<p>I am just curious what you think about my stats and the schools I am applying to:
Tests: SATI:1580(800V, 780M), 2nd try, SATII:740Writing, 800MathIIC, 760Physics TOEFL: 300 CBT
School:
-My G.P.A. is 9.68 on a scale of 1-10;
-Finished an intensive-computer science high-school department, could be considered most demanding choice in my school, which is ranked 5th or 6th in Romania;
-Awards (2nd, 3rd prizes, mentions) in the county physics, computer science, geography, biology contests;
ECs:
debate:
o finalist in the Karl Popper Debating Tournament of the IDEA International Youth Forum 2003, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia (attended by 33 countries, including the US);
o winner of the Karl Popper Debating Tournament “Youth Against Violence and Substance Abuse”, held in Druskininkai, Lithuania;
o champion and best speaker at the Romanian National Debating Tournament in 2004;
o vice-champion at the 2003 Romanian National Debating Tournament in;
o 4th team and fair-play award in the 2002 National Romanian Parliamentary Debate Tournament, an university tournament where I was the youngest and only high-school entrant;
o Regional champion of Wallachia in 2004;
o Judge at the Heart of Europe Debating Tournament held in Olomouc, the Czech Republic, in 2003 and 2004;
o Coach of the winning team at the Heart of Europe 2004;
o Attended the European Debating Week in Stuttgart in 2002 and 2004;
o Attended the Ko</p>
<p>You applied binding ED to Bates? Just out of curiousity, why did you select this over all your other choices? Because of the debate program? I think you are an incredibly strong applicant and could be very successful with the RD round of applications- depending at some schools on your need for financial aid</p>
<p>Yes, I did apply ED to Bates and yes, I require a ton of financial aid. I did not know my SATI and TOEFL scores, but if I get in (I hope I will), I won’t regret the decision I have made.
I am reading stuff on CC for more than an year and I got a little bit scared in the first place. The message with “I’ve got a 1600 SAT, two 800 SATIIs and a 790. Do I even stand a chance at Harvard?” really freaked me out. I mean, I expect competition in America, but does EVERYTHING have to be a rat race? And another thing - on another thread, someone had a 760 MathIIC. Someone was quick to write him off as a cornpicker for the rest of his life.
Now, I’m on top of the SAT system (well, at least the SATI), and I see how pointless it is.
I valued very much Bates’s policy of optional SATs, although I did report mine. Also, debate was a factor + they were the only ones to bother giving me an alumni interview, in Budapest. I do not believe in rankings, and if I have to apply RD, I will probably apply to Harvard and Princeton, but even if I would get accepted, I would think thrice before saying yes. And just another thing, I know that I would become a slacker if I got in a Big Name University such as Harvard and I hate bumper-stickers that say:“we are the proud parents…”.</p>
<p>“I’ve got a 1600 SAT, two 800 SATIIs and a 790. Do I even stand a chance at Harvard?” really freaked me out. I mean, I expect competition in America, but does EVERYTHING have to be a rat race? And another thing - on another thread, someone had a 760 MathIIC. Someone was quick to write him off as a cornpicker for the rest of his life."</p>
<p>You do know these people were joking ,right?</p>
<p>Maybe they were:) But the cornpicker thing is not. The guy really meant it. I know that most people do not think like that, but I do not want to take chances.
Anyway, decisions are hard to make from the other side of the world. I know you are in the same position - I think you are from India and a perfect SAT scorer. There was one thing I know from many sources about Ivy League, and universities as a whole for that matter of fact - you have usually very little contact with the professors and chances are you’ll get a graduate student doing almost all the teaching.
And if I continue my studies to grad school, I would probably apply to HYP. They are the best grad schools in the world, after all.</p>
<p>I am really glad to see a Romanian applicant here! I’m from Lugoj and attend the Liceum “Coriolan Brediceanu” there. I have reviewed your stats, and I can tell you that you are almost assured a place at the colleges mentioned.
I hope we meet some time.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to go to Bates, you don’t have to if you can prove the financial aid is not sufficient. In your case, this situation is very possible.</p>
<p>You will get into Bates 100% no chance you would not. RD I would give you a strong chance at HYPS and the top Ivies LACs. Sorry, but I think ED wasnt the right decision, since Bates is a safety regardless of ED or RD for you.</p>
<p>I would definitely consider what you guys say - Thank you for the feed-back. Nevertheless, I think I still like Bates - be it safety school or not - and if they do provide enough financial aid, which should cover everything except maybe $1800, I will have (and like) to go there. I was more like thinking about transfer after 1st year to an Ivy or Williams, if I don’t enjoy Bates that much.</p>