No MIT Interview in Delhi this year? - Page 3

dasadhikarik · 10-25-2012, 08:11 AM

I'm not sure why the thread hasn't updated, because I'm certain I posted this before, but here goes again:

relatively low-tuition public Ivies include UVa, Georgia Tech, UIUC, UMAA, Purdue, and other schools that fall into that bracket. Schools like these actually WANT you, the middle-class studious Indian students, to balance out all the riff-raff they are forced to take from within the state. Cheers.

American007 · 11-19-2012, 01:01 PM

Hi dasadhikarik,

Can you plz tell us What your life was about when you were in 11th and 12th... some really smart effort you have undertaken.... in those days... Were the picture clear about what you wanted to study etc..

And which schools you applied (say MIT etc).... How did you plan to succeed in event of failure of your plan (say not getting admitted to X prestigious university)

How did you have made rational and practical decisions about your future course of action related to higher education... Were you stressed....

Did you have all finances clear before hand or you thought of scholarships etc...

How did you land at Imperial? Is it becoz of your Academic performance (say Distinction or like) or something else (say luck or money)

Some things you like to share which is unusual ( may be extra-ordinary say just bout anything you mind sharing) but useful for rest of us...

One last thing... Did you apply to IITs of India... were you interested in them...

Really excited to hear from you.
Thanks.

American007 · 11-19-2012, 01:04 PM

Hi dasadhikarik,

Can you plz tell us What your life was about when you were in 11th and 12th... some really smart effort you have undertaken.... in those days... Were the picture clear about what you wanted to study etc..

And which schools you applied (say MIT etc).... How did you plan to succeed in event of failure of your plan (say not getting admitted to X prestigious university)

How did you have made rational and practical decisions about your future course of action related to higher education... Were you stressed....

Did you have all finances clear before hand or you thought of scholarships etc...

How did you land at Imperial? Is it becoz of your Academic performance (say Distinction or like) or something else (say luck or money)

Some things you like to share which is unusual ( may be extra-ordinary say just bout anything you mind sharing) but useful for rest of us...

One last thing... Did you apply to IITs of India... were you interested in them...

Really excited to hear from you.
Thanks.

dasadhikarik · 11-19-2012, 03:18 PM

Alright... here goes. I hope I don't bore you all.

Life in 11th and 12th. I'm not going to lie, life was mostly about studying. I knew that if I wanted to get into the top schools (preferably MIT, Stanford, or Princeton), I'd at least have to have the GPA and the scores to show for it. I had a good track record going into it (the highest GPA that ever happened at my school), but things really got tough. Teachers started repressing grades, saying that getting good grades, then getting weighted 12% up for AP courses (so that a total of 112% was possible) didn't make any sense. But I knew that colleges wouldn't look at weighting anyway--they'd look at unweighted scores. I had a 3.9-4.0 unweighted GPA (can't remember), a 2380 SAT I, 8 5s on APs, and 800s on Math II and Physics SAT II at the end, so that went fine.

But it wasn't all that. I knew I had to have extra-curriculars too, and this is where the trouble started. I'd been in Student Council, helped organize school events, been part of a PTA committee for curriculum revision, done acting, played violin for 12 years, won nation-wide poetry competitions between 3rd and 7th grade, but none of this helped. I was majoring in engineering. Where were my Math/Science extra-curriculars? Again, being perfectly honest, they weren't there. And they never would be. Why? Because I lived in Japan. And competition in those fields in Japan are few and far between--and pretty much impossible for a foreigner in Japan to enter. Believe me, I looked far and wide for 2 years. It just isn't part of that culture to compete in the things that the rest of the world thinks that the Japanese are so proficient at (which they ARE).

So, I made do with what I could find. In the summer after 11th grade, I attended Stanford EPGY, and did a 3 week program in Number Theory. It was definitely interesting, and I like to think that I excelled at it, but mostly (and this is why my parents agreed to spend the money to send me there), it was a chance for me to see what college in the US was like. My parents wanted to know if I could "survive".

Back in Japan for 12th grade, I tried other stuff--became President of the Student Council, attempted the AMC (didn't quite get the results I wanted--I was informed two weeks beforehand, and mid-terms lay in between), attempted to start a club specializing in computer graphics (I'd been one of the people creating posters for the school for years--the other one was my classmate--so the question had been who'd do it once we graduated)--that fell through due to lack of interest. And at the same time, rejections started coming in: MIT, Princeton, Caltech, Stanford, Cornell--all the top schools I applied to.

Getting back to the earlier question, "was the picture clear about what you wanted to study?" Yes. That picture's been clear for more than a decade. Aeronautics. Not much more to say about that.

Was it stressful? Yes, it was stressful. Not only because I wasn't getting into these schools, but the financial side of things were getting to me as well, in spite of my parents telling me not to worry about that. I DID apply for one private scholarship, which I ended up getting, but the exact amount is quite insignificant when we're talking about college costs of 42k+ per year. Private scholarships, in 99.9% of cases, won't cover your education abroad--especially as an undergraduate. Still, wouldn't advise any of you against applying, you might win an all-expenses paid trip to America, and get to meet a lot of people at the top of their field, like I did a month ago (there was also a UCLA freshman from Indore there).

One the plus side, I did get into Purdue, Georgia Tech, Lafayette (applied because a close friend is there), Boston University, and of course, Imperial. I got $20,000 scholarships each from Lafayette and Boston. I declined them, however, simply because I didn't want to go to a non-engineering school, and financially, it would come to the same thing ($60,000-$20,000=$40,000~the cost of public tech schools like GT and Purdue). I never did get any need-based financial aid; only merit-based, so that set a cap on the amount.

In terms of being happy with the colleges I had applied for, I only chose colleges that I could "live with". Sure, it would be great if I got into any of the top five on my list. But, if I didn't, I'd be happy with GT and Purdue. Ultimately, I declined Purdue as well, and hung on to Georgia Tech while I waited for my AP scores to come in, so I could see whether I could take up my conditional offer from Imperial (apart from having perhaps the best aeronautics department in all of Europe, when I did the math, Imperial came out to cost about the same as Georgia Tech). Fortunately, I got 5s on all the APs that Imperial asked for, so I got to come here. Is that luck, money, or academics? I'd say it's all 3. I'm lucky to have the acceptable grades and the money, I guess.

Unusual things? I guess all I can say to college aspirants is don't worry too much about where you get in in the end. And I might sound hypocritical saying that, but I'd like to reiterate that my beef with MIT is in the aloof sort of way they handled the process, not with the fact that I didn't get in. But to get back to not worrying about where you get in, I can say that all the glitter of Imperial is starting to wear off already, and it isn't even two months in. These days (when I can find time) I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I'd opted for Georgia Tech instead. I'm pretty sure a lot of other freshmen on this forum would say the same thing.

anialways · 11-20-2012, 01:18 AM

Dasadhikarik

I know that you know that you always have the option to take a transfer. Not that you want to, but life is full of options, remember. Why I am saying this is, with a good gpa, the transfer to your top 5 and I am going to say, expand them to top 10 in US, are really strong. Just saying.....

And I can tell from my own experience of travels, I am just a mom, so that you know. British have a very subtle and intelligent sense of humor. For some it comes across as cold and arrogant. But it is the British
history of royalty and colonial rule which sort of comes across as the stiff upper lip. The Americans, on the other hand, are totally uncomplicated. They are really simple and genuine, without a chip on their shoulder. They like to have a good time, do not like to bother others, keep their distance and to top it, are a friendly lot.

anialways · 11-20-2012, 01:49 AM

All those speculating on pros and con of an Interview, must read the following thread on Parents Forum,

Impact of NOT Interviewing

Impact of NOT Interviewing

collstu · 11-20-2012, 07:05 AM

One question:"Why the glitter of imperial is starting to wear off even if it is one of the best?"It is as good as MIT,Caltech,Stanford,Princeton,Cornell....Even though their rank differ,they are still considered the best.

BTW,MIT doesn't penalize students whose interview has been waived.They do penalize those who didn't gave their interviews.
Which is a better engineering college----Gtech or UIUC(confused)

Also,I knew a senior who had 4 IOA medals and attended training camp for Indian informatics olympiad.His school marks were great.He was a KVPY fellow.
His Sat Score was around 2200 and SAT Subject 2400.He got rejected by all universities he applied to(even UCLA and UC berkeley.....dont ask me why cause I dont know)He is attending IIT. My brother last year applied to UC berkeley last year and got accepted and he was not an exception.(His SAT Score was 2040 and had great school marks but is attending IIT due to financial problems).......These admissions are always uncertain

dasadhikarik · 11-20-2012, 07:53 AM

@anialways that is a very vast generalization to make. The British may have been colonial in the past, but I doubt you'll find another country today that is as repentant about it as they are. And I disagree that Americans are uncomplicated. In fact, I don't think I've ever understood the actions of any American I've come to know well. A LOT of the things that I've seen average Americans do is very irrational. Having a good time is not everything. Sometimes, it's necessary to have a bad time to come up with something productive and worthwhile.

And you're absolutely right, I don't want to transfer (I find it an unlikely, and indeed, traitorous move; there's no reason why someone who's been rejected in the past should be let in later, just because they've changed schools)--and even if I did, I could not do it without restarting the entire degree. UK colleges don't have a credit hour system.

@collstu "Why the glitter of imperial is starting to wear off even if it is one of the best?" The glitter wears off everywhere. At the end of the day, it's just another place that you commute to every single morning to go through hours of classes with 100s of people, and walk home from every evening. It happens everywhere--and more so at engineering colleges, which a lot of students actually come to dislike while they're studying there (they have their reasons, and they're perfectly valid).

"Which is a better engineering college?" Depends on what you want to do, but I think that summing everything up, GeorgiaTech is marginally better than UIUC for most engineering disciplines other than computer-oriented ones.

I never denied that admissions are uncertain (although they SHOULDN'T be, and I hope that the U.S. Supreme Court deals with the matter soon--although it won't impact internationals that much). All I'm saying is, when a school sets you an interviewer, and the interviewer doesn't reply to your e-mails for two months, and when he finally does, tells you that he'll be out of the country, so the interview will HAVE to be over Skype (forcing you to get a Skype account), and then when the interview date and time rolls along, YOU have to contact him 10 minutes after the interview was supposed to have started, and he tells you he forgot all about it. And then, when the interview finally starts, his concluding remarks are, "Well, you seem mature enough for MIT. But they haven't taken any non-Americans from Japan in decades," I really have to wonder, "This is an admissions process?" Sure doesn't look like it. Looks as though it's pretty much set in stone who's going to be taken and who isn't.

Final point: We look into your context is complete rubbish. They don't. They just play by stereotypes that Americans have about other countries.

anialways · 11-20-2012, 08:54 AM

It is not generalisation. Like I said it it is MY OPINION based on my experience. The US admissions have always been a mystery, just like the 'formula' for a bollywood movie to be a hit. You admit you "do not understand the actions of any American I've come to know well" which leads to, "I understand the actions of all Britishers I know well". That in my opinion, I could say, is generalising OR if I am intelligent enough I would say that is your experience.

I love the British humor as much as I do the American minding their own business. I think you need to let go off the 'rejection' and that does not mean that you have to dislike one in order to like another. While I respect where you are coming from but I reserve the right to have a different opinion.

dasadhikarik · 11-20-2012, 11:23 AM

Yeah, you can have your own opinion. But it IS a massive generalization to say that Brits have a "stiff upper lip" and Americans are all lax. I know Brits I like, Americans I like, Brits I dislike, and Americans I dislike. No one on here should make college choices based on such vague stereotypes. Just to provide another example, take US Border Control vs. UKBA. You're 100% more certain of receiving a warmer welcome from UKBA. I've been shouted at/taken an incredulous tone with both of the times I've visited the US, simply because of an ambiguity on the I-94.

dasadhikarik · 11-20-2012, 11:30 AM

You admit you "do not understand the actions of any American I've come to know well" which leads to, "I understand the actions of all Britishers I know well".

This is faulty reasoning. Don't know how you got to that conclusion. I qualified that statement with "Americans I know well". I know maybe 4-5 Americans "well". And no, 60% of the time, I don't understand their actions AT ALL. I never said anything about understanding Britishers. I don't HATE anything in order to like anything else. You just made that up.

Look, can we stop with these "You hate MIT" accusations? If you want to take my advice, take it. Otherwise, don't. I can only guarantee that my posts aren't driven by malice towards MIT. I'm only trying to give you the other side of picture.

anialways · 11-20-2012, 12:29 PM

I used the words like and dislike. So just goes to show your mindset dear. I understand that you are an overachiever and it is hard not being able to get what you wanted in the first place. Also you do need to take things in your stride and develop a little sense of humor.

And I do not seek advice from you, and I would not hesitate to take if indeed I did need from a student. If this is your tone and attitude thanks but no thanks. And I am a parent. Apologies for trying to have a harmless conversation. But no more. Have a good day.

Mrinal2207 · 11-20-2012, 01:04 PM

Uh dasadhikarik, You seem to be pretty darn smart. With those scores and that GPA, you would have to be.
But but. You are wrong in saying that you never understood the actions of any American you knew. Ofcourse, that's your personal opinion but this thread seems to be going into the UK vs. US education phase, which is not good.
And. You really don't have to justify the prestige or rankings for that matter of Imperial. We all know what an awesome place that is.

And. Anialways will always have the best advice. And I have been kinda busy lately, hence the not-posting.

dasadhikarik · 11-20-2012, 02:19 PM

Uh... no, this isn't turning into a US vs. UK education phase. It's becoming a what are Americans like vs. what are the British like, which is hardly appropriate for a post on College Confidential.

I've never tried to praise either the American or the British education system. I only ever applied to either because I had to, or face losing 1-2 years to study for the JEE. Honestly, I'd rather be back home getting an education for virtually free rather than dishing out ANY amount to the US or UK. India would probably be better for it too. But, that's not a feasible solution.

"You are wrong in saying that you never understood the actions of any American you knew."

So now you know the Americans I knew better than I knew them, when you haven't even met them?

By all means, keep taking advice from whatever source you please; but I don't take kindly to being patronized.

brutallyhonest · 11-22-2012, 10:28 AM

"Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."