<p>as cellardweller says MIT will provide with financial aid ( if I get through).
As for who?, I have a friend who had nothing in his application,but a state level football player. He still got selected.
Okay, so how do you suggest I improve my chances? As I said I have a year with me. I can use that year to my advantage. I’ll most probably score 2400 in my retake. But what else can I do?
I really want to go into research but the Indian Universities are not really great for research.</p>
<p>The universities select who they want, it’s not the other way around. No one can tell you exactly what to do to “improve” but you need to change that attitude of “MIT or nothing”.</p>
<p>Cellardweller said most universities see internationals as a “source of revenue”. You are assuming that they will definitely pay for you. And, that you will be accepted to MIT. </p>
<p>Do you know how often international students come here on CC and lament that, although they were accepted to their Dream School, they didn’t receive a penny of FA?</p>
<p>You see , if i tell my parents that i want to study abroad, they would expect me to go to the best otherwise stay here and get into the IIT’s. But to be honest, I am fed up of the Indian System of education which is based on rote learning only. But, MIT will be a great place for me to improve academically and come out as a better person.
So, if i tell them I didn’t get into MIT or the Ivy’s(which provide FA), my chances for a foreign university is over. That’s why I am focused on only the top colleges.<br>
So please please suggest me some things that i can do to at least improve my chance.
You’ve been a great help!
P.S. I will complete 600 hours of community service by the end of this year.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention, I took an IQ test by MENSA and i was certified as an exceptional iq case, scoring more than almost everyone in that test (99.9 percentile)</p>
<p>bump!!!</p>
<p>Looking for more feedback guys!!!</p>
<p>bump bump bump!!!</p>
<p>Bump bump bump bump!</p>
<p>Spread your wings and apply at other universities. You can’t set all your hopes on one school. MIT is very competitive just for domestic students, let alone international students. If your parents can’t “show off” to their friends and relatives about your attending MIT, they won’t be dishonored or anything will they? What will they do?
It’s about your parents wanting to feel better about themselves and it’s really not about you. </p>
<p>So you should apply to MIT but also have some other back-up choices and schools you would be willing to attend that may give you some form of financial aid. Don’t be surprised if MIT rejects you. They get lots of students with perfect grades and test scores. They can’t accept everyone and they don’t, especially if you need financial aid, but they won’t outright tell you that. </p>
<p>International students have limited financial aid opportunities because all of the schools’ funding sources have been cut. Most financial aid is in the form of loans for international students. Look for more schools. If your parents can’t deal with that, then have them try to do what you’re doing.</p>
<p>It’s not as if my parent want to show off. It’s just like other parents they want their child to do best in life. MIT would play an important role in that. Could you suggest me colleges where i do have a chance?
Are these colleges worth coming abroad for studying? Won’t the IIT’s be a better option.
Ok, let us suppose i get a gold medal in IPho, and i win a prestigious scholarship in which only 300 students are selected Nation-wide. How will my chances be then?
Thanks a lot for helping me.</p>
<p>It’s super competitive enough for domestic applicants, even more so for international applicants. If you need financial aid, your chances are very very slim. If you get the IPho medal that will definitely help your chances, the scholarship too.</p>
<p>Please don’t bother with your SAT – a 2380 is no different from a 2400. Come on, it’s just 20 points which is just like one or two questions.</p>
<p>undertaker: Coming abroad is your decision, but you need to be aware that you will be acquiring debt because financial aid is extremely limited for internationals.</p>
<p>As a parent, I want the best for my children too, but I wouldn’t limit their choices of applying anywhere because of what someone thinks is a “reputation” of a school. Steve Jobs went to REED college in Oregon and learned calligraphy which he transferred to his programs when he was developing fonts. (Listen to his Stanford commencement address). Reed College isn’t known as a Top tier school.</p>
<p>My eldest was accepted to Johns Hopkins, Boston U, UCSD and multiple other schools, but she chose a SUNY school because of the program at the school and a full ride. She could have gone to those other schools because of reputation, but she wanted to go somewhere that made a difference for her needs. Not mine or my husband’s (Stanford Grad) needs-but hers.</p>
<p>Go to US News and World report and check out their college rankings and decide for yourself what you think you fit into. Don’t pigeon-hole yourself into thinking MIT or nothing. </p>
<p>[National</a> University Rankings | Top National Universities | US News Best Colleges](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities]National”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities)</p>
<p>You have a little time, so investigate and check out the schools. If not, stay in your country and continue your education at home; that will work too.</p>
<p>Yeah, I still have a year. As i said the only problem with continuing my studies here is research. There is not much research in the colleges here.
Okay lets suppose I don’t need the financial aid, So which colleges would i get? Georgia Tech etc?
Thanks</p>
<p>
Note that the ranking system is designed by magazine editors; college professors abhor such one-size-fits-none approaches to finding a school. Try publications that go into depth about schools instead of ranking them according to vanilla criteria, like Barron’s, the Fiske Guide to Colleges, Peterson’s, Colleges that Change Lives, Newsweek’s College Guide, and the College Board’s College Handbook.</p>
<p>I think you should really reconsider coming to the US until you have earned your bachelor’s degree in India. Most likely you would end up with a ton of debt as an undergrad and you would not even qualify for student loans in the US. You won’t be able to get a job on campus either. Before even getting a visa to come to the US, you would have to show financial resources sufficient for all 4 years of study including tuition and all living expenses. So why bother apply to Georgia Tech or Berkeley if you can’t fund the education. Finally, the schools that would allow you to do the most interesting research (MIT, Stanford, Caltech…) are the most selective and the least likely to admit you. </p>
<p>On the other hand, there is generally no financial aid issue for grad students at least in the sciences and engineering. Most are funded positions as TAs and RAs. Also, top schools like MIT admit ten times as many students from India as grad students as compared to undergrads. You can also get an H1-B temporary visa on graduation that will allow to work in the US for several years and get some professional experience.</p>
<p>Agree with cellardweller^. Undergrad admission is uber competitive.</p>
<p>I am also an international applicant from Canada, and I have done math olympiad and was very close to making the IMO team this year (top 12 in Canada).</p>
<p>You have good SAT scores - but those are the basics.
I guess you can just say “Oh I will make IPhO and get a gold or whatever, what are my chances then?” Well, let me tell you that it’s not something you can blurt out…considering india’s recent performances in the IMO, IPhO etc. (Making these competitions don’t mean anything, you need a medal) If you indeed get a gold or even silver in international competition, you have a very good chance because you are most likely india’s top student.</p>
<p>And by the way… “But, MIT will be a great place for me to improve academically and come out as a better person.” Are you sure? Like, are you sure getting accepted to MIT will make you a better person? You are very misguided. It is your effort that changes you, not MIT.</p>