- CrazzySnipe55
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Posted by: Muffin enforcer
Posted by: CrazzySnipe55
Posted by: Muffin enforcer
Posted by: CrazzySnipe55
Posted by: Muffin enforcer
I'm looking to get into MIT, the admissions process is a pain though. Is this standard for all American universities?The way you said that, I'm assuming you're not American, and thus the process is probably made even more annoying what with you not being American and applying (I.E. potentially not having SAT/ACT scores and maybe not have GPA weighted the same, I'm not sure how it works elsewhere).
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I live in Australia - I've completed the SAT requirements though - 3 subject tests and 1 general - we don't calculate GPA or anything like that - we use a completely different ranking system, and application to universities is much more simple - almost a one-click process - you either get a offer or you don't depending on how well you do in final year exams.The weighting and nonweighting of GPAs over here makes that next to impossible. For example, (sorry if I'm insulting your intelligence) but my school has two different weighted level courses. There's an Honors course, and an AP (Advanced Placement) course. If you get straight A's (94%+) in a regular course, your GPA is 4.0. In ALL Honors courses, it's a 4.5. In ALL AP courses, it's a 5.0. Some schools don't have Honors level courses, they just have AP. Some schools have AP level courses but call them honors, and vice versa. Some schools have lots of smart kids who almost all take Honors+ courses and they all look middle of the road, while other schools (like mine) make Honors and AP courses sound like the devil so that less kids on average take them and thus their school looks smarter and more academically focused (less "easy").
Little things like this, usually out of a student's control can affect their chances of getting into a good school, however minutely.
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Sounds a bit convoluted. Here in Australia (Victoria at least) we calculate scores based on a standardized rank as opposed to the actual score - an ATAR rank is calculated based on coursework you complete across the school year, but is most heavily affected by the exams you complete in mid-year and throughout November.
We also have a sort of AP equivalent down here, called 'extension courses' which are essentially the first year of the particular subject course in University - i enrolled in the Extension Physics stream and we were required to do exactly the same exams as the first-year physics students at the University of Melbourne - as opposed to the hybrid? College/highschool course that is the AP program based on what I've read about it.
I suppose that such a streamlined process would make applying to university comparatively easier in Australia though. Yeah, AP courses are typically based on college courses and use college-level text books. And there's something call the AP test (graded on a 1-5 scale) which can get you scholarships as well depending on your performance. I'll be taking it in World History come May/June.
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