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Rank: Senior Student
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Thank you!!
Then what do the Ivies look for? What decides whether I get in or not? I have a lot of E.C.s, average should be low to mid 90s, I'm planning to take a couple AP exams, won a couple awards, and what else?
Which is better: Being well-rounded, or being passionate about a particular subject? And what kind of characteristics are they looking for?
And one more question about the Ivies: Does having a bad grade 9 and 10 (and a bit of grade 11 too) average affect my chances? I kind of screwed up there, and I heard US schools look at all marks.
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Rank: Valedictorian
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yes US schools look at all marks, what is "screwed up" exactly?
The schools list a set of selection criteria and their importance on their website.
You will also need SAT IIs
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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Rank: Senior Student
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Thanks! Screwed up as in mid-70s here and there, overall average in mid to high 80s (hopefully... didn't calculate yet). Hopefully, my grade 11 marks gets into low 90s and even higher in grade 12.
Some people say being well-rounded is important (e.g. join a bit of everything, distribute your courses...), but others say being passionate is important (e.g. focus on one subject, don't spread yourself too thin, committment... ). I realized they are completely opposite things, so which is more important?
And also, do having more foreign language courses look better, even if they are low marks (as in mid 70s)? i.e. I have the option of continuing a third language course next year, but I get mid-70s in that subject. Would taking that third language course next year be advantageous to me?
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Rank: Valedictorian
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Okay, so I wasn't admitted to an ivy out of HS... I got into stanford but rejected at Princeton... so take my advice with a grain of salt...
they tell you how many years of foreign language, math, etc they expect to see so you should def research what they say.
Do not spread your self too thin. Passion is def more important of it can be demonstrated.
70's are pretty bad. If you're average is always in the 80's maybe a school like emory or georgetown might be a better fit?
No, if you get 70's in the languages it won't help your case.
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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joyful45 wrote:And also, do having more foreign language courses look better, even if they are low marks (as in mid 70s)? i.e. I have the option of continuing a third language course next year, but I get mid-70s in that subject. Would taking that third language course next year be advantageous to me? \ Are you serious? We're talking about going to Harvard and you're wondering if taking a third language and getting 70's would be advantageous? Hell no.
Taiyab wrote: Is it me, or is Karla Homolka gorgeous! Lamoid wrote: SHE HAS A KILLER BODY.
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Rank: Frosh
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I had a few extra curricular activities up my belt. Also, I was on a national sport team if that helped. You need an average wayyyyy higher than in the mid-70s to be admitted, try 90 with a few APs.
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Rank: Senior Student
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Thanks!! I really appreciate the help!
Well... I screwed up in grades 9 and 10 because I thought those marks don't count and I didn't really pay much attention to those courses. In fact, I never even studied for a single test. So yeah... I got like two 70s and like three or four low 80s between grades 9 and 10 , average was in the high 80s in grade 9 and low 90s in grade 10. I really wish I tried harder in grades 9 and 10... does it reflect that badly? I never thought I would apply to U.S. schools, so I didn't care that much about the junior years. I'm planning to get low-mid 90s in grade 11 and hopefully higher than that in gr.12. I do have E.C.s and I'm planning to do a few APs next year... do I still have a chance?
Having said that, if I start getting mid to high 90s in gr.12, it would be more advantageous for me to apply in regular action because my bad grade 9 and 10 marks would be weighted more if I apply in early action, right?
And you're saying that I should put passion before being well-rounded?
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Rank: Student Council
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I was wondering what factor race plays in admission...
is it true you have a better chance getting in as a minority? Being black myself, I was told this and was kind of interested... ha ha. Though I could never, ever afford an Ivy League.
"I believe all God's creatures have a soul, except bears, bears are godless killing machines." - Stephen T Colbert
Queen's/Western/Wherever life takes me '13
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Rank: Senior Student
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I think being a minority does help you get in. I heard that they've accepted aboriginals with averages in the 70s because they wanted them so badly.
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Rank: Senior Student
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Wow, racism has done a 180 now, has it? I don't know about ivy leagues but many GTA teacher's colleges have blatantly stated that they take black/visible minority applicants over white applicants. Something about black students being able to relate and learn from a black teacher better then from a white teacher. I don't know, I find myself repelled by that type of thinking. I just have an instant moral reaction against it, just like with the "afrocentric schools" they're creating in Toronto. I haven't been following the issue closely but it just seems fundamentally wrong to create a school for black students. They claim it will be open to everyone and that the only difference is that the curriculumn is "African-based" as opposed to "European-based". I'm not trying to bash anyone but it just seems that we've been working for so long to end segregation and now we're taking a step back. As naive as it may sound, I just don't think "racial thinking" will solve racism. Sorry to rant or thread-jack 
Pourquoi?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf94uiIbItg
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Rank: Senior Student
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Same thing for med schools having lower expectations/admissions criteria for first nations students. I agree that it's important to have more first nations doctors in Canada but I don't think med schools should have lower GPA cut-offs for first nations. Seems like reverse racism to me... They can have as many outreach programs as they want, but once you start having seperate standards for seperate races...
Pourquoi?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf94uiIbItg
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Rank: Senior Student
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No offense to anyone out there, but I am also against the Africentric schools. I don't think it would help that much, and it's just goes back to segregation. According to psychologists, the only way to end racism is to mix the cultures together and have the different races interact with each other (because most of the stereotypes are untrue anyways), and the Africentric schools are doing exactly the opposite.
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Rank: Student Council
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I agree. Coming from the perspective of an African-Canadian, I know I wouldn't enroll in an Afrocentric school. I enjoy where I go, and I relish in the fact that I can have friends from different cultures and different parts of the world.
I only asked the minority question primarily due to the fact that I was wondering if it played a factor in admissions, because I've heard before that it does.
"I believe all God's creatures have a soul, except bears, bears are godless killing machines." - Stephen T Colbert
Queen's/Western/Wherever life takes me '13
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Rank: Valedictorian
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Honestly, I'd say no, but it depends on the school that you apply to. I had been accepted to Stanford/Rejected at Princeton for a BA in Near Eastern Studies and my file was as follows:
Okay extra circulars (raised alot of money, headed food drive x2, veteran's day assembly x2, headed debate club x2, headed DECA- placed top 10 provincially, made a club to read to immigrants in their native language, I don't even remember the rest), two Semitic languages, cumulative average of high 80's, APs in Physics, Bio, Chem, and Math (only ones that my HS offered), minority/international/first generation college applicant/learning disabilities, I wrote my admissions essays on the work of Edward Said and Mohammed Mossadegh respectively, good SATs (1510), and exceptional SAT II scores in World History, US History and Physics. I had taken calculus/physics AP/ Chem AP by the end of grade 11 and applied to stanford for early admission; but, was admitted regular.
If you can demonstrate that you've improved with time that's good, but you always want to show that you were somebody special in whatever you did, that you're not just another smart kid... you need something to "hook" them since they see tons of awesome applications from around the world.
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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Rank: Senior Student
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that's awesome man. How come u rejected stanford's offer?
UTSG: EngSci, Innis rez
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Rank: Valedictorian
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I'm pakistani, it was way too expensive despite the financial aid. I also knew that I had wanted to go to grad school in America so I took the Queen's offer and money. Also, I was admitted to Queen's commerce and it seemed like an excellent return on investment. Strangely enough I had to reject Columbia's offer for grad school since I know that I'd like to do a PhD in America. Sometimes I find it difficult to live with these decisions but i know that living with the debt would be even more difficult, especially since my parents cannot help me financially. Such is life. Edit: i don't mean to say that Canada is a terrible place or anything, but the opportunities for academic advancement and the resources available in America are unparalleled. On the bright side, I'm now a Canadian citizen thanks to Canada's lax immigration policies Out of curiosity why did you only apply to stanford? and what went wrong? What program did you apply for?
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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Rank: Valedictorian
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Also, original poster, you might want to consider an Bachelor's at the harvard extension school http://extension.harvard.edu/2008-09/programs/undergrad/overview/
BAH '08 (Queen's) MA'11 (Queen's)
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Rank: Valedictorian
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A friend of mine got into an Ivy league school. Then again he had a 99 in chemistry, physics, and etc....
""I tell people math jokes anticipating that they will not understand them in order to assert my superiority.""
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