The Cost of Applying to College

Attending university overseas is expensive. The size of the five digit number you pay per annum can vary depending on where you go and what you do, so most people resort to scholarships, bank loans or the daddy-mummy fund.

Applying for university alone, however, can already be costly. If you're just applying to NUS or SMU and to no others, your costs are significantly lower - the application fee is only SGD$10 or $15 respectively.

If you are applying overseas and intending to apply to quite a few, that's when the hole in the pocket starts growing.

Most US universities process applications via the Common Application (CommonAPP). Every time you click the submit button that's anywhere between USD$70 to $80 charged to your credit card. If you apply to more than four places, you will also need to send your SAT scores (CollegeBoard allows you to send four score reports for free so long you do when registering). Any additional SAT report sent normally is USD$10, but if you, like all good students, procrastinate and have to send a rush report, that will be USD$29.

[Vio Note: In most cases, there is no need to send a rush report. Most colleges take time to process all the applications and will not begin reading till later. However, if you are taking the SAT in the last possible month, you might want to check with your college counselor. They know best.]

If you are applying for financial aid, ironical as it might sound, you will also need to pay a fee to send a document called the CSS Profile. It's essentially a description of how much money your family has, how much money you spend on food, how much dog food your pet consumes (kidding) and such. That's USD$25 for the first university, and $18 for all subsequent universities.

If you are also applying to the UK, a good number of universities use the UCAS system. Applying to only one college costs GBP$11. You can apply for a maximum of five colleges, and the total cost of that is GBP$21.

I've not accounted for two things here. Sending supplementary material by mail, and colleges that don't use these systems.

Sending supplementary material by mail applies if you need to send transcripts, research reports or teacher recs. manually. NUSHS will not mail for you for local universities. The cost of sending an A4 sized envelope with about 20 pages of printed matter inside is between SGD$2-4 for registered mail. To overseas locations it can be double that.

Colleges that don't use CommonAPP or UCAS are places like MIT, UCBerkeley, Cambridge and Oxford. MIT levies about the same fee as CommonAPP. Cambridge digs a -bleep- huge hole in your pocket at around SGD$300 for the cost of the TSA and interview.

So lets assume we play the part of the good kiasu Singaporean and apply to 6 US universities, more than 1 UK university, MIT, NUS, SMU and Cambridge. Here goes:

6*USD75 = USD450 - CommonAPP
1*USD75 = USD75 - MIT
SGD10+SGD15 = SGD25 - NUS/SMU
1*SGD300 = SGD300 - Cambridge
1*GBP21 = GBP21 - UCAS
1*USD25+5*USD18 = USD115 - CSS Profile
2*USD10 = USD20 - SAT Score Reports (assuming you've sent 4 for free)
SGD20 for all mailing needs

That's about SGD$1237, according to exchange rates at time of writing.

The reason why I'm highlighting these costs is twofold. First is to show the cost involved if you decide to carpet bomb every university you come across. Second is to suggest that maybe that holiday job will come in useful after all. Of course, in the words of the many finaid webpages available, "if undertaking the cost involved presents significant hardship for you and your family, you may request a fee waiver" so long you fill up the appropriate documents.

Olympiads in Year 1-4

As this is my first time writing an article for Collegetalk, here’s a brief introduction about myself. I’m Gloria, and will be in Year 5 in 2011. After looking back at the past 4 years of my life at NUSHS, let me share with you a little about taking math and science Olympiads and NUSH Olympiad trainings in the lower years (Yr 1-4). (Beware: Long article ahead)

Olympiads for Yr 1-4 is a relatively new phenomenon, with the exception of the Singapore Mathematics Olympiad (SMO). The math Olympiad ‘is the largest and oldest mathematics competition in Singapore’ (quoted from website), having started in the mid-1950s under a different name. The Singapore Junior Physics Olympiad (SJPO) held its first competition in 2008, and the 1^st Singapore Junior Chemistry Olympiad (SJChO) was held in 2010. Most students take the SJPO and SJChO in Year 3 and 4, though there are a few Year 1s and 2s who take part as well. There is no junior biology Olympiad as of yet. (Not that I know of at least.)

You may be asking yourself why you should waste you precious time participating in and training for these Olympiads. The first reason will be that you really like that subject and you want to stretch your brain with intellectually demanding questions. Chances are, most people don’t take Olympiads for this reason. The second reason is that you want to see how well you fare nationally. The third is that you want some embellishment on your graduation transcript. There are also a million other reasons, like my-friends-are-taking-it-so-I-shall-too, but the one casual reason I find the most compelling is that there is simply no reason not to. There is always no harm trying.

Math Olympiad

I believe that most NUS High students will be familiar with math Olympiads, since there are many held in primary school. The SMO offers similar questions but of a higher difficulty, covering more topics of course. For the junior section, while topics like trigonometry is not necessary, knowledge of these topics are useful. For the senior section, topics like calculus is deemed not necessary, but once again are useful. There are 2 rounds, the first being a 2-3 hour paper of 35 MCQ and short-response questions, the second round being a 2-3 hour paper of 5-10 long questions. (I’m not sure of the exact number or the duration; please correct me.) The second round, which is the special round, involves long explanation question and proving questions.

Our school offers math O training from Year 1 to Year 4, covering topics ranging from Geometry, Permutation and Combination, Sequences, and many more. An external trainer from NUS conducts these lessons, and from past experience the modules are centered on practicing past Olympiad first round questions. However, I think (this is purely my opinion) the rigorous training is helpful for SMO prep as it trains your mind to think the SMO way (the more unorthodox way). Even if it doesn’t help in SMO, it has helped me in normal math modules as well, as some topics do overlap, or are taught ahead in Math O classes. For the year 2009, one has to take a selection test to take the Year 1 module, and the following modules are by invite only (the Year 1 module is a prerequisite).

Physics Olympiad

The next oldest junior Olympiad is the SJPO. The SJPO syllabus covers the usual secondary school physics syllabus, including but not limited to Mechanics, E&M, Thermal Physics and Thermodynamics, Optics, Oscillation and Waves etc. It also includes some Relativity, Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Physics. However, no calculus is needed. There are also 2 rounds, the first round and the special round (only shortlisted students participate in the special round). The first is an MCQ round, 50 MCQ questions in 90 minutes. The questions are not especially hard, especially for our school students. The second round is a theory round with 8-12 long questions. This year, around 1200 students participated, 17 received gold medals, 41 received silver medals and 47 received bronze medals. There are also honorable mentions given out.

Our school offers training for Physics O from year 3 onwards. Depending on your cohort, the first module is offered in Yr 3 Sem 1 or 2. For my batch, the first module was open to anyone, and around 60 people applied (half of which dropped out halfway). The following modules were by invitation. From what I understand, the batch after mine had their first module by invitation only, while the next was open to all. However, I’m just going to talk about my own experience. Year 3 Sem 2: Purely mechanics module. It was pitched at an extremely high level and many people lost faith. I understand that the level was pitched down after our year, so don’t worry about dying in that module. Year 4 Sem 1: This was some rigorous preparation for SJPO, which is held in August. It covers every topic of the SJPO syllabus, except for mechanics. Year 4 Sem 2: Purely mechanics again, mostly in preparations for the SJPO special round. (This was what I had experienced, there may be changes here and there, but all topics will be covered in at least one module.) Be warned- some of these modules are not for the faint-hearted, and do not expect to pass the tests of the modules.

Chemistry Olympiad

I have had the least experience with this Olympiad, and have not undergone any of the training for this Olympiad. This Olympiad also has 2 rounds, but the special round, unlike the SJPO’s, is a practical round. The first round is MCQ and is held in May. (However, as this is the 1^st year it has been held, I do believe that there may be changes to when and how it will be held.) The questions are also not especially challenging for the first round, but they do require a certain amount of critical thinking. There are also some questions that are knowledge-based: I still vaguely remember the last question which totally stunned us all- who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 19xx for some discovery I can’t recall. A lot of topics are covered- the usual year 1-4 curriculum (physical chemistry, periodic table, a little quantum chemistry, redox, equilibria, thermodynamics etc.), and organic chemistry as well. The 2^nd round, being a practical round, is much fun. This year, students are grouped in threes (with students from your school), and 5 practicals need to be finished in 3 hours. These include QA, Buffers, Chromatography, and Titration for 2010. There were around 200 awardees (for bronze, silver and gold medals) from around 2000 participants this year. Merit awards are also given.

I did not attend our school’s Chem O training modules, so whatever is included here is based on my classmates’ experiences. The Chem O training begins in Year 4, while some Year 3s may be invited to sit in or take up the training as well. The module in Sem 1 is offered to all, and is a prerequisite for the subsequent module in Sem 2. The curriculum mirrors the modules covered in core chemistry modules, but they are more in-depth and delve into more complex stuff (sometimes university-level stuff). There are also practical lessons as well. However, since SJChO questions are MCQ, in my opinion these training modules are more for the SChO. For those who had entered the practical round this year, special training sessions in the lab were held as well.

Conclusion

There are many Olympiads out there and it doesn’t hurt to take one. (Fees can be deducted from Edusave, so cost should not a big concern.) Hence, let me end this painfully long article (you survived!) right here and now. :) And Happy New Year!

Hang On Tight!

The last day of the year, the 31st of December is here.

NUS Deadline.
USP Deadline.
The Start of US Regular Deadlines. (Yale today, a TON tomorrow.)

To all my fellow Y6s, glhf, and I'll see you on the other side!

Have a great New Year.

Financial Aid Deadlines

To all applicants for financial aid, please do remember to check the deadlines for the submission of your financial aid forms. Hint/Warning: Some of these deadlines are impending. (Like Cornell.)

Like really, really soon.

You do not want to be caught off-guard. International express mailing fees are ridiculously expensive.

Shoutout from Year 6

Hello everyone!

I am now deep in uni applications/admissions and (juniors beware) it is so painful I can't imagine how some seniors can write about it so extensively after the process (refer to seniors' previous posts under the "my applications" tab).

Nevertheless, I shall post everything before the next application cycle! =) But for now, I am so sorry for the dearth of posts from me!

Where are NUS High graduates now?

1. Army. Every single vocation you can think of.

2. NUS Medicine/Dentistry/Pharmacy. Or any of these in the UK or Australia.

3. NUS/SMU Law.

4. NUS Science.

5. NUS Engineering.

6. NUS/NTU/SMU Business.

7. Studying some sort of science major in the US.

8. Studying some sort of science in the UK.

9. Studying some sort of science in Australia.

10. Studying in Korea, studying in Japan.

11. Studying econs in the UK/US/Aus.

12. Studying a humanities subject in the UK/US/Aus.

13. Studying something completely non-science/maths in some university somewhere.

The point of this post is to let you know that you aren't limited by studying in a maths and science school. Some people feel that if you do something else, you've wasted your 6 years here. That is not true. NUS High's rigorous curriculum provides the foundation for many subjects in university (almost all of them require some sort of math). More importantly, the study skills you pick up from surviving such a competitive school will help you do well as you adjust to university life.

Merry Christmas

T'is the season to be giving and sharing! Wherever in the world you might be - in college in Europe, UK or US, or still plodding on in Singapore - here's wishing you a Merry Christmas from all of us at NUSHSCollegeTalk. We unfortunately don't have any presents to hand around, but you have it on our honour we'll try to keep sharing whatever we know, whenever we can :-D

A US education

My first semester at Berkeley is over and I'm back in Singapore for winter break. The 20-hour flight prompted a little reflection of the experience, which I thought I'd share here.

I was in the US for four months. It felt a lot longer. Part of it was being so far away from home; I'm not the sentimental type, and I didn't think I would miss home, but I did. Then, there was the excitement of (finally) starting university, and going for lectures, and slogging through homework and midterms.

So here are some of the more significant things about studying in the US that I've learnt in the past semester.

1. America is an extremely diverse place. At Berkeley, a public institution, I saw many kinds of people - not just racially, but also socioeconomically. The courses are correspondingly more diverse... breathtakingly diverse, actually. The things you can do on campus are also very varied. I joined the Women's Chorale, just for fun, and we sang all sorts of pieces: Disney songs, a Latin oratorio, traditional Christmas songs, and jazz tunes.

2. Studying in this environment is very refreshing. I liked going for lectures to learn, which doesn't usually happen, but the profs were dynamic and passionate about what they taught, which made me very interested in hearing what they had to say. Of course, this doesn't apply to all courses (I'm guessing I won't be quite so enthusiastic about Physics 7A next semester), but the fact is that Berkeley and other top US institutions attract the best of the best academics, and you are sure to find a few who pique your interest and galvanize you into delving deeper.

3. The graduate students can similarly be as inspiring. I say can because they don't have the experience of professors. The system of big universities using graduate students to teach undergrads is both good and bad: on one hand, they're not professors; on the other hand, they might care about teaching more, and they're definitely more accessible. I had varying experiences with graduate students this semester. One, who taught my writing class, was really not that great - she knew her material, but was very disorganized. On the other hand, I am extremely grateful for being able to take a class with my chemistry TA, who was patient, friendly and helpful.

4. Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason. I went to the US trying to keep an open mind. I told myself that the America represented by their media was an exaggeration; but it wasn't. There really were people like that. There were those addicted to pot, and those fitness gurus. There were those who couldn't get a B to save their life, and those who got 4.0s without trying. There were the hobos on the street, and the rich heirs and heiresses.


Now for some application... here are some warnings and suggestions:

1. Being diverse, America can be both liberal and constricting. People there curse a lot. A lot. The f-word gets thrown around every five seconds, and you learn to desensitize yourself to it, which may or may not be a good thing. There's also a lot of drugs, drinking and sex going on. Generally, there isn't much racial discrimination (at least in California), but some people really are ignorant and may say things that are offensive.

Some advice that I got from Mr Jeremy Ang that I'd like to pass on, because it's really helped me: No matter which country, before you go overseas, decide on your values, your absolute limits, and make a commitment to stick to them. That way, you won't have to ask yourself whether something is okay right at that moment, because your conscience will know the answer and remember the reasons for it, and this makes it easier to resist peer pressure.

2. Singaporeans generally don't have a problem keeping up in classes, but the style of instruction and examination may differ hugely from what you're used to. Class participation, for example, tends to have a higher weightage - you have to speak up, or risk doing badly. One interesting thing about the US is that you can write your entire exam in pencil, and it's fine. In fact, it's encouraged, because the paper looks neater.

3. Vocabulary. Americans will be confused and not understand some things you say. There are the well-known things like torch vs flashlight, dust bin vs trash can, etc. But there are some that no one ever tells you about. One in particular: "marking" homework. It's called "grading" there. I've lost count of the number of times I've used the word "mark" in this manner and had to repeat myself using the word "grade". And do not ever use the phrase "pass up" to mean "hand in" (this is simply bad English, but since it's so common in Singapore, it merits a mention).

4. You can convince many Americans that you're from Britain or Australia if you really want to. Or New Zealand, if it comes up in conversation. Try it.

5. Take full advantage of office hours. As mentioned earlier, the profs and graduate students all Know Their Thing And Like It Very Much, so use this opportunity to pick their brains. Most of them are truly interested in meeting students who want to know more (not students who don't study and ask silly questions, so be sure to know your stuff or at least be able to act like you do).

Okay that's all I can think of for now. Merry Christmas, everybody, and enjoy the last of your school holidays.

An Overview of the ACT Test Part II

Introduction

This is the second part on the ACT test. The first part is viewable here. I will cover the different score reports, SAT/ACT conversion, what a good ACT score is and standby testing.

Score Reports

Although not as well known as the SAT, the ACT processes scores just as quickly for the multiple choice sections. The essay section takes about 2 weeks longer.

Scores are viewable online at your ACT account and will be available about 3 weeks after testing.

There are three different reports: Student, High School, and College.

Student: This is the score report that you will receive in the mail about 3-8 weeks after the test date. I received my student report about 7 weeks after my October 23rd test. It reports the same stuff as what you see online, though it has an extra career planning section.

High School: Your high school will receive your scores through this score report. Since NUSHS isn’t listed, they won’t receive your scores. It will arrive around the same time as the Student Report and contains the same stuff.

College: The colleges that you have listed to receive you scores will also receive a score report but I’m guessing that it should be earlier since the colleges are in the US. The earliest would be 3 weeks. It reports, according to the ACT, “everything on the Student and High School report, plus the grades you reported in up to 30 high school courses. It may also include predictions about your performance in specific college programs and courses.”

ACT to SAT/SAT to ACT Conversion

Here is the method for converting ACT to SAT, vice versa. The concordance table is below.

The SAT CR+M+W total score can be related to the ACT Composite using the following equation:

Estimated SAT CR+M score = (SAT CR+M+W score +15) / 1.5

Round this value to the nearest 10, and then use the concordance table to get the estimated ACT Composite score.

The ACT Composite can be related to the SAT CR+M+W scale by first converting the ACT Composite score to the SAT CR+M scale using the concordance table, and then using the following equation:

Estimated SAT CR+M+W score = (1.5 x SAT CR+M score) – 15

This number is rounded to the nearest 10.

Multiplying by 1.5 puts the value on the correct scale. The subtraction of 15 points is done because SAT W scores are lower, on average, than the SAT CR and SAT M scores. For example, in the 2007 College Board National Report, the average SAT W score is 494, while the average SAT CR score is 502 and the average SAT M score is 515. The average difference is about 15.

More information can be found at: http://www.act.org/aap/concordance/

What’s a good ACT score?

Now, most of you would think that an SAT score of 2100-2190 as good, 2200-2290 as being competitive and 2300 and above as exceptional. Then what about the ACT?

Here’s what I think:

I would consider a score at the 99th percentile as being competitive and what you should be aiming for. Here is the score for each subject and the composite score that would be ideal. All are at the 99th percentile.

English: 34

Mathematics: 34

Reading: 34

Science: 33

Composite: 33

Some words about standby testing

The thing about the ACT that I don’t like is that you cannot expect to get your results before the registration of the next test date. That means that if you think you did not do as well as you should and want to test again, you need to sign up and pay even before you get your scores.

Or…

You could try standby testing! This method is NOT advised. There are two ways to do standby testing.

First, you can fill in the form for standby testing and bring it to the test centre and hope that they have extra booklets.

Another way to do standby testing is to sign up for a later test date (e.g. April 2011) and try to change the exam date to the date you are planning to test as a standby for (e.g. February 2011).

From my experience, priority is given to those who choose the second option. Somehow, a lot of people tend to choose the first, me included. I still do not recommend standby testing; see Viona’s proposed guide on planning your college application.

Conclusion

Choices are great. Since you now know about ACT and the SAT, do see which exam you prefer and think you’ll do better on. Some say that the ACT is more memory-driven while the SAT is based on strategy. Whatever the exam, preparation is essential. Do look at the list of resources that I have listed under ‘Preparing’ in the first part of this overview as a guide!

Good luck!

----

About the Author:

For reasons of privacy and that someone may identify her, the author of this article has chosen to remain anonymous. However, you may like to know that she goes to a school very near CC16 and will graduate next year.

Second reading for essay

If there's anyone who wants a second, alternate reading of their application essay (to scholarships/colleges/internship/etc.), I don't mind reading even though I don't think I can really offer much help besides being someone who doesn't know you too well. Just drop me a message on FB if you want. It's winterval here, so happy christmas!

- Zhong Ming

What You'll Wish You'd Known

A pretty handy link contributed by Shiyang. It makes for an interesting read.

http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html

Stanford admits 754 early applicants

The number of high school students seeking early admission to the Class of 2015 – 5,929 applicants – has set a new record for Stanford.
Stanford Report: Decmber 13, 2010

Stanford has sent acceptance letters to 754 applicants, or 12.7 percent of those who applied, the Office of Undergraduate Admission announced today.

"We continue to attract an exceptional number of highly competitive candidates and we are honored by the interest they have shown in Stanford," said Richard H. Shaw, dean of admission and financial aid.

Students who apply through Stanford's restrictive early action program may consider all of their college options before responding.

Stanford notified all of the early applicants of its decisions – admitted, denied or deferred to the regular decision round – by email Friday afternoon.

More than 26,000 students are expected to apply for admission by Jan. 1.

Students admitted under both programs have until May 1 to accept Stanford's offers.

A never been discussed topic: TAIWAN UNI APPS

Taiwan's a great place, really! I'm sure that those who have been to the country for exchange programmes will know this fact at an even more personal level :)

So, being a member of the rather small(but not that small) Taiwanese population in NUS High School, I will take the liberty of providing details about Taiwan Uni Apps. This post will mainly be on application to the National Taiwan University(国立台湾大学/國立台灣大學).

Take a look at this website: 国立台湾大学国际事务处

It states the eligibility, flow of application etc.

Only certain courses are available for international students. Please view here if you want to find out if you are eligible as an Overseas Chinese Student(I am, for one. For those born to parents with ROC citizenship at time of birth or those holding Taiwanese passports are most likely Overseas Chinese Students[桥生], but please check the criteria for safety's sake).

I am not sure about the specifics about which course is available for international students and which are not, but I know that NTU(National Taiwan University) Medicine is NOT offered to international students.

However, it is offered to Overseas Chinese Students. Registration dates are listed in the link(opens Feb 2011), and you may download the pdf available on the site for details such as the application flow(different for Overseas Chinese Students). Basically, you can apply using your SAT scores, OR choose to take a University Entrance Test(综合学科测验). These are not sufficient, please check the link for details.

For Overseas Chinese Students, application + taking the test is not only for National Taiwan University. You will fill in a list of your ranks of university choices, and the results will come out in June. You will not receive offers from more than one university. Once the results are out, that school will be the school you are assigned to.

There are 3 categories for Overseas Chinese Student applications(please check the pdf on the site for more details), and for those interested in Healthcare related courses, you are in group 3. If you are using your SAT scores in replacement of the Entrance Test, different subjects are required for different groups. Please check it out!! :)

I will stop here for now. Sorry for the somewhat messy post! Please feel free to email me at tingan@gmail.com if you need help understanding the massive amounts of Chinese texts on the websites :)

TING AN =]