Foreign Student! I'm in for HYPMS, right?! :) - Page 4

tetrisfan · 05-12-2008, 11:03 PM

LAC's? No reaction?

1234d · 05-13-2008, 12:50 AM

you are obviously an extremely accomplished and intelligent student, but do take note of the fierce competition from spore alone... and take a look at the lacs.

100%Tuna · 05-13-2008, 05:12 AM

Well, was in a bit of a hurry, so yeah... din't answer earlier... About LACs, the thing is; as far as I've heard, they ain't exactly engineering or for that matter science-focused schools, nor are they super-prestigious; so, my idea was that well, if i don't get to any school outta my list (most of them are like, dream schools, i guess) i'd rather stay on in singapore (or try for UK) for undergrad (after all, NUS is ranked number 10 in the world for engineering), do a double degree or something and then try for grad school in the US... won't that be like better than burning a load of money on LACs, cuz... with my grades, and already being a singapore govt. scholar, i'd practically get paid 500 bucks a month with accomodation ol to study in NUS... so yeah... that was my idea... what do ya guys think...?

tetrisfan · 05-13-2008, 05:48 AM

Oh man, what have you heard about LACs (I didn't mean that in a condescending way)? LACs tend to be the most generous towards internationals! And most of them are amazing at science (and the handful that offer engineering are great at that too). Trust me, a degree from WASP (Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona) or any other top LAC (Bowdoin, Carleton, Haverford, etc) will be looked upon very favourably by grad schools. Seriously, take a closer look at LACs.

UphillBattle · 05-13-2008, 06:19 AM

Yeah a lot of LAC's are incredible in the science field, look into the places tetrisfan suggested, as well as places like Harvey Mudd, probably the top known sciencey-engineering LAC, Middlebury and Vassar. Great places for science-focused students as they provide not only a more stimulating undergraduate education but also a more solid foundation for graduate schools. More student-teacher interaction, obviously 100% undergrad focus and the students at these colleges tend to be a lot more engaged in learning than some of their university counterparts, probably due to less distractions in terms of location (most are in small towns, safe) etc. Not to say they don't have fun though.

Bet you didn't know that out of the colleges from where the most graduates go on to earn a PhD, LAC's outnumber universities 10 to 6. The top two institutions have less than 1,000 students each and Harvey Mudd ranks number one.

100%Tuna · 05-13-2008, 06:29 AM

well... i guess i need to update myself about LACs... lol... For all i knew was that they were called "arts" for a reason... but i guess they look good... will check 'em out... just another question... can you apply for financial aid to a few and not apply to a few, or is it just one square box in the common app? and yeah... just curious... nothing to do with me or my app personally, but what kinda things do ya think will me a college admission dude jump outta his pants and accept... a hollywood movie? being the second mother teresa? a cure for aids? lol... basically have you ever heard of people getting in juz cuz they are friggin' awesome at something?

no more chances... boo!

it's kinda nice to know what people think of where you're heading... post eh guys!

tetrisfan · 05-13-2008, 08:09 AM

Yes, you can apply for financial aid at a few places and abstain from doing so at others. And please do check out LAC's, especially Harvey Mudd and Swarthmore. There's a thread on this forum about LAC's which offer engineering, so that should give you some more LAC options to look into (HMC and S are the only two with engineering that come to mind at the moment).

There is no one thing which will make an admissions officer jump up and accept you, no. You need a good blend of everything - grades, EC's, test scores, essays and recs. The thing is, you don't need to have every EC at the friggin' international level to get into HYPMS. They just want individuals who completely utilize the resources around them. A cure for AIDS would be nice though

.

100%Tuna · 05-13-2008, 10:00 AM

yeah... will look into LACs! thanks for all the info!
*bump* others! drop a chance-me-answer-post, suggestions, comments... anything...
900+ views... and only a few people (who i'm damn damn thankful to) replying!

Beejay · 05-13-2008, 05:10 PM

I would like to reply to whoever said ''are you looking for prestige?''.

Well, for international students, ESPECIALLY indians, it gets really competitive when students get back from university to get jobs. So in countries in the Middle East and Asia, where competition is insane, I'd say prestige is very helpful in landing in a high paying job.

From personal experience I'd discuss conditions here in the UAE. I know many Indian students from my school(most of their parents are engineers), and the highest paid between their parents are those who have top 20 degrees.

Example: Indian dad, Rice graduate, income : 180,000$ a year.
Indian dad, Vtech graduate, income : 80,000$ a year.

Ofcourse luck and years experience play a big role, but I'm speaking in general

Something down those lines.

Savs · 05-13-2008, 07:00 PM

^Yes, but going to a school where you don't fit for four years isn't, IMHO, worth it, even for the extra money later on.

I'd say you have a decent chance at most of the schools on your list, but PLEASE look into each of them before you apply, to make sure you would actually enjoy going there. You can't visit, no, but all the schools you listed have websites that will tell you a lot about them. Read through some of that, and then see if you're still interested.

tetrisfan · 05-14-2008, 02:56 AM

Yes, but undergraduate prestige hardly matters if you go on to grad school (which you really need to do if you want to make it big in India). And yes, I completely second what Savs says...

100%Tuna · 05-14-2008, 08:12 AM

i guess yeah... with a good grad school, undergrad prestige just doesn't matter that much, but well, i guess a higher prestige would just be, well, wouldn't be bad! the thing for me is that it's quite difficult to persuade my parents to send me to a LAC or a not-the-top-notch-list school, cuz they wouldn't really want to shell out a loada money while i could study here in singapore for free! but yeah... i guess some LACs do look good!

PS: others! am tired of requesting... plz... a little encouragement, constructive criticism, suggestions, a quick word won't hurt... so please!

tetrisfan · 05-14-2008, 08:30 AM

If a LAC offers you a full ride, would you go?

100%Tuna · 05-14-2008, 08:44 AM

haha... dun't get me wrong when i say this; but it will be a BIG dilemma for me... singapore on one hand is VERY engineering focussed, double degrees, closer to home, familiar, gives me 500 sing. dollars a month and has a high prestige value in terms of world ranking and super-high in asia, while i guess an LAC would probably make my way to a good grad school easier... soo yeah... would weigh the pros and cons, but i guess my parents would be more inclined towards singapore... (me being the only child, my parents, dun't really want to send me too far, if possible). but i guess if i get a top univ (aka ivies/ a presitigous *read very prestigious* school), even without financial aid, i'll GO! haha!

100%Tuna · 05-14-2008, 08:47 AM

btw... just wondering... i'm on a scholarship which selects only 25 odd students from all over india every year and well, is rather prestigious in india (at least the cities!)... so will elaborating and highlighting that somewhere in my apps help...? if yes, where?

PS: the scholarship's called SIA-Youth (for 11th and 12th grade education)