<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>