<p>Another point I’m trying to make, and probably the most important of all. If other people from your school are applying to the US, you’ll notice that great acceptances isn’t proportional to academic merit at all. </p>
<p>No offence, but people do internships at their dad’s company and it reads big on your application.
Last year, I know two people who got into Cornell - one with a 2200 and one with a 2000. They had, and I enunciate, ZERO life experiences/awards/ECs. The one with a 2000 had even less than the one with a 2200. Both could pay. Both got in. Their integrity is questionable.
The class topper from our school last year also had a 2200 - SAT wasn’t his thing. He had substantial achievements/awards/ECs and was an amazing personality. Waitlisted Yale, Dartmouth. Accepted Colgate. He asked for aid.
The other class topper I already mentioned. 2310. 17 colleges. 3 Ivy waitlist. 2 other waitlists. 1 acceptance: Colgate. He needed 90% aid.
Another guy. 2230 in SAT (after 5!?!? attempts), superscored. Berkeley. No achievements no nothing. Total loser. No aid.</p>
<p>The only people who did get fair treatment more or less was a 2330 to Princeton, who deserved it, and a 2310 to Brown, who really deserved it.</p>
<p>That’s all I can say, really. Acceptance proportional to money. Sucks, really.</p>
<p>Like every other thing on this planet involving even the slightest hint of money, college is a business man.</p>
<p>Picture this:</p>
<ol>
<li>2300 SAT scorer, top 5%, good ECs etc etc can pay full</li>
<li>2350 SAT, top 5%, a little better ECs than #1</li>
</ol>
<p>They’ll accept #1 since #2 is not worth the cash that they need to shell out to get him in.</p>
<p>Well if you’re an esconie + you need then it’s a whole different thing altogether. </p>
<p>Anyway, forget the rambling, all I’m trying to say is that you need to be super-exceptional if you expect aid. Being a big fish in a small pond really doesn’t help much.</p>
<p>@aniruddh:
It’s MUCH worse. trust me. It’s MUCH worse.
People have equated asking for full aid to a 250 point rise in SAT score.
International ECs dont matter as much to them, btw.
Essays matter a whole lot more.</p>
<p>Esconie got into MIT, if im not wrong. MIT has a totally different admissions process. They look for esconie-like people.
In fact, zaphod has quite a chance at MIT to be honest. His chances there beat his chances at all the Ivies.</p>
<p>esconie…is at a completely different level
from what i can get, she was the type of person who was meant to be at a place like MIT (and i’m not going just by her stats)</p>
<p>and i just want a great education with lots of opportunities to do stuff that i can’t do here…i don’t really care whether the college i’m going to is placed at a high rank or whether it is a ivy or not</p>
<p>i seriously have had enough with this ranking system during my class 12…really tired of it (ask your friends who are looking for indian colleges through aieee)</p>
<p>and these rankings don’t serve any great purpose either…mostly they will either give you a false sense of security or insecurity depending on your position</p>
<p>i am thankful to all you people here for giving me your time…
all the best to you all in your app process</p>
<p>If rankings aren’t a problem, I’d suggest Colgate. The people I know there are very happy with their education and getting a substantial amount of aid (paying $2000 a year). In terms of career placements and salary, it’s amazing. Give it a shot.</p>
<p>You fit the MIT bill well. That’s all I’m saying. IIT people fit the MIT bill usually. :D</p>
<p>So you’re comparing people’s SAT scores and coming to the conclusion that they got into schools only because they could pay. </p>
<p>You’re wrong, for many reasons. I know people with nice 2300 in the SATs and decent amount of extra-curriculars who needed aid and did not get in. It is not because they couldn’t pay, it is because they are generally the kota type, they would be completely out of place at an ivy league school. They’re looking for smart people who will become leaders in some field. Also, The full pay people they accept have generally used their access to extra opportunities (as apart from just being able to pay). They’re not looking for diamonds in the rough, they’re looking for diamonds.</p>
<p>Secondly, if you think they’re making a profit by taking fees from you, you’re wrong. The amount of money Princeton and Brown (can’t say for others) spend on every student through 4 years is roughly 4 times the full tuition (800,000$), they make it back when professors bring in grants and through gigantic alumni donations (there are 4 classes in college at a time, but about 50 graduated classes which donate every year).</p>
<p>At some places, like Brown, Penn, Columbia, financial aid for internationals is limited. But they still take who they want and give them what they need. But it may mean that foreign students will only make up a certain percentage of the class (which is about 12-13% at those colleges anyway). At HYPD, they’re need blind and that’s true. </p>
<p>If your acquaintances didn’t get in, they didn’t deserve it.</p>
<p>Kota type = Kota products = Students who study at places like Bansal Classes away from their parents for two years; are grilled by the teachers day and night and get into IIT somehow.</p>
<p>They work that figure in on letters to parents, financial aid thank you letters etc. etc.</p>
<p>They constantly like to remind you that they’re spending close to 4 times the full tuition on your education so that in a few years you have it drilled into your head that you have to donate money to them after you graduate. They don’t really say 800k, but they say 4 times the full tuition which could also mean 160k X 4 = 640k (because tuition is 160k not 200k).</p>
<p>Okay, guitarclassical, I wasn’t aware of the amount they get from alumni donations so I will not comment.</p>
<p>However, what I will say is that the people I’m talking about aren’t acquaintances. They are my seniors. And we know exactly who’s a leader and who’s a nincompoop, who’s smart and who just got a high sat score by fluke. These are things we, as their juniors, know. With the aid factor, the whole process was flipped on its head. We had two admits to Brown. One who sweated a major portion of his behind off to get in, with a very good amount of aid, and the other with a 2250 and some cash.</p>
<p>That being said, about HYPD, I’m sure they probably are need-blind and you need class to get in. Point taken.</p>