Can a great application essay make up for some shortcomings in my application?

Applying to College
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<p>@michaelite OP you just need to be realistic about your school choices & create a balanced list, that’s all. Some of these schools either are reaches for everyone or won’t give you much money. </p>

<p>".I love coding and i love physics"</p>

<p>It looks to me like you do have a focus. Those interests are as good as any. And they do not make you “yet another math oriented Indian boy” -you have more than that going on for you (your EC’s/passion for sports).</p>

<p>".i want a college that would equip me to face the world,to help me know what exactly I want of life and make the best of my talents"</p>

<p>There are plenty of schools here in the US where you can do that -not just Stanford & MIT.</p>

<p>“this might seem a very narcissistic statement to make,but I’ve rarely encountered kids as as good at me at things I like the best…that might be because I’m a small town kid with very little exposure to the rest of the world”</p>

<p>Well, maybe in such a small town you might not find peers who care enough about their future or simply don’t have the opportunities to do so…Happens to a lot of people everywhere, kids who go to schools where it’s very easy to be at the top of the class. The fact itself isn’t narcissistic, but the manner in which it’s pointed out can be…You might wanna avoid mentioning this in an essay.</p>

<p>“how does a clueless outsider like me decide where to go except by the opinions of those around him…or internet ranking…or “prestige”.”</p>

<p>We understand that in some cultures, there’s a heavy emphasis on prestige. However, this is something all college applicants have to let go of at some point in order to find a school where they’ll thrive/be happy/succeed. You need to focus 1st on narrowing down schools which would be affordable, 2nd on finding your “fit,” & 3rd on creating a balanced reaches/matches/safeties list adjusted for your circumstances. If you’re willing to accept that prestige is relative/isn’t as important as it seems, we can help you do that. </p>

<p>Yes, your odds are low -like all internationals’ are. But your 25k/year budget + your tennis involvement (which could even be a hook at some colleges) put you in a better spot.</p>

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<p>@Lilliana330‌ I am only applying to Stanford and MIT among the highly selective schools…rest of my choices are most schools with about 40% of higher acceptance rate. I am applying to UT Austin,NUS ,Nanyang(Singapore,lots of Indian students)…but my problem is that only the top US colleges award financial aid to internationals…so even if selected to some less selective schools,I might not be able to afford them…Singapore colleges are much cheaper though…so what are the options left for me?..you see,schools that offer financial aid are too selective and schools that I stand a pretty good chance of getting into don’t offer financial aid…I am just giving it a shot,but if the best ones don’t have me then I would most probably try to get into the Asian colleges</p>

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<p>@michaelite Yes, only the most selective schools offer financial aid for internationals. However, countless of less-selective schools offer merit scholarships for your stats (assuming your SAT’s turn out as predicted), whether you’re domestic or international. Read these threads:</p>

<p>Competitive scholarships: <a href=“Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Automatic scholarships: <a href=“Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>‘rest of my choices are most schools with about 40% of higher acceptance rate.’ And what schools would these be? Please look at statistics for (aid-seeking or not) internationals, not the general statistics.</p>