Would I be selected at HYPM?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm am Indian, wishing to apply as an international to US universities for fall 2015. I have not given SAT yet but plan to do so in October/November this year. These are my stats:</p>

<p>SAT - Not given yet (Though, by the looks and previous years' papers/practice test, I will most probably get 2300+ on SAT I and 800 on Math L2, 800 on Physics and 750+ on Chemistry)
Percentage - 96.2% (latest exam)
GPA (if converted directed) - 3.85/4,00 (Though a 4.0 would be impossible to get)
Rank - 1/100 (in school)
APs - None (though the ISC curriculum is as tough if not tougher than AP)</p>

<p>ECs: Just some coding, math, painting, playing the keyboard, thinking about and improving the system of governance, so that recession/poverty/corruption can be eliminated.</p>

<p>Awards :
1) I stood 1st in our school in the ICSE examination, and have gt multiple awards from different sources for that.
2) First in School Math, Computer and Science Fest
3) Outstanding in Computer Science and Science fests (2 different years)
4) Ranked 224 in the final round of Cyber Olympiad organized by SOF in grade 8.
5) IAIS :
a) Computer Skills - High Distinction (Class 9), High Distinction (Class 8), Distinction (class 7), Distinction (Class 6)
b) Math - Distinction (Class 9), High Distinction (Class 8), High Distinction (class 7), Distinction (Class 6), Distinction (Class 5)
c) Science - High Distinction (Class 9), High Distinction (Class 8), High Distinction (class 7), High Distinction (Class 6)
d) English - Distinction (Class 9), Distinction (Class 8), Distinction (class 7), Credit (Class 6)</p>

<p>6) Represented school in coding contest.
7) Participated in school quizzes and debates.
8) First in History Project in grade 4.</p>

<p>Recommendations - They will probably be excellent since I know my teacher and principal/coordinator (guidance counselor) pretty well (for 4-5 years).</p>

<p>Essays - They will be probably be good enough too (my English teacher tells me that I write pretty well).</p>

<p>Financial Aid - A great amount (my parents earn around $13000 a year)</p>

<p>So, do you think I have any chance at HYPM? Is there any other college I should apply to?</p>

2

<p>You should definitely apply to other colleges. Do not regard any reach school as a sure bet. </p>

3

<p>Your GPA is low for these schools and you have weak ec’s. I’d recommend not “predicting” your SAT scores because that can just blow up in your face if you get a much lower score than you anticipated. I’m not saying you don’t have a chance at HYPM, but you should really think about looking into other colleges. Maybe a school like Northwestern? where this is their average applicant.</p>

4

<p>I’m not familiar with the Indian system, so please forgive me for what may be a dumb question. How many “grades” does India have and are these academic year or semesters? I ask because you have things from Grade 4 and up. If that’s 6 years before you apply, it won’t help–or hurt—you. It’s just irrelevant. US colleges will only look at your grades for about 3 or at most 4 years before you apply.</p>

5

<p>These schools all have admit rates hovering at the 5% level. For everyone. Yourself included. </p>

6

<p>@heeeyitschin Well, in Indian system, the maximum you can score in schools is around 96-97%, with 99% being the maximum in boards (it’s not that we are incapable, but that it’s just impossible to get full in English Language and Literature). I saw on a site that Columbia specifies that 90-100% is 4.0. So, I guess I’ll be on the brighter side of things. As per the ECs, they are indeed weak, but the last one I mentioned is much deeper than you might anticipate. I have developed algorithms and code to make it a reality, if given an opportunity.</p>

<p>@jonri We have 13 grades (till grade 12).</p>

7

<p>A 4.0 unweighted is always a good thing but it’s not enough to get you into these great schools. You said that your coding is much deeper than I might anticipate, so elaborate on that in your essays because that looks like the only impressive or stand-out extracurricular you have. I got the impression of weak ec’s by the way you casually listed them.</p>

8

<p>@heeeyitschin Well, I used to paint a lot, and even do some now. I played the keyboard for 4-5 years, but I don’t think that’s anything but run-off-the-mill. I will indeed focus on the last one. </p>

<p>I also (almost) single handedly had an exam organized in our school (I took care of the collection of fees, printing of forms, sending money, understanding what had to be done and explaining it to the authorities). Do you think I should mention it? [Can it indicate leadership/responsibility?]</p>

<p>I was also part of the school magazine Editorial Board for one and a half years, and member of 1 3-member team for managing the school website. Should I list them too?</p>

<p>Unfortunately, I’m from a small city, and there are not much to do, and no clubs in our school. Anyway, thanks for filling me in.</p>

9

<p>And regarding the magazine, the team was basically made up of 2 (one me, and another senior of mine, who was 2 years older). Again, I was the juniormost in the website team. Should I include that? Maybe, it means I’m able to do things that wouldn’t be normally expected from me.</p>

<p>Should I list my Brilliant.org credentials? [I have 2 Level 5s (basically - Intl. Olympiad level and beyond - the highest level on the site) [in Algebra and Calculus] and all the rest are Level 4s (National Olympiad-International Olympiad Level)].</p>

10

<p>List what you like, but it seems like you’re asking us to tell you whether you’re going to get in at HYPM, and it really doesn’t matter what credentials you present, the chances are overwhelming that you are going to be rejected because that’s how the numbers work. So then on to the next question … Why only HYPM when there are plenty of other excellent schools? </p>

11

<p>@Pizzagirl I think I have a pretty good chance of being selected in top 500/1000 at the IITs (Indian Institute of Technology). I don’t think I’ll be giving up on that unless I get into HYPM or maybe Stanford.</p>

12

<p>Look, I know you’re pretty eager to get into HYPMS.
The education system in India may be quite intense, and I’m sure that you’ll qualify for one of the top IITS.
However, the system of college matriculation in the US is much more different than in China, Japan, Korea, India, etc.
HYPMS all evaluate applicants on a holistic basis; thus, test scores are only where it BEGINS to count.
I have no idea how college matriculation works in India, but I do know that in China, a single exam called the “Gaokao” is the start and end of your college application. One test determines your college- that’s all. It’s completely objective.</p>

<p>And while China and possibly India might see the US system as better, it also has its cons.
You have no idea about the sheer amount of applicants to HYPMS that are definitely qualified for attending but still get rejected. One of the recent statistics shows that 60% of all who apply to Harvard with 2400 SATs still are denied acceptance.</p>

<p>Finally, as someone stated above, the SAT Is are a huge part of your application. You cannot simply take a gander and “predict” a score. It doesn’t work like that. The SAT Is are tests of aptitude, not intelligence or knowledge or any predetermined success. I’ve known top valedictorians with 4.0 GPAs that have only gotten 2100-2250 range for SATs, and USAMO qualifiers who get 700s on the Math section due to a few careless mistakes nuking their score. It’s a test that doesn’t only require hard work and studying, but also natural, innate brilliance and some luck. I’ve seen fluctuations of about 100 points before, and again, that is based on test bell curve leniency.</p>

<p>With that said, you should just count on entering an IIT; HYPMS is still a crapshoot for even those who 2400 SATs, 4.0 GPAs, NMSQT, National AP Scholar, and other national awards such as Intel/RSI/Siemens/USAMO.
Since you’re asking us to tell you if you’ll be selected for HYPMS, I’ll be brutally honest, and not lie to you since I respect you, to tell you that no, you will not be guaranteed a spot at any of these universities and you have a 5.79% acceptance rate to Harvard, just like every other applicant.</p>

13

<p>@BipolarBuddhist Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate your detailed information on each segment. I know that I won’t be guaranteed a place at HYPMS, but wanted to know if I had a god chance or not. I’m hoping some of my unusual quirks will do the trick, though. Again, thanks a lot. Wish you all the best for your future endeavors.</p>

14

<p>@BipolarBuddhist I’m not going to disagree with you about ZeroCool14’s chance of getting into HYPMS, but you think “Gaokao” is objective? Only one test to determine one’s future, yet that test is based solely on academics and has no guarantee of people’s ability to succeed.
@ZeroCool14 I think people on CC are missing the point here. Whenever they hear the term HYPMS, they flinch and say that people have little/no chance. What I want to say is that your chance may depend on other students from the region that you’re in, which means that you don’t have to compare yourself with people from the States to predict your chances. And yes, you should most definitely apply.</p>

15

<p>@PKMGSoledad Thanks for the encouragement. Though I’d rather be compared to students in the States than with Indians. Anyway, thanks your reply.</p>

16

<p>@PKMG: In what part is the “Gaokao” subjective? When I mean objective, I mean it’s purely based on one grade; there’s no room for recommendations, essays, GPA, ECs, special quirks, etc. at all.
Perhaps it would have been better to say that the Chinese matriculation process is purely objective, as the “Gaokao” surely does contain a few “subjectively-graded” essays?</p>

<p>@ZeroCool14: You should still apply though, since you’ll only be compared against the rest of International applicants. However, there was a recent article on the Harvard quota for recruiting international students, and there does seem to be some disinclination towards countries like China and India for inundating the application pool. However, seeing as you are already somewhere near the acme of the application pool, you probably have a decent chance at it, assuming you succeed with your SAT I.</p>

17

<p>People on this website are so unnecessarily rude and harsh, pay them no mind. They think they’re being honest, when in actuality they’re just surfacing their internalized hatred/jealousy. It’s petty and sad.</p>

<p>Though your ECs/GPA aren’t necessarily aren’t what these schools are looking for, if you can manage the scores you predict, you can make yourself extremely competitive by highlighting the right parts of your application and doing any volunteerism, etc. you can find between now and the time of application. It will also help if you apply with a binding contract around November.</p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck! :slight_smile: I’m sure you’ll do well wherever you end up. And keep in mind that these aren’t the only good US schools that offer great aid for internationals; there’s a ton of colleges that would love to take in a low-income Indian student with near perfect scores on merit/need aid.</p>