<p>Dear International students and our American friends,</p>
<p>How safe are foreign students at campus? And are really xenophobia absent in the USA?</p>
<p>I thought about it, because today the International student from Vietnam, who was very talented in technical studies, was cruelly killed in Saint-Petersburg (Russia), only because he was Asian.</p>
<p>International students are just as safe in the US as any other student. Foreign students are very common in the US. Bad things can happen if you spend a lot of time in bad neighborhoods, but it won't be because you are international The chance of someone harming you because you are from another country is very, very low.</p>
<p>I agree with coureur</p>
<p>I am not a US citizen but I have relatives in California so I have visited many times. I have never felt at risk of crime in any way and don't think that you, as an international student, will be at higher risk of crime than any other student.</p>
<p>The situation that you described in Russia is very different. The US is a much more ethnically diverse and tolerant society plus it does not suffer from the social and economic problems which blight Russia (and thus increas the crime rate there) at this time.</p>
<p>In Russia it's common to kill the so-called "black" men. By the way where are you, cupcake?</p>
<p>Hey, coureur, I can pay about 100$ for MIT or Harvard! Do you think I have slight chance to be aided?</p>
<p>Yes, if you are admitted and have only $100, your chances of qualifying for financial at Harvard is very high. I'm less certain about what MIT's policies are for aid for foreign students.</p>
<p>I read at MIT web site that it meets full demonstrated nedd of international student. Isn't it only words or no I don't know.</p>
<p>Another question, coureur. Why do you consider American school system is better than Russian?</p>
<p>I do not consider the American school system better than the Russian. I've never been to Russia, so I don't know enough about the Russian school system to judge it one way or the other.</p>
<p>The point I disagreed with you earlier on was whether the US system was so bad. I didn't say anything about the Russian schools. I still wonder why someone who believes that the US is a terrible place and that it has bad schools would want to come and attend school here. Do you not see the the inconsistency of that? It doesn't make any sense. Logic would suggest that you should want to go to a good country that has good people and excellent schools. </p>
<p>Now I understand that you are quite young, but even so I think you know that the large majority of people on CC are Americans. It is an American website. If you start off in your first posts by trashing America and insulting Americans, how can you then expect them help you and answer your many questions? Would you be eager to help someone who started off by insulting Russia and the Russians?</p>
<p>If you really do want to attend college in the US, you will need the approval and assistance of many Americans along the way - not necessarily here on CC (although that might help), but at the schools to which you apply, at the US State Department, at the border, in the town in which you will live, and especially at the final college itself. Keeping that in mind should help you remember to speak and behave as a welcome guest and not as a rude person full of quick insults.</p>
<p>Perhaps, you're right about my insults, but I was very dissapointed with the unfairness toward international school system. We have stronger curriculum, but not as flexible as in the USA, we have many interdisciplinary generous knowledge, but our school work for group, yours for individuals. Our schools are not so good funded for research, EC and so on. It's uncommon for Russia. But I'm sure the disadvantages of my school will hurt my chances crucially, and advantages will not be taken into account.</p>
<p>Why am I sure? I even don't know, I only realize it by my inside. I just want to see this your famous world. That's my dream. How tragic it's that this dream will never "be really" (bad word, but I don't know how to translate rightly).</p>
<p>Greenstorm, Coureur is giving you good advice --- In reading your comments here and in other threads, you are coming close to violating the terms of service agreement of college confidential which requires all posters to treat others with respect here. While polite disagreements are always welcome here, insults are not and can and will get you banned from posting. Keep that in mind.
- College Confidential Moderator Skyhawk</p>
<p>Greenstorm -</p>
<p>I think you are not giving the admissions people enoough credit. You are very focused on Harvard and MIT. The admissions committee at both of those schools have admitted thousands of international students over the years, including many from Russia. I think they will have a better idea about the Russian school system than you think.</p>
<p>You will not be judged by what sorts of ECs you had compared to Americans. No one expects you to be captain of the baseball team if no one is Russia plays baseball. They know that your opportunities are different. You will be judged based on how well you took advantage of the opportunities you DID have. Harvard and the other top US schools are looking for students that go beyond ordinary good grades and test scores. If they considered only grades and test scores they could easily fill up the entire class with look-alike robots who have perfect grades and scores, and they would still have to turn more of them away. And Harvard would not be nearly such a rich learning environment with only these grade robots enrolled. And how would they choose which perfect robot to accept and which to turn away? That's why they must consider something beyond grades.</p>
<p>You have some other misconceptions. In another thread you said:</p>
<p>"I'm not sure about MIT, but Harvard, Princeton, LAC's and Yale don't look for true intellectual persons. They admit only leaders, athlets, gregarious, even garrulous ones."</p>
<p>I can tell you from my experience that this is simply not true. My daughter was admitted to both Harvard and MIT and is currently a freshman at Harvard. And she is NONE of the things you describe, and neither is her roommate at Harvard. Some Harvard students were leaders in high school and some were athletes, but many more were not. What they all were was very, very smart, often the very top student in their high school and among the top in their city or area And they all offered something extra, some extra effort or achievement, to enrich the experience and learning environment at the school.</p>
<p>So let's talk about you. To begin with, you should strive to be a very good student with outstanding grades and test scores. They don't have to be perfect, but they must be very good. But beyond that there must be something else you can contribute to the school. One of the things you can contribute without even trying is being Russian. In an effort to avoid being a school full of look-alike robots, schools are always looking for diversity - they like to enroll many different types of students. And being Russian is a form of diversity that very few other applicants will offer. So that's one thing in your favor. </p>
<p>And even though your school may not offer ECs like American high schools there must be something else you do and enjoy that you can explain to the committee. Perhaps it is art. Perhaps it is writing poetry, Perhaps it is bird watching. It can be almost ANYTHING. The point is that it is something that you do and excel at because you love it and naturally want to make the most of it. And when you write about it on the application, write it in such a way that it reveals something deeper about you, some aspect of your character. Those are the kinds of ECs any student in any country can do, and they are what the schools are looking for.</p>
<p>Finally, You need to look beyond Harvard and MIT. I know those are the among the most famous US schools, but there are over 3500 colleges in America, nearly all of which offer a fine education. Go ahead and shoot for Harvard, but develop a list of other schools too. You don't need to be at Harvard to "see our famous world" as you put it. You can see and experience America from any college. And among all these colleges there must be many that will accept you and at which you can get a great education.</p>
<p>Skyhawk -
Thank you for your message. Yes, I understand it, and I will be polite next time. Sometimes, the people undestand me wrongly, sometimes imperfect knowledge of English don't let me polite and persuasive. I'd like to say "excuse me" those people I treated with some disrespect.</p>
<p>Coureur -
That's really good and wise advice. I'd like to answer you. first of all, I hope you're right about acquaintance with Russian system, it's better than I thought.</p>
<p>About focusing... I focuse only on Harvard and MIT, because of my poor, very poor family, and only they can give me finaid. I can (with my family) contribute only $100 to the tuition. </p>
<p>As to say about leaders and athletes... I want to give you this citation of some guy from this discussion:</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>To go to Harvard you need to demonstrate one of three things 1. High intelligence 2. Extreme abilities in leadership(!) 3. Having well established connections prior to your application<< I also read that the best ECs are active ECs, with some social contribution. For me, it's impossible.</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>About me.. also, it's hard for me to write beautifully - I'm math person, to solve integrals and logarithms is easier for me. As I see and read, Harvard search for people with "perfect expression of one's thoughts", but not everybody loves literature and is humanitarian.</p>
<p>Now, I'm looking for understanding.</p>
<p>Thanx, again, coureur.</p>
<p>Ok... </p>
<p>First of all, there are different Russian schools but if you're in a good one, you get a quality education! Yes, it's different from the US. And it's different from Sweden... ect. But, for instance, in math, we (in Sweden) are a couple of years (!) behind you. The Russian system is only 11 years (no?), so, you'll be younger when you graduate but overall, don't worry about the quality of the education you're getting. </p>
<p>I agree with most of what Coureur writes but I do believe Harvard, Yale etc. are looking for leaders, they are looking for people with a passion. GreenStrom, it seems that your passion is math. That's great! Now, tell THEM that!!</p>
<p>And TELLING is the biggest problem, Ria. I don't know how. Many can write an "unique spin" and so on, but in Russia we don't write essays and something like that.
About 11 year school, you're right. But I never thought thus Russian school easier, vice versa - stronger. We take the curriculum in lees years, it's mor difficult.
For example, SAT II Subject tests are quite easy, but I cannot take them perfectly, because of English language. If they are in Russian, I can take the perfectly already in 9 class. </p>
<p>Thanx, Ria.</p>
<p>p.s. the programmers of provincial Saint-Petersburg State University take the 1 rank, having won Harvard's ones, in the International Computer Science Olympiad of students.</p>
<p>Well, you can look around this site and find examples of essays students have written. You can also check out this link: <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/article/0,,5-26-0-9406,00.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeboard.com/article/0,,5-26-0-9406,00.html</a> </p>
<p>I'm sure you'll be fine!</p>
<p>I'm from England. </p>
<p>I found this site when I was thinking about applying for a PhD in the US. Ultimately I decided not to do this but I still found this site very helpful.</p>
<p>Greenstorm - The school system in my country is also very different from the US system. Ecs aren't really considered here in anyway and yes, that would have made the application process very difficult for me too. However, if you want to study in another country to have to accept that things will be different. I know it must be harder for you because English is not your first language, and I have every respect for anyone who can study in a foreign language because that must be so difficult. However, in order to cope day-by-day in the US the colleges need to know that your English is excellent, so of course you have to take SATs in English. I don't think anyone here is putting you down or criticising the Russian school system. They are only trying to help you. Being friendly.</p>
<p>Hello cupcake! I very appreciate you and your messages, I very respect Englishmen and English educational system, this is really good system. As I know, like Russia and unlike USA, England welcomes knowledge, intelligence, not these leadership and ECs. </p>
<p>Recently, I watched American movie about American schools. After watching this movie, I began to realize that they (american schoolboys and -girls) don't study at all, but spend time on their ECs.</p>
<p>Another... It's very hard in Russia to prepare for SAT, now I have not anything to read about SAT IIs. I can't even imagine what I will be tested.</p>
<p>WRITE, people. I appreciate avery opinion, every word you wnat to say me and each other. WRITE!</p>
<p>GreenStorm: Check out <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com%5B/url%5D">www.collegeboard.com</a>. They have some prep material so you won't be totally clueless about what the test is about. Searching google might also give you some helpful sites.</p>
<p>About the whole education thing...I moved from Russia in the middle of 8 grade. Yeah it's true that overall Russian school system is a lot more challenging, in US you can concentrate more on the subjects that you want to pursue later on. Of course you're required to take four years of English in high school, but other than that you're pretty much free to choose which classes you want or need, unlike in many other countries. The pace is rather slow, but still doesn't mean you're stupider than anyone else by the end of school if you tried your best.</p>
<p>Greenstorm - I don't think you should believe everything you see in movies. </p>
<p>Please don't take this the wrong way but why do you want to study in the US anyway?</p>
<p>Greenstorm, I recently watched a movie that made it appear that all Russians were still fighting the revolution. It was called "Dr. Zhivagho." Don't believe everything you see in movies. :)</p>
<p>And, do look beyond MIT and Harvard. Contrary to what you may think, there are other schools out there looking for international students who are willing to provide financial aid. In fact, I recently read a report in an education journal discussing the problems U.S. colleges are having attracting international students these days because so many have unrealistic fears about how they will be treated. The article noted that colleges highly VALUE international students for the different perspectives and diversity they can bring to campus. The article had many quotes from US professors talking about how smart international students were and how the current problems with recruiting them were affecting their research and teaching efforts. </p>
<p>So, don't worry. If you have the "intellectual" goods, you will be welcomed in the US.</p>