Letters of Recommendation etc.

International Students
1

<p>I was wondering, do the Teacher Evaluation Forms and letters of reference make much of a difference for us International Students? Or do they only consider scores?
How important are our essays?
What is the most important thing in the application for International Students? Is it the transcripts?
Since we have relatively less opportunities, do they consider that when they look at our extracurriculars?
Or are we expected to be at par with them on that?</p>

<p>I am a female Indian student who hopes to study the neurosciences and wants a Biology Major with an Honours track in the Neurosciences. </p>

<p>Where do you think I’ll get in with a 2050 on the SAT I? The break-up was like this:</p>

<p>Math- 620
Reading- 690
Writing- 740
Essay- 11
MC- 71</p>

<p>My Subject Test results will be out in late November, Bio and Math Level I went well. Chem was not so good. I had very little time. I don’t have to send those scores though!</p>

<p>I got a 287 on my TOEFL with a 6 on the essay.</p>

<p>My grades are only OK. I stand fourth in a class of 12. I don’t know my GPA.</p>

<p>I have good letters of recommendation, pretty good essays and my extra curriculars are:</p>

<li>An avid birdwatcher since age seven.</li>
<li>Journalism- Student Editor of School Newsletter & Magazine, responsible for yearbook. Also, I’m a Senior School Prefect.</li>
<li>Basketball, Throwball and Handball. Sports Captain till the tenth standard.</li>
<li>Pottery.</li>
<li>Taught myself to play the piano and can play Strauss and Bach and so on. I play by ear.</li>
<li>Set Design and Props Creator for Theatreworks, I help them create sets and props for their plays and help in the costumes too. Also, I have been part of a group that produced and enacted a play on career choices.</li>
<li>Member and active volunteer of the Society to Save Rocks since the eighth standard.</li>
</ol>

<p>How do things look? Please reply if you feel I might fit in somewhere.</p>

2

<p>*I was wondering, do the Teacher Evaluation Forms and letters of reference make much of a difference for us International Students? * Teacher Evaluation forms and letters of reference matter for ALL students, domestic or internationals. It’s the teacher opinion of your work ethic, your cooperation, skill, behavior in class. It matters.</p>

<p>* Or do they only consider scores? * I doubt they consider ONLY the scores unless you’re considering a public university. These tend to be more “number-orientated” (GPA, SAT I/SAT II, rank)</p>

<p>*How important are our essays? * Essays are “the only point of control you have in an application to show yourself”. It’s the opportunity to tell the college why they should pick <em>YOU</em> instead of the other thousands. And since internationals are rarer at schools than domestics, I’d say the essay is pretty damn important. </p>

<p>*What is the most important thing in the application for International Students? Is it the transcripts? * There is no single most important thing. The entire packet is taken together.</p>

<p>*Since we have relatively less opportunities, do they consider that when they look at our extracurriculars? Or are we expected to be at par with them on that? * Tricky question. If your school doesn’t offer many extra-curricular activities, they expect you to go out in the community and broaden your activities, particularly if you’ve lived there for a while. Some intels might take offense as the general assumption of “since we have relatively less opportunities”, and say it’s up to the individual to go out and explore what is available, because there is a LOT available; you’d just have to have the motivation and initiative to go and do it. I think admins are impressed more with applicants who go out and explore non-school opportunities. I know admins were last year with a senior. Even athletics aren’t an “American monopolized” situation. There are some intel students on the National Sports Team in their home countries.</p>

<p>As for the other questions you have, I’m unfamiliar with colleges/universities that offer a Biology major with Honors track in Neurosciences. I’m sorry. </p>

<p>Johns Hopkins (Maryland) is strong in science; that might be a bit of reach with your SAT’s and I think they require (or is it recommend?) three SAT II’s.
You might also want to consider Juniata College in Pennsylvania. Strong sciences. And Clark University in Massachusetts, I think. They prefer those with strong grades but not fantastic SAT I scores. “Finding a diamond in the rough”. :)</p>

<p>You might want to try posting the questions about the biology major and neuroscience honors in another forum. (“college search and selection”)</p>

<p>Your extra curriculars are impressive. What were you talking about earlier?? Especially the piano…</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>If I were u I would retake SAT u have perfect CR and Writing and u can easily pull up math to lower 700 even higher …</p>

4

<p>Yes, if you are able to, perhaps you’d reconsider retaking the SAT’s. However, getting above 500 on each section is admirable. Your score is good, especially if it was the first time taking the SAT I. (Old or new version.)</p>

<p>I am curious what you mean by

Are you applying to schools which don’t require the SAT II? All of them? Or schools that require only two? Because, if you put them down as SAT score receivers, they will receive all SAT scores, even the ones that aren’t as great as your other scores.</p>

5

<p>Best thing to do…is not to worry.Ive been saying that a lot nowadays. You’ll get in where you deserve.</p>

6

<p>IzzyJ, Martin, Havaldaar, thank you for replying so quickly!
You know, I think you all are right about the Reasoning Test, I do feel I’ll have a better score this time. I think I should take it again but when is a good time? I don’t want to jeopardise my grades for the SAT! But then both matter so I think I’ll take it a second time. That 2050 was just a first. I can improve.
About the Subject Tests, I haven’t yet listed my score recipients, so I think I can send them to those schools which require them later. And I’ll probably only send Math Level I and Bio because most colleges just ask for two.
Thanks for saying such nice things about the extracurriculars!
Thanks again!</p>

7

<p>The thing I wanna say is, most Asians score fantastically in the Math section of the SAT I, so your score is a bit of a disadvantage. I suggest you brush up on strategies for this section with the Math chapter in Peterson’s SAT Success (it has a pink cover I think). It has classified tactics for common question types, a glossary and all. Not intending to advertise or anything, but I stuck to just this one book and raised my Math score by couple of hundreds.
Also, I guess your class is hysterically competitive, but ranking 4 out of 12 is way below the “top 10%” that elite schools expect. My rank stinks anyway (much worse than yours), but after an Ivy-oriented senior hangs around CC a while, she adopts an elevated frame of mind:D</p>

8

<p>Is it necesary for the letter of recommendation to be confidential?</p>

9

<p>technically yes… ;)</p>

10

<p>I think you should aim at getting into the ‘elite’ colleges - not the ones with stratified atmospheres, but those reputed for drawing to them the best of students. Stanford, Brown, Columbia College (NY, not the one Michigan), and Brown would all be good choices (in my opinion), and more so, because you’re interested in biological and neurosciecnes. </p>

<p>You seem pretty smart, almost a born genius. Go ahead! Any comments, samc?</p>

11

<p>yes, absolutely true. You SHOULD apply to stanford, which excalibur66 tells me is your top choice. Sorry for the reference, excalibur66, but no one knows who you are.</p>

12

<p>IzzyJ, </p>

<p>Sorry for asking, but what are u doing now? Have u already joined college, or did u take a year off to engage in worldly pursuits, and explore other interests?</p>

13

<p>Excalibur- you are so mean! Making fun of my application like that! A Born Genius- my foot! Just like NTP? Very funny. Yes, I did apply SCEA to Stanford but that’s only because my sister is there right now. And there’s no way I’m getting in anywhere except to some terrible Utah State or Wichita or something like that. You know my scores. And you know you’re much better than I am. So just let me feel happy if someone says JHU is at least a “reach” …:cry: And quit the Born Genius phrase OK? There’s no point when you use it on me and Saleema and Malik. It just makes me feel worse!
Hi Ankush! Thanks for writing! Srinivas told me about your application. Freaky huh, both of you with the EXACT same scores!? How was life after the Biotech Symposium? Hope you get into Columbia! Anyway- remember me from the seminar? I was the one who wanted to interact with the audience and showed them the slide of the B-lymphocyte and asked if anyone recognised it. All the best! Thanks miaoling! Thanks hatake kakashi! Thanks again Izzy!!!
All the best everybody!</p>

14

<p>excalibur - I’m taking a post-graduate year of high school to finish the IB Diploma. Lost a year or two moving around constantly/changing school systems. A pain in the butt, but there it is!</p>

<p>Did you ask because of my age?</p>

<p>By the way, Columbia University is in New York. :D</p>

<p>cantwaitforcollege - Welcome! :slight_smile: And wow, lots of ppl you know here.</p>

15

<p>ok, cantwaitforcollege…calm down and relax. I only wanted to make u happier. I didn’t mean to offend you. Well, sorry…guess i was a bother.</p>

16

<p>yup, IzzzyJ, i know columbia university is in ny, but i was referring to the college, becasue that’s the liberal arts school at columbia university.
U seem a very exciting character indeed!</p>

17

<p>oh, and by the way,who’s NTP?</p>

18

<p>Ahh, sorry about that. :o I forgot UPenn and Columbia Uni has different colleges/school that some consider as separate entities. Sorry. I was being stupid and authoritarian again.</p>

<p>I’m not exciting. Just normally weird and slightly screwed up. :)</p>

19

<p>are you sure? <em>raises eyebrows</em></p>

20

<p>About being stupid and authoritarian? Yes. :D</p>

<p>Being normally weird? Yes. :D</p>

<p>Being slightly screwed up? Yeah…though it might be a little more than “slightly”. :wink: </p>

<p>Nice to see you again. <em>hands you a choccie</em></p>