升學美國

Chess

Thanks for you guys!
A phenomenon that more friends of mine sent their children to UK than to US.  I hearsay that UK universities (including oxbridge) prefer overseas students to local because overseas students are paying a higher school fee. Thus it is easier to get into UK top tear universities than into ivy. Do you have any insight?

Shootastar

回復 Chess 的帖子

I have reservation that Oxbridge would admit more overseas students than the local people because of the fees. As a matter of fact, they only admit about 10% of overseas students each year.

Shootastar

回復 CATHERINEAUNTIE 的帖子

Can you share what is the college and its annual tuition fee or its tuition plus boarding fees?

nabi

Thanks for sharing, Shootastar
May I ask some advice on my case.  My daughter has US passport, she will be a S3 student in Sept.  She has been doing quite good in Hong Kong with     participation in different extra curricular activities.   I have been thinking whether she should stay to finish her secondary school and apply for university.  We also consider to let her go after S4 (I know it should be better after S3) and go for a non-private high school.  Which will give her a better opportunity to be accepted in an Ivy League school?

Shootastar

回復 nabi 的帖子

Honestly, it is difficult to tell which way will give you a better chance to be admitted to an Ivy. Some parents quoted examples that it is easier if the kids study in a US high school. However, many elite local schools always report that they have students being admitted to Ivy.

No matter where your kids receive education, I think the most crucial factor is your academic performance amongst your cohort. If you are always top of the class in an elite school in Hong Kong or USA, you will have better chance. However, apart from academic performance, you need to show that you have leadership, passion on a particular activity or activities, persistent record of services. Of course you need good score of SAT I (2,200+) and 3 SAT II subjects test (760+) or ACT (33+).

If your daughter has such statistics, I feel she may have a reasonably good chance of being admitted because she is in the queue of domestic applicants.

If your daughter plans to study in a US high school, I feel the earlier is the better because it can help to buiild up the profile. Whether you believe or not, all Ivies or their equivalents know the Hong Kong education system very well. They can make the distinction of whether the applicant is in the top of his cohort.

ivyscyip

回復 Shootastar 的帖子

I believe that it is easier to go to a top school if you go to high school in the U.S.  Both my husband and I went to MIT.  I moved to the U.S. when I was 10, and attended a public school in Texas.  My hubbie went to MIT straight from Hong Kong (#1 in Queen's College, and received 10As on HKCEE).  From what we can see, each year, <10 students go to MIT straight from Hong Kong (inclusive of international students with foreign passports).  This year, we know that there will only be 4.  Yet, in my high school alone, we had 4 attending in my year.  We will definitely move back to the states before our kids enter high school to increase the chance of attending a top school.

Shootastar

回復 ivyscyip 的帖子

Thank you for your sharing.

My comment was made according to my observation on my S and D's matriculation lists. My point is that if you are holding an US passport or green card, you will be classified as domestic applicants and if you do not have such documents, you are a foreign applicants.

I think whether MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanley or other Ivies or equivalents would set a quota (although they said no) for the foreign students.When compared with my S and D's statistics with their classmates (i.e. SAT 2,200+ , 3 SAT (780+), GPA 3.9 from a competitive local international school, persistent commitments on services (about 300 hours throughout high school period), strong leadership posts (service team and sport captain) for 2 years, school sport team members for 3 years, NHS, excellent recommendations from counsellors plus 2 teachers, regrettably, they did not receive any offers. (Each of them submitted 3 applications to Ivies or equivalent). Whereas, their classmates of similar statistics were admitted by Ivies or their equivalents. I therefore have the conclusion that the difference is the type of their passports. Most (but not all) of them hold US passports. For thosee who do not have US passports, they were winner of competition of a national level.

I have a friend whose two Ds were admitted to MIT based on their local curriculum but they were born in the US.

If I know you earlier, I would consider sending my kids to the US boarding school.

Shootastar

回復 ivyscyip 的帖子

ivyscyip

Can you share how many of the 4 admitted students this year from Hong Kong hold US passport or green card and how many hold the foreign passports?

In your high school, are those 4 admitted students US citizens and how many of them are foreigners?

As a matter of fact, I overhear that two of the Hong Kong students admitted to MIT this year are studying in one of the Ten Schools in the US and hold US passports. More than that, they have strong legacies. I should emphasize that I hear the same from grapevine. Please therefore correct me if I am wrong.

The class size of MIT is around 1,200 and each year MIT admits around 100 foreigners. If we divide the number of countries by 100, on average, less than one student would be admitted to MIT from each country. Your hubbie has 10As and he is the top 10 of his cohort in Hong Kong and it is truly a exceptionally high honor on national level. No doubt, he was admitted to MIT and became your classmate (?).

bobbycheung

Shootastar,
You said you think the most crucial factor is the kid's academic performance amongst his cohort.  I also have this question.  Let's say my kid is absolutely outstanding in his school eg getting a SAT score of 2,300 and so on (I am sorry to say that he's not and it's just an example), he stands way above everyone else in his class in Hong Kong.  But if he goes to a top top boarding school in US, his academic result won't be as outstanding as compared with his cohort because there will be lots of classmates having results similar or even better than his.  I guess Ivy Leagues won't accept too many people from the same school in the same year.  In that case, will his chance of getting accepted into Ivy League be actually mproved by going to a top top US boarding school?  Wouldn't he be better off by staying in HK and adopt the apprach of 寧為雞口 莫為牛後?

Shootastar

bobbycheung

It is a difficult question to answer. The views are diversified. Because each year we can learn that some local students (without US passport) are admitted to Ivies or equivalents. Personally I know some. One is of IB 45 (although his IB result is not yet known when he is made an offer) while the other is of 40 points of 6 best subjects of HKDSE (although his result of HKDSE is not yet known when he is made an offer). I mention this to show you the qualities of the students Ivies or equivalents would admit. These two guys do not have US passports.

I do not know whether they would perform as good as they are in Hong Kong if they study in elite US boarding schools. I have studied the matriculation list of TJ (the no,1 public school in US) two year ago. About 1/3 of its graduation class (size about 300) were admitted to Ivies or equivalents, still there are 200 students studied in other leading colleges.

Admission to Ivies and equivalents needs a game playing plan. There are a number of factors to be considered. I agree with your comments in Chinese. You will see the successful case of the hubbie of ivyscyip who was the top of the local cohort of his graduation year. If you are not the top top top, I tend to agree that it is easier to be admitted to an Ivy than in Hong Kong (assuming of the same comparable statistics).

nabi

Thanks for sharing!  There is so much to learn in preparation for her academic path.  Sounds like it is an advantage holding US passport.  The earliest time for my D to leave is after S4, so how may I try to shorter the gap?  How may I try to better prepare her profile?  I understand it is significant to have excellent academic performance, consistent services and special talent.  My daughter is not a top top top student, she has some  of everything in an esteem school.  I wonder how well the US school would know the system of foreign students.

Shootastar

Nabi

Every ivy or its equivalent says that its admission knows very well every education system in the world and if you think there is something which it may not know, you are welcome to share the same with it. I agree with this statement.

nickmum

Thanks All.  Your information and comments are very useful.  I have attended seminars organized by agents and got an impression that other than very good academic results, which are must, it is very important to package the student in the application to the top universities in US in order to increase the chance for being admitted.  Although the argument should be considered with a grain of salt, I believe that there is not a simple formular for how the top Us select students.  It is logical that students having US passports should have the priority, as the Government should protect interests of their citizens.  However, most schools should have a quota for foreign students.  We should aim at getting a place within the set quota.

Dedemom

回復 Pigmama1012 的帖子

Dear Pigmama,

You said "中學和大學都在美國讀".  請問你覺得中一才到美國讀書會唔會比美國人歧視呢, 因為我都想送仔女去美國讀書, 但係又驚比人蝦? 可不可以講下你個經歷呢?  謝謝!

Dedemom

ckh689

Shootastar 發表於 12-8-1 15:52

Admission to Ivies and equivalents needs a game playing plan

Shootaster,
Can you share your experience on how to play the game and how you plan for it?  Many thanks,

Shootastar

回復 ckh689 的帖子

There is no fixed and fast rule. If you buy 2 to 3 books on US college admission, you will know how to play the game. The consultants always exaggerate that the admission is very complex and mischievous so you have to engage them to help you - payment of USD 10,000 to USD30,000

My personal view is what they can do for your kid can be done by yourself. Do not trust the education consultants unless you are a "water-fish". Just read the books you buy.

nickmum

Shootastar 發表於 12-9-3 15:01
回復 ckh689 的帖子

There is no fixed and fast rule. If you buy 2 to 3 books on US college admission ...

Dear Shootastar,

I can't find any relevant books in the bookstore.  Could you advise where can I find these books?


Nickmun

Shootastar

回復 nickmum 的帖子

Hi nickmum

You can search Amazon website, by entering the following words  

"A is for Admissionn" in the search box.

Thereafter you will find a number of relevant books for admission.

You may click the following link as well.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_18?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=a+is+for+admission&sprefix=A+is+for+admission%2Caps%2C507