<p>I’ve seen the stats for UT Austin, but it’s hard to use them because I’m told it’s very tough for out-of-staters, and I can’t get a perspective on where I stand in the international applicant pool. I think I should be fine, but I want some assurance (there, I said it). </p>
<p>I don’t have a ready stats profile, so this info is from memory and might not be complete - but here goes anyway. (I’m not putting the specifics of some random stuff that’s on some of my apps, like Outward Bound and stuff; this is the stuff I consider really pertinent to my chances as an applicant.)</p>
<p>SAT: 760CR 760M 750W = 2270
Didn’t take SAT IIs because none of the schools I’m applying to need them for film majors (also applying to NYU and USC)
Singapore-GCE A Levels: AAAC + Merit (KI, Lit, History, Theater Studies and H3 Lit respectively - don’t know if anyone will be able to use this info.) Technically speaking not the most rigorous, but it’s the combination of subjects that raises eyebrows. The only way to “add” to the rigor of this combi is to take a H1 subject on top of this… and in my year I only know of three students nationally (including me) doing this combination of subjects and a H3, and none of us had an additional H1. <- info for people familiar with the A Level system. (H1 = AO, H2 = A, H3 = 1.5 * S)
(Anyway I don’t think UT-Austin will understand how rigorous this courseload is… the system is new and difficult to compare to APs. Most colleges will give 8 credits for a C or higher at A Levels - this is the only relevant comparison I can come up with.)
First choice major: Radio-TV-Film
Second choice major: Theater</p>
<p>Gap year/Film work:
Took a year off to do independent film work - I’ve made three shorts this year to add to the two I made while in school. </p>
<p>Of those three,
one has travelled to film festivals abroad as part of a Singaporean short film showcase,
another will be receiving national press and radio coverage and screening publicly next month.
The third one is being submitted for film festivals right now.
One of the two shorts I made while still in school has also screened publicly at an independent arts venue.</p>
<p>Volunteering:
Front-of-house volunteer at various shows across four different professional local theatre companies, with considerable time commitment to two of those companies. Exact hours are… 147 hours across… 8 productions and one arts festival, from late 2006 through to now and I’m still continuing through next year.
Short stint as video interviewer and reviewer for a local arts community website (the website petered out and disappeared into obscurity, sadly). Just four hours on this one. (early 2007)</p>
<p>Internships:
One at a prominent theatre company for just three weeks: they were preparing for a re-run of a successful musical they’d put up the previous season. I made a promotional video for that production while interning, and it was played on ad screens all over the country (not on TV, though). (late 2007)
Starting an internship at a major independent arts organization in January 2009 under the manager of the film program, will be interning there throughout the Singapore Independent Documentary Film Festival in March 2009 at least.</p>
<p>**Work Experience<a href=“not%20counting%202%20temp%20office%20jobs…%20that%20aren’t%20on%20my%20apps%20anyway”>/b</a>:
Worked part time for four months during the school term at a video rental store, stopped because #1 my contract ended and #2 A Levels were looming. (early 2007)
Taught for a term as a relief teacher at my alma mater - what’s interesting is I taught a unique Language Arts curriculum that incorporated film studies. (early 2008)
Tutored an O Level student in math and physics for 9 months, right up to his O Levels. (2008)</p>
<p>Leadership positions/IT Club:
Chairperson of IT Club (funny thing is, I would have been treasurer of the Air Rifle Club too - I was treasurer of the ARC for about six weeks - except the coach realized I was Chairperson of IT Club and decided it was too much responsibility for one person.)
My IT Club team came in 2nd in our division in a national robotics competition in 2003 (seems a long time ago - I had doubts about putting it in, but the competition was open to students up to 18 years old - sometimes older - so in it went. My division was for 13-16 year old students. Also, I was already vice-chairperson of the club by that time, so it’s significant).
Member from 2002 to 2005, VC from mid 2003-mid 2004, Chair from mid-2004 to mid-2005. Elected in both cases.
Participation (no more major wins besides the above, unless you count things like Most Bizarre Robot and Best Decorated Robot) in about six national-level events.</p>
<p>Other ECs and significant awards:
Air Rifle Club - 1 year (Apr 2004 - Apr 2005)
Merit Award, Creative and Heuristic Applications of Science - Wrote a paper on possible locations for a human colony on Mars, as part of a team of four people writing three papers. A Merit Award indicates the team is #4 to #6 nationally, and has defended the papers in front of a panel of judges in the final of the competition. (2004)</p>
<p>Everything I’ve done from Dec 2007 to Dec 2008 is discussed in my Supplementary Essay (Essay C), and most of what I’ve written above is included in some form or another on my additional resume, so UT Austin will get at least as clear an idea as you do of what my last five years have been like.</p>
<p>Didn’t send any recommendations, and my other two essays - one I consider well-written but a little impersonal (I do relate the issue - it’s Essay B - to me, but the issue doesn’t tell them much about me - though perhaps it tells them about what I believe in and find important, which might - oh, I’m overthinking this), the other I fear (important person who has influenced you) is cliche heaven, even though it’s pretty specific to the actual person, with anecdotes and so on. I did consider re-writing it but figured I couldn’t make it much better in a short amount of time.</p>
<p>Oh, and I’m not asking for aid. If I do get accepted and go to Texas, it will be on a scholarship from a Singaporean organization/umm student loan (hopefully the former).</p>
<p>SO! … Chances? I reckon I have a pretty high chance thanks to strong scores and very focused ECs, but I want to know what everyone else thinks (don’t want to delude myself). It would be especially useful to know the opinions of international students who’ve been accepted to famously hard-to-get-into-schools for out-of-staters like UT-Austin and UNC-Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>Oh, and I’m a female Chinese Singaporean, not first generation college AND no legacy anywhere (my dad has a distance learning degree). I represented my school ONCE in a regional (meaning Southeast Asian) open shooting competition, that’s not going to get me “athlete” status anywhere. Yeah… kinda screwed on every front there.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for reading through all that… hopefully I can get some useful information.</p>
In any case, I’m from Nanyang (lower sec) and NUS High (upper sec and JC). We probably know like 5 gazillion people in common, it being Singapore. And also, I’m the first batch of graduating students from NUS High–beat that for screwy lol.</p>