Gender : male , also I am ace
nationality : Indian
Intended major : Math
LORs:
Harvard CS professor
MVC + linear algebra prof
Ecs:
Independent researcher
Wrote 10 pg paper on “Automorphisms of the Symmetric Group S_6”, submitted to Columbia journal of undergraduate mathematics(result awaiting)
Student, Stanford ULO and Harvard extension
Dual enrolled at Stanford ULO in MV calculus,Group theory, linear algebra, optics, relativity,quantum mechanics,etc and theoretical CS at Harvard ext.
Student , ICTS - TIFR
Among ~20 students nationally selected for Math circle India with full ride through an entrance exam. Participated in Bi-weekly sessions.
specialist (rank based on contest performances), CodeForces
Gave weekly CodeForces competitive programming contests and practiced for them, 90+ percentile nationally (mostly college students participate)
YouTuber, YouTube
YouTube channel with Guitar Japanese covers and 100000+ impressions.
Student, CS50 Harvard
Completed all assignments of the Harvard CS50 undergraduate course.Made AI automated game final project. Learnt 4 programming lang. Got Certificate.
8)self study
tutor schoolhouse world
cooking
Awards -
54th nationally in first stage of OI(informatics oly)
qualified for second stage of OI
Math circle India by icts -TIFR
Course rigour -
Homeschooled in 11 and 12, Completed 5 dual enrolment courses in multivariable calculus + linear algebra, modern/abstract algebra at Stanford ULO, theoretical cs sophomore year course at Harvard extension,
Scored 89-90 in IGCSE internals (based on assignments)
Testing-Test optional, Got AABBC in IGCSE, 5 in AP calc AB subscore, 4 in AP calc BC, 3 in AP Physics C mechanics
“We require two recommendations from teachers who have taught you in an academic subject: high school teachers for first-year applicants and college instructors for transfer applicants. Academic subjects, as defined for the purposes of letters of recommendation, include mathematics, social studies, history, science, English or literature, foreign language, and other courses in which you are doing substantial amounts of reading, writing, or class discussion”
Sounds like they’ll accept but don’t necessarily want the third.
“If you feel that we won’t be able get a full picture of who you are without a third letter of recommendation from another teacher, an employer, role model, youth leader, or friend, you may submit one additional letter. Submitting a supplemental letter of recommendation is not an expectation, and please be considerate of the significant time commitment writing a good letter of recommendation takes before asking a potential recommender.”
I can’t chance you as I don’t understand your scores. Obviously you are very accomplished at math but most schools require strength in other subjects too.
Schools strong in math include U Maryland, U Wisconsin, U Minnesota, Penn State, Rutgers and for a bit smaller, Pitt and Georgia Tech, amongst others. Depending on your need profile, these will be easier admits.
Yes, from the data I have looked at, it sure seems like a lot of prominent research universities, both private and public, had increasingly been treating well-qualified full pay Internationals as an important source of operating funds. And that includes a variety of universities with excellent Math departments.
We’ll have to wait for fresh data, but I would guess that if anything, the recent dynamics will have made the admissions situation in even more favorable for full pay, well-qualified Internationals.
On the other hand, high need Internationals were already facing far more limited options, with very daunting admissions at any prominent college which even sometimes offered the required aid packages (even the need blind ones, since that seemed to mean it was just equally hard for any International to get admitted).
And unfortunately, I would not be confident the recent dynamic has been so favorable for high need Internationals applying to prominent research universities.
Do you have an SAT score? Why are you applying test-optional?
The University of Chicago does consider need in considering whether to admit an international student. As such, if you are able to be full pay (figure on close to $400,000 for a full four years) this will improve your chances compared to a student who needs significant financial aid.
For the reference from a Harvard professor, how well does the professor know you?
For the top ranked universities in the US (Chicago, MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford) you can figure that the very large majority of applicants are “aces”. As one example, it was quite common when I was a freshman at MIT to find other students who had 800 on both the math part of the regular SAT test and on the math subject test. The acceptance rate overall and for international students is still quite low.
I am wondering whether you might want to apply to the University of Toronto. It is excellent for math, is very academically challenging, but admissions is more likely compared to the top ranked universities in the US.
I agree with some recommendations of others, such as applying to Wisconsin. The University of Massachusetts in Amherst is another school to consider where admissions is relatively more likely.
I have 2 prof recs , second is from my MVC + linear algebra ULO prof , Stanford ULO courses are basically dual enrolment courses in math and physics, only people who have done calculus can take most of the courses. For homeschoolers , the lors don’t necessarily have to be from high school teachers.
For the independent validation: I have Stanford Continuing studies and Harvard Extension transcripts with college credit + AP scores that I mentioned. I did give sat but didn’t get a good score, so I am going test optional whenever possible.
My prof knows me through my dual enrolment in CSCI 121 , a theoretical cs course offered through Harvard extension with same exams and problem sets as regular Harvard students.
Although UChicago is test optional, not submitting a test score may hurt your application because being homeschooled outside the US, you don’t have a GPA nor a class rank and you don’t have to abide by any homeschooling rules in the US. All of these would have helped the school evaluate you in the context of peers in a day-to-day setting and lessened their risk of taking you.
This concern is partially alleviated by you having taken a couple of AP exams, but a 4 in Calculus BC (albeit with a subscore of 5 in AB) and a 3 in Physics C Mechanics do not bode well for a math major. Many top students who would be your competitors for UChicago admission, and who do not wish to major in math, got 5 in both and several other AP classes. You would be at a disadvantage compared to them.
It is great that you have learned group theory online and are able to write a 10-page paper yourself. However, I would be hesitant to call your role an “independent researcher” because symmetric group and automorphism are standard math topics. Are you reporting any new, unpublished result in your paper?
If so, you would want to really highlight that and perhaps submit your paper to a professional math journal. If not, the paper could just be a regurgitation of standard definitions, graphical illustrations of groups and automorphisms, and well-known facts about them. Which is still amazing for a high school student but it’s not research per se.
Another issue is budget that earlier posters have pointed out. UChicago is need-blind for domestic students but not for internationals. And because you are an international, the net-price calculator likely won’t give you an accurate estimate of the cost. Thus, you would want this part straightened out before applying ED.
Thanks for the clarifications. I’ll give you my honest opinion. This may sound discouraging or harsh, but since you asked to be chanced, I’ll assume you want the truth.
First, here are the factors working in your favor:
You are a full-pay applicant.
You’re applying Early Decision.
You’re applying for a less common major. (Although Chicago doesn’t explicitly admit by major, I suspect this can be an advantage.)
Now, here are the factors that I believe work against you:
You’re applying from a country with a very large and competitive applicant pool.
There’s no independent verification of your academic qualifications. The Stanford online classes that pretty much anyone can sign up for aren’t sufficient on their own (you mentioned only students who’ve done calculus can enroll, but that’s a relatively low bar). What other subjects have you been homeschooled in? Have you passed a board exam or any equivalent standardized exam typically taken by 12th graders in your country or state?
Your AP Calc BC score is good, but not impressive for a prospective math major. Your Physics AP score is, to be candid, less than competitive. Unfortunately, these won’t strengthen your profile.
Not submitting standardized test scores is not helpful, particularly for a foreign home schooled applicant.
Are there other schools you’re applying to? Do you have any guaranteed options in India?
Compare syllabi and degree programs/requirements to see how the rigor compares.
Bonus: University of Waterloo is very strong for math and somewhat cheaper than most of these universities when you convert the cost of attendance from CAD to USD
If you have taken all these advanced math courses and are able to submit an advanced technical paper for publication, the school may wonder why you are not submitting a test score.
My question to you is why you are applying to US universities? You appear to be doing well on your own, with all of your resources.
You won’t be able to become employed in the US, so why are you targeting US universities?
Admission to US universities will require studies in other academic subjects including: English, history, social science, humanities, foreign languages. You will be required to take some of those courses at the university level.
Many schools are requiring fine and professional arts, and it doesn’t appear that you have a record of those.
There are hundreds of thousands of US domestic students who do have that background. Those students also tend to get letters of recommendation from humanities teachers or core subject teachers. The universities want to know what you can do in a classroom setting and how your teachers view that setting and your participation.
You do not appear to be competitive for test scores. There’s no way to gauge your academic experiences without test scores on a formalized test.
So the question is, why would you spend that kind of money on the US schools? They appear to not add anything to your résumé that you could use in your career, in your country.
Nope but I did take ZCO which is like IOQM but first stage of informatics Olympiad (IOI) selection. I got rank 54th nationally and qualified for INOI which is INMO equivalent in informatics.
