<p>Hey everyone ! Well , I<code>m an Indian student . Currently in class 11 . Well , thing is , I messed up my cgpa in 10th . Messed it up REAL bad . It was about 6.6 . Yeah , I know , how can one hope for Princeton , with a 6.6 ? I know you</code>ll probably tell me about the teeming thousands who get rejected every year witha perfect gpa . And yet , I hope . So.....my grades in 11th are pretty great so far . Got a 92 percent first term . And my EC<code>s are pretty good too . I have a book of short stories published ,won a few writing competetions , and I</code>m giving the SAT Reasoning in Jan . I expect around a 2300 . I think my essays and Rec<code>s should be pretty good , except for the Counsellor Rec , because she dosent know me . And yes , some very potent reasons exist for my poor performnce in the first two years . Ones I cannot mention here .
Oh yes , I</code>ve also played classical guitar for 6 years , attended workshops with maestros every summer vacation , won a few prizes within school , and inter-school competetions , MUN 10th and 11th , ( Best Delegate ) I<code>m Editor of the school magazine , school choir , school band and I</code>ve volunteered at Humana People to People , an NGO , I have around 300 hours there .</p>
<p>So , in conclusion , what hope lies for me int his pool of delirium ? I know I messed up earlier , how can I make it better ?</p>
<p>what subjects do you have in 11th? and what major do you want to pursue?
Also 1 thing let me tell you… College admissions and especially Ives are something no one can predict its totally on the AdCom’s … But your 10th marks are disappointing but on the other hand your 11th grades seem really well and if you do well in SAT then you could stand a chance but who knows…
Remember one thing nothing is impossible that also includes into Princeton with a 6.6 CGPA!
All the best! :)</p>
<p>If you’re so confident that you can explain away your bad grades, then why are you asking us? Is this another one of those “PLEASE, tell me I can get into the Ivies, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE” threads? There seem to be a lot of those around here. Even with a high GPA and all those “pretty good” ECs, there’s a high chance you WON’T get in to the Ivies. Can you not see that?</p>
<p>Thanks Crystal !Well , I have humanities with Math and Eco , and I`m yet unsure of what major I want to pursue , because my interests are very diverse . For example , Linguistics , particularly Etymology has always interested me greatly, but I also love Sociology . Preferably something that combines the two , which seems near- impossible .</p>
<p>thanks. That’s the 3rd time I’ve heard that on CC for telling the honest, undiluted truth. Don’t worry, you’re going to be singing the same tune after you’ve applied. You need to go through the US admissions process once to see what it consists of.</p>
<p>I think you need to read about Ivy league and education. These are two different things. You need to ask yourself whether you are interested in getting good education, then there are plenty of options in addition to Ivies. But if you are just bound by the Prestige then you should be mentally prepared that as an International you are one among the thousands of equally qualified candidates. And your chances are as good or as slim as the next applicants. At the end of the day it is a lottery. No one here or admission office can tell you for sure. Your best bet would to find your best fit in terms of SATs, GPA, Rigor, location, size, strength of program, fee… And you will surprised at the long list of colleges you will come up with once you have done this exercise.</p>
<p>In the meantime you can read he following as it does make for an interesting read.</p>
<p>@ anialways : Thanks , this was very helpful . I guess I do need to get over the prestige factor , but it<code>s hard , especially since there</code>s so many cousins of mine aspiring for the ivies .</p>
<p>You are very welcome. I totally understand where you are coming from. The pressure from parents, school, peers, family and friends in form of both push and expectations is tremendous. But the need for parents and family is to put things in perspective. I, for one, believe that we all will flourish in an environment that is a best fit. If you live in a metro in India and have travelled to US and Uk, the big cities, you will understand what I am saying. </p>
<p>And you should aspire to get in one like your cousins. But how many will get in and then be happy there, that is a separate discussion. It is like my engineer niece once said to me when I asked what is all this hoopla about IITs is, 'mausi, the IITs are a different breed of people. I don’t think I will fit in because I like to enjoy my life and want to do things other than studying 24/7." Let me say it is her opinion before people reading this take offense to that statement.</p>
<p>I remember a friend’s father shocked reaction, who went to settle his son at UIUC from Gurgaon, and had not participated in the whole admissions process, " OH my God son, how are you going to live here, this place is so dead." the parents were just glad that he got into the top 5 engineering programs. Of course he did very well there and is now enrolled in an MTech program in an Ivy in NY.</p>
<p>But it can become a struggle to adjust. And trust me, freshman year, even after careful and well thought out selection can be very challenging period. Been there as a Parent, and D did have a rough first year. But because it was her dream school, her choice and so the responsibility to figure and fix also became hers and she took it willingly. Hope this will help you broaden your horizons and also allow you to understand the college list has to be yours and yours alone. Of course your family needs to be your guide and have and should agree with your choices. After all they are going to finance your education but you are the one who is going to get that degree and therefore it is of utmost importance that you make a well-informed and well-researched decision. And wouldn’t it be nice if the parents are involved in it as passionately.</p>
<p>So I wish you all the best. And if it is an Ivy League College you want, pray you get it and flourish there.</p>