Yale University

Thanks for your email. As a Chinese student, you actually don't have to take the SAT exams, because they are not available to you, so you don't have to worry about that. As for AP exams, we don't require students to take AP exams or classes, rather, we look to see that students have challenged themselves as best they can in their environment. We realize that students come from all sorts of different backgrounds, so we just look to see that students have taken the hardest classes available to them, whether they are AP classes or not. As for contests and international honors, we don't particuarly look for those either. Many successful applicants don't have international honors or don't compete in contests at all (I never did!). I think you are very nervous that your particular circumstances are placing you at a disadvantage, but I can tell you not to worry. If you are qualified to study at Yale, it will come through in your application. We read by geographic region, so the person reading your application will understand that you have limited resources, and you won't be placed at a disadvantage at all. I hope this helps!

Colgate University

Thank you for your email.  You have a bit of misinformation whenit comes to American admission.  We do understand that not all schoolsand regions can offer the same resources.  This is the same both inAmerica, in China, and in many other countries.  The students in thecities will often have more resources.  I can't recall a Chineseapplicant that has sent us AP scores, as we know they are not offeredyet in China.  They are not required for an application.  Accolades andinternational honors are not as important as having a strong academicrecord.  We want students to be involved in extracurricular activities,but we know the the availability of contests and preparation forcontests can vary from place to place.

The SAT on the other hand is important for internationalapplicants.  We have shown over time by tracking students at Colgatethat those who do better on the SAT do better at Colgate.  It is animportant part of our discussion for international students since it isthe only standardized measure we have to compare you to a student fromBulgaria or Jamaica, for example.  We have students from all parts ofChina, including rural areas, who do well on the SAT.  It's not theonly factor we're looking for and a perfect SAT won't necessarily gainyou admission (in fact we deny many students with top SATs).  It isjust another thing we do look at when we read your application, and itdoes factor into decisions.

We don't offer interviews internationally, and all of ourinterviews are non-evaluative meaning they plan no role in admissiondecisions.  The only things we look at are the things you send in yourapplication.  We know that the education system may be unfair, as yousay, in your area, but we can only rely on the information you send inyour application.  International admission is highly competitive withonly about 10% of the international students who apply being admitted. We have to read everything closely, put your information into context(the type of school you attend, and the resources you have had), andmake our best decision.  We cannot help if some of the most competitiveapplications, after all items are factored together, do come from someof the more urban areas. You can only do your best to presentyourself honestly in your application, and we have to make the bestdecisions we can for our university.