Natwerk Designs

Admission to 3 top colleges?

Hey, I want to get into either University of Southern California, Harvard or Brown to study computer science/game designing or related subjects. Could you please rate my chances? My current GPA is in the range of 3.0 - 3.5. But then I'm from India so I don't know how well marks here conform to the GPA system in America. A reason my GPA is so low is that I kinda stupidly slacked off in my junior year (this year), but my GPA will be upto around 4 in my senior year. Here in India, the school exams are marked very strictly so I guess a more equating medium is the national level board exams which one gives at the end of their sophomore and senior years, where I got a 93, which corresponds to a GPA of 3.7. Do schools consider an improvement in GPA from junior to senior year? I'm also involved in a bunch of extracurriculars ... i'm the captain of the school quiz team, will probably be the president of the school quiz club next year, a member of the committee that organizes our school's annual inter-school quiz, a member of the school nature club and a member of the school basketball and rugby teams. I've also represented the school in english writing competitions and am one of the top english students in my year. I've also dabbled in dramatics and will be debating next year in addition to playing for my house's western music band. One problem is that i wasn't selected as a prefect so will that show me in poor light? As far as the SAT goes, I am going to give it in May this year. To give you guys an idea, i have been getting around 2100s in practice tests, which should be up to around 2250 by the time i give the test. One question, I can give SAT II in any 3 subjects right? Just because I am pursuing comp sc., doesn't mean i have to give it in phys & chem right? Finally, my biggest problem lies in my finanical condition which is very poor. So poor that unless I get full financial aid i won't be able to attend uni in US. I've heard that Harvard & Brown are very generous but does USC provide sufficient aid to international students? I've heard that they don't provide need-based aid to internationals. Because of my low finances, I can't give the TOEFL as the cost comes to around 10,000 rupees which is a lot for a family like mine. Do you think that'll be a problem? Lastly, I'd appreciate it if you guys could recommend some good safety colleges that offer good computer courses and provide lots of fin aid to international students. Thanks. Well, actually, I don't think everyone in America has the same financial problems as I do because to give you exact figures my family's monthly income is around $135. Plus, in India you have to pay around $50 extra for the SAT. And isn't Pomona hard to get into? I wanted to know about some good safe colleges.

Public Comments

1. I think you can get into USC, but you need to get a good score on your ACT too. And if you can't afford the TOEFL I think the University you are applying to can help you, or the Govt. in India can help you.
2. I don't know much about USC, but considering that I live in Rhode Island, I can give you some information on Harvard and Brown. Harvard is great and I think you stand a pretty good chance of getting in (Ivy Leagues like to admit intelligent foreigners, and there's no doubt that you're very eloquent and worthy of an Ivy League education), but I don't think that Brown is the place for you. It's a gorgeous campus and I positively love it, but it's generally great for liberal arts educations and not so great for science-based educations because of how loose the curriculum is. Actually, there really isn't even much of a curriculum to begin with. You just take whatever classes you want to take. I think that you should consider MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) more than Brown. It's one of the greatest technical schools in the nation, if not world. It's located in Boston, which is beautiful (also where Harvard is located). Don't worry about the money. If you are in a really bad financial situation, you'll probably get loads of scholarships. Also, the fact that you're from India really does help. Top-notch American schools strive to have a diverse, international population.
3. Honestly, getting into top colleges is a crap shoot. A friend of mine scored perfect on his SATs, had a great GPA, and was president of ASB (just to name a few accomplishments). Regardless, he was not accepted into a single Ivy League college. Thus, it's a crap shoot. Nobody can tell you what you need to do to get in or how to increase your chances, because some of the most well-rounded students end up being rejected. As far as SAT II's go, ANY three subjects is correct. It doesn't matter what your potential major is (some colleges don't even let you declare a major before attending). Lastly, your 'financial situation'. I hat to break it to you, but everyone is in that same place right now. Universities can't offer full rides to everyone (international student or not). There are families in the United States that can't afford the Universities you are talking about either. (Plenty of them, let me tell you.) I would, however, like to recommend the Claremont Colleges. They are in Southern California and all five of them have a pretty good reputation (they are said to be the ivy schools of the West). I think I'd recommend Harvey Mudd for you, but Pomona would be good too. Check it out. Let me know what you think.