but you know if someone wants to know some specific aspect, its hard to search through so many pages....</p>
<p>In my opinion, the Indian secondary education system cannot be compared to the American education system because Indian system is standardized and everyone takes the same courses.. This does not hold true for the American system since the number of courses offered as well as their difficulty varies from high school to high school here in the US.</p>
<p>Having moved to a US high school in 10th grade ( from a CBSE school in Dubai ), I'd say that Indian education provides a strong foundation and prepares Math and Science students very well for American university! However, it lacks in humanities due to the emphasis on mugging. The english curriculum at my old CBSE school was pathetic. We were still doing basic grammar while my peers here in the US were reading Shakespeare and writing well written 10 page papers on these books.</p>
<p>Yes English i'll give you, and the subjects that are not widely offered in India, i'll give you.
But subjects that are taken up by Indian secondary school students like math, physics, chem, civics, economics, commerce .... etc. etc. i think we have a far higher standard compared to US. this is reflected in how well we can perform on the SATII s</p>
<p>
[quote]
Yes English i'll give you, and the subjects that are not widely offered in India, i'll give you.
But subjects that are taken up by Indian secondary school students like math, physics, chem, civics, economics, commerce .... etc. etc. i think we have a far higher standard compared to US. this is reflected in how well we can perform on the SATII s
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Indian education system is general has a great curriculum in science and math related subjects.. However, I dont agree with the civics, and economics part of it. Those subjects are taught in a much better format here than in India where rote memorization prevails. I come to appreciate this format of theirs because it pushes the student to think out of the box instead of mugging up theories. A more practical and hands-on approach is used here as opposed to the Indian system..</p>
<p>With regards to the SATII's, I agree with abhishiv that the good/studious American students find the SAT II's easy too! Generally speaking, the fact that you are taking the effort to apply to schools in North America also placesyou in this pool of "studious students". Hence you cannot compare yourself to the average American and claim that "Indians perform better than Americans at the SATII's."</p>