<p>I am prospective applicant looking to do economics... And I am applying to top ones. And I am looking for aid... The only problem- I have bad transcripts. Very bad indeed.....</p>
<p>At the same time my EC's are pretty decent. Though they don't show me as well rounded.. Most of it has to do with economics and research and most of them are connected to academics in economics... BTW I have passed out of school last year and I am currently doing my BA in economics...</p>
<p>So please let me know- do the top schools have a history albeit small one of accepting students from India with bad scores?? I have come across some though..</p>
<p>How bad is very bad? If you have amazing ECs and you really wanna go, ask your counselor to write a letter about how you faced difficulties in HS. Just don’t let them think that your grades fell because you were lazy. Good ECs will outweigh low grades if you are able to justify them.</p>
<p>They are really bad… Especially the 11th ones… Overall I got in early 60’s in 11th!</p>
<p>Yeah I guess I’ll ask her to write about this in the evaluation. And I really wanna go… In a way I am suffering at college here. Can’t choose the courses you want to learn, can’t wear whatever you want to… Can’t choose your own majors… So I really want to get out… And since I am interested in doing research even that here is non existent…</p>
<p>So Karan which all colleges you applying to??</p>
<p>you mean the school application fee waiver?
pretty simple. just get your general counselor and tell her to request a fee waiver for you based on your current financial condition. just an application would do.</p>
<p>@karan- the letter you were talking about me telling the counselor about me… can she incorporate it in the evaluation she’s supposed to do about me in commonapp??</p>
<p>If you scored in early 60s in any of the four high school years, you can eliminate the following: Ivys, MIT, Stanford, JHU, Amherst, Colby, Williams. </p>
<p>MIT and the Ivies are COMPLETELY out of the question. Even if you were to cure cancer and aids and find the last digit for pi, you’d still struggle to get in. I might sound like an ass, but these are the facts.</p>
<p>Colby and Amherst should be low reaches/ high matches. I can’t really say for sure because there are too many missing variables. The ivies and other top schools are definitely out of reach, now.</p>
<p>My scores are in early 80s and that is considered a good score here. A lot of people score in the 60s too. Is it that bad? I mean there is only a 20 mark difference and I know quite a lot of people who are prepping for the competitive exams and score in the 60s. They are all pretty smart. A 60 doesn’t make someone dumb. So colleges shouldn’t outright reject applicants whose marks are a little low. And if the person is a spectacular guitar player/sportsperson/genius, shouldn’t more emphasis be placed on their non-academic talents.</p>
<p>Karan, I’m aware. However, the schools that we’re talking about get students with 2400 SAT Scores and 4.0 GPAs. Not one or two, but hundreds, if not thousands. Often, these perfected applicants don’t get in. And these GPAs are cumulative i.e over the last 4 years, starting from 9th grade. Of course, there are a host of other factors that need to be taken into account like Extra Curriculars and Reccos. But, these numbers do have a whole lot of importance. It’s not that it’s completely out of the question, it’s just that it’ll be extremely unlikely. From the ivies, you might have a shot with not HYP schools. MASSIVE emphasis on the might. MIT, HYP are definitely huge no’s. There are many other great schools out there, don’t just go after the big names. </p>
<p>Also, colleges(especially the ones you want to go to) will always put more emphasis on academic than extra curriculars. They should look at you as a whole person, but they don’t. It’s as simple as that.</p>
<p>Yup, the admissions process is flawed indeed. Not that India’s system in any better, where your whole life hangs on one exam.
But I’ll still apply to the Ivies and the rest. If they don’t want me, their loss. And ph34k you still have a good chance at many non-HYPMS colleges. All the best for the admissions process. And ask your counselor to write a good letter. That’ll help a bit. Good luck</p>
<p>I’d recommend applying to them. But, not JUST them. They’re massive reaches. Go after other schools and try the HYPMS schools as well. Who knows? They just might be looking for someone who’s not pedantic and boring, someone like you.</p>
<p>You’re talking about 60s as a bad thing. I have a 30 and a 40 in my 12th boards, and yep, I’m going for Cornell, Columbia and MIT. Not Caltech, cuz they won’t consider these scores no matter what, but if you DO have a valid reason for your scores, if you can show you can handle the workload through your SAT IIs or other courses, and if you can write an impressive application, the numbers will not kill you.</p>
<p>I’m not saying any of these schools will accept me, or even read my application twice. I’ll probably not even get through UCSB, which is one of my top 3 choices. It’s just that there’s a difference between a low-scorer and a dumb kid, and you can prove that your school record isn’t an accurate reflection.</p>