What is the most important point for a high school student to get in to top 10 university?

Question

HI,
I'm a student from China, I would like to know what is the most vital aspect for a international student, expacially Chinese student, to get into a Top 10 US university?
Thanks

Add...
my standardized testing scores will not all be the 99%, however, some of them is, like math, phy...., but verbal is not as good as the above.
BTW, I have some other insterest, expacially in Computer science, like I wrote my first computer program with vitual C++ at the age of 13, built one website about Computer virus whose pagesviews hit 3000/day. And also facinated in MCU(AVR)
Will these help me?
Thanks

Answer 1

I graduated from, and did some interviews for, what is conventionally considered a top 10 international university (University of Cambridge) but I was also given offers from some top 10 US universities so I believe I have some idea of what you need to do. However, that was about 10 years ago so things may have moved on since then.

To be frank, getting in is a complicated affair because there are so many variables that admissions officers will look for. The first thing that admissions officers are likely to look at are your high school GPA and performance on standardised tests (I'm assuming the SAT here). Since GPA varies highly from school to school, they are really looking for how well you did compared to your peers. Being the 2nd best student in your graduating class is a lot more impressive if there were 500 in your class, instead of 3, for instance. Since you come from China, they are a little more lenient on your performance in the Verbal sections of the SAT although ideally your scores on the other sections should be very good.

Good academic performance alone, however, only means that your application will be considered further instead of chucked into the rejection pile. There are many other factors that will be taken into consideration. For example, if you achieved your good grades coming from a disadvantaged background, it is more impressive than if you had all the advantages of good private tuition. I'll tell you a little story here.

I interviewed a kid who was clearly very intelligent, had all the right grades, and was charming, funny and motivated. However, I noticed he didn't fill in his address in the application form. I asked him why, because you really need to send in a complete application form to be considered. It turned out that he didn't have a permanent address, his family was in hardcore poverty - they lived in temporary shelters on rubbish dumps whenever they could, and lived by picking up bits of interesting rubbish and selling it on for maybe a dollar or two a day! He also had to help his family take care of his three brothers and sisters at the time. I was really touched by his story, and impressed that he could have achieved so much given his circumstances; and it appeared that MIT was as well.

Finally, you also have to realise that there may be an applicant to place ratio of between 10 to 1 and even 100 to 1, all of which have good academic results. What differentiates you from all these other well-qualified applicants? Universities generally look at your curriculum vitae or resume and call you in for an interview to talk to you further. A good CV will definitely take you a long way. Did you join any national or international level mathematics/science competitions and how well did you do? Do you show any evidence of reading beyond your normal school curriculum, and more importantly, can you demonstrate that you have clearly thought about the issues and gained a good grasp of them? Can you think "outside the box"?

I think to sum up this long (sorry!) answer, you should try doing the following things:

- Practise the SAT using whatever test preps they have. If you feel up to it, do the exam early so you still have time to retake it if you do not feel your scores are good enough.
- Work on your resume a bit. Do you have some free time between now and going to university? You can always do some volunteer work or, if you have any connections at Chinese universities, maybe you can work for free in the lab of a scientist or even propose a little project that a professor will be willing to help you out with.
- Read, read, read. Try to read some "heavier" stuff that interests you and be able to talk intelligently about it. Since you seem to be interested in computer science, spend some time reading some classics in the field - perhaps learn more about data structures and algorithms. If you feel up to it, you could even try reading scientific papers - the advantage of this is that classic papers are generally available free online if you search.
- For the interview, find your "added value". What is it about you that differentiates you from everybody else? Be prepared to talk about them. Sell yourself.

If you need any more help, feel free to ask. I think you can contact me by e-mail over this site quite easily, send me an e-mail and I'll be glad to elaborate.

Answer 2

First-rate standardized testing scores is probably most important.

Second most important would probably be to have evidence of a very rigorous high school curriculum.

Third most important would be to have evidence of well-roundedness, such as music, sports, or community service.

Answer 3

First, be the son or daughter of an alumnus. Second, be related to a president or other elected official. Third, be rich. Fourth, be Jewish. Fifth, have good grades.

Answer 4

u have to read out the competitive papers and solve it as well as u can
u also have to read out the competitive exams books
then u can get admission in top 10 university.
u have also rank to joint entrance and have to rank between1500 then u will get a chance

Answer 5

well-rounded personality. Interested in wide variety of subjects and talents instead of just one.