lisieux

You might have addressed this question somewhere in the thread, but how do you have your predicted grades ready by now??? It's still May!!

And anw, to answer your very first question, I've seen the brightest of my friends in JC (also one of the top JCs) not getting a place ANYWHERE. It's weird, it's strange, but that's how it is, you can't never be sure. For the very top colleges/unis, there are other factors in play (your essay and your luck, mainly, I think). Don't let your ego eat you up and make you forget to apply to safety schools.

Being a scholar helps, if you can write a very good essay that outlines your experience and how you've grown after moving to a completely new country. (speaking from experience...)

I'm interested to know where you end up next year.

galoisien

Not even any tertiary institutions in Singapore?

tetrisfan

Rule #1: DO NOT GO BY RANKINGS

fiona_

Well, I'm sorry, but without significant academic achievements or extraordinary excelling in certain subjects, you probably won't get into the top few schools (MIT, harvard, yale, amherst, dartmouth, williams) However, rather than just carpet-bombing the rankings, you should really consider very closely what kind of environment you require.

While schools like Cal may appear prestigious, the ethnic composition is about 50% Asian, which might reduce the 'new culture' factor. In addition, Cal is huge and many undergrad classes are held in gigantic lecture halls.

Even among schools like Amherst and MIT, which are both in MIT (which reduces variability in weather, cuisine, etc) Amherst is a small LAC while MIT is ... well, MIT. Amherst offers smaller classes with close cooperation with profs, while MIT offers a creative learning vibe with Nobel laureates teaching some undergrad modules (but then, the lectures are huge).

You have to decide what you want, not carpet-bomb the rankings.

100%Tuna

fiona,
okay... ermm... juz a question... WHAT EXACTLY is the "significant" academic achievement... i mean... i have like the BIGGEST scholarship you get at pre-univ level from india.. i was the top 0.01 percent for math in india... and reached the highest level a foreigner can for American math exams (that too, in the first attempt)... recieved stuff for singapore math olympiads... soo... ain't it extraordinary...? cuz that's the most ya can get in singapore... the plan for changi airport... and nasa is like super-physics... SO WAD MORE IS NEEDED..????

i mean... i dun't mean to sound cocky or vain or anything.. but... i thought i was really strong in this kinda stuff... clarify if i'm wrong... and list some things which are "significant" and "extraordinary..."

thanks in advance and for the honest advice! really appreciate it!

100%Tuna

lisieux, ermm... i juz asked my teachers... abt wad they think... yeah.. .so that's how... juz curious... are you from singapore...?

UphillBattle

100%Tuna, how does your JC do in terms of getting people into Ivies+top schools? Do you know anyone from any of the previous graduating classes from your JC going to the schools you are applying to? I think it's good to see where your school stands in terms of the admissions process and try and talk to people who have gotten in from previous years so you can gauge what it takes to get into the schools you want to attend. I'm sure your guidance counselor will be able to connect you with people.

fiona_

You yourself said that the SIA-Youth is for 25 students. That in itself explains why it's not extraordinary. While you may think 25 students from all over India is very few, which I agree, MIT's quotas are ~100 international students yearly. 25 is 25% of 100, hence it's not extraordinary.

The SMO award isn't particularly great either. I guess it's open section, so it's better than junior or senior section. But still, let me profile the 4 Singaporeans who got admitted into MIT last year:
HC guy (PRC) - Got four gold medals in NOI, SMO, SPhO and SChO.
RJ girl - Went to ISEF, with First.
RJ guy - I think he went ISEF.
Another girl - Went to RSI.

A bronze in SMO Open is nothing. Extraordinary? Get Gold medal in SMO and that'd be a first step. Winning Gold for SSEF too. In Singapore, extraordinary achievements aren't just a Bronze.

Caveat - I'm talking about what it takes to get into MIT. I suppose it'd be much easier to get into Cornell and such.

The Visionary

One more thing, what major would you like to do while at college?

tetrisfan

Yeah Tuna, I reeeeeeeally think you need to sit down, learn to not depend on the rankings so much, and have a chat with your parents.

100%Tuna

UpHillBattle: Well, my JC doesn't exactly send hoards of people; but it does send 1 or 2 people to HYPSM or some other top league univ every year. This year we have a dude going to Harvard with financial aid and a few for Cornell... so yeah... but, ACTUALLY not many people apply to US univs from my school... (most try for UK!)

Fiona: Well, thanks for the really frank comments... really cool that someone told me that I need more... thanks a load for that... BUT for me, the problem is, that being an Indian citizen, i can't really go far on singaporean or american competitions... but have like some of the highest achievements in my college (Temasek JC; quite a good college, I can safely say...) sooo.. well... will try (and am preparing hard) for the SMO gold this year... any other competitions or anything that are prestigious which are coming up... which might bring me SOMEWHERE close to those guys... (yeah... i AM reallllly desperate for MIT, not just becuz of the rank and prestige... but cuz it's been my dream to go there like since forever and that is probably the only univ i think i'd fit in perfectly...)
Suggestions...?

Visionary: Ermm... am planning to go into the business/ finance side for majors... not any concrete plans as of now... but most probably not science...

tetrisfan: well, yeah... i guess so... seeing from the responses... but i dunno... it might seem like a baseless, weak argument, but again, what's the point going over if NUS is better ranked and at the same time, a place where i feel i fit in quite decently (it's more slack than wad i'd like it to be, though...) the thing is... i want to apply everywhere... US, UK and Singapore... and well, after the decisions come out... then choose, whatsay? or should i like shortlist my choice univs now...?

*CONFUSED*
Fiona: could you please chance me for all the univs i have in my list!
Others: SAME AS ABOVE!!!

tetrisfan

No, no, no, you aren't getting it yet! FORGET ABOUT RANKINGS! They aren't the be-all end-all when it comes to college admissions.

tetrisfan

OK, here's what I think you should do:

Apply to as many places as you can afford to/apply to without burning out. Then get back on CC with the results .

100%Tuna

okay, if you were in my place... same ECs, same grades, same international situation... where all would you apply to... if NUS is your safety net... and where do you think you have really good chances...? And should there be like a priority list while applying... where to spend more time for apps etc. etc.

galoisien

The next application deadlines are five to six months away right?

When you're done -- you're going to see this all as a big hype, especially when you think about how you're going to spend the rest of your life after college. The important thing is to choose a school where the rate of your intellectual growth will be maximum.

You've already been chanced over and over in this thread! Take a break for two weeks, do further research on your candidate schools. Have a few dreams (the REM kind). Keep in the mind all the change of majors and development of new interests that might come into play.

Browse around these boards and maybe talk to other people associated with each school you're interested in. For a while, don't concentrate on being chanced -- relate your ambitions and absorb.