kmadanavbhat

Dear respectable members of this forum,
I am Khandige Madananteshwara Vinayak Bhat, a Home-schooled International Student from Bangalore, India. I went to a normal school till Eighth-Grade, after which, My parents decided to home-school me for a number of reasons, the most important of which, I am mentioning below. They are:
1. I faced a hell of a lot of bullying, teasing, ragging, and other such forms of ridicule and abuse, as I had (and still have) Attention deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Dyslexia, and Tourette's syndrome;
2. I was (and still sometimes am) a bit of a neurotic, hyper-stressed, quirky, reclusive, and socio phobic person, which I am because God made me like this, and I have absolutely NO control over it;
3. My parents always told me (and still tell me many times) that my I.Q. and level of Intellect, Curiosity, Passions, and range of interests are way more than the avg teen, hence I find it hard to fit in to Indian classrooms.
And apart from the above mentioned problems, I happen to be an extremely hard working, and I generally don't leave a task until it is completed, and I happen to handle two jobs at the same time, one at my father's company and the other at our family Nonprofit, and I happen to have a great amount of hobbies, pastimes, and extracurricular activities. Now that I've told you all about myself, let me get to the points: I have, since age six, had a serious desire and aspiration to become a great statesman, and I've decided that NO other Institutions can prepare me for that other than Yale, Penn, Oxford, and a few others which I've shortlisted, and this brings me to the next point, It would be very kind and nice of you respectable members of this forum if you could clarify a few doubts/concerns/queries which have been bothering me. I have listed my doubts/queries/concerns below. They are:
1. Am I, as an applicant to those above mentioned Institutions, at a disadvantage because of my being home-schooled? If so, then How can I get around that hurdle and turn it to my Advantage?
2. What is the Profile of the average home-schooled applicant who DOES get admitted to those above mentioned institutions? And what exactly is the admissions criteria of those above mentioned Institutions? And What exactly do they look for in a student?
3. How can I prepare myself to be ready for those above mentioned institutions? Considering that I am planning to file my applications during the November-December period of 2010, as I plan to enroll for the class of 2015
4. What are the Financial Aid options available for me? And How exactly can I avail of them? Considering that I come from a MIDDLE-CLASS family in India
5. Will I be safe at the above mentioned Institutions? And what is the safety record of the above mentioned institutions? And what are the general safety precautions and guidelines which I can follow in order to be safe?
6. Do the above mentioned Institutions discriminate against those from the LGBT community, those who are Hindus, and those who suffer from the conditions which I've mentioned above?
Any and all help and advice would be most welcome and appreciated,
Thanking you,
Yours,
Madana

greennblue

Wow, there are a lot of interesting issues in your post. First, with all of the conditions which affect you, is it a smart idea to go to school far from home?
If you are in fact independent enough to do that, home schooling won't stop you. One idea that home schoolers sometimes use is to take a lot of SATIIs, say 5. If you get high scores, that solidifies your academic credentials.
Your financial aid options are the same as for any international student. Aid is hard to come by. You fill out the forms and hope for the best.
To the extent that your conditions affect your interactions with people, you will face "discrimination." It is likely that you'd find it hard to make friends. That's just how people are.

illuminar

Uh...yeah, good luck.

tenebrousfire

if you're reclusive and have social phobias, penn is probably not the best place for you

dreamwharton

to tenebrousfire,
yeah. probably dart, upenn are not right for u. maybe u waht some schools close to Caltech, MIT