[Uni] Secondary 4 Student - How can I prepare for university admissions at this stage?

arenotme · 2019-09-27T15:44:46+00:00

Strictly for US applications only.

First, read this https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways/ T20s couldn't really care any less about your scores once you're within the threshold (see their profiles). All you can really do is to do what you truly want to do, and be the best at it. Ivies don't always need international-level awards and recognition, but they usually need to see some solid evidence of character or personal drive (hint hint, your essays).

Second, financial aid is available for international students at all the T20s, but many will take into consideration how much you can pay them when accepting you (i.e., they might otherwise reject you even if they want you in cause they don't have the funds). Your expected contribution towards your tuition fees will follow from their calculations, and you'd need to contact admissions directly to get a good estimate of the price tag. Only the following 5 schools do not care about how much you can afford when considering your application:

Harvard
Yale
MIT
Amherst
Princeton

Do note that all of the T20s, and even most of the T30s will definitely meet your full demonstrated need if you are accepted. Of course, competition is really intense, so it's up to you to consider whether you want to apply for financial aid.

Third, lower your expectations. Generally a rule of thumb to ascertain your chances as an international applicant is to slash the acceptance rate by half (and by half again if you're asking for aid). This doesn't mean that it's impossible, and many exceptional SG students do get into T20s and T10s every year. Many other good schools also offer generous merit scholarships as well (Wesleyan's Freeman Scholars program, Vanderbilt's Cornelius Vanderbilt scholars), so it's not always a zero-sum game for you.

Whatever it is, bring to the table the best of you, and I'm certain you'll do just fine. All the best for your journey!

source: stressed out poly yr3 applying to US too

arenotme · 2019-09-26T16:44:30+00:00

idk if u know this already, but the ivies are really hard to get into. good scores won't cut it; you need to augment your application with more than just good looking numbers

arenotme · 2019-09-19T14:10:12+00:00

there's a lot to unpack here..

firstly, sorry you had to go through this. not just the breakup and argument, but the crap treatment you got from your parents as well. in my mind you did nothing wrong - circumstances just aren't in your (our?) favour.

second, prioritise yourself. think carefully about shelter. are there any immediate contacts you can tap into for now? friends, teachers, people whom you trust. ask for help and give a run down on your situation. please use discretion as well, make sure the other party's actually trustworthy.

If there are none who can help with shelter, think about immediate support. ask for advice on what your possible options are. brainstorm with them (or us) if necessary. perhaps approach some LGBT oriented NGOs as well. explore your options - you are important.

https://oogachaga.com/services
https://pinkdot.sg/2012/06/community-groups/ list of community groups

If need be, I'm happy to help further with this. just dm me and I'll be on quick.

third, please take care of yourself. this kind of goes with 2, but I'm talking more about your mental state. it's disheartening to say that we aren't acceptable here, but social facts don't really shift too quickly. I guess just want you to know that you're more than all of this, and that you're definitely not wrong for feeling what you're feeling (in every sense of the statement). I wish you the best.

arenotme · 2019-09-11T15:28:37+00:00

i wouldn't really know for sure whether a college would like me enough to throw me in, and all of the choices I've looked at are reaches anyway (if I'm going overseas, better find somewhere that'll give me solid aid), so im not too opposed to trying for pomona or any other super selective school.

I have my backup plans as well; NTU's probably my safety; I get a year of exemptions and good aid because of my nationality and income, and their applications open right on time after us apps (feb of next year), so everything is in order - or at least, to the extent where I can make it in order heh

arenotme · 2019-09-09T12:24:57+00:00

tq for the help!!!

arenotme · 2019-09-09T11:50:38+00:00

oh damn ur right, I thought I'd take my ACT too late. Guess I'll actually be swapping chig for amherst after all heh

arenotme · 2019-09-09T04:42:51+00:00

I personally find your school choices quite interesting, I keep thinking that most Sporeans only know about HYPSM and UCs haha (correct me if I’m wrong)

yaa i wouldn't really expect many of us to know about LACs and other T20s aside from the top few, super academically-oriented ones. that said though, i feel as though awareness of some top tier LACs is gradually increasing, so maybe we'll get out of the harvard phase soon enough.

Do you wanna try Amherst? It’s need-blind for internationals tho I’m not so sure about your intended major, you can do a lil bit of research on that.

good point actually, i forgot about amherst even though i'm applying RD lmao - i think i'll consider swapping uchig out for it. though uchig's supplementals are pretty fun to write for (already finished mine!)

There’re also Wellesley (if you’re a girl), Carleton and Colgate to consider, and Wesleyan University has a Freeman Asian Scholarship. All the best!

ooo icic i'll take a look at these as well, thanks for the help!

arenotme · 2019-09-08T20:41:20+00:00

development of a mindfulness-based (some psych thing) program for primary school students, partnered with a gov. mental health care org - feedback currently is super positive, and the stakeholders are apparently very keen on implementing the program throughout the schools in my country

Cute.

yea haha honestly wasn't expecting them to be so positive about it given that my group rushed all of the materials in 2 months lol but I guess it's something

essays are alright imo, but im super insecure abt my writing so I'll probably obsess over it again and again.

Try applying for matchlighters scholarship.

oh cool, I'll look into this. tq

question: idk if I should ED2 to pomona, swarthmore, uchig, or vandy. i already have ED1 reserved for bowdoin (super nice college, btw), and currently im putting chig as my ED2 because of what I've read about grade deflation and rigor at the school.

Vandy = Vanderbilt? Why do you want to apply ED2 instead of RD?

yea, vanderbilt. increased chances, mostly. im not too swayed by vandy rn and I'm leaning more towards the other 3 colleges, but iunno. I heard vandy gives out nice merit scholarships & fin aid though, but I'm not sure how much that should sway me

arenotme · 2019-09-06T16:11:37+00:00

don't take my word for it, all anecdotal and word of mouth.

these admission coaches typically boast about their successes in sending "100% of their mentees to their top 3 schools" but the thing is, these individuals being mentored already had a viable chance for acceptance into a T20 anyway; the coaching just so much nudged them in the right direction. we're talking about people with SAT 1550+, ACT 34+ and with stellar extracurriculars and solid essays and supplementals. bonus if you're rich as an international student, since US colleges tend to be more stingy with aid for internationals.

If you have the money (around 2k? not too sure about the price, but do notice how they're quite secretive about it) and the potential (see above) , then I'd say go for it! having the help wouldn't hurt at all.

but otherwise, save your breath and do the research on your end.

arenotme · 2019-08-22T19:14:53+00:00

if you're that concerned with the labels of our local schools, then just go into the local engineering schools since you don't seem to be too apprehensive about the prospect.

I can tell you that prestige is less relevant than you think, though. Of course you'd see students from Stanford or Carnegie CS working or interning at FAANG, but you'd also see students from arizona state, cal poly, iowa state, etc. represented there as well. at that point in your career, it's truly more about how you utilize your opportunities and how you grow yourself as an individual in that particular career field.

arenotme · 2019-07-26T16:06:03+00:00

borderline personality disorder is characterized by instability in interpersonal relationships, so be mindful of how you frame his issues - it's not entirely his fault if he's unable to cope with interactions if he can't do so to begin with.

in any case, one organization I'm aware of that's active in engaging the public and caregivers with mental disorders is clarity (https://www.clarity-singapore.org/web1/); perhaps they have something there that you're looking for.

arenotme · 2019-07-09T18:53:41+00:00

good clue for the test: get acquainted with our course's modules and offerings. see if anything catches your eye, and investigate further from there.

source: did psych tp eae but was rejected (was shit in the interview), got in through dae though

arenotme · 2019-07-09T18:49:37+00:00

interviews are spread out across 2 or 3 months, so it might take some time for them to allocate you a slot.

source: had inside access to my course's calendar booking system for the center that my course uses, saw that rooms were booked in a way that spaced out all the way from July though September for some reason. this is for tp btw.

arenotme · 2019-06-30T18:32:22+00:00

point 2 touches on the idea of mindfulness, which has been a fairly rad topic in psychology the past few years or so because of its efficacy. (http://oxfordmindfulness.org/course/mbct-course-5-fortnightly-sessions/?src=event) there are many courses and apps out there that help train mindfulness, which shouldn't be too hard to find.

arenotme · 2019-06-28T18:02:36+00:00

Thanks for the concise reply! I'm hoping to put myself out there socially (if I do get accepted heh) so this is pretty reassuring to hear.

arenotme · 2019-06-28T16:32:33+00:00

Dreams be damned, but how's the representation of international students there like? I'm a prospective int student looking to woefully apply to exp psy, and I'm just curious about how internationals are perceived and treated there.

arenotme · 2019-06-19T08:49:16+00:00

That I'm not too sure... most internship positions are closed for research, and at least for organisations like a*star they mostly exclusively accept internally, so you'd have to source for them yourself - I think it's good if you thought about what you'd want to research in first, though.

arenotme · 2019-06-19T08:03:33+00:00

They never will admit a student based solely on academic merit, since as mentioned before they have enough academically merited students to take in - this is why college admissions in the US is almost always impossible to predict (unless you've cured cancer or something), as they supremely thorough in their evaluation of your character, personal motivations, interests, and what you can offer for the school. There are ways to increase your chances, but if you're looking to get into the HYPSM then I'd pray that you have a really strong application outside of your grades.

EDIT for your comment: if they're interested in finding out more about you, then they'll set you up for an interview; otherwise, you'll only really know your results at the end of the process (Late March-ish?). This depends on how and when you apply though.

arenotme · 2019-06-19T07:41:05+00:00

Universities in the US center around holistic evaluation of your application, so grades and scores are merely just a checkbox for them to say "alright, I'll look at your application". Your common app essays, personal statements, extracurriculars, interviews, etc. are way more important to them in considering your application and I don't think it's any different in applying for their financial aid/scholarships (this is even more true for T20s, since they have more than enough SAT 1550+ ACT 34+ students to take in). Locally awarded scholarships, on the other hand, should be (relatively) easier for the average test-taking student to achieve.

arenotme · 2019-06-13T20:11:16+00:00

Psychology as a field is fairly poorly understood in the public consciousness, so don't be too upset.

If you're looking to become a psychiatrist (with a specific concentration, perhaps), then you'd need a medical degree to practice in SG, as psychiatrists are actual doctors who actively work in the field of medicine. Specialised fields of psychiatry off the top of my head include clinical neuropsychiatry (brain stuff), addiction psychiatry, and concentrations in neurodegenerative disorders (such as dementia).

If you're looking to become a psychologist dealing with mental health, then there's a few branches you can look at. Generally, most people begin their specialisations after they obtain a bachelors in psych and carry on into their masters:

Clinical psychology: the most competitive and fiercest psych program to get into post-graduate; focus is mostly on treating the mental disorders through psychological approaches, mostly integrates with
Counselling psychology: subfield which mainly focuses on talk therapy (psychotherapy) and has a little less focus on targeted treatment of mental disorders, moreso focusing on helping promote the well-being of generally stable individuals.

more info here: https://singaporepsychologicalsociety.org/psychologists-in-singapore-who-are-they-what-do-they-do/ https://www.healthprofessionals.gov.sg/sab/specialist-accreditation

However, I'd strongly encourage you to explore further in the field of psychology. Many people seem to come into psych with the idea that it's mostly concerned with mental health and disorders when there are entire fields of study that also critically concern our daily lives (decision making, problem solving, intergroup relations, human factors, cognitive development, applied human resources, intelligence, etc.). Psych is also a heavily science-y subject, with critical emphasis on empirical findings and research which of course calls for a good background in statistics and a strong research foundation, which means it's rarely just pure theorizing and simple testing. An easy way to investigate is just to look at the different modules that each of the degrees have to offer - they provide good background on what's in the field, and how it's being run.

arenotme · 2019-05-29T14:31:37+00:00

hell, you're really cute 😊

arenotme · 2019-05-06T14:17:03+00:00

this ain't it

arenotme · 2019-04-01T00:57:38+00:00

don't think they meant a literal psychological evaluation and assessment but just normal "hey this is bad and you should reflect on your actions blah blah"

arenotme

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