<p>chances for a South Korean who's studying currently in Canada getting into MIT, Harvard, Caltech, etc.? I will also need financial aid.</p>
<p>By chances, I mean if that puts me either at an advantage or disadvantage. I put stats up about a week ago, but don't wanna post them again. =P</p>
<p>Thanks everyone</p>
<p>disadvantage cos your intel.
I can't remember the names of the colleges but those colleges are need blind to canadian citizens.. so if you have canadian residency, i'd say you have a much better chance than most of intels here who need fin aid.</p>
<p>no i don't have canadian residency =( </p>
<p>lol w/e. i guess i'll just have to work harder.</p>
<p>I don't think Caltech has financial aid offered to int'l. Check again.
Where is your stat? I did not see that =P</p>
<p>I just copied and pasted from my post be4.</p>
<p>I am going into gr. 11 in Alberta, Canada, and I wish to go to one of the ivy league schools (especially Harvard, Princeton, Yale) or MIT, MIT being my first choice.</p>
<p>I've never taken SATs or anything before, so I know it'd be hard to tell me accurately about my chances to these schools, but I just want to know if I am on the right track.</p>
<p>Well, some trivial information about me. I am an international student, meaning I am not a landed immigrant here. I came here from South Korea in November 2000. </p>
<p>These are my "stats". (Reasons why I am stating whether my marks were the highest or not is so that you know the level of the schools I attended/am attending)</p>
<p>Gr. 9 (junior high)
* Academics * (honours classes)
English: 96 (highest in the grade)
Social: 96 (highest in the grade)
Math: 100 (highest in the grade)
Science: 99 (highest in the grade)
Music: 95 (highest in the grade)
Art: 97 (highest in the grade)
Religion/Health: 99
Gym: 86 (highest mark in the grade was 87)</p>
<p>Rank: 1/ about 200 ...not too sure</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Extra-curricular *
School honour band
School jazz band
School basketball team
Science Olympics team
AC classes (Academic Challenge classes, in which students who were in top 98% percentile on a standardized test did independent studies....but the classes were really a joke, cuz it was so poorly organized)
Invited to Regional Math Camp at the University of Alberta (August 2004)</p></li>
<li><p>Awards *
6 school awards, but i don't think they are worth mentioning individually since universities probably don't care about school awards.
2nd place overall in Edmonton Junior High Math Contest
2nd place overall in city science olympics team.
4th place in North America in Kumon Math Challenge</p></li>
</ul>
<p>In the summer, I had to take French 10 because my high school requires that students take French. I tried to take French in junior high, they thought since I had been in Canada for only one year, I couldn't handle a third language. Oh, I got 96 in summer school, which was the highest mark in the class.</p>
<p>Gr. 10 (High School)
- Some facts about my high school: Old Scona Academic High School
+ It is an IB school
+ It is ranked #1 in Alberta, and one of the top schools in Canada. Also I hear rumors that it is #7 IB school in North America. Considering that our school IB average is around 5.4, I believe it.
+ We have to write an entrance exam and get teacher rec to get into the school.
+ Unfortunately, it is only academically inclined and is very poor in extracurricular activities. There are very few clubs, and most are dead. Our sports team is not good at all, because the school is full of nerds. </p>
<ul>
<li>Academics *
English 80 (my english teacher is notorious for giving really low marks...the highest mark in our grade who had her as the teacher got 81, so yeah... Most people got 70s)</li>
</ul>
<p>Social 88 (Social is my worst subject, compared to other students. But I think I can do better next year, since all tests next year will be essays and I generally do better on essay exams)</p>
<p>Science 10: 95 (highest mark in the grade)
Math 20: 100 (highest mark in the grade. Math 20 is like gr. 11 math. In our school, many students come from some academic junior high, where they learn gr. 10 stuff in gr. 9. Unfortunately I didn't go this school, but I got lucky enough to get into Math 20 without taking math 10)</p>
<p>French 20: 96 (highest mark in the grade)
Art 10: 97
Instrumental Music 10: 92
Biology 15B: 96 (highest mark in the grade)
Chemistry 25B: 98 (highest mark in the grade)
Career & Life Management: 97
Debate: 96
Physical Education 10: 90</p>
<p>Rank: either 1 or 2 / 100 students</p>
<ul>
<li><p>ECs *
Debate club
School basketball team
Math club (becoming president next year)
School drama production orchestra
Science Olympics
Volunteering at Canadian Blood Services
Working at Canadian Tire (20hrs/week) for the summer</p></li>
<li><p>Awards *
5 school subject awards
Alberta High School Math Competition (Top 50, which qualified me for part 2)
Canadian Open Mathematics Competition (Top 25%)
Gr. 12 Euclid Math Competition (Top 25%)
Gr. 11 Fermat Math Competition (Silver Medal)
Gr. 11 Hypatia math competition (Top 25%)
Michael Smith Challenge (1st in Alberta)
Science Olympics (2nd in city)</p></li>
</ul>
<p>we got somethings in common.</p>
<p>I am also a South Korean int'l student. Well, actually, i am not an int'l student, but admission people consider me as an international student.</p>
<p>Unfortuately for us, MIT does not like int'l students and is harder for int'l to get in (about 3 times harder by statistics). Harvard is a little bit better.</p>
<p>Seems that you are "on tract" for any of the school you mentioned (besides the fact that you are an int'l student, but you cant help it).</p>
<p>I especially like your achievement in mathematics. Keep up the good work.</p>
<p>You still have 1 more year to prepare, and your stats are pretty good, I like your Math and same-time jazz band stuff, it's awesome! Keep up the good work and you're a shoe-in. Good SAT scores and essays will bring in you in every school you apply to ;)</p>
<p>Interesting, I'm also from Alberta, but I'm going on to grade 12 next year, so it's crunch time for me. (My stats are terrifyingly similar to yours) MIT and Harvard are need blind to people who either have a permanent residency or citizenship in Canada. I had a friend who applied to MIT last year and was wait listed. He ranked 2nd in Canada in Physics and top 10 in Math competitions, he was part of the Physics Olympiad team that travelled coincedentally to Soul last year. He had amazing contest scores but his SAT scores were sub-par, same goes with his school marks. My interpretation is MIT look for people who are "Book Smart" while Harvard has a more holistic admittance criterion. So I hope that puts things into better perspective for you.</p>
<p>I have similar math achievements, and I think you should try for the AMC 12 next year, it's a great contest and for you an invitation to the AIME should be trivial. If you qualify for the USAMO, your chances will be increased drastically. </p>
<p>My one advice for you is to find a passion, and pursue it.</p>
<p>P.S. I apologize for the lack of structure and organization in this post, it's really late here X_X.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>ultimatemath
Haha, it's nice to meet a South Korean =) Thanks a lot for your input, and good luck to you!</p></li>
<li><p>jaah
Thanks for your input also! I actually didn't join Jazz Band in gr. 10 cuz it was after school on friday =P. I was still in instrumental band though hahah. Do you think I should join jazz band in gr. 11?</p></li>
<li><p>ragingmen
Greetings, Albertan! I've heard of the person you are talking about, but I won't reveal his name =P Wow I am surprised he was waitlisted, I thought Olympiad results almost guaranteed admission to MIT. I guess not. Yeah, I am going to ask my math contest coordinator to let me write AMC this year. Our school didn't write AMC last year, and I shall try to convince him =) Darn, I am not a citizen in Canada, ahhah so I guess they won't be needblind towards me =( Anyway, thanks for replying! =D</p></li>
</ul>
<p>ragingmen, MIT and Harvard are needblind to ALL applicants, including internationals :)</p>
<p>er, so are Princeton and Yale..</p>
<p>At MIT the acceptance for us (intl) is 5 %. I think SATs aren't so important. if you have olimpiads or your own researches (for example scientific) you will be accepted , i think.
And of course teacher evaluations and essays are also important.</p>
<p>lol 5% is really....competitive. =S </p>
<p>but good to hear that MIT is needblind to ALL applicants =D</p>
<p>
[quote]
lol 5% is really....competitive. =S
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Not really competitive.......insanely competitive.</p>
<p>The regular, doemstic, citizenship/perminant acceptance rate is 15% (hence, I mentioned that it is "3 times" harder).</p>
<p>But remember, all sorts of people apply to MIT; most applicants are not as smart as some of people at this forum.</p>
<p>However, for international applicants, they are just insanely good. Someone that is international and confident about himself to apply to MIT must have a insanely good stat, passion, etc.</p>
<p>If you are interested in Stanford, i could be of some help. good luck</p>
<p>Chevalier<em>du</em>Athena, is Stanford generous to internationals? I know that they are not needblind, but does that mean it is very significantly harder to get into Stanford if you need financial aid?</p>
<p>^ very correct.
I heard that Stanford is stingy to most (not all) internationals who get accepted.
And it will be very hard to get in if you are 'above average' and need finaid. You need to be fabulous to be even considered because nearly all intel applicants are brilliant
But.. acceptance is still a possiblity with the need for finaid</p>
<p>is stanford strong in engineering? (nuclear or astrophysics)</p>
<p>it is very strong.</p>
<p>You must try making the USAMO, or your chances are not that good.</p>