Anuragr

Okay here's the deal.
I'm in 12th giving boards this year and my 11th grade result was pretty frickin good statistically.
I gave the ACT in june but I blew it because I wasn't prepared. But c'est la vie, no one you can blame for whats happened but now I'm preparing for the ACTs again along with my subject tests on Maths level-2, Physics and chemistry. As far as I know myself I think I can notch up to 30-34 on the ACT and 700+ on my subject tests. Well thats the plan. Then TOEFL with a decent score.
My question here is, I'll be applying to one ivy preferably Yale or Williams but very frankly thats just for the sake of it, then I'm guessing CMU, Vassar, Johns Hopkins, Colagate, Skidmore, St. lawrence and a ton of other colleges THAT WILL give me some amount of financial aid. What are my chances here? I can apply without the financial aid if it substantially thins out my chances but lets say I'd rather not prefer to. Also, I've arranged some volunteer work certificates from my local municipal office along with some work experiences at 2 government approved hospitals and a 760 kv power-infra project as a trainee engineer. I'm publishing an article in a national level journal (IJCSE) along with that I'm an athlete with school level accomplishments and I also have many national level olympiad certificates and medals and teachers ready give an amazing letter of recommendation if that kind of stuff matters. Really need help ASAP. Thanks!

Anuragr

I think I'll also be applying to Uchicago, Fordham, Wesleyan and Northwestern with aid and UCLA and UCB without any aid.

prezbucky

- What are your GPA and class rank?
- What are/have been your extracurricular activities? You've mentioned a few; what are the rest? Sports, honors/awards, clubs in which you've participated, leadership experience, volunteer work, etc.

*If* you get a 30-34 on the ACT and do well on the SAT IIs, then in terms of scores, you are in play for all of those schools.

You should try to scpre at least 32 in the ACT to get into Yale, U Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, CMU and Williams. For Wesleyan, Cal-Berkeley, UCLA, Vassar and Colgate, shoot for at least a
31.

For the others you mentioned, 28-30 should put you in contention.

But test scores are just one part of your application, and (for most schools) not the most important part.

Anuragr

Okay.. My class rank (as on my report) was 1st in a class on 47 with 92.8% score as per CBSE in the 11th grade.
My ECs include athletics like 110m hurdles, 100m sprint etc. Notably I've received awards in debates, I'm member of my school soccer team, in 10th grade I was in the Environmental club and the Drama club if it counts, I'm also the Captain of my House, if that counts as a leadership thing, I've worked voluntarily in a non-biodegradable plastic removal campaign. Well, I was also the editor of my school magazine and I guess thats about it.

What about the financial aid? Does it make a big difference coz I'm an international applicant?
And if it does, which is a better option:
* Get higher scores in ACT and Sat IIs.
OR
* Discard financial aid as an option.
I'm currently working on my essay and I'll try my best to give it an edge over others.
Thanks for your help. Appreciate it.

Ppaayas

And then we who do real work get left out..

Anuragr

sorry to hear that..

Mrinal2207

Okay, I will be blunt. You have good chances but admissions can be tough, hang on. You don't need certificates for your ECs. You just state them on the commonapp.
Yes, for you international applicants, FA is a big part of your application. At the need blind colleges, you don't need to worry about the FA. Cause at need blinds, FA doesnot hamper your chances. You can find a list of need blinds for internationals on google.
Apply with finaid no matter what your scores are, no point taking risks.

Anuragr

thanks for the honest opinion man!
Wikipedia tells me there are six need blinds for internationals:
Amherst College
Dartmouth College
Harvard University
MIT
Princeton University
Yale University
And all these are super competitive, so to be on the safer side I'm gonna apply to other colleges no matter how thin my chances are coz of the FA..

Ppaayas

No, I wasn't left out, and I will get into a college regardless.

But it does trouble me that people just get so called certificates, malice it is.

Anuragr

Sure, "malice".

Mrinal2207

Wait, you were talking about faking certificates ? That is wrong dude, don't do that.

Anuragr

Noo! No one's faking any certificates. They're all genuine and I earned them. He just assumed it all by himself, I just never corrected him..

Ppaayas

What does 'arranging' mean?

You need to correct your statement.

Anuragr

"Arranging" means you don't really get any recognition by default, where I live, for these kind of things. If you volunteer for something, they don't mail you any recognition certificates. My dad just happens to know some people and he just helped me get it on paper, a written note if you will. I really don't think there's anything wrong with that dude. Anyone can do that.
I earned them mate. Peace out!

ShamrockZsc

Well sir, Ivy leagues are hard to get into but you sound very intelligent and motivated. That's what they look for. Also they look for someone who makes a difference in the world.