How McGill Attracts International Students
Among Canada’s top universities, McGill is an attractive option for international students. When I went to McGill, I had friends from all over the world, including a few from Hong Kong. Located in Montreal, here are the reasons why McGill is a top choice for international students.
Getting Into UC San Diego
Being never entirely exposed to English-learning environment before, I knew moving to the United States for high school was a tough decision. During my freshman year of high school, I was lucky enough to meet my Biology teacher. She was so patient that she would help me overcome any possible problem I have, including language, culture and Biology concepts. She had such strong influence on me that I became passionate about delving more into the field of Biochemistry.
A misguided approach to appying to college
In 2009 I applied to college, going through the same passes as every one of my classmates – in a small, private school of some forty seniors. We went to our school’s college admissions counsellor. We reviewed the stack of leaflets that – mostly – our parents had gathered for us. And we made our decisions – and even structured our applications – based on all the wrong factors.
My Journey to the University of Pennsylvania
In 2018, I graduated from a public high school just outside of Philadelphia. That fall, I joined the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering as a materials science and engineering major. However, during my sophomore year, I switched to the College of Arts and Sciences to study physics. While here, I also play for the rugby team and work at the Center for Nanotechnology.
How I Got into Columbia University
I first started thinking seriously about college when I was entering 10th grade because my high school was only 10th through 12th grade. I knew that to get into a good school I would need a great SAT or ACT score and to keep my grades up. What I didn't know though it is what exactly I wanted to do or which university I wanted to go to. I thought about it mainly in terms of which location would make me the happiest because I heard most schools in the top 10 were similar in difficulty getting in. I love the busyness of New York City and decided to look at Columbia and NYU.
Getting into MIT
The first thing to understand about applying to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is that the number of applicants has been on the rise for decades. The year I got accepted, the acceptance rate was around 13%. By the time I graduated, this had decreased to 10%. By 2025, MIT projects that their acceptance rate will be lower than 7%, for both regular and early decision applicants. Why do I bring this up? It is important to understand the sheer number of qualified applications that get sent to MIT every year, and recognise that no matter how good your grades are, getting into MIT is incredibly difficult, and there is no magic formula for success.