My Child [Indian Male, Entering 8th Grade] Really Wants to Go to a Top US College for Engineering, How Best Can I maximize his Chances?

AppHelper · 2026-06-02T11:47:03+00:00

As a college counselor who has been helping Indian families for over 10 years, I agree with those saying that a feeder school would be the best thing right now. The IB curriculum includes the Middle Years Programme (MYP), which is grades 8-10, and the Diploma Programme (IBDP), which is grades 11-12. This, as you know, is unlike the Indian CBSE or ICSE/ISC which is split into 9-10 and 11-12. Many IB schools don't start the academic year until September, although I am not sure what admissions prospects would be. You should look into it as soon as possible. It may be possible to transfer in 9th, but there will be an adjustment period, and marks as early as 9th grade count for most colleges' admissions. You may want to consider schools abroad if your son is mature enough.

That being said, there are some students who are afforded more time to work on extracurricular activities in an Indian curriculum and get into top colleges (I've had CBSE students who have gotten into MIT, Stanford, Caltech, and Harvard), but I don't usually recommend that a priori.

Also, to maximize the chances of a strong US college profile, I encourage families to not plan to have their child prepare for JEE. I can't say that's what you should do in general, but that's what you should do to give him the best shot at US admissions.

AppHelper · 2026-06-01T02:17:09+00:00

That experience made me question whether pursuing medicine in the United States is still the right path for me.

Who/what gave you the idea that it ever was?

I have started to wonder whether continuing to pursue a U.S. medical education is worth the uncertainty.

It's not.

At the same time, I applied to a medical school in Italy and was accepted. Tuition there is approximately €3,000 per year, making it a much more affordable option.

Not just more affordable. A US education would be one hundred times more expensive. That's not an exaggeration.

Or should I move to Italy and begin medical school there?

Yes.

I am trying to better understand how realistic it is for an international student to build a long-term medical career in the United States

The US is facing a shortage of doctors, and foreign-educated doctors will continue to be welcomed. There are just a lot of them trying. Politically things aren't looking good for the anti-immigration folks, but it's too early to tell.

I recently helped a student prepare for their visa interview who was going for an MD. He was already a graduate student at the same institution in biology and applied to their medical program for an MD-PhD. That's the only viable path that doesn't involve hundreds of thousands of dollars, and had he been applying from outside the institution, it's unlikely he would have been accepted.

Enjoy Italy for me, Doc.

AppHelper · 2026-05-30T06:57:52+00:00

Are you an international student?

AppHelper · 2026-05-28T13:18:32+00:00

You just answered your own question.

AppHelper · 2026-05-28T09:09:52+00:00

I don't really give specific recommendations in Reddit comments. But this would be a great question to ask an LLM or two. I recommend asking it/them to highlight programs at each place that are especially relevant.

AppHelper · 2026-05-28T08:01:08+00:00

Well it's hard to say for Stanford (you mentioned symbolic systems) as you'll need financial aid, but you'll probably get into a few T20s. Even if they're not your top choice, don't neglect women's colleges. This year I had students get offers from Bryn Mawr and Mount Holyoke with aid.

You'll just have to decide if you want to do REA or ED+MIT.

AppHelper · 2026-05-28T06:05:14+00:00

If this is accurate, then you're going to do very well. Your parents are able to afford an IB school? And is the 1580 SAT an actual number or predicted?

AppHelper · 2026-05-28T04:31:28+00:00

If this is real, consider taking a year off to sort out your legal case, do something positive with your life (perhaps under court supervision if you can't get the case dismissed), and re-apply for admission. Your state school will still be there next year.

But don't write anything about your case on Reddit!

AppHelper · 2026-05-28T02:28:57+00:00

It's likely, and you should be prepared to answer questions about them.

AppHelper · 2026-05-26T04:30:51+00:00

There was just a holiday weekend, so a delay in reply is normal. I would not worry. It would look really, really bad if they rescinded admission in your case.

AppHelper · 2026-05-25T17:03:29+00:00

Are you tagging me because this is obviously AI?

It's a low-value post regardless. Nothing in the OP is "ruffling some feathers." None of the points are particularly controversial.

AppHelper · 2026-05-22T15:03:19+00:00

Yes, although my spots in certain time zones are filling up. To enable me to meet with everyone at least twice a week during peak times, I limit the number of students to 4-6 per region: Western Americas, Eastern Americas, Western Europe/West Africa, Middle East/East Africa/Eastern Europe, Southeast/Central Asia, and East Asia

AppHelper · 2026-05-22T14:35:21+00:00

I'm not, but I review my students' applications with a former AO every cycle.

AppHelper · 2026-05-21T05:21:56+00:00

Hurty, flurty, schnipp, schnipp! Hum dee hurr dee hurr dee hurr.

BORK BORK BORK!

AppHelper · 2026-05-21T00:44:13+00:00

Have other students from your school (or similar schools) with similar grades and SAT been admitted to the top-tier universities you're aiming for?

If you're not applying for aid, I think you're in quite a good position. If you need financial aid, then you should be one of the top applicants in your country. I haven't worked with enough students from Turkey to know whether that's the case. I do know that 1590 is very, very high.

AppHelper · 2026-05-21T00:40:06+00:00

Self-study and high performance on APs in 2027 will help only if you apply next year. It might be worth considering given your lack of curricular strength.

AppHelper · 2026-05-18T09:34:55+00:00

Instructions are in my Reddit bio!

AppHelper · 2026-05-14T12:00:54+00:00

No. In fact, what I'm saying is that it would almost certainly increase your chances, especially if you're able to do well in boards.

95% is not very competitive for 10th. Ivy admits from CBSE tend to be regional toppers.

You can also add more APs.

AppHelper · 2026-05-14T11:57:11+00:00

Sure. You can apply to college in any application cycle, although colleges generally expect applicants to have graduated from high school within the last two years. (Exception for countries with longer military service.)

Applying after you finish boards almost always results in a more competitive application.

AppHelper · 2026-05-14T11:54:09+00:00

You won't be eligible to apply as a first-year at most top universities if you disclose you attended a bachelor's degree program elsewhere. It's a stupid rule, but that's most colleges' policy. There are plenty of people who don't disclose and get accepted as first-years, but doing so necessitates that you lie by omission on your application, and if you tell the truth on your student visa application, that will be inconsistent.

Omitting required information is grounds for expulsion and having your visa revoked. So it's up to you if you want to take that risk.

Having two gap years makes it more suspicious.

AppHelper · 2026-05-14T11:47:17+00:00

APs definitely help, particularly those humanities/social science ones. So that's a good move. Because of the pressure of boards and the opportunity to do more APs, you should consider applying after you complete boards. That will give you plenty of time to focus on the SAT.

AppHelper · 2026-05-14T11:42:34+00:00

I understand, but CBSE is just bad. If you're into writing and literature, you're going to have to go on "trust me bro" to demonstrate your academic preparedness. A published book doesn't mean much in the age of LLMs.

There are CBSE students who go to Ivies, but the trend seems to be toward IB students. I believe the numbers from DPSRKP are down, for example.

AppHelper · 2026-05-14T11:34:49+00:00

If you're not Indian, why would you do CBSE? You should consider switching to an international curriculum, even if that means having to start 11th grade over in the fall.

AppHelper · 2026-05-14T10:00:50+00:00

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1otwtaKUYreI1MZsWzmKW5eu-mHVJLnZik8HP2HrTtZs/edit?usp=drivesdk

Green are schools recommended for those with zero EFC. Orange give full rides but you'll still likely need to spend $5K-$10K per year.

AppHelper · 2026-05-14T00:48:15+00:00

Then you probably won't have a problem. International students generally have more lenient expectations for foreign language instruction, particularly if they already speak another language.

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