<p>I am from Nepal. I got the following A level grades.
Bio-C
Chem-C
physics-C
general paper- b
Maths-pending
Ani toefl score-80
SAT-pending...
My parents are willing to pay around 6 to 8 million nepalese rupees...
The reason that affected my grades is the institution where i had studied...it had very poor management as well lacked experienced teachers...(sabai plus 2 ko teachers haru le padhauthyo.) they also were new to this level, didnt knoe how to teach...i completely relied on the tuition teachers at the last moment i.e took tuition 3 months before the exams...I want to apply for Boston university and other averages colleges (<$25000)...i am working very hard nowadays to get good score in SAT. </p>
<p>Stop blaming your teachers or the school you went to. You didn’t work hard for the past two years, it’s on you. Stop complaining and start studying hard. You can take the A-level tests again, can’t you?</p>
<p>Honestly, just give up</p>
<p>That’s what I hear from most a-level students. Good teachers can certainly help you and make it easier for you to obtain grades but it is not necessary. For example my college had teachers with no prior a-level experience(+2) and still students have scored A* and As even without any help from teachers. A-level requires effort from your side more than teachers. Just wanted to tell you that these are all excuses. Think about it. Stepping up and being responsible for yourself will help you a lot in the days to come.
All is not lost yet. From what I have learned and collected: get good SAT scores(2000+), write a superb essay. These two should be your major focus; grades wont be your sole criteria for admissions as admission in USA is a holistic process. What I also suggest is: the results you are not satisfied with you can opt for SAT subject tests and aim for 750+ that is if you are not retaking your A-levels.
You cannot be picky with those grades but undergraduate is just the first step so whichever university you attend you can still try your best and perform very well then either transfer or aim for a better one in your masters level.
That’s just my opinion. Hope it helps. Best of luck with the process :)</p>
<p>As long as i am alive…i am not giving up…only cowards do and encourage others to do… I am nt blaming the institution, i am only telling how it affected…also i have obtained good grades in paper 1,2,4…like i have scored As and Bs in these papers…only thing is that i have terrible grades in practical…U,E,D…xms ko kehi din agari we started doing practical…I knoe its my fault too…but the teachers also play a major role for one to succeed…they are the ones to lead us to a right path…coz nt all pple are highly intellectual…As for me, i have been working on my college application, and the determination which i have inside of me will not let my hope go away… hope 1097 bro thank you for ur advice…i am intending to do the same…if i get in one… 
</p>
<p>And good luck to u 2…Hope 1097</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>@Grunz08
Yes, not all hope is lost. You can still make it, but it won’t happen without you making major changes. If you want to get into a decent institution, you must improve your grades. I don’t know what all the papers, and U, E, D things mean (I did +2) but what matters in the end is your GPA. The teachers do play a major role, but it’s also your responsibility to get your academics in order. People from pretty much all A-level colleges of Nepal have gone to top schools in the US. That shows motivation on student’s part. As for not blaming the institution, please re-read your own post, where it’s obvious who’s blaming whom. Your way into a good school at this point is, to work as hard as you can and get stellar scores on SATs, and re-take any papers you can take, and may be study and even take AP tests (at Lincoln School). That, coupled with a great essay, will take you to good places, specially since you can afford to pay a lot more than most people from Nepal.</p>
<p>On another note, please use proper English and English only. People have been banned in the past for using Nepali in
the forums. It’s against the rules to use any language other than English in CC.</p>
<p>@sixstringsrocker
Thank you brother. I am worried because i already have lost a year. And now i am on an another Gap year. I retook exams but was of no use as there was only a slight increase in marks. Also, i am the first batch of A level at my school. It had 15 students only. We also faced huge problems. Not only we had a temporary class, the institution didn’t seem to bother us at all. Despite of having such problems, i have managed to get those grades. I know, its my fault too. Besides, no one has scored A*s or A. Some of them have landed with E and D grades whereas some failed. In total, Only 1 of them have got B and C grades including me. Apart from this, Do ECAs done in school really count? I was a computer geek and have done hours of Volunteering. I was a school and a hostel prefect as well, have won best prefect award too. Also, i had played football for my school team. Programs that i were engaged are blood donation, inter-college basketball competition, Trekking and other minor activities. In school from class 5 to 10 ,I stood among Top 5% in class. </p>
<p>Also, I am planning to retake TOEFL.I have college board book and need an extra one . SO, Which SAT book i must buy in order to get a great score ? .And, thank you again! </p>
<p>Being a first batch of anything is always a gamble, I was in the first batch of my +2 too. It’s a challenge, and now you must do more than others to strengthen your application. </p>
<p>Yes, ECAs do really count. However, unless you’ve got an exceptional application, the most important part of your app would be your academics. When I say academics, I refer to “high school” which is grades 9-12. You mentioned you did well in grades 5-10. Since SAT math is only up to the 10th grade, you can do well on it. Make sure you get 800, or just around that. For the other parts, it’s not something you really learn in school. Reading books/newspapers (NYTimes, Wall Street Journal) helps. Get Barrons, PR, Kaplan and do as many practice tests as you can, being honest with yourself about time and what not. Take them in real test scenario - time everything. Do everything. </p>
<p>@sixstringsrocker
Of course, i would take no risk this year. Work Hard Play hard. That’s my motto. Your suggestions seem encouraging to me.And thank you bro for the information. </p>
<p>@Grunz08 If you take my advice then, don’t study from any other books than the college board one. Rather, take tests from past papers in realistic conditions and always read all the answer explanations. For the sentence completion, try direct hits and for the passages, I have to recommend the Black Book. Other than that, just practice official questions from the college board only. For me though, reading every fantasy and sci-fi title on the market for last 5-6 years really helped on the CR section.</p>
<p>@cauldroncastle Thanks bro! I have downloaded college board’s official past papers. And could you tell me, where can i get these books in Kathmandu. </p>
<p>@Grunz08 Got my SAT score on Oct 28th and guess what, got an 800 on the CR section The only physical book I bought was the Blue Book. You can get it at USEF or some stationery shops along Bagbazaar/ Putalisadak. Every other book I read was an ebook. Whether you buy or pirate them, that’s up to you but they are easily available on the internet.</p>
<p>@cauldroncastle Congrats bro!That’s perfect 800. I have had the e-books, downloaded it yesterday, Went through it, contents are superb. WoW Again! its incredible! What is your composite score? </p>
<p>@Grunz08 My composite score’s 1570( couldn’t get an 800 on the math section, got no time to check my answers; looks like I fell in for a few trap answers). </p>
<p>@cauldroncastle Superb score. And what about writing section. How much did u get?</p>
<p>@cauldroncastle how many days will it take to achieve score like yours? Tips please! </p>
<p>@Grunz08 I got a 750 in Writing( essay score pulled me down.) Just [practice official questions; the number of days is up to you.</p>
<p>@cauldroncastle Wow excellent score. Congratulations! That’s almost a 2400. That’s really really inspiring. Here, I am struggling in the 1900 range hoping for a 2000+ and blaming my Cr. 560 last month but have got it up to 600+ this time.
Didn’t have habit of reading so very very poor vocabulary. Maths 680 last month but have given two tests already and 760 in both so far. Writing I always seem to make about 5-9 mistakes mostly error identification and same as yours just get 8s in essay which really drags the score down. I am expecting a score of 1950- high 2000s. Getting stuck in high 1900s would be really frustrating.
Congratulation once again and best of luck with your college applications. Hope you get your dream colleges. Good to know that Nepalese get such high scores :)</p>