<p>Does Caltech care about diversity? Will coming from a country which is rarely represented help?</p>
<p>I have:
SAT1 700CR, 780M, 680W
SAT2 Math1 800, Math2 790, Physics 770
A Levels in Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Math
Top in the World for my O Level Math</p>
<p>Would these scores make me competitive academically for an international not needing aid? What if I need aid, would I still be competitive if I were to be competitive when I do not need aid?</p>
<p>no, no, probably not, -</p>
<p>To my knowledge, Caltech does not care about diversity at all. However, you will be evaluated in the context of your country, ie, if there are fewer opportunities for you to do math/science activities and competitions, it will be taken account of. </p>
<p>Your scores are good (well, they can't get much higher can they? but virtually everyone here gets 760+ on math and science sections). You would be more competitive as an international not seeking aid, because financial aid for internationals is not need blind as far as I know. Only apply for aid if you really need it. </p>
<p>It seems like you've done well in your classes. That's a good starting point. What else have you done? (unless there was nothing else you could do, in which case, don't stress it) Other than that, international admissions is ridiculously competitive, good luck!</p>
<p>There are no research opportunities here.. I went to a local uni to seek for one and you cannot expect much when the professors themselves aren't even doing much decent research.. Hmm.. I was the captain of the school math team that finished 2nd in the small country..in the computing team that was the national champs.. some science awards like.. top in the country in a computing quiz (written quiz organized by a uni from australia).. and chem quiz top 1% for 3 years (ie won plaques).. I wonder if Caltech even care about these.. They are not even international olympiads, or some international competitions..</p>
<p>Certainly list these awards, but realistically, national honors mean less from a small country. Your application will be considered in the context of your opportunities, but coming from an underrepresented foreign country is not in itself a leg up.</p>
<p>By the way, Caltech does care about diversity and does its very best to recruit a diverse entering class from those admitted -- it just won't bend the standards a lot at admissions time for diversity's sake.</p>
<p>I'd say you have a chance, which is unusual for an international applicant. However, without some international recognition, it's hard to be noticed in the very competitive pool. What year are you now? If you have an extra year you could do a lot to try to win some int'l awards to help your case.</p>
<p>If you get in, it'll be on your own merits (possibly adjusted for a very limited background), not simply because you live in a particular country.</p>
<p>Thanks.... I'm in my senior year already.. Hmm.. Would the top in the world for O Level math mean anything? It's an easy exam but.. at least there's a word 'world' on it.. haha</p>
<p>It won't help as much as one of the international olympiads, but certainly worth listing.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>^thanks.. Ben, the Caltech application says that I should get a recommendation from a humanities teacher.. but I don't have one.. Should I just make a note telling them? I'm planning to send one from my math and another from my chemistry teacher..</p>
<p>you don't have a humanities teacher or you don't have a recommendation from a humanities teacher? if you don't have a humanities teacher, have you met the requirements/suggestions for studying some history/english/i dont know, whatever, before coming to caltech? if you dont have a recommendation, but you have had at least one humanities teacher over the past four years, couldnt you just ask for a recommendation from one of them?</p>
<p>I am an international. I do have General paper AS Level.. Is that humanity?</p>
<p>Can my recommendations be from a math and a chemistry teacher? I mean.. they know me more than my General Paper teacher.. what if these are the only recoms that I send? will they just discard my appl?</p>
<p>Not only they will discard your application, but they will post it in the comics section of The Tech [school's newspaper] for everyone to laugh at :p</p>
<p>But seriously, last time I've checked Caltech required one science/math and one hum recommendation letter. That means that you should probably ask your GP teacher to write you one. Oh, and if this makes you feel better, my hum teacher wrote about two and a half sentences for my recommendation letter - he did not know me at all. </p>
<p>Also, an extremely generic hum recommendation letter can be [most likely] substituted by a good one from your research mentor or even another math/science teacher, if it adds anything to your application. That said, have fun! :)</p>
<p>^Do you mean I should send three recoms? One GP, one math, one chem??</p>
<p>Hriundeli, are you a non US citizen? Is English not your first language.. No offense.. because I saw that you got into Caltech with a relatively low CR..</p>
<p>Do so only if your chem teacher provides some new information. Another "top few I ever had" letter will not change much. Also, it might be a good idea to have someone in case you are waitlisted, if you know what I mean. </p>
<p>You are better aware of you situation, so it is you who will have to decide when, if ever send that extra letter. One thing I can definitely tell you - a generic hum recommendation will not get you rejected right away.</p>
<p>and how does Caltech evaluate the level of opportunities available for students to do research in universities in a given country?</p>
<p>I'm not sure how it works for the internationals, but for US apps the folks at admissions profile the applicants' schools for readers, who deduce extracurricular opportunities based on this information, location, parents' backgrounds, counselor recs, etc.</p>