On this whole international pool is competitive thing

Applying to College
1

<p>So it is general knowledge here on CC that if you are an international then competition is stiff for the Top schools in the US, so my question is, comparatively then, are international candidates who are accepted stronger, the same as, or weaker than their American counterparts. In one sense, it would seem as though the fact that since the pool is so competitive that of course these international superstars would put us Americans to shame academically and in ECs. But then I think an argument might be made for the rigor of American Education in specific instances. On the whole American Education is pretty bad, but for those high achieving students, the system truly does help them in the sense that American education puts less emphasis on rote memorization which I know for sure in India is the primary method of learning.</p>

<p>So I guess my question is, is the quality of an international accepted to Yale, the same as an accepted kid from Pennsylvania?</p>

2

<p>As a student at an international school that sends lots of people to top schools in America every year, I can tell you that, on the whole, the people from my school who get into Yale, Princeton, and the like are almost the same as their American peers, only with slightly lower SAT scores and less ECs.</p>

<p>But this varies from region to region, I feel. The competition in India, Korea, and other populous countries with many high-achieving students is probably much stiffer.</p>

3

<p>“So I guess my question is, is the quality of an international accepted to Yale, the same as an accepted kid from Pennsylvania?”</p>

<p>Yes.</p>

<p>If your question were “Is the quality of an international awarded a full scholarship to Never-heard-of-it-before-U the same as that of the average local student admitted there?” The answer could be different.</p>