<p>signal2noise, presumably your school will manage to convey to Yale that it is not the average secondary school in any nation. (When you took calculus has far more to do with the fact that you are at a school for the gifted, than what country it is located in.)</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about sounding somewhat cocky. In my experience, Yale loves kids who project an “I’m so special” attitude. They want “winners.” However, being literally obnoxious, as in your calculus remark, is not a good idea.</p>