Yesterday I started a discussion and was pretty confused ;
Now I wanna ask couple of questions as [ reading couple of blogs confused me a lot , so I will be deciding what’s right for me from here ]
Is my 90% in Indian C.B.S.E curriculum good, as I saw at lost of blogs saying top universities see how much you challenged yourself at High school. ( I also gave some AP exams like calculus AB,BC and c.s principles and scored 4’s and 5’s )
I also have other achievements but won’t list it here like internship at tech companies and IOI medal … please see the earlier closed thread for that
Is getting accepted more important that worrying for financial need if; you apply to need-blind universities like Harvard/MIT [ I was a Stanford fan but I am no more, as its not need blind for International students ] I mean if need blind blind university accepts me they would provide me with financial need, right ?
** Please answer question 1 and 3 probably 2 was for reference
And it was closed for going around in circles. This thread may have the same result, since I answered the questions you asked here on your other thread. To recap:
1/ Admissions will view your GPA and course selection within the context of your school and what it offers. They also know that a typical Indian HS does not have the grade inflation of a typical US HS. So while a 90 average would be low for an American applying to a top college, it is on the high end for an Indian HS.
3/ Getting into a college that you cannot afford is, for all intents, a financial rejection. So you need to find colleges that will meet your financial need. Don’t waste time applying to colleges that will not give you aid, like the UCs you mentioned on your other thread. If (and this is a big if), you are among the 2% (or less) of Indian applicants that Harvard/MIT accepts, then, in theory, you should not worry about FA. However, when they say they meet full need, it is by their definition, not yours. So what they think you need may differ from what you or your family thinks you need and will never cover more than one trip per year back home.
@skieurope as you said being in top 2% I guess I am as from past 3 years India is only receiving silvers and bronze at IOI. And I don’t find anyone who worked at software firm as a child / as per my knowledge , also I read somewhere that Till now 18 students graduated from MIT who belonged to India [ and mostly had a IOL/IMO/IOI medal ] At last what do you think as you are very experienced .
Your GPA is fine, as are your achievements. You will need standardized test scores SAT or ACT, plus SAT II subject tests to round out your application.
Even if your GPA was perfect, you were the 1st place medal winner in all your international competitions, and had a 1600/800/800 on SAT/SATII subject tests, the odds of acceptance at MIT and the like, are still very, very low.
That’s the first hurdle you need to face…getting in.
If your family income is very low (which I believe it is from your other post), and your family doesn’t have much in terms of assets, a need blind school will probably, repeat, PROBABLY, meet most of your need. As stated above, it’s the school’s definition though, not yours. You will still have to factor in costs of transportation, health insurance, books, etc…
IMO, the best thing you can do is study hard for your standardized tests, practice your english, and look for less competitive schools. Certainly apply to these dream reaches, but understand that even “perfect” applicants are rejected every single year.
I did not say that. I said 2% are accepted. The may or may not be the 2% with the highest stats. Each of these schools routinely rejects applicants with perfect stats while accepting some with lower stats. Nobody, and I mean nobody, outside admissions can tell you what your chances are. And as @momofsenior1 said, even guessing is pointless without SAT scores.
One thing I will also say - it is very very rare that an admitted applicant to MIT who has AP scores for Calc would have scored less than a 5.
@skieurope I barely managed to earn 10000 inr to give those AP also that time I didn’t had a phone so learning was not quite good , pretty much I am not giving SAT this year is I am weak in english / I can nail math questions any day as my neighborhood friend is preparing for JEE advanced I know a math of next level [Still help me decide my 2nd SAT subject test as I don’t have interest in Bio… neither Physics but love some chemistry that too organic ]
@happy1 I have an option its’s IIIT Hyderabad [ its not IIT and dosen’t have too good reputation ] if I don’t get admission anywhere then that’s only the option left still considerable placements and research are done there . [Still I wont be happy as I dreamt of Harvard and am landing in IIIT ]
I don’t think you can cover the fees of transportation, insurance, and books all with a job in India.
My best advice for you would be to take standardized tests and think realistically about your future. I would much rather apply to a less competitive school and get in, while getting a good education and having little debt, compared to having a low chance for an Ivy-league school.
@nomansland Ok as you guys are saying so I will come here after taking SAT and others // guys please tell me how to prepare for tofel // I guess its TOFEL or TOEFL Who knows :)))
The small detail you are missing is that even if you are able to raise your rating to an “8”, the chances of admission to a top US university that’s need blind and will give you full scholarship are almost zero unless your app is a 10+.
People aren’t telling you this to discourage you, but to help you understand the reality of the situation so you can direct your energies into something that has a good chance of happening. You have huge potential and people want you to find a place that is a great fit for you and that you can afford, which is probably not going to be Stanford, Harvard or MIT.
I have no idea what you are asking. And along those lines, most of these colleges are going to require a minimum of 100 on the TOEFL, which may prove challenging.
@milee30 I am saying I spent entire 3 years of my life get that silver at IOI and [ here in India 99 % people dont know what even IOI is ] and Admissions in India Are not holistic like U.S here if you have a rank you have a seat pattern is followed