Unhappy with my SAT

[Semper Fi]

I study in the Indian curriculum known as the CBSE(Central Board of Secondary Education) which is very much different from the American system. I am right now nearing the end of my Grade 11. In grade 11 we have 2 branches from where we can choose 4 subjects i.e Commerce and Science. The fifth subject is English Literature & Grammar which is compulsory for students of both streams. I have chosen the science stream and have taken the following subjects :- Math , Physics , Chemistry and I.P (Information Practicals which is basically advanced Computer Science eg: We learn Visual Basic , Oracle , SQL Server etc.)
We don't have GPA's. We only have tests and exams and our final percentage in each subject and then the overall percentage is calculated. Our system has what we call Board years or Public exams commonly known as the CBSE Board Exams for Grade 10 and Grade 12. All students studying in the Indian Boards have to appear for these exams. I finished my Grade 10 Board Exam last year. I acheived 84% overall.. My individual marks were :- 82/100 in Math , 88/100 in Science , 88/100 in English and 87/100 in Social Studies (i.e History , geography and Economics together). Now , my next Board Exam will be next year in March 2008 when I will be in Grade 12.

Now , you might be wondering why I am harping on the Board Exams. These marks are crucial to gain admission to any college/university in the world for an Indian student along with the criteria/eligibility of that institution. Even my cousins had to send in their Grade 10 & 12 Board Exam marks along with their SAT 1 and SAT2 scores while applying for American colleges.

I have varied interests and hobbies. Reading , Quizzing , Drama (acting and staging one act plays etc) , Debating & Public Speaking , Soccer. I have won many prizes and certificates in the above mentioned fields. Plus , the most major event I won this year was winning the Best Delegate Award in the Model United Nations conducted in Dubai.
So , I am into extra curriculars as well.

Well , academically I would consider myself above average. I score well into the 80's out of 100. I always get around 80-85% in most tests and an occasional 90. There is no class rank in my grade as its only the overall percent. Out of lets say 30 students about 10 students get within the 80's out of 100 and the rest all get between 65-80%.

My interest academically are Nuclear Physics and I would also like to do Media Applications or I.T Management. Infact , such lucrative professions are quite appealing to me.

Excellent. Our American system is very different. Are you around 16 or 17? I'm 16, 17 in January. I am in the same boat you are in, my friend; looking for colleges and etc. I havent taken the SAT or ACT yet, though I did take a PSAT test, which I dont believe I've gotten the results for yet.

In any case, it sounds like you have pretty high ambitions. I myself am hoping to get into the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, Marine Option program. Provided that I can land that, I would be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Seems abstract at this point in my life, but I know it will come up quick. Seems like just a week ago I was a freshman.

 

[akiboy]

Excellent. Our American system is very different. Are you around 16 or 17? I'm 16, 17 in January. I am in the same boat you are in, my friend; looking for colleges and etc. I havent taken the SAT or ACT yet, though I did take a PSAT test, which I dont believe I've gotten the results for yet.

In any case, it sounds like you have pretty high ambitions. I myself am hoping to get into the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, Marine Option program. Provided that I can land that, I would be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Seems abstract at this point in my life, but I know it will come up quick. Seems like just a week ago I was a freshman.

Yup , I am 16 will turn 17 in April , 2007.About me being ambitious...well we all are aren't we? Anyways , I do hope you fulfill your ambitions and wish you the very best mate!

Best of Luck again
Akshay

 

[Hamiltonian]

Don't worry about what college you go to. I went to one of the top colleges in the country. Seriously, it doesn't matter. Also for your SATs, they don't determine intelligence so don't worry about them, because you can study for them and get a good score. In fact one of my friends took the SAT once, got a perfect 1600 yet she failed a class and struggled in college, and not because she didn't take it seriously. Also, I did much better on my ACT than I did on my SAT and thought it was a much better test.

I went to one of the top colleges here. On the undergraduate level, you really don't gain much by going to an Ivy League school compared to a good state school. You only really gain something from those schools by doing graduate level research while you are an undergraduate. How much extra are you willing to pay in order to work in a lab while you take classes? So really consider saving yourself or your parents some money and going to a good state school.

Something else you might want to take note of is that at least for my school, international admissions from undergraduates was much harder than for US residents. We had 1000 people per class, and it was limited so that only 100 of those 1000 could be international admissions, which resulted in our admissions rate for international students being below 1%. It is extra hard for you to get into a top 10 college.

 

[CharlestonChad]

akiboy, who's paying for your education? And will you have unlimited funds for tuition?

If you don't, please take our advice and go to a public school. Some of the nations best schools are public universities. UC Berkeley, UNC, UVA, Michigan, and UCLA are all excellent schools that cost half of what Harvard does. If you are as ambitious as you claim, then you will not just get an undergraduate degree. Graduate degrees are necessary to start out w/ the really high paying jobs.

 

[akiboy]

akiboy, who's paying for your education? And will you have unlimited funds for tuition?

If you don't, please take our advice and go to a public school. Some of the nations best schools are public universities. UC Berkeley, UNC, UVA, Michigan, and UCLA are all excellent schools that cost half of what Harvard does. If you are as ambitious as you claim, then you will not just get an undergraduate degree. Graduate degrees are necessary to start out w/ the really high paying jobs.

As I said earlier i won't sweat it if I dont get into Ivy League. I'll just try. I have already chosen to send my applications to UCLA , U Chicago UC Berkeley. I don't mind attending any reputed public college.


Akshay