Taking a year off!!!(Chances)

International Students
1

<p>Hello everyone,</p>

<p>I am student from India (obviously) , and i am taking a year off before going to college, the main reason is i didn't woke up early for us university thing but in the month of February i got quite determined about going there and studying. So i did quite a research about the admission process and everything. But the story took a turn and i was in Hospital for 1 month due to my Asthmatic severity so i had give Boards exams like from hospital to examination hall and back to the hospital as a result my grades suffered. I got a mere 62% in XII CBSE . By now i think you people might have been bored by my tale of sorrow. so i will make it quick from here</p>

<ol>
<li>I considering giving the CBSE improvement exam to get better grades.</li>
<li>I had taken the SAT got 2400 and also SAT II phy-800 & math L2-800. will this raise my chances?</li>
<li>Earlier Academic record-</li>
</ol>

<p>9th grade - 9.2 CGPA
10th grade -8.8 CGPA
11th grade - 94.3% (rank 1 in 722 students)
12th mid-term - 95%</p>

<ol>
<li>ECs</li>
</ol>

<p>not much i like to code , make websites (not design part running server part), well if it counts i was ranked 89(Indian) in CodeChef's May 2013 Contest. there are some that may or may not be interesting .</p>

<p>Computer Science Major.</p>

<p>Universities applying tell me if i fit in any of these.</p>

<ol>
<li>Georgia Tech</li>
<li>University of Illinios Urbana Champaign</li>
<li>Carnegie Mellon University</li>
<li> Cornell University</li>
<li>University of California(All )</li>
<li>Purdue University West Lafeytte</li>
<li>University of Michigan , Ann Arbor</li>
<li>University of Washington Seattle</li>
<li>University of Maryland College Park</li>
<li>University of Southern California*</li>
</ol>

<p>let me know if had missed some good universities for cs(if i got a chance there)</p>

<p>P.S. taking Edx courses this year if it would help colleges evaluate me.</p>

2

<p>Your grades and numbers are all amazing! I’m really sorry to hear about being sick during the boards, that must have been horrible.</p>

<p>First of all, do tell us the rest of your ECs. You might well be underestimating the importance of some of them.</p>

<p>Your numbers make you a pretty competitive applicant. The addition of making websites and stuff is also really cool and can only help. Had you applied this year, I’m pretty sure you would have gotten in to maybe half of your current list. </p>

<p>However, the mechanics of a gap year are different. Students who take gap years in the US travel to Africa to do volunteer work, take up internships with large MNCs or do something similarly impressive. It is difficult to live up to that standard, but you need to make sure that your time is spent incredibly productively. There’s no volunteer work on your resume; how about you work with an NGO now? Taking EdX courses is really good, too, except they likely won’t fill all your time, so you need to figure out something productive to do with the rest. </p>

<p>CS major is very competitive, but I’m sure that if you do something productive this year, you will get some acceptances in the bag. In my opinion, there are too many colleges on this list, so I hope it’s just a preliminary one. Eminent universities that you’ve missed include CalTech, MIT, Stanford, University of Chicago, University of Massachusetts, Washington Uni in St. Louis and UTAustin. Of course a couple of these are extremely hard to get into, but you might want to check them out anyway.</p>

<p>Start working on your essays early, because they’re very important.</p>

<p>As an aside: EdX does not let you earn credits for your work, so colleges might make you take the same courses again once you get there. Do ask the colleges you end up applying to whether they accept EdX courses, or it might just end up being a waste of your time.</p>

3

<p>Thanks Khione for your advice . Should i take CBSE improvement exam?
As the results will only be available in end of may will it help?
In addition is berkeley in range i mean do i have chance there because i like that school and they do accept Edx credits</p>

4

<p>I’m not sure whether the improvement exam will help or not. You normally apply in December and your acceptances are out by the first week of April, so board results come out way after. You could perhaps tell the universities that you’re taking the improvement exam and send them the grades after you’re accepted. Don’t know if that would help.</p>

<p>Make sure to explain your illness in your essays and ask your teachers to mention in their letters of recommendation so that the adcoms understand the reason for the fall in percentage. The marks should not hurt you because you had a genuine reason that prevented you from doing your best. Maybe you should still take the exam anyway as when it comes to job interviews and stuff later on, it might help. But for now, I have no idea. </p>

<p>Please take the above advice with a grain of salt, as I’m pretty much the same age as you. :)</p>

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<p>Hey what about some safety schools can suggest some?</p>

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<p>From what I have read about explaining bad grades due to illness/hospitalization, I shall quote,</p>

<p>"There are cases, of course, for which an explanation of a bad grade is a good idea. Some circumstances are entirely outside of your control, and revealing these circumstances can help give the admissions officers important information.</p>

<p>f you do have a situation for which explaining a bad grade is a good idea, make sure you go about explaining the grade in the right way. Do not use your essay to explain academic shortcomings -bad essay topic. In fact, the best way to tell the admissions folks about your extenuating circumstances is to have your guidance counselor do it for you. The explanation will have more credibility, and there’s no danger of you sounding neurotic, whiny, or uptight.</p>

<p>Don’t dwell on the issue–you want your application to be highlighting your strengths and passions, not your problems."</p>

<p>Also,</p>

<p>“Colleges understand if you have one grade that’s not reflective of your usual ability. Don’t stress. Refocus and work hard. What’s important is that you’re able to demonstrate that you’re getting back on track.”</p>

7

<p>Did you take the SAT already and get a 2400 or are you asking if getting a 2400 will raise your chances?</p>

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<p>@omnipotent24 i took it and got 2400 i was asking if it will help?</p>

9

<p>Yes your SAT scores along with the 9th/10th/11th grades and 12th midterm is a great strength of your application. It also reflects that the 12th Final grades are what you say they are. So if the school counsellor can attest that, you are good to go.</p>

10

<p>@anialways can you suggest me something awesome do with the bags of time i have make sure it can be done in India(anywhere in india).</p>

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<p>I don’t mean to be rude, but considering the grammar errors in your posts, I doubt you got a 2400. But then again, what do I know? Anyway, I think you have an okay shot at those universities, but remember, there are a lot of competitive international applicants. Try doing something that will set you apart. Try winning something international. An award and your (I’m assuming these are true) SAT scores will give you a good chance.</p>

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<p>Get an Internship.</p>

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<p>@omnipotent you are correct i checked my last posts but not to worry i got a 2400 amd btw in TOEFL what is the minimum score required ?</p>

<p>@anialways what type of internships are available to high school students?</p>

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<p>The TOEFL score requirements vary for different colleges. Here’s something I found that might help you: [TOEFL</a> Score Requirements for Most Popular Schools : TOEFL | IELTS | PTE](<a href=“http://gmatclub.com/forum/toefl-score-requirements-for-most-popular-schools-80110.html]TOEFL”>TOEFL Score Requirements for Most Popular Schools : TOEFL | IELTS | PBT)
But if you got a 2400 on the SAT, TOEFL should be a piece of cake. Scoring is a lot more lenient and if you’re comfortable speaking English you should have no problem at all.</p>

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<p>@Khione thanks and what are general stats of indians who are accepted at UC berkeley ?</p>

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<p>That, I have no idea about. Try a quick google search?</p>

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<p>guys , Is online volunteering any good in the application ?</p>

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<p>Everything counts, but exactly what is online volunteering? </p>

<p>Also, you previously asked about what to do with your free time. Apart from an internship, have you considered freelancing as a web designer? I suggest this because you said you’ve worked with websites before. It will take quite a bit of work but the rewards are enormous. It’ll look fantastic on a college resume, plus it counts as work experience in the CS field when you get a job later on. You don’t necessarily need to charge your clients, as you’re still learning, but you’ll learn a lot. Start off doing small projects for local companies or maybe school clubs, but get yourself out there and see where it takes you. [Tips</a> When Starting Out as a Student Freelancer | Student Guide Web Design](<a href=“http://www.studentguidewebdesign.com/tips-when-starting-out-as-a-student-freelancer/]Tips”>Loading...)</p>

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<p>UC Berkley Freshman Profile 2012</p>

<p>[Student</a> Profile | UC Berkeley Office of Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.berkeley.edu/studentprofile]Student”>Student Profile - Office of Undergraduate Admissions)</p>

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<p>It is not easy to find Internship as High School student. But it is possible if you network with your friends and your parents network can come in handy too. You should be willing to take on any job that cones your way. </p>

<p>I know of our friends who own a business of High Voltage Transformers. And I have seen so many youngsters of family and friends working as Interns there, doing things like equipment testing, research, making models, designing software for their products, campaign design etc…</p>

<p>So for example, if it is engineering that you want to pursue , you should be looking out to request friends and aquaintances who own a business related to this field and if they have their own factory/ assembly plant. And you should volunteer your services there.</p>