International Transfer needs an urgent advice

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi there folks.
I got a damn great trouble in searching for colleges in the US and badly need aa dedicated advice from aside.
I am a citizen of Belarus, and currently study here in Belarusian State Universiy at Physics Department, 2nd year. My university provides a deep and thorough education in physics in good old soviet fashion through a series of mandatory courses. But I want to search for more opportunities, also a big financial crisis in the coutry doesn't let sleep well. My choise of US is mostly because of language (among world languages English is the only I'm proficient in), uniformity of applications, availability to transfer credit and good reputation of education there.
A very important aspect - I can only get to study in a college or univesity, which can provide me full ride financially - with belarusian salaries and during the crisis my parents can barely cover my flight to US.
I study physics, I like it and I want to study physics in other place. My dream choice is loud MIT, not just because of reputation, but more because of its special atmosphere. As I got from their site, MIT encourages cooperation and not competition. And they actually do provide full rides, at least they promise need-blind admissions.</p>

<p>So what I have to offer?
In June 2010 I finished 11 years of school, graduating with GPA 8.4/10 (I was not interested in all subject and university entry is not very competitive in my country). Last year featured up to 12 and more hours of physics per week (partly inofficial electives) with direct preparation for physics Olympiads.
However, school featured about 5 years of biology and chemistry, 6 of physics. Due to some school reforms my graduating class formally didn't have calculus, but I did)
In 2010 I took absolute 1st place on Republic Physics Olympiad as individual (timed problem solving) and 1st place on Republic Young Physicists' Tournament (YPT) as team member (research-oriented report preparation over some months, which face oppositions on the Tournament itself). Last 2 quarters of school were almost skipped as well as the final exams. Physics defined my life then. In spring-summer I prepared to IPhO2010 and been an advisor for International YPT Team. IPhO2010 brought me a Gold Medal (I guess the top achievement of my life).
Then I entered university without any exams and still study there.</p>

<p>First semester grades (all out of 10, subject are not strict analogues of those in America):
Calculus 1 - 9
Linear Algebra - 10
Classical Mechanics - 10 (included a lab course with 10 again)
Programing 1 - 10
History of Belarus - 8</p>

<p>Second semester:
Calculus 2 - 10
Basics of Vector and Tensor Analysis - 10
Differential Equations 1 - pass (first half of the course)
Molecular Physics - 10 (included a lab course with 10 again)
Programing 2 - 10
English - 9</p>

<p>Third semester (currently taking):
Calculus 3 (complex variable functions)
Differential Equations 2
Theory of probability and mathematical statistics
Electricity and magnetism (lab course 10 already, hope to make the exam before the session)
Computer Simulation 1
Basics of Theory of Relativity</p>

<p>Forth Semester:
Methods of Mathematical Physics 1
Theoretical Mechanics 1
Basics of radioelectronics (with a lab course)
Optics (with a lab course)
Economics Theory (general course, not deeply specified)
Computer Simulation 2</p>

<p>Standartized testing:
TOEFL - 113 (october 2011)
SAT Subjects in Math 2 and Physics - took just last Saturday, need to designate the score recipients by the end of this week, that's one of the sources of hurry. I guess I've done rather well, not 100% perfect.
SAT I - for some reason December test day is not available, so my next chance to take it is January 28th if it wouldn't be too late.</p>

<p>Main extracurricular (consuming LOTS of time) - I am teaching physics olympiad preparation class in my former high school for second year now. Also I am for the second time on of the teamleaders of a Tournament team. Last year's results of my students:
5 students from 10th grade - 3rd place on Republic Tournament as a team, all 5 in top-10 on Republic Olympiad for individuals, they are damn talented guys.
2 students from 11th grade - one got a third diploma (15th place) on Republic Olympiad, the other got second diploma (7th place) and an IPhO2011 Bronze Medal.
This is a paid work (not really much but still) with rather open schedule typically taking from 4 hours per week up to 15 in days before the Tournament.
I've been in Juries of some low-level olympiads and Republic YPT 2010</p>

<p>Another one - publishing a webcomic called (surprise) 'Andrew's Weekly' on themes of science and personal life mix. Going for 2 years with roughly 320 strips online. I'm pretty serious on it.</p>

<p>For some (long) time I wrote amateur computer games using Game Maker. In fact only one made it to playable condition, the others were worktables for different programing techniques I discovered myself and through a small specialized forum. Later I used Game Maker to write about 10 simulators for YPT, this year I taught it to some of my students moving the programing responsibility to them.</p>

<p>Not doing sports more than just casual running on PE classes twice a week, not playing music, not participating in social clubs (not many of them around).</p>

<p>Three evaluations are from my computer simulations lector (I made individual tasks for him and got my 10s in programing without being examinated), my tensor analysis teacher and my mechanics and molecular physics lab teacher. The latter two actually have bachelors degrees, it turned out that other degreed professors know me personally much worse.
Btw, is it necessary for evaluators to write separate letters or it's mostly enough to fill the fields in Commonapp blank and MIT evaluation blank which contain some text evaluation?
Also I've asked for recommendation my high school counsellor - it would be submitted as part of school report or separately. She knows me both as school student in development from rebellious to rigorous and now she is my direct boss at school.</p>

<p>Essays? Being unfamiliar with US traditions on writing 'perfect ivy league essays' I'll try to produce something sweet, lots of.</p>

<p>===================================</p>

<p>These are basically all my traits. So tell me - do I have chances of admission to top US Universities (MIT, Cornell, Stanford)? Please give a few schools for which I have better chances. Remember - full ride grant/scholarship is the only way for me.
Thanks greatly for those who coped with the texts, and thanks twice to those who can give a piece of advice.</p>

2

<p>I’ve been sitting here for ten minutes now trying to figure out what I can offer you in terms of advice. The way I see it, the problem is probably going to be your English. It seems like your TOEFL scores are very good according to their website, although I don’t really know anything about it. But judging by this blog post, I think that your chances of writing essays that will be competitive for these schools are probably pretty slim. Please don’t think I’m trying to criticize you - I’m nowhere near this proficient in Spanish, and I’ve taken it for nearly seven years. However, you should keep in mind that other international students who are applying will be most likely be totally fluent. I’m not sure what other schools to tell you to look into - the truth is, US schools don’t offer the greatest financial aid, generally speaking, even to transfer students who are US citizens. If you need a full ride, I think you may have to lower your standards a great deal.</p>

<p>I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. I have a feeling you deserve better than what pitiful “advice” I just gave you, but I would just suggest doing more research and talking to people who are knowledgeable in your university’s administration.</p>

3

<p>andrewsweekly -</p>

<p>If you have not already done so, you need to read through everything (and I do indeed mean everything) at [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/) Then you need to make an appointment with the counselors at the advising center closest to where you live and study. [EducationUSA</a> - Find an Advising Center](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/centers.php?region=3#.TrlhOPQr2dB]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/centers.php?region=3#.TrlhOPQr2dB) These counselors are expert at helping students find good places to study in the US. They will be able to tell you which colleges and universities here have admitted students like you in the past few years and whether or not those students received any financial aid.</p>

<p>You also should spend some time in the International Students Forum. Look for posts by EducationUSAtips who is the official representative of EducationUSA here at CC, and posts by b@r!um who knows a lot about international financial aid issues.</p>

4

<p>113 TOEFL is actually out of 120. 29 Reading, 27 Listening, 27 Speaking and 30 Writing. The top universities at least proclaim that they need >100. So I guess I am rather ok with the test. Can’t say I’m fluent in speaking, but the only left way for me to improve English is to speak it, I think just handbooks won’t give me anymore. Sometimes I can find untranslated movies in English (that’s hard, who could think), I don’t usually ave proble,s watching them. Chances of speaking English are very narrow here - a random man in the street would be possibly uncapable of speaking. Out of my university mates I guess about 10 people out of 100 would be able to listen academic lectures in English. My latest big English-speaking was a 4-month TOEFL preparation course.
I’ve studied English for 11 years in school (first 8 were in language-specialized school, last 3 in physics-specialized with much worse English) plus 1 year in university for us to get familiar with physics terminology in English.</p>

<p>Considering the general application moments - I’ve been never burning with desire to take 768 extracurriculars to list them on college application (in my country university admissions in non-art specialties are based solely on grades and tests). I don’t see the point in writing all test by 100%. I know that 113 toefl is damn good, I guess Belarus record is 116. I don’t want to be a perfect spherical student in vacuum, that’s no fun. I have good grades in university because I studied subject I liked and did put some effort vefore those exams. I can’t say I enjoyed taking SAT and TOEFL, just maybe the preparation course.</p>

<p>Considering the essays - I read some examples on the net, and I don’t want to write a ‘Harvard essay’. There are some nice traits of me I’d like to show, that’s it. Writing ‘Harvard essays’ is a sort of business - and I don’t like business at all. Btw I won’t apply to exactly Harvard)</p>

<p>Come on, now tell me that I literally britally killed 1.5 years in high school doing ****ing 15+ hours of physics to get to the very top of the country, get a damn Gold Medal of IPhO and get a damn Special Prize personally from country’s President just for nothing?
That teaching high school students who literally get the same result in their years is also nothing? That I should better go do ‘lalala-charity’ to get in or I’ll stay in the stinking third-world state for my life?</p>

<p>Sorry, that was, well, a nervous cry.</p>

<p>About university’s administration. No earlier than last Friday I had an hour-long conversation with my vice dean. I understood that my university does not have official contacts with American universities, all my application to America is solely my initiative, the fact that I got my recommendation is purely my luck and their good personal attitude towards me, and that the only way I get College Official’s Report for application is that I write it myself, the vice dean just agrees, signs it, puts all my university papers into a stamped envelope and I don’t get anything else.
If I stay here, I would have chances to go for graduate study to Europe being send directly by a narrow academic department.</p>

<p>Sorry guys for many letters, I just need the advices badly and give as much info as I think could be useful.</p>

5

<p>Look, I’m not saying you won’t get in. I’m just saying that it will be very difficult and I don’t think you can count on aid from the top schools even if you are admitted. I also have exactly opposite academic interests from you, so I can’t really tell you what other schools to look at. A cursory internet search for “colleges with good physics departments” should at least give you a starting point, but I’m afraid I can’t be of any more help than that.</p>

6

<p>When I lived in Latin America I worked as a volunteer counselor at the local affiliate of EducationUSA. Yes it is a not-for-profit organization. That is because it is the belief of the people who work there that all students should have access to assistance with navigating the college application process. You do not have to go through this the hard way all on your own - unless of course you want to do that.</p>

<p>The simple truth is that there is very little scholarship money available for transfer students, and there is very little money available for international applicants. This means that even for the very best international transfer applicants, the chance of getting the kind of aid you need is vanishingly small. You need all the help you can get if you want to have a chance of succeeding in this process.</p>

<p>I know that you don’t want to wait until graduate school, but your best chance for studying in the US would be to do just that. There is a lot more money for international students at that level.</p>

7

<p>Well, thank you guys for the advices already given. I’ve contacted the nearest advising center - though it is not in Belarus, but in Lithuania, we’ll somehow arrange a phone or Skype talk and I’ll get some info from them.
Is there any other practical advice for me to do except for working on my essays and somehow getting more ready for SAT I? I think I can ask a few other professors to sign recommendations for me, but I’ll have to write the text actually myself. Donno if I should.
Taking extracurriculars just for college application is not my style, and I still have lots of work with my school and with my essays and other application papers.</p>

<p>I guess my best chances for full rides are the need-blind schools, somewhere on CC I got a list of only six colleges in the US which are need-blind for internationals. Of course if I am awesome enough to get in there.</p>

8

<p>Hi, Andrew,
Personally, I quite understand your feelings toward the transfer issue, we just can’t bear missing the chance. I can see from your statement that you are a really excellent student. I truly think admission officers in the American university will appreciate you. And only when you believe you can make it can you make it. Henry Ford is quite right, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right.”</p>

<p>As for the posioning, based on my knowledge so far about transfering , I suggest that you can apply universities of different levels, say, several ranking 1~20, several ranking 20~40, rather than just stick to MIT. Yes indeed, you are outstanding in Belarus, but there are also outstanding students from all over the world, and maybe by some stroke of luck they get admitted, so it is not available for you; or there maybe by some stroke of luck you get admitted, so it is not available for one who is as great as you. So, aim high, but also be practical. Moreover, even a university ranking 20th in America can also give us the world-class education. </p>

<p>I also suggest that you could show some “unique selling point” in your essays. For example, apart from your excellent academic abiliy, you could mention some of your unique personalities.</p>

<p>In terms of your finacial aid issue, I guess it is hard to get the full ride when you apply a school, but after you are admitted and begin your life there, you have many chances to get some paid campus jobs and get some scholorship from private funds.</p>

<p>Finally, I have a question, do you have any invention? I know a website where you can raise money for your brilliant ideas or creative inventions, just Google “Kickstarter”.</p>

<p>Believe in yourself, you know, a Chinese saying which means “But gold will glitter forever” in English. You are a gold, and you are bound to shine one day.</p>

<p>Best Regards,
Jane</p>

9

<p>Jane, thanks for your answer, it was sudden that someone found this thread again. Thanks once again for valuing my chances as positive.</p>

<p>For SAT Subjects I had to quickly choose universities to send scores. It was possibly a too brief search, but I sent to MIT, Stanford, Cornell and John Hopkins. Donno if I would apply to any other and order additional score reports for SAT 1. As an addition to my above profile I can now boast 800 on both SAT Math 2 and SAT Physics. Well, after my preparation plus 1.5 years in university tests were easy.</p>

<p>My unique selling point? Currently I like to show through my essays my interest in Young Physicists’ Tournament. To show how serious that is, I spent 30+ hours with my team this week, tomorrow they are playing the final of a local tournament with a couple more stages this year. This was probably the event which fascinated me, especially as a team player, not team leader. If my life is longly tied with that - why don’t I speak of that? The word limits are troubling me, but I’ll do smth. Last weeks were absolutely crazy with school, and semester is almost on its finishing burst. I’ve taken my first exam 2 months in advance)</p>

<p>Financial aid - universities won’t accept me until my tuition is somehow covered, so I simply will never show up on campus if I don’t get a scholarship.</p>

<p>I don’t have inventions - in fact I was risen in a society where initiatives are mostly punished - both buerocratically and mentally by other people. This is a hard country to develop something new and bright. 20 years after USSR didn’t change too much around.</p>

<p>Best regards, Andrew.</p>

10

<p>Somehow I recieved a notification email fo babyboom’s reply, but I don’t see it in the thread) However.</p>

<p>I am going to take SAT 1 on January 28th - the nearest available day. Previously I read MIT website, they say that either SAT OR TOEFL is required, but some places like Stanford want to see SAT only. I’ve done some (little) amount of practice tests in sat math (absolutely okay) and critical reading (more or less logic). As I’ve heard, sat essay wants me to remember as much weird words as possible. Donno how I’ll handle that.</p>

<p>Curriculum is different, but recently I’ve heard a number of stories how much americans really appreciate soviet style high education, and my is very soviet)</p>

<p>Finaid - well, that’s tough, all my hope is that MIT is still need-blind for intl transfers.</p>

<p>Thank you too for a comment.</p>