- #1
bubica
- 5
- 0
Hello everyone!
I'm a senior in a Gymnasium in Europe and I want to apply to CalTech.
Last year I spent in the US as an exchange student and I got familiar with the US education then. I took just 1 AP course there (Chem) b\c they didn't let me take more (it's going to be too hard for you, you're just an exchange student...blabla). On the AP Exam i got a 5. Now when I'm home, I see that I can do a whole lot of AP exams for a 5 or maybe a 4.
I can take AP Calc BC, Computer Science A, Physics B, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: El. circuits and Magnetism, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Statistics and Psychology. I will choose the first 5 and probably 2 of the last 4 (I already did Chem). I hope I'll get all 5s, but a 4 or two 4s may happen (you never know?).
I'm starting a research in the field of Inorganic Chemistry in my school in assosiation with a local college of natural sciences.
I'm doing my senior year of high school now and next AP Exams are in May (my country doesn't offer AP nor 3A level courses, but I can take AP exams outside school. we also have IB in our country, but the school is not very good so I don't go there).
I did a ACT exam the first month while I was in the US and wasn't so sure in my english. I got a 36 on Math, but my english was pretty bad. I think I know english much better now when my exchange year is over. We didn't have time to finish the Science part because it wasn't counting as a real ACT and the next period begin so they just said to stop in the middle of it, but I started very good at it (what I had time for).
I'm a scout for 2 years now (mixed boys and girls scouts). My team of 5 of us won the national league and national scouting olympics last year and we're competing this year, too.
I play piano for 7 years and guitar for 5. I finished 6-year Music School playing piano (I also had solfeggio, harmony, choir, the history of music and all of that kind of stuff when I was still in elementary and middle school) and 4-year Music Academy playing guitar in high school.
I'm also a passionate photographer. I can send them my photographs or a link if necessary.
I do a little bit of community service. I'm a part of a team that organises big games in the whole nation for kids whos parents were in a war that happened in my country two decades ago.
I'll get a full scholarship for a physics, engineering and programming college here and I'm going to enroll in it next fall.
I plan to do all of those AP exams just because of CalTech because I have to prove that I know all of that stuff and if I don't get into CalTech, I'd just continue with my college here.
Even if Calc BC is not enough for CalTech, I'll be enrolled in a college here and know more than Calc BC in math which is quite what my school does (which is the best in the country) if that's a problem.
The thing I'm concerned about is that I have never won an award for science and have never competed on a national or international level in science. I just studied myself and never competed.
The other thing is that I'd need quite a bit of a financial aid, too. My parents are not poor for my country, but when you compare it with the living expenses in California, it's not a lot. I'd need a scholarship for the most of the yearly cost of the school.If someone goes to CalTech here or knows a lot about it, I'd appreciate the help if you can help me see what my chances of getting into CalTech are.
Thank you very much.
edit- what I forgot to mention is that I don't want to transfer to CalTech, I want to enter as a Freshman. I'm younger than most of my friends in my class anyway. I'm born in January of 1993 and I want to start CalTech in the fall of 2012. (which is after 1 year of college here because of all the tests I have to make, I can't have it earlier and I'm younger than most of my fellows anyway...)
I'm a senior in a Gymnasium in Europe and I want to apply to CalTech.
Last year I spent in the US as an exchange student and I got familiar with the US education then. I took just 1 AP course there (Chem) b\c they didn't let me take more (it's going to be too hard for you, you're just an exchange student...blabla). On the AP Exam i got a 5. Now when I'm home, I see that I can do a whole lot of AP exams for a 5 or maybe a 4.
I can take AP Calc BC, Computer Science A, Physics B, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: El. circuits and Magnetism, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Statistics and Psychology. I will choose the first 5 and probably 2 of the last 4 (I already did Chem). I hope I'll get all 5s, but a 4 or two 4s may happen (you never know?).
I'm starting a research in the field of Inorganic Chemistry in my school in assosiation with a local college of natural sciences.
I'm doing my senior year of high school now and next AP Exams are in May (my country doesn't offer AP nor 3A level courses, but I can take AP exams outside school. we also have IB in our country, but the school is not very good so I don't go there).
I did a ACT exam the first month while I was in the US and wasn't so sure in my english. I got a 36 on Math, but my english was pretty bad. I think I know english much better now when my exchange year is over. We didn't have time to finish the Science part because it wasn't counting as a real ACT and the next period begin so they just said to stop in the middle of it, but I started very good at it (what I had time for).
I'm a scout for 2 years now (mixed boys and girls scouts). My team of 5 of us won the national league and national scouting olympics last year and we're competing this year, too.
I play piano for 7 years and guitar for 5. I finished 6-year Music School playing piano (I also had solfeggio, harmony, choir, the history of music and all of that kind of stuff when I was still in elementary and middle school) and 4-year Music Academy playing guitar in high school.
I'm also a passionate photographer. I can send them my photographs or a link if necessary.
I do a little bit of community service. I'm a part of a team that organises big games in the whole nation for kids whos parents were in a war that happened in my country two decades ago.
I'll get a full scholarship for a physics, engineering and programming college here and I'm going to enroll in it next fall.
I plan to do all of those AP exams just because of CalTech because I have to prove that I know all of that stuff and if I don't get into CalTech, I'd just continue with my college here.
Even if Calc BC is not enough for CalTech, I'll be enrolled in a college here and know more than Calc BC in math which is quite what my school does (which is the best in the country) if that's a problem.
The thing I'm concerned about is that I have never won an award for science and have never competed on a national or international level in science. I just studied myself and never competed.
The other thing is that I'd need quite a bit of a financial aid, too. My parents are not poor for my country, but when you compare it with the living expenses in California, it's not a lot. I'd need a scholarship for the most of the yearly cost of the school.If someone goes to CalTech here or knows a lot about it, I'd appreciate the help if you can help me see what my chances of getting into CalTech are.
Thank you very much.
edit- what I forgot to mention is that I don't want to transfer to CalTech, I want to enter as a Freshman. I'm younger than most of my friends in my class anyway. I'm born in January of 1993 and I want to start CalTech in the fall of 2012. (which is after 1 year of college here because of all the tests I have to make, I can't have it earlier and I'm younger than most of my fellows anyway...)
Last edited: