<p>kushalck, have you e-mailed MIT? I e-mailed them and they are not focusing solely on grades. They want people who have achieved great merit in forms of arts and sports so those are the things you need to focus on. But as far as safety uni’s are concerned, you should look at all the techs.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Wondering if anyone on these Indian forums who is currently in the cambridge univ curriculum? i’ll be taking my AS levels exams in May 2010 and did fairly well in my IGCSE as well except for a poor score in Economics. All the rest were A*, A and one C. my first SAT score (took in jan '10) were ok. 2000, with 610 in CR, 670 M and 720 in Writing. I am interested in umich, uiuc, purdue, and some other big 10 schools. Can anyone out here chance me? also, how imp is voluntary work? came to india in 2007 from the us. I play the drums and am very interested in doing a dual degree in musis/engg preferably from michigan. any insights?</p>
<p>Let me just make a comment about the Liberal Arts College (LAC)/Big University discussion. I would go so far as to say every one of my friends in college said that the most important factor in a good class was the prof. Hands down. It could have been Turkish Farming Techniques from 1645-1750, but if the prof was good you would be moving to Turkey afterwards. Liberal Arts colleges focus on teaching, it is their halmark. It is here that you need to understand the difference between what you want in undergrad and what you want in a grad school. Everything you have described, kulshak, is what you want in a grad school program, NOT undergrad. Big school, lots of research funding, big name profs, etc. These things matter once you have your BA/BS because that is the only time you will benefit from these resources. As an undergrad you will NOT be taught by a Nobel laureate. Harvard is like this. Harvard has the best graduate programs in the world, no contest, but its undergrad suffers due to high TA rates and little personal attention. It will still rank as number one because rankings look at the whole university, but if you were to rank Harvard College it would not do as well. Undergrads go there for the name but miss out on better quality available elsewhere.</p>
<p>There is a reason that Law Schools, Med Schools, and Business Schools do not care what you majored in in undergrad (though they might require a few classes to have been taken). It is because the depth you can achieve in a topic is minimal, regardless of where you go, and undergrad is designed (in the US) to be a time to actually figure out what subject you like. So, it is best to focus on having quality teachers and meeting quality people. Many people remember college as being some of the best years of their lives, so dont spend it studying like you are getting your masters. At the end of the day, no one cares because you still only have a bachelors.</p>
<p>I second FatEnvelopeGuy. Though this is a broad generalization, if you really want to be in academia go to a good Liberal Arts College and be shown the ropes first hand. If prestige is what you want, slog and get yourself into a top notch LAC. Graduate School can give you the ‘thappa’ ( stamp 
)too.</p>
<p>And I’m sorry for bursting your bubble without giving any real advice but I strongly suggest that you read up on existing threads on various forums within CC. I scavenged for a year before making my first post. The amount of knowledge you can gain from here by just browsing and reading is actually more than just posting direct questions. That said, you obviously don’t need to hesitate if you want something answered quick. As you have the luxury of a gap year, you could use it well to gain insights that fill little niches in your application. I hope you (eventually) get what I mean.</p>
<p>Of the SUNY’s Geneseo and Binghamton are most often referred to as the best. Geneseo (LAC) Binghamton (University). Geneseo is especially strong in the sciences. Admission is competitive SAT 1340, GPA 94. Worth a look…</p>
<p>[SUNY</a> Geneseo | SUNY Geneseo](<a href=“http://www.geneseo.edu%5DSUNY”>http://www.geneseo.edu)</p>
<p>Stanford. UPenn. USC. Carnegie Melon. Columbia. Caltech.</p>
<p>Check out these schools as well. They seem perfect for your <em>promising</em> application.</p>
<p>If you are considering SUNY’s for science I would definitely add Geneseo to the list. Top SUNY College, bright students, highly ranked college. Class of 2014 GPA 94, SAT 1340</p>
<p>Fast Facts:
[Fast</a> Facts | SUNY Geneseo](<a href=“http://www.geneseo.edu/about/fast-facts]Fast”>About SUNY Geneseo | SUNY Geneseo)</p>
<p>Recent Rankings:
[Geneseo</a> Cited in Latest College Rankings | SUNY Geneseo](<a href=“http://www.geneseo.edu/news_events/latest-rankings]Geneseo”>http://www.geneseo.edu/news_events/latest-rankings)</p>
<p>US News ranked Geneseo as the number one college in its category in the North Region for its focus on undergraduate teaching…no TAs here.</p>