banerjeea_98 wrote:
Linda,
Not sure if u wud feel comfortable answering/clarifying these questions. Plz feel free to say "may be", even if u think that there might be a small truth to these statements/rumors:
1. Indian applicants should only apply in round 1, there is almost no chance for them in round 2 in most top 10 programs. I know u say that one has **same** chances in R1 and R2, does this hold true for indian applicants as well ?
2. To have a chance in Harvard, indian applicants should **ONLY** apply in round 1 and not even bother to apply in round 2 in Harvard. Any truth to this ? May be true ? Do indian applicants have **same** chance even in Harvard in R1 and R2 ?
3. If an indian is a US permanent resident, he no longer belongs to the international indian pool and rather put in the pool of domestic US applicants, thus increasing that indian applicant's chances of admission.. True ? May be ?
Wud appreciate your insights in this. I know **ALL** schools deny these rumors, altho they seem to be discussed everywhere earnestly.
Thanks
Here are my thoughts on the above:
1) The bolded statement is false IMO. WE have certainly had Indian applicants accepted at top programs R2. I don't know if there is a drop in acceptance rates for Indians, but I don't believe so, certainly not at all top programs.
2) Ditto.
3) Maybe. The permanent resident will not have visa or work permit issues upon graduation. That may give a slight edge, but admissions is much more complex and nuanced than visa status.
As I have said many, many times ,the key is to turn yourself from an "Indian" or a "Chinese" or an engineer into an individual who can't be stuck with a simplistic label.
I was recently talking to someone whose son was accepted to Stanford undergard. I asked the mother what she thought her son did correctly, in a nutshell her son displayed diverse interests and made it difficult for the schools to say , "He is just a [fill in the blank]." Through his application he presented a multi-dimensional picture of himself that made it difficult to pigeon-hole him. do the same.
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