<p>Hi!
I’m from Faisalabad (dont say meh!!) and stumbled upon the thread while hopelessly searching for pakistanis…
Anyway 11 A’s in O Levels, didnt give AS, and just warmed up to the fact that universities exist in the US…</p>
<p>although, ive gotta say, some Pakistanis here do know this stuf (gotta say it depends where u r in Pakistan)
Want to apply to MIT, Stanford, Harvard (Engineering), probably Rochester, Harevy Mudd…
SAT I 2130 (CR 670 WR 750 M 710)
SAT II chem 790 physics 800 giving bio and math 2 c 3 days later…
Do i really have any shot at getting accepted or should i just kick myself and go to NUST??</p>
<p>Armaghan, you have good scores. Do the SAT again if you want a serious shot. A 2130 is good, but manyyy people have a score like that , kick it up a few notches. Other than that, do a particular extracuricullar veryyy well. you should be good. (remember , predicting admissions is very tricky) good luck!</p>
<p>I think there were harvard interviews recently in Dubai. people from pakistan also went. but i was apprehensive when i heard about interviews in these months. so…</p>
<p>@intemister
Thanks for the advice!! Dunno how I can fit another SAT1 in my schedule…midterm in november, NSTC in December…just gave the SAT2 in maths 2 c and bio today…bio went tell, cant say the same about maths :(</p>
<p>As for the extracurriculars, my interests are literature and photography…i was (and still am) chief editor of the student council magazine (published first ever mag) senior editor for school journal…some essay competitions</p>
<p>Haha , most of the pictures are pretty good, but I doubt if these will be counted as ‘art’ supplements, unless they are absolutely amazing. But you don’t have to send them to get your message across. maybe talk about your love for photography in the essay or something. Also, you have ample time. have a god year, do stuff that interests you. Are you asking for aid? that changes the whole deal bro!</p>
<p>Not necessarily Armaghan. I took a gap year and I had a fairly decent record. I got into LUMS and NUST right after high school but I didn’t go for reasons I have already revealed in the other thread. Sat I 2250 (in one go) and Sat 2 was pretty good 2. 3As in my A levels and 7As in my O levels. You should realize that the american admissions process is very unpredictable. I didn’t get in anywhere, and pretty mediocre people did. You already have strong academics. Couple that with a specialized area of interest and I would agree here with intemister that while your passion for photography will look good onyour application, I would advise against sending them as an arts supplement. Yor father winning the sitara-e-imtiaz does not qualify you as a legacy. If he’d gone to harvard, then you’d qualify as a legacy for harvard. That’s how that works. You could of course write about how his winning the sitara-e-imtiaz has affected you. And I’d ask you to work on your american dream. Give it all you can. Don’t just ‘kick yourself and go to NUST’. You won’t be too happy. I’m at NUST, and I don’t even have the liberty of choosing whether I want to cros register or not.
Intemister, I looked at the thread and I’ve replied there. Hope this helped somewhat. I’d hate to see you kids go through what I’m going through.</p>
<p>Thanks nonesfool!!
While a gap year remains slightly out of the question (read:parents), I will try my best to apply keeping in your mind your advice!</p>
<p>Some questions: You got into NUST after a gap year?
Can I send January SAT scores?
What about NUS Singapore and HKUST? Is their selection criteria similar to US universities?
LUMS or NUST?? (I’m most likely to major in Electrical Engineering)</p>
<p>Studying in US is not my first priority, so I’m only applying to the top universities that offer need blind aid…If I get admission, everything’s well. If not, well, we will leave that out for the moment…</p>
<p>USA: MIT, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Rochester, Northwestern
Singapore: NUS
Hong Kong: HKUST
Pakistan: NUST, LUMS, less probably GIKI</p>
<p>I got into NUST twice, armaghan. Right after school and after my gap year. The reason(s) I didn’t go back then was a) My father had me give the PMC test and was pretty sure I’d do fine hence we didn’t deposit the NUST fee as a backup since only a small amount is refunded if you don’t go, and b) I didn’t really want to go then. I wanted to apply abroad, and I was pretty sure I’d do fine.
Yes, you can send in January SAT scores. You can send in whatever SAT scores you want, just as long as they’re in before the given date, which I think would be sometime in June. And I would advice you to not even waste money trying to make sure they get original copies (unless you’re using one of the four free deliveries, but I’d suggest you save those options for your american colleges). I only sent in a printout of my score from the mySAT page on collegeboard. Also, once you do send in the scores, keep calling them to make sure they’ve gotten them.
I don’t know about HKUST but NUS is more number oriented than US universities tend to be. Meaning, if you’ve had a straight-A career throughout high school, you’re more likely to get in. They don’t ask you a lot about your extra curriculars. Their application is very general.
And finally, if you can afford it, I’d say LUMS. Sure, NUST is internationally recognized but if you’re the well-rounded sort of person who wants to be surrounded by kids with a wide diversity of interests, LUMS is the place for you. Fom what I’ve heard, even thier faculty is pretty good. It won’t take too long to establish itself. Though SEECS-NUST is much more financially stable and developed than SCME-NUST (which is where I go - chemical engineering having been my preference), NUST can be somewhat exhausting. And very sexist, but this shouldn’t be a problem for you. And apply to GIKI too, I have friends over there who love it.
Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t hate it at NUST, but its just that I don’t find it very intellectually satisfying. If you don’t mind the lack of non-engineering options, then NUST is the place for you.If nothing else, you’ll at least love the campus.</p>
<p>Thanks nonesfool!!
Another question, if you don’t mind taking it!</p>
<p>Does LUMS have any sort of financial aid, besides NOP? (I didn’t apply through NOP. One of my friends got selected though)
I have been to NUST twice. I liked the campus, but I hate the fact that its miles from anywhere and that you have to walk a lot of the time. A friend of mine (from DMC Faisalabad) is also in SCME and he loves the place, but then he didn’t really have any interest in extracurricular activities or in encountering diversity.</p>
<p>Another thing that I am really bummed about is that at NUST there are very limited extracurricular activities eg at SEECS, they only have a debate society and something related to robotics of some sort. Am I right??</p>
<p>And, what exactly do you need in an admission essay. I mean, I haven’t been through an earthquake, flood or hurricane for me to have experienced something different from others. Can’t I be different just writing about, say, for example MY father or MY grandfather. Every website on this topic gives different, and mostly inconsistent info!</p>
<p>No problem. Apart from NOP, the financial aid that LUMS has to offer consists mostly of student loans. They don’t give you grants. So if you want to graduate not having fully paid for your undergrad then its your choice. I’d advise you against it. However, if you have a very valid reason then they’ll give you more grants than loans as part of your package but for this you really, really need to have a reason. I had a friend whose father had passed away shortly before she applied for SSE. She was given a decent aid package.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say the activities here are limited. There’s actually quite a lot going on. And you can always apply for the societies at other institutes. But most days it’s just attending classes and leaving. Is your friend in chemical engineering or materials? And would he be in the current batch?</p>
<p>To be different you don’t necessarily have to have lived through a tragedy. Your idea could be original. You could look at the essay topic from an unusual perspective. As I’ve mentioned, you could use your father winning the sitara-e-imtiaz as something that has been a galvanizer for you. You could try anything. Don’t try to be pretentious. The adcoms are pretty good at picking out whoever does.</p>
<p>I’d say, with aspirations like going to the ivies, y’all will be very very unhappy going to college in Pakistan. With the sort of competition running through these days, you are not going to be able to achieve anything much, other than just in Pakistan.
So what to do? Well, if you cant get into a good American uni, or cant get aid, and therefore have to stay here , i’d suggest another approach. In pakistan, rather than going to nust or lums and then working as an associate director of punjab for marketing in mobilink, i’d go either into civil services or the armed forces. Sure the idea may sound well, absurd, but i believe that if one has to stay, then these are the only two ‘jobs’ worth doing. You have a secure job with an Ok income, and then there are the perks. p
plus you get to serve your country and be involved with your passions, if you have any, thats flying for me
What say?</p>
WR 750 M 710)