Harvard Princeton Yale MIT Caltech am I flying too high.......?

Question

I want to do a major in Engineering
My profile goes down as below:
Class Subject Grades
IX Science A
IX Mathematics A
IX Social Studies B
IX English B
IX Hindi B
For Class X as well I got same grades with the same subjects.
XI Physics A
XI Chemistry A
XI Maths A
XI English B
XI Physical Education B
Rank:
Class IX and X : 1 of 100+
Class XI : 2 of 867
Percentage:
Class IX : 89.2%
Class X : 84.2% (I got jaundice right before exams.)
Class XI : 91.2%
I require financial aid. Kindly post me of any other elite institution in Engineering.

I am an Indian Student.

My SAT scores go this way:
Reasoning 2400
Maths Level II 800
Physics 800
Chemistry 790

My recommendations and essay speak aloud that I am a questioning student who can't sit down with his mouth shut for too long.

I have strong ties with my Maths, English and Physics teachers and I am sure that they will put up great (in fact, I must say excellent) recommendations for me. How will that account for my profile as a candidate.

Answer 1

As an Ivy grad, I have to tell you that your grades are a tad low for those schools (I had perfect grades and was turned away by Harvard, Princeton, MIT, and Caltech). What one of the other posters said is false, however. You aren't back of the line (at least in the Ivies) with financial aid needed. I went to Brown (another good school to consider for engineering and sciences in general; I got my ScB in math there) and had $25,000 in scholarships awarded by the University itself!! The Ivies have adopted a "need-blind" admissions process so that the best education isn't reserved only for the rich anymore (you'll find a lot of the faculty at Ivies put forth that pressure because they are tired of dealing with over-privileged rich snobs). So from that end you're fine.

What I'd advise is to write up applications to each of those schools, and to less prestigious schools also (because the schools you listed are rather choosy). I'd maybe apply to 10 or 11 schools; the 5 you listed, plus Brown (hey, gotta pull for my alma mater here; you can insert Stanford here instead if you'd like, but this really should be the end of the elite schools, since I want to make sure you at least get in SOMEWHERE and don't get left out of college for a year), UC Berkeley, UCLA, and 2-3 lower end schools of your choosing (UCI maybe? I dunno, see what other schools interest you).

With that setup, you'll be going to college next year, which is the most important thing above all else. I'd also recommend that you do a little reading up on each school you're applying to, particularly the elite ones. The Ivies have a specific type of student they like to admit (each is different, based on their philosophy and identity). One of the biggest reasons I got into Brown was that both my essay and my recommendations indicated that I loved to challenge myself and expand on my horizons, and that's exactly Brown's philosophy (no core curriculum so that students can challenge themselves as they see fit). If you're able to sell yourself as matching the philosophy of the school, you've improved your chances dramatically. Even so, don't be surprised if you only get in one of those schools (at most). They each get roughly 15,000 applicants a year, and only take around 1450-1500.

Oh, and these schools love extra curricular activities also, so if you've been doing anything extra with your time that would make you stand out, make sure you let them know.

Also, I need to say that having just applied to graduate school, you are better off having gone to a more respected program (like MIT, Caltech, one of the Ivies, etc.). The names won't make that much of a difference in the grad admissions process, but the recommendation letters will. Remember that Berkeley and UCLA are extremely large schools, and while both have excellent faculty (I'm doing my graduate work at UCLA, so I do know how good a program they have), their size makes it extremely hard to build any good relationship with even one professor, let alone three (which is the requirement for most grad school applications). The Ivies are strong because they attract some of the best faculty members, but the school is so small that you get TONS of professor/student interaction (I am actually AIM buddies with one of my old professors). Professors always have friends on the faculty of other schools, and if they get to know you well they can put in a very good word for you, and that can make all the difference in the world. Now you aren't dead in the water if you go to Berkeley or UCLA, but if you do end up in a bigger program, make sure you try to bond with faculty members as early as heavenly possible. If you want into an elite graduate school, it will take much more than good grades (if you think undergrad admissions is hard, wait until grad apps roll around). Anyways, just keep all this in mind and I have no doubt you'll make it work. Best of luck!!

Answer 2

UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UCLA have really prestigious programs in California. Columbia is the best program in New York.

It is fine that you aim that high with your grades, but if you require financial aid, you're in the back of the line for all the ivy's that give priority to rich kids whose parents can throw in donations. I think that Cal Tech is very likely to take you as well as UC Berk or LA.

I agree with the poster above. If you get into UC Berkeley or LA, that is your best choice of all. After one year, you'll be able to pay instate tution that's only 9k a year for classes. If you plan on going into a graduate program, you'd probably be better off having graduated from those schools and then going to a program at Stanford or MIT.

Answer 3

Those are some pretty tough private institutions to get into.If I were you I would go to a public university,plus you wouldn't pay outrageous tuition fees.