Random Thoughts

[LongLegs?]

College and Uni are the same thing here. I mean a 4 years Bachelors degree. Hell nowadays even thats not enough, grad school is starting to become a must also.

Why can't the whole world have the same darn education system? Meh, I'm currently in college in the British system, but there's college before University. High school ends at grade 11, then it's 2 years of college, and then 3 years of University. Although, the best Brit Unis(Cambridge, Oxford) involve 4 year courses, as do specialised courses at most Unis.

I do want to go to USA though, so I will be forced to do an extra year. However, should've probably switched to USA this year and done my 12th there. I think the issue is, that I'd be forced to do 11th again, some wierd rule in USA/Canada, because I started school early, so I'm 1993-born, while most of the people in my year are 1992-born. I don't think they count GPA for abroad students either...my GPA is a whopping 3.97 from high school. But, I think it gets inflated because of the different grading styles of different boards.

Not to mention, the SATs are a piss-off. Got 2000 without studying. I can't be arsed to study for an exam that's not meant to test my intelligence ffs. Plus, it doesn't even seem to matter. I have a friend with 1900, who got into Yale, but went to McGill 'cause he got a 100% scholarship there. But, I have friends with much better SAT scores, and amazing all-round profiles, who have been rejected by everywhere. Madness.

 

[Cricketman]

I have a feeling foreign SATs are different from American ones. Correct me if i'm wrong (I probably am)

How did that guy get into Yale with a 1900? You need to have a 2250-2400 to be competitive at Ivys.

Personally, I think the ACT is a much better test. I got a 33 (out of 36) which is the 99th percentile, taking it again in June.

 

[pcfan123]

I never even took the ACT and when I took the SATs the max score was 1600, I got a 1380 the 1st time and 1440 the 2nd time. Called it quits after that since it was way above the requirement for UT

 

[LongLegs?]

I have a feeling foreign SATs are different from American ones. Correct me if i'm wrong (I probably am)

How did that guy get into Yale with a 1900? You need to have a 2250-2400 to be competitive at Ivys.

Personally, I think the ACT is a much better test. I got a 33 (out of 36) which is the 99th percentile, taking it again in June.

That guy had the full profile, Head Boy, high grade piano, football team etc. And lies. I've had someone from this SAT institute I went to(Princeton Review) get into Stanford with 1700ish. One of the more higher rated Stanford courses too, can't remember. They chose her on the basis of her essay if I remember what she told me. I know Stanford isn't Ivy, but it's still Stanford...

I believe USA looks at a more overall profile...a guy from the same SAT institute, got 2370, got above 95% in all his A Levels subjects and introduced this program to help special needs children in his old school. YET, he got rejected by ALL the top universities that he applied to in the States.

I also met with the Rice Director of Admissions when he was down in Dubai for the Rice seminar, and well, he said it's not all about the SAT. Getting a score above average was essential, but they were looking to find someone who is more than just all about the marks. He also said the SAT is more highly valued than ACT, forgot the reason.

I think the SAT is a horrid test...in all honesty. In the British system, we learn English in a completely different way, so it doesn't help one bit. Maths is easy.

 

[pcfan123]

forward to 25 seconds to get to the shot

 

[CaptainOZ]

it's still nice to see a brother in the White House. I don't know if anything will make up for that blundering idiot George W, but the US has to be on a better track now.

 

[TumTum]

I personally like Obama, but I doubt he is any better than Bush (except in public speaking).

 

[shravi]

SAT is tweaking retarded. Some of the answers on the reading section are so debatable. There's no set answer for so many of the questions.

 

[Cricketman]

That guy had the full profile, Head Boy, high grade piano, football team etc. And lies. I've had someone from this SAT institute I went to(Princeton Review) get into Stanford with 1700ish. One of the more higher rated Stanford courses too, can't remember. They chose her on the basis of her essay if I remember what she told me. I know Stanford isn't Ivy, but it's still Stanford...

I believe USA looks at a more overall profile...a guy from the same SAT institute, got 2370, got above 95% in all his A Levels subjects and introduced this program to help special needs children in his old school. YET, he got rejected by ALL the top universities that he applied to in the States.

I also met with the Rice Director of Admissions when he was down in Dubai for the Rice seminar, and well, he said it's not all about the SAT. Getting a score above average was essential, but they were looking to find someone who is more than just all about the marks. He also said the SAT is more highly valued than ACT, forgot the reason.

I think the SAT is a horrid test...in all honesty. In the British system, we learn English in a completely different way, so it doesn't help one bit. Maths is easy.

Is he a minority in any way? Asians and white people get screwed over because of Affirmative Action, as we are over represented in the educational community. :sarcasm No way can you get into an Ivy with a 1700. My sister got a 35 on her ACT (like a 2350 equivalent), was Senate President of the student gov, varsity tennis captain, perfect GPA (4.0 unweighted), volunteered in third world countries and what not, got rejected from Yale. Her essay was about working with tsunami victims in Chennai, it was a right tear jerker tbh. She did get into harvard but did not attend.

Midwestern schools prefer the ACT to the SAT. the SAT is for mugpots who can memorize millions of vocab words and just throw it up on the test, the ACT actually tests you. Coastal colleges for some reason still prefer the SAT but the ACT is accepted everywhere.

Besides, I am taking SAT subject tests this June/October as well, which is the SAT for just one subject. Plan on taking Math II, Bio, and Chem. I have AP tests (which give college credit) in May...


And you are right about the US looking at the entire profile. Students aren't just test scores here, unlike India for example. Essays, Extra curricurs, leadership, teacher recs, certificates, awards, athletics ...everything is taken into consideration. That is why it is so hard to be a top student here.

Junior year sucks

Cricketman added 4 Minutes and 20 Seconds later...

I personally like Obama, but I doubt he is any better than Bush (except in public speaking).

:doh

 

[drainpipe32]

I'd love to work for a magazine such as fourfourtwo. I think I've told you guys before but I've got work experience at Inside Cricket magazine in August so I'm stoked

HOW! I tried, but couldn't find out!!

 

[mattfb]

Inside cricket are located in Sydney... I tried for fourfourtwo, so so so badly wanted to get there. Also tried Big League, but I wanted to get Inside Cricket more. So stoked for it. Gonna be great.

 

[Jakester1288]

Mechanics will still be needed, but the current idea of a mechanic as a guy who fixes cars will certainly be gone. You'd need a wider grounding of fixing other mechanical stuff to ensure a 'job for life'. It is inevitable that regardless of a degree, you will need to keep reskilling if you want a job, even in a 'trade'. There is always someone else who can fill your place.

PS - everyone will tell you that their industry is the one that will survive into the future.

Read an article on it actually, but yeah I see where you're coming from.

 

[Highlander999]

Is he a minority in any way? Asians and white people get screwed over because of Affirmative Action, as we are over represented in the educational community. :sarcasm No way can you get into an Ivy with a 1700. My sister got a 35 on her ACT (like a 2350 equivalent), was Senate President of the student gov, varsity tennis captain, perfect GPA (4.0 unweighted), volunteered in third world countries and what not, got rejected from Yale. Her essay was about working with tsunami victims in Chennai, it was a right tear jerker tbh. She did get into harvard but did not attend.

Midwestern schools prefer the ACT to the SAT. the SAT is for mugpots who can memorize millions of vocab words and just throw it up on the test, the ACT actually tests you. Coastal colleges for some reason still prefer the SAT but the ACT is accepted everywhere.

Besides, I am taking SAT subject tests this June/October as well, which is the SAT for just one subject. Plan on taking Math II, Bio, and Chem. I have AP tests (which give college credit) in May...


And you are right about the US looking at the entire profile. Students aren't just test scores here, unlike India for example. Essays, Extra curricurs, leadership, teacher recs, certificates, awards, athletics ...everything is taken into consideration. That is why it is so hard to be a top student here.

As you said Rohit, it's not all about grades, perhaps he had some extra curricular stuff. For instance my mate had 5 A's at AS Level and straight A* at GCSE and didn't get an offer from Oxbridge. Also sometimes they don't have the right social skills and aren't what the uni wants. Meanwhile someone like me who wasn't even closed to the required grades for uni's like Newcastle still got offers because I had done a lot of stuff towards my degree outside of school. That is what the uni's want these days.

 

[ste_mc_efc]

I got an offer form every uni I applied to, when really based on my AS/GCSE grades I should have been laughed out of edinburgh, and even exeter, who wanted higher grades.

Partly due to my personal statement, which was a work of art, and partly due to the teachers saying I would get ABB at A2, despite predicting CCC for AS based on my gcse's

 

[BKB1991]

Just applied to UK myself. Got offers from Warwick, Manchester, Kent and Leicester. Yet to make up my mind on which two unis to hold on. Any suggestions, as some of you probably know much more about them then I do