I think that your care & handling of sled dogs could be part of an illuminating essay illustrating compassion & an unusual lifestyle.
Some schools, St. Lawrence University among them I believe, allow dogs to go in classrooms & attend class.
Your care of dogs meshes well with your hunting skills. You do what is necessary to survive in your environment.
Re: My post #39. Penn State & Univ. of Washington may not be good choices since you need substantial financial aid as an international applicant.
You can encourage OP that he’s a slam dunk. But you don’t know. The wiser path, imo, is to get past stats, urm, and dogs or seal hunts.
Too much we don’t know. I think some rest their confidence on their own certainty urm and a tough backstory are all it takes, iced by stats. I’m not sure OP has a solid idea, either, with a month or so before Early deadlines.
I have no idea how an AO would view your file, but as a parent, I’m incredibly impressed with your stats and I would love for my children to have the opportunity to have you as a classmate and learn about your culture and life experiences. Best of luck to you!
My guess? Extremely high intelligence. And yes, being extremely intelligent is unusual.
I agree that getting into elite schools as an international is going to be a long shot, but as compared to other internationals, your story is very compelling. A Native American dog-sledding Intuit versus the standard high achieving student from China or India? I know who I’m selecting.
Some of the top LACs would be VERY interested in your profile.
You definitely are not a typical international applicant. Slam dunk? No, but your app will grab the AO’s attention given your stat’s, circumstances and the essays you have described. Also hunting a seal for food and other uses and as part of your cultural tradition would not be a negative imo - this is not clubbing baby seals for fur. Best of luck!
Right, but OP should take care in describing the hunting & killing of seals. What if he uses a club to kill the seal so as to preserve the skin ?
I met a person in a sports equipment store who told me how he baits & kills coyotes. I was horrified. Sheer torture. (Not a metal claw trap.) Even the trapping process can be offensive to many.
Geez, interesting and showing best how qualified he is are not the same.
We dont know anything about academic strengths, just stats. And you know what we say about “just stats.”
We need to help him see what will move him from interesting to must-have. He needs more than an initiation ritual and animals. This isn’t about good US colleges, he’s looking at Ivies.
Nothing wrong with hitting more bullets.
The scores are excellent and rare in his context. But what courses? And if there’s been an academic mentor (guide or inspiration,) all the better. But how do we know he’s ready for the rigor of a tippy top? And will engage in the campus community? I’m waiting for any hint- he sings in church choir, the leadership group helps others or participates in local affairs, etc.
It shouldn’t be this hard to get the rounded picture.
@SatchelSF I am full blooded Inuit and I speak Inuktitut at home
@lookingforward Looking after the sled dogs is a great honor. It’s probably the biggest responsibility any kid can have here.
@lookingforward To prepare for the SAT and the 2 subject tests, I bought myself 4 prep books that I just studied religiously. The shipping took 3 months so I’d actually planned to take the SAT earlier but couldn’t (this didn’t effect me though)
He’s looking at Cornell. He’s not scattershotting,
I estimate that his combined SAT (1540) would place him comfortably within the top 15-20% of Cornell’s most recent class for which stats are available (Class of 2021). He is no doubt within the top 10-15% of Cornell’s applicant pool on academic measures (SAT + GPA/rank + SAT2), based on the information provided in the Harvard litigation with regard to its own applicant pool. Domestic URM with these sorts of stats saw admit rates to Harvard (quite a lot more selective than Cornell) of between 30% and 55%. The big wrinkle here is that the OP is international, but note that Native Americans constituted only 0.3% of the Class of 2021 at Cornell, so perhaps they could use a particularly smart one?
@efefsef - Awesome, and it really puts your 760 on SATV in perspective. There are thousands of very wealthy native English speaking students who can’t come close to that even after multiple tries and expensive coaching.
Other people can comment perhaps with more recent experience and insight, but if there is a way to tie your interest in food science directly to what you want to do in the future for people on the shores of Hudson Bay, I think that could be compelling. Best of luck!
@ForwardLooking my academic strengths lie in the sciences (especially biology/chemistry, which is why I’m applying to the food sciences major).
Also I would like to clarify with everyone that I hunt to survive, not hunt for sport.
The way Nunavut works is that we have no farms/fresh produce. Every year, there are two massive supply ships/planes that come up and drop off supplies. However, due to the demand, everything is super expensive.
For example: ketchup costs 20$, a can of coffee costs 45$, a bottle of juice costs 10$, meat/eggs/seafood costs a lot too. This is why we have to hunt to supplement our diet.
OP, it’s an honor to tend the dogs. Absolutely. But I’m suggesting you find ways to fit the colleges. Not change your culture, I respect that. And it grows more interesting with each new detail. But adcoms need to see other facets, know you hold the attributes they know lead to success at their colleges. These aspects you note will intrigue. But they aren’t the kind of traits a top holistic college looks for.
You dont want to give the impression your background/context limits you on campus. You want them to say, wow, despite the constraints and responsibilities, he managed to also do x anf y, will easily adapt and contribute here, make friends, accomplish, and more. That does need to show. And a key buzzword, that you can “self advocate.”
@efefsef: I do not understand the reluctance of the above poster to recognize your outstanding qualities & diversity that is sought out by even the most selective colleges & universities. He or she is overcomplicating your situation.
You are an outstanding candidate for admission to Cornell University. You do not need to try to create any image of yourself beyond the truth. You will do fine.
As would Dartmouth, which was founded on the premise of educating Native Americans (before the USA became teh USA).
‘I live with polar bears’ would be the opening line of my essay. If that doesn’t grab the attention of an admissions reader, nothing will. Good luck.
I think you are a great candidate for Cornell, especially with the Agriculture component of the school. Btw I have a graduate degree from Cornell so do know the school.
I think a certain poster above is far too discouraging. Personally, I think this is the best post from a unique candidate I have ever seen on this board. Your scores tell me you can do the work. Obviously your school did not offer AP courses, etc. and like they say, “your transcript will be evaluated in the context of your school programs and opportunities”. Speaking 2+ languages is a plus. Your uniqueness is a plus - you will be able to contribute to Cornell, or wherever you attend, in ways that no other person could. And again, your scores tell me you are smart and can handle Ivy league work…they are in fact above the 25-75 range for Cornell.
To be honest, I think you should also consider Stanford, because they love this kind of uniqueness.
Good luck!
I’m not discouraging. I’m aware that there are some elements to uncover and work on presenting. His scores are outstanding and as I said, the story keeps getting more intriguing. But a tippy top isn’t going to admit on the basis of circumstances alone. The scores are superb. The rank is great. But we all know the top holistic colleges look for more. And an applicant needs to know something about that “more,” so it can be shown.
There are kids all over the world with challenging situations and very real limits and hardships. Now, each needs to present a picture the college wants. We all want OP to maximize his chances. And that does require some thinking. No one is guaranteed into a tippy top. Imo, it’s misleading to say when enough has been done.
If OP can just come up with a bit more than stats, the dogs, initiation, etc, the food challenges, he can round out his chances. Why not explore this? Stats are never enough. Nor is URM any shoo in. Let’s be willing to explore.
As a faculty member who has reviewed applications for admission, I like to see a student who hasn’t only had a unique story or circumstance but who can identify and articulate who he is within that story or as a result of that story. In other words, the uniqueness of the story itself isn’t enough. Colleges aren’t accepting circumstances; they’re accepting people. But OP, you sound like you already know this and can speak to it.