u/Candid-Cauliflower72

ok so for a bit of context im 16, turning 17 this october, from pakistan and i just finished my a2 exams in maths, physics, chemistry and biology and im currently taking a gap year. im looking to apply abroad for software engineering, architecture and maybe data science. the thing is i was never really told how important extracurriculars and all that other stuff is for university applications because here all we really have to do is give an entry test and get in based on merit. thats one of the main reasons i decided to take a gap year, so i could at least try to put together a decent application and not regret not trying later. the problem is i know basically nothing related to any of the fields i want to apply for. my parents always pushed me towards medicine and my lazy ass never really made an effort to look into anything else because i thought thats what id end up doing anyway. i dont have some lifelong passion for one specific degree, im just trying to figure things out and get into a good program. im honestly so overwhelmed because all the advice i keep getting is to build fucking apps and websites and start coding projects, but i literally have zero knowledge of any of that. how do people even start from scratch. what are some projects or extracurriculars that are actually achievable for someone like me with no background and that might be achievable in pakistan.

will good a level grades and a good sat score be enough for competitive universities or are projects and extracurriculars basically a must. is there a minimum gpa i should be aiming for. and what are some realistic things i can actually do that would genuinely make my application stronger.

ok so for a bit of context im 16, turning 17 this october, from pakistan and i just finished my a2 exams in maths, physics, chemistry and biology and im currently taking a gap year. im looking to apply abroad for software engineering, architecture and maybe data science. the thing is i was never really told how important extracurriculars and all that other stuff is for university applications because here all we really have to do is give an entry test and get in based on merit. thats one of the main reasons i decided to take a gap year, so i could at least try to put together a decent application and not regret not trying later. the problem is i know basically nothing related to any of the fields i want to apply for. my parents always pushed me towards medicine and my lazy ass never really made an effort to look into anything else because i thought thats what id end up doing anyway. im not gonna lie i dont have some lifelong passion for one specific degree, im just trying to figure things out and get into a good program. im honestly so overwhelmed because all the advice i keep getting is to build fucking apps and websites and start coding projects, but i literally have zero knowledge of any of that. how do people even start from scratch. what are some projects or extracurriculars that are actually achievable for someone like me with no background and that might be achievable in pakistan.

will good a level grades and a good sat score be enough for competitive universities or are projects and extracurriculars basically a must. is there a minimum gpa i should be aiming for. and what are some realistic things i can actually do during my gap year that would genuinely make my application stronger.

ok so for context i did alevels so everything is quite new to me, including the syllabus which im struggling sm with, but i wanted to ask if the merit lists are based off of your mdcat marks alone or are ur matric/fsc marks integrated into it. if so whats the percentage each accounts for

ok so as some of you may or may not know the recent exam series for caies was kind of a big mess. papers being leaked left and right and all that. well i gave the maths retake for A2 in june and it went very bad to say the least. i am kind of conflicted now whether as to if i should give the retake in oct nov or not because i wanted to ensure that i atleast got one A star as i messed up alot of my other exams as well, and maths was kind of my only hope for one. but because i am taking a gap year and im unfamiliar with how the process is going to work if im regiving my exam as it kind of overlaps with some application deadlines for scholarships and universities im confused whether i will be able to add A2 and AS grades simultaneously or will i have to just make do with whatever grade i get now? im super confused could someone please help guide me

hey guys i gave the maths p3 retake and its safe to say it kind of went fucking horrible. its sad bcz since all my other subjects went so shit i had kept maths as my one subj i could get a guranteed a star in. in AS i got an A in maths with 116/125. i am in a dilemma rn as i am on my way for a gap year and im confused whether i should withdraw or not as i need to start applying for universities the end of this year so idk how to do that if maths is a required subj for admission in some of them. do i just put my maths AS grade and the rest of my A2 grades or will i have to js make do with whatever grade i get in A2 just so that i can apply in time. i am in desperate need of scholarships so i really want to gurantee a good grade in maths at least. could someone please give me good advice without bias 🙏🙏