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I found this list already compiled in the vast wasteland that is Facebook and traced it back to a Reddit thread, and then went through and verified it item by item and added some citations. I wanted to share it with the Quora community, because it’s quite interesting to me, and I’m curious what your thoughts might be. So here we go, what Trump has done for veterans:pardoned multiple war criminals[1]mocked and threatened Iraq War Purple Heart recipient Lt. Col. Vindman for his rank and wearing of his uniform, which resulted in his request for and receipt of military protection[2]Trump’s Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, worked in secret to deny comprehensive health coverage to Vietnam War veterans suffering from exposure to Agent Orange. [3]On Veterans Day 2019, Sen. Tammy Duckworth visited the Tijuana facility for US veterans deported by Trump[4]Trump gives control of vacant Syrian air base to Russia[5]On October 7, 2019, Trump abruptly withdrew support from America's allies in Syria after a phone call with Turkey's president (Erdogan). Turkey subsequently bombed US Special Forces.[6]Trump sent thousands of American troops to defend the oil assets of the country that perpetrated 9/11.[7]In September 2019, he made an Air Force cargo crew, flying from the US to Kuwait stop in Scotland (where there's no US base) to refuel at a commercial airport (where it costs more), so they could stay overnight at a Trump property (which isn't close to the airport). Trump’s golf courses in Ireland and Scotland are losing money, so he's forcing the military to pay for nights there.[8]In September 2019, the Pentagon pulled funds for military schools and daycares to pay for Trump's border wall.[9]In August 2019, emails revealed that three of Trump's Mar-a-Lago pals, who are now running Veterans Affairs, are rampant with meddling. "They had no experience in veterans affairs (none of them even served in the military) nor underwent any kind of approval process to serve as de facto managers. Yet, with Trump’s approval, they directed actions and criticized operations without any oversight. They wasted valuable staff time in hundreds of pages of communications and meetings, emails show. Emails reveal disdainful attitudes within the department to the trio’s meddling."[10]Veterans graves will be "dug up" for the border wall, after Trump instructed aides to seize private property. Trump told officials he would pardon them if they break the law by illegally seizing property.[11]Children of deployed US troops will no longer get automatic American citizenship if born overseas during deployment. This includes US troops posted abroad for years at a time (August 28, 2019).[12]On August 2, 2019, Trump requisitioned military retirement funds towards border wall.[13]Trump denied a U.S. Marine of 6 years entry into the United States for his scheduled citizenship interview (Reported July 17, 2019).[14]Trump made the US Navy Blue Angels violate ethics rules by having them fly at his July 4, 2019 political campaign event.[15]Trump demanded US military chiefs stand next to him at 4th of July parade.[16]In June, 2019, Trump sent troops to the border to paint the fence for a better "aesthetic appearance".[17]Trump used his D-Day interview at a cemetery commemorating fallen US soldiers to attack a Vietnam veteran (June 6, 2019)[18]as well as private citizen Bette Midler.[19]Trump made his 2nd wife, Marla Maples, sign a prenup that would have cut off all child support if their daughter Tiffany joined the military.[20]On May 27, 2019, Trump turned away US military from his Memorial Day speech because they were from the destroyer USS John S. McCain.[21]Trump ordered the USS John McCain out of sight during his visit to Japan (May 15, 2019). The ship's name was subsequently covered. (May 27, 2019)[22]Trump purged 200,000 veterans healthcare applications (due to known administrative errors within VA’s enrollment system) (reported on May 13, 2019).[23]Trump deported a spouse of fallen Army soldier killed in Afghanistan, leaving their daughter parentless (April 16, 2019).[24]On March 20, 2019, Trump complained that a deceased war hero didn't thank him for his funeral.[25]On February 25, 2019, Trump diverted military housing funds to pay for his border wall. A judge subsequently denied this. In July 2019, SCOTUS ruled that Trump could in fact divert military housing funds to pay for his wall.[26]Between 12/22/2018, and 1/25/2019, Trump refused to sign his party's funding bill, which shut down the government, forcing the Coast Guard to go without pay, which made service members rely on food pantries. However, his appointees got a $10,000 pay raise.[27]Trump bans transgender people from serving in the military, requiring to serve as their biological sex.[28]He denied female troops access to birth control to limit sexual activity.[29]He tried to deport a marine vet who is a U.S.-born citizen.[30]When a man was caught swindling veterans’ pensions for high-interest “cash advances," Trump's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fined him $1. As a reminder, the Trump administration's goal was to dismantle the CFPB, installing Mick Mulvaney as the director, who publicly stated the bureau should be disbanded. (January 26, 2019)[31]He called a retired general a 'dog' with a 'big, dumb mouth'.[32]He increased privatization of the VA, leading to longer waits and higher taxpayer cost.[33][34] (My FIL has lost access to at least one of his services.)He finally visited troops 2 years after taking office, but only after 154 vacation days at his properties. (December 26, 2018) [35] [36]He revealed the faces of a Seal Team 5 deployment during his visit to Iraq in a publicity photo he posted on Twitter, which is “unusual”. (December 26, 2018) [37]Trump lied to deployed troops that he gave them a 10% raise (12/26/2018). He tried giving the military a raise that was lower than the standard of living adjustment. Congress told him that idea wasn't going to work. Then after giving them the raise that Congress made him, he lied about it pretending that it was larger than Obama's. It wasn't.[38]He fired service members living with HIV just before the 2018 holidays.(December 19, 2018-present) [39]He tried to slash disability and unemployment benefits for Veterans to $0, and eliminate the unemployability extra-schedular rating. (December 17, 2018) [40] [41]He called troops on Thanksgiving and told them he's most thankful for himself. (2018) [42]He urged Florida to not count deployed military votes. (November 12, 2018)[43]He canceled a WWI Cemetery visit on Veterans Day due to light rain. (November 10, 2018)[44]Image Source: Trump Makes Veterans' Weekend All About Himself, Blows Off Visit To WWI Cemetery In France Due To A "Little Rain" · DC TribuneHe followed the Veterans Day mistake in France by also skipping a visit to Arlington Cemetery, also because of light rain. (November 12, 2018)[45]He used troops as a political prop by sending more than 5000 of them on a phantom mission to the border to thwart some South American caravan, thereby causing them to miss Thanksgiving with their families. (October - December, 2018)[46]Trump changed the GI Bill through his Forever GI Act, causing the VA to miss veteran benefits, including housing allowances. This caused many veterans to run out of food and rent. (reported October 7, 2018)[47] [48]Trump doubled the rejection rate for veterans requesting family deportation protections. (July 5, 2018)[49]Trump deported active-duty spouses (11,800 military families faced this problem as of April 2018).[50] Some of them were Trump supporters.He forgot a fallen soldier's name during a call to his pregnant widow, then attacked her the next day. (October 23-24, 2017)[51]He sent commandos into an ambush due to a lack of intel, four were killed. (October 4, 2017)[52] [53] [54]“the largest loss of American lives in combat in Africa since the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993” Tongo Tongo ambush - WikipediaImage Source: New details emerge on ambush in Niger that killed 4 U.S. soldiersHe blocked a veterans’ group with an estimated half a million veterans and their families on Twitter. (June 2017) [55]He ordered the discharge of active-duty immigrant troops with good records. (2017-present) [56]Trump said he knows more about ISIS than American generals. (October, 2016)On October 3, 2016, Trump said vets get PTSD because they aren't strong enough. [57]Trump attacks Gold Star families - Myeshia Johnson--gold star widow, Khan family--gold star parents, etc. (2016-present) [58]Trump sent funds raised from a January 2016 veterans benefit to the Donald J. Trump Foundation instead of veterans charities. (The foundation has since been ordered shut because of fraud.) (January, 2016) [59]Trump said he has "more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military" because he went to a military-style academy. (2015 biography) [60]Trump said he doesn't consider POWs war heroes because they were caught. He said he prefers people who were not caught. (July 18, 2015)Trump said having unprotected sex was his own personal Vietnam.(1998) [61]For a decade, Trump sought to kick veteran vendors off of Fifth Avenue because he found them unsightly nuisances outside of Trump Tower. “While disabled veterans should be given every opportunity to earn a living, is it fair to do so to the detriment of the city as a whole or its tax paying citizens and businesses?” (1991) [62]Trump dodged the draft 4 times by having a doctor diagnose him with bone spurs [63]and once for a problem with his heels. [64] No Trump in America has ever served in the military; this spans 4 generations. In fact, the reason his grandfather immigrated to America was to avoid military service. [65] [66]Fired key impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alex Vindman and his twin brother from their White House jobs in an obvious act of retribution on 2/7/20. [67]Footnotes[1] Trump Sides With War Criminals[2] Trump Just Threatened War Hero and Impeachment Witness Vindman[3] Schumer Calls On Acting Chief Of Staff Mick Mulvaney To Reverse His Decision Denying Comprehensive Health Care To Veterans Suffering From Illnesses Due To Agent Orange Exposure | Senate Democratic Leadership[4] Trump's record on the military, veterans, and military families...[5] Russia Takes Over Vacated U.S. Air Base in Northern Syria[6] Turkey, Syria, the Kurds, and Trump’s Abandonment of Foreign Policy[7] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-announces-new-sanctions-on-irans-central-bank/2019/09/20/23643aae-dbb9-11e9-a688-303693fb4b0b_story.html[8] Trump's record on the military, veterans, and military families...[9] Pentagon pulls funds for military schools, daycare to pay for Trump's border wall[10] Three of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Buddies Are Secretly Running the V.A.[11] Will Graves of US Veterans Be Dug Up for Trump's Border Wall?[12] Some Children of US Troops Born Overseas Will No Longer Get Automatic American Citizenship[13] Trump orders Navy to rescind medals from lawyers who prosecuted SEAL Eddie Gallagher[14] Deported Marine veteran trying to reunite with family denied US entry for citizenship interview[15] Adoration and anger in the crowd at Trump’s July 4th celebration at the Lincoln Memorial[16] Trump 'demands military chiefs stand next to him' at Fourth of July parade[17] Troops will paint border fence to improve ‘aesthetic appearance’[18] Trump criticised for using D-Day interview next to war cemetery to launch attack on Pelosi[19] Trump goes after Bette Midler during middle-of-the-night Twitter feud — from London[20] Trump's prenup from second marriage says child support would be cut off if his kid joined military[21] US sailors were reportedly turned away from Trump's Memorial Day speech because they were from destroyer USS John S. McCain[22] 'Out of sight': Trump confirms USS John McCain was hidden from his view[23] Trump administration breaks campaign promise, purges 200,000 VA healthcare applications[24] https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/04/16/ice-deported-widow-soldier-killed-afghanistan-attorney-says/[25] Twitter Users Bury Thankless Trump Over Ugly McCain Funeral Slam[26] Pentagon diverts $3.6 billion in military construction funds to build Trump's border wall[27] Trump signs bill ending 3-day government shutdown[28] Pentagon's transgender policy for military service to take effect, nearly two years after Trump tweeted about the ban[29] Military women report they are being denied access to birth control for 'ridiculous' reasons that may violate Pentagon policy[30] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/ice-almost-deported-u-s-born-marine-veteran-says-aclu-n959516[31] Trump’s CFPB Fines a Man $1 For Swindling Veterans, Orders Him Not to Do It Again[32] Trump calls retired general a ‘dog’ with a ‘big, dumb mouth’[33] Increased Privatization of the VA Has Led to Longer Waits and Higher Costs for Taxpayers[34] President Trump Pushes the Department of Veterans Affairs Toward Increased Privatization[35] Trump Visits Iraq, Pays Troops Surprise Visit[36] Trump Visits Iraq, His First Trip To A Combat Zone In His Life[37] FACT CHECK: Did Trump Reveal A ‘Covert’ SEAL Team?[38] Fact check: Trump brags to troops about 10 percent pay raise he didn't actually give them[39] Trump Quietly Starts Firing Service Members Living with HIV Just Before the Holidays[40] Trump Budget Proposal to Slash Veteran Benefits - Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys PLLC[41] Individual Unemployability Cuts On The Way? Team Trump Quietly Rolls Out Obama Admin Initiated Cuts, Severely Disabled Veterans May Lose Big[42] Donald Trump congratulates himself in Thanksgiving phone call to troops overseas[43] Trump wants Florida to stop counting votes, potentially excluding military ballots[44] Trump visit to US cemetery in France canceled due to rain[45] As nation observes Veterans Day, Trump not visiting Arlington National Cemetery[46] Trump: 'Don't worry' about troops spending Thanksgiving at border[47] VA.gov | Veterans Affairs[48] Some veterans are going into debt because the VA owes them money[49] Trump has doubled rejection rate for veterans requesting family deportation protections[50] As many as 11,800 military families face deportation issues, group says[51] Trump Attacks a Grieving Widow’s Account[52] Trump dodges his own Benghazi: Pentagon quietly closes investigation into Niger ambush[53] New details emerge on ambush in Niger that killed 4 U.S. soldiers[54] US soldier ambushed in Niger fought to the end[55] Trump blocks group representing military veterans on Twitter[56] US Army quietly discharging immigrant recruits that were promised citizenship[57] Video: Trump Under Fire for Comments on Veterans With PTSD[58] 'Repugnant': Families of War Dead Demand Apology From Trump[59] Judge signs off on shutdown of Trump Foundation after ‘pattern of illegality’[60] Donald Trump Likens Military School He Was Forced to Attend to Serving in the Actual Military[61] Trump Boasted of Avoiding STDs: Vaginas 'Are Landmines ... It Is My Personal Vietnam'[62] Trump vs. Veteran Vendors[63] FACT CHECK: Donald Trump's Draft Deferments[64] Trump was granted five draft deferments during the Vietnam War[65] The Trump Family's Immigrant Story[66] Trump's record on the military, veterans, and military families...[67] Key impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alex Vindman fired from White House job

Overview of 2016 application seasonWhat follows is an edited text of a Webinar that I participated in on the social media site WeChat, Most of the data and advice applies to all students, but my talk was targeted to students applying to US schools from China since WeChat is used by millions of Chinese students.In 2016, the acceptance rates at the most selective schools fell yet again. For example, Stanford accepted only 4.7% of its applicants. If we consider Regular Decision applicants only, the acceptance rates are even lower. Why is that?The simple answer as to why it is harder than ever to get accepted to the top ranked schools In the US is: statistics.Let me give just one example. For the class of 2013, Harvard received 29,144 applications. For the class entering this fall, Harvard received 39,044 applications. This represents a 25% increase. At the same time, Harvard did not increase the size of its incoming class. This helps explain to a large degree why the acceptance rate has dropped each year.There are, however, some other factors that have affected the acceptance rates at top ranked universities. Students who are applying to the most selective schools are now applying to many more schools than in the past. A New York Timesarticle put it this way: For members of the class of 2015 who are looking at more competitive colleges, their overtaxed counselors say, 10 applications is now commonplace; 20 is taking on a familiar ring.Students are applying to many more schools because it is much more difficult to predict where even a very strong student will get in because the competition is so fierce. One student might get into Stanford but be turned down at Brown and Yale. Another might get into Dartmouth but end up wait listed at Princeton and Columbia. The increase in applications from top students only makes getting in that much more difficult for any individual. The Common Application, the platform that hundreds of the schools in the US use, permits students to submit information to multiple schools with the press of a button (and an application fee).In addition, universities are getting more effective at marketing. Schools are increasing their outreach to certain populations, especially under-represented students or low-income students in the US. Many of the top schools give full financial aid to US citizens that are offered admission. (Only 5 schools in the US are need blind for international students). More low-income students are applying because the schools have reached out to them by buying their names and addresses in order to send them materials.On the other hand, the number of international students applying to the top 30 universities in the US increases each year too-- students from around the world are seeking to further their education in the US. This has been particularly true for students in China. The number of applications filed by Chinese students has increased dramatically and so have the number of Chinese students enrolling in US universities and colleges. In 2004-5 there were 63,000 Chinese students studying in the US. Now there are over 300,000. What this growth means is that applications have soared from Chinese students, and not just at the most selective schools, but at virtually every kind of school in the US.What some students and families from China do not realize is that admission offices at selective colleges attempt to bring a diverse class of students from around the US and the world. In order to do this they have to limit the number of students they will offer admission to from any given country. Since China sends the most applications to US schools, it is true that it is harder to get in from China than any other country. The low acceptance rates quoted by schools are for the whole student body. If the acceptance rates for students from China were published, they would actually be even lower than the already daunting overall percentagesAn article published in The Economist puts it this way: "Competition for entrance into these schools is ferocious. Of the roughly 40,000 Chinese students applying to universities in the United States last year, around 200 were accepted into Ivy League schools. As a Beijing-based consultant puts it drily: “Harvard only accepts seven or eight Chinese students a year, and one of them is bound to be the offspring of a tycoon or a leader.” American applicants have it easy by comparison. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, accepted 9.7% of domestic applicants in 2015 – and a mere 3% of international applicants."One other factor that significantly affects the rates of offers of admission is whether a student chooses to apply Early Decision instead of regular decision. Early Decision is a binding program: students who are accepted early must withdraw their applications from all other universities and enroll in the ED school. Universities implement these programs as it permits them to enroll strong students without worry about losing them to other schools. In most cases, the difference in acceptance rates between ED and regular for the top universities is at least 10%. Some schools, like U Penn, tell students that they improve their chances if they apply early. Duke, this year, took half of its class early decision. For those students who clearly have a first choice then early decision is a good option.There is also a program called Early Action. Students apply in November and hear prior to regular decision deadlines (typically January 1). Students offered a spot in Early Action also receive a boost in admission. The difference in acceptance rates between early action and regular decision is not as dramatic as that between early decision and regular decision. I encourage students from China to apply to at least one school early action. If a student gets accepted early action he or she can decide before the regular decision deadline of January 1 whether or not to apply to more schools or to pay a deposit and enroll at the early action school. Students accepted early action may still apply to other schools and have until the national candidates replay date of May 1 to put down a depositWhy are so many students put on the waitlist?First of all, it might be useful to give some idea of how steep the odds are of getting off the wait list are for students who have applied to highly selective universities. To give just one example, last year the total size of the incoming class at Carnegie Mellon University was 1,557. CMU placed 5,526 on the waiting list . They offered admission to only 4 of them.For the purposes of creating a thought experiment, let’s say the May 1 deadline has just passed and one particular university is now looking over their numbers and sees it has 40 spaces to fill. They have over 2000 students on the waiting list. Why would this school have such a large waiting list and why would they not have them ranked? And if they do not rank students how will they go about doing this?At first this seems like a huge task and that having a ranked waiting list would make it far easier to select students. While this initially might seem like a good idea there are many reasons almost no school follows this approach.Each school has its own mission and institutional priorities that they hope to fulfill. For example, universities, by their very nature, have separate undergraduate schools within the whole university. In order to make sure they will have the proper numbers of students for each of these schools they will need to put various kinds of students on the waiting list.In this thought experiment let’s say the university has a school of arts and sciences, a school of business, and a school of engineering. It may well be that the students who have made a deposit have filled the spaces for engineering and only have a couple for business, but they have 50 spaces in arts and sciences to fill. Virtually every one accepted off the wait list will be in the arts and sciences pool. No one will get in to engineering and perhaps two or three to business.Institutional priorities also come into play in many other ways too. If, for example, the school in question is State Affiliated, then it may be that the number of in state students is low and the number of out of state students is just about right. In this scenario, all the offers from the wait list would go to in state students. The school will place a large number of both in state, out of state and international students on the wait list to make sure they have enough of each group in case one or more of them comes up short on May 1.Or let’s say a private school, hoping to increase their geographical diversity, notices that there are very few students who have accepted offers live in States west of the Mississippi. They may decide to pull all those students on the waiting list who are residents of those states and offer almost all the spaces to them. Some schools wish to demonstrate on their profile that they enroll students from many places. They want the perspective these students may bring but they also want more applications to come in too. In some cases schools want to increase their global footprint and therefore focus on taking more international students from the wait list.Or it may be that a given school the percentage of women the school would like to enroll is several percentage points higher that would they would like. They may then decide to give almost all the wait list spaces to males.Or it may be that the number of under-represented students is not what they had hoped it would be, so they may try to enroll as many of these students as they can from off the waiting list. For those who think this sounds like schools have quotas, they don’t. There is no fixed number of students that schools establish as that would violate the law, but there are intuitional goals.Given what I have just described about schools, I hope it is now clear why schools put many students on the wait list but rarely rank students. The wait list is one way a school gets to shape the class in terms of institutional priorities. If the school tried to rank students it would not be useful as the school does not yet know what groups of students they may be looking for. In other words, the wait list is not so much about individual students, although this is true to some degree; it is more about which groups the school wants to fill in based on what they already know about the incoming class.Finally, it is worth repeating that it is rare for more than a few dozen students to get selected from the wait list at highly selective schools. Students who are on a waiting list should concentrate on getting excited about the school they have been accepted to.Compared to 2015, was the 2016 season easier or more difficult?For most individuals and groups, 2016 was a year in which it was more difficult to receive an offer of admission from a highly selective college or university. The number of applications increased for almost all these schools and very few increased the size of their incoming classes. The acceptance rates for top ranked schools have steadily declined for well over a generation. It is not only the Ivies and other top ranked schools that have seen dramatic increases in applications; the schools that are close to the top 50-75 colleges and universities have also seen dramatic increases in applications. Schools that were, even a few years ago, selective for students from China have now become exceptionally competitive. (e.g. Georgia Tech).The good news, however, is that most of the other 4000 other colleges and universities are looking to enroll good students from China. Students who have adequate academic performance on the TOEFL and SAT and present a solid a transcript have a good chance of getting in to the vast majority of these schools. But there is one addition to academic credentials that is becoming increasing important to admission decisions—the ability to pay. More and more universities in the US need to enroll students who can pay full fees. This is one of the reasons for the vast increase in the numbers of students from China who have been offered admission, Some schools admit hundreds and a few offer admission to well over 1000. Both Michigan State and Purdue enrolled more than 1000 new students from China last year. If Chinese students look at the larger picture they can find wonderful schools to go to in the US.What factors affected college applications in 2016 season?Overall, the demographic trends in the US show that the number of people in the 18-25-age range has declined. What this means is that almost half the private colleges and universities in the US have seen a decline in enrollments. These schools did not meet their enrolment goals. Many schools, therefore, are doing more than ever to increase the number of international students on campus as a way of filling the class and filling them with full payers.In addition, the most selective schools are now looking to increase the diversity of the students that they accept from China. Diversity is a vague word, however, and it means many different things in admission. One that affects Chinese students is geographical diversity. While most of the students admitted to top schools still tend to come from a few cities-- Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenzhen-- there has been greater outreach to other cities around China.More importantly, a few schools have begun to target low-income students from China. A recent Guardian news storydescribes this outreach:“Ivy League schools have started recruiting more economically diverse students from China after receiving multi-million dollar grants from public and private donors. Chinese billionaire real estate couple, Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, gifted $100 million to top U.S. universities last year- including $10 million to Yale and $15 million to Harvard – in a bid to help poor students from their home country.” The article goes on to state, “The admissions directors at Yale and Harvard say the investment they have received will help create the diversity sought by students and faculty. ‘We want to make sure that we get the most talented students from every corner of the world, and it’s just that simple,’ Harvard Dean of Admissions William Fitzsimmons said.”Only a handful of schools are need-blind for international students but the influx of money from donors for Chinese students will help some highly qualified lower income students to attend top schools. In order to satisfy the donors, these schools will make an effort to enroll at least a few low-income students from China each year.What factors affected graduate school applications in the 2016 seasonThe most important trend for graduate students from China is the decline in applications and enrolled students. According to the most recent statistics: “Between Fall 2014 and Fall 2015, and continuing a three‐year trend, applications declined among prospective graduate students from China (‐2%).”The reasons behind this drop have in part to do with a change on the part of the Chinese government. Recently, there has been an effort to keep more students at home instead of going abroad. As a result, I expect that applications from graduate students will continue to drop. The Chinese government has done far more than simply encourage students to stay. They have invested heavily into making domestic and universities rise in the international rankings. They have done this by building facilities that will promote innovation and a wide range of subjects, but particularly in STEM fields. The Wall Street Journal describes the influx of economic support this way:Longer term, China is working to upgrade its own education system to keep more of its students at home and attract others from abroad. Beijing has poured billions of dollars into its universities in recent years.In the US, many research universities have experienced significant budget cuts over the past decade and many have had to cut back on research and graduate programs. This is particularly true of State supported universities. In addition, some of the labs in China now rival those at many of the well-known research universities in the US. Chinese student can now stay at home and receive an education tat can rival or exceed those of many universities in the US.What has not yet received much attention but which may actually be masking the true drop in Chinese graduate student applications has to do with what is happening to the large number of Chinese students who have received an undergraduate degree in the past several years. As the number of Chinese students who come to the US for undergraduate programs has skyrocketed the number of students who, after graduation, stay in the US for practical training in hopes of getting real job experience for one year has increased too. Unfortunately, the US government has not increased significantly the number of HIB work visas for international people from around the world. Some Chinese students have jobs lined up in the US but they are not awarded an H-1 visa. The government uses a lottery system to determine who chosen to receives the H-1. It used to be that over 75% of those applying for work visas were approved. Now, due to the vast increase in international students the percentage approved is less than 30%. What a large number of these students who do not receive a visa do is to apply to graduate programs in order to stay in the US. They do this in order to increase their chances of finding a good job in the US (or, increasingly frequently back in China). To fill the need for these students many top ranked schools over the last ten years have created Masters programs in a wide variety of fields (finance, international business, engineering science etc.). These programs are expensive and are to some degree moneymaking ventures for the schools. These are not PhD programs that are used in most rankings of graduate schools. In some cases students receive a Masters degree from a school with prestigious name, but the skills learned are not nearly as deep as a PhD or MBA program. I encourage students to do a lot of research into Masters programs before making the commitment to attend. Some of them are composed mostly of international students and do not always help student find good jobs afterward. If these students were not counted in the graduate school attendance numbers the overall drop in Chinese applications would be even higher than is currently reported.What makes Chinese students stand out, beyond excellent test scores (for 2016 season)?For students who are hoping to get into a highly selective university they will need to do more than just present strong grades and test scores. These are a necessary but not sufficient part of what students must have. Coming to the US (and other countries too) has become what most families who are well off in China want their children to do. Here is how The Economist describes this trend:Among Western educators, the Chinese system is famous for producing an elite corps of high-school students who regularly finish at the top of global test rankings, far ahead of their American and British counterparts. Yet so many Chinese families are now opting out of this system that selling education to Chinese students has become a profitable business for the West. They now account for nearly a third of all foreign students in America, contributing $9.8 billion a year to the United States’ economy. In Britain, too, Chinese students top the international lists. And the outflow shows no sign of subsiding: according to a recent Hurun Report, an annual survey of China’s elite, 80% of the country’s wealthy families plan to send their children abroad for education.The large number of academically qualified students who apply to top schools from China makes it difficult for individuals to stand out. What I tell students they need to do is to become a subset of 1. By this I mean that the student has to come across as a unique individual. The ones who do this most readily are often exceptionally gifted in some way (international/national recognition in academics or other endeavors). If a student is the gold medal winner in the chemistry Olympiad then their chances of getting into top schools is quite good. Or if, to site another example, a student has won an intentional competition in public speaking then her chances will be good she will get accepted to a top school. But there are lots of ways that students can stand out other than being a star at something on an international stage. One way is to have a unique voice; another is to have a demonstrated passion.Almost anyone who talks about great writing believes that the key is to have a voice. By voice I don’t mean you have to write more beautifully than almost anyone in the world. After all, English is the second language for students from China. In fact, essays from Chinese students that sound as if they were written by published authors are often looked at with suspicion. Instead, your words should convey a sense of who you are that can’t be mistaken for someone else. This year, for example, a student I worked with wrote a wonderful essay about Star Wars. (I have posted it on my blog.) Another wrote a great essay about cupcakes and baking. Both of these students were accepted to highly selective universities. In a successful essay isn’t often the topic that matters as much as the way the writer conveys something that stands out. To do this, of course, requires a lot of work. Choosing a topic, writing drafts and spending time with words are what help your voice to sing.Another way students can present their voice is through interviews. Some schools offer interviews with admission personnel; others, with alumni. If available, students from China (or anywhere else) should sign up for an interview. It will permit you to demonstrate your ability to communicate in English and to talk about yourself in ways that can help you stand out. In addition to school related interviews, there are at least two companies that interview Chinese students and make the interviews available to colleges. Both Initialview and Vericant interview students in ways that demonstrate speaking ability and fluency in answering questions about activities and interests. I know the founders of both and they are wonderful people committed to helping students and universities create good matches. The fees they charge for these services are inexpensive and well worth the investment. Most highly selective schools will not admit students who have not been interviewed. Therefore, interview prep is something all students applying to these schools should do. At the same time, no one should go into an interview for a school, internship or job without some practice and advice from people who know how to prepare students.Many students from China join clubs because they think they will look good on applications. It is true that universities look for students who do more than just do well academically. They want to enroll students who will contribute both in and out of the classroom. Those students who get involved with things they really care about and keep with them over several years will stand out over those who have many different activities but little commitment to them. Schools increasingly focus on the few activities that you have spent lots of time with rather than looking for long lists of activities.Finding a passion or two can be a challenge at an early age and not everyone can do it, but trying new things early on in secondary school will likely lead to a few activities that matter to the student. If students develop leadership or become sincerely involved, then service admission officers will note this as an important part of their evaluation. Thee are several studies that show that students who are involved in activities for more than one year do better academically in school and life:"The predictive power of follow-through was striking: After controlling for high school grades and SAT scores, follow-through in high school extracurriculars predicted graduating from college with academic honors better than any variable." Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.For those students who attend the international sections of their schools in China it is easier to get involved in activities as the administration is aware of the importance of supplementing applications with more than academics in order to get accepted to highly ranked colleges. Those students enrolled in programs dedicated to taking the gaokao might have a hard time finding something in the school to be a part of, but there are many things outside of school that might help them develop skills and character traits that will not only help to get into college but will help in life too.How are Chinese applicants disadvantaged in the application process?Unfortunately, Chinese students face some difficulties getting into top schools because of issues centered on academic integrity. There are many agents in China who work with students. Some of the agents are wonderful and help in ethical ways. On the other hand, there are many who alter transcripts, manufacture recommendations, and write essays and resumes for the students. There have been many news stories in the US media about cheating on the SAT in Asia. As a result, applications from China are looked at with suspicion:"The reality is for international students, particularly in Asia, there’s a worry about whether the application is authentic, whether the essay is authentic, whether the person who shows up at your door is the same person who applied,” said Joyce E. Smith, chief executive of the National Association for College Admission Counseling in Arlington, Virginia"This trend to see students from China as cheaters is, to say the least, unfortunate, as those students who do things ethically must somehow overcome negative stereotypes. The actions of unethical agents have hurt the reputation of students in the US. Schools should do more to check the credentials of Chinese students. Students should only work with ethical agents, counselors and companies.What do admission officers think about applications from China? What do they usually expect?Admission officers at highly selective universities and colleges approach applicants from China with very high expectations. They have seen the quality and number of applicants increase each year. Students must have superior standardized test scores to get a close look. An article in the China Daily that quotes a private counselor in China puts it this way:We've found that students should score higher than 110 (out of 120) on the TOEFL and 2,200 (out of 2,400) in the SAT to secure their admission to prestigious American universities. But in previous years, more than 105 in TOEFL and more than 2,100 on the SAT was adequate," he said.These high numbers are only one part of the high expectations admissions officers have about Chinese students. Most students now have done some sort of service work, either in school, or the community or over the summer in a different location in China or country. Schools like to see students who care for their country and community.Colleges and universities also want to see some significant commitment to a few activities. There are, however, no “right” activities. Students can have a passion for almost anything that will help them to stand out. Another characteristic that schools often look for is leadership. Schools, especially highly selective schools, hope their students will become leaders in the world after they graduate. Therefore, they look for students who have already developed some of the traits that predict future leadership and success.In addition, schools often hope to see that a student has done something significant over the summer. Many students think this means going to the US for programs offered by universities. Unless these programs are highly selective, summer programs in the US do not have much of a positive effect on admission. Instead, students should try to find projects that will supplement their own interests. A student might do an internship, or get involved with service, or supplement their education by learning a skill such as coding.At the same time, schools also want to see that students know well the college or university they are applying to. Most schools now ask the question ”Why are you interested in our school?” Students who do not have detailed and concrete answers are at a disadvantage. Applying to a school because it has a high ranking is not a good reason to want to attend; instead, students should have specific reasons: for example, a student who has reached out to faculty to find out about courses or research opportunities demonstrate interest in the programs and school in ways that stand out. It is also important to note that more schools are using demonstrated interest as an important part of the admission evaluation. If a student can visit the school itself, can sign up for an interview and respond to any outreach on the part of the school this may help them get in.What do you think about 2017 Fall application season?For the 2017 application season I would predict that applications will again increase for the most selective schools. This means that acceptance rates will again drop making it vital that students come up with a list of schools to apply to that include some schools where they are likely to get admitted.Many students will be taking a variety of standardized tests for admission. More international students are now signing up to take the ACT instead of or in addition to the SAT. The majority of US students now take the ACT.On the other hand, this year will mark the first time that students will take and submit scores from the newly designed SAT. The first testing shows that average scores are about 90 points higher than the previous version. While this should not affect admission significantly, any test takers will now think the test is easier than it was before.In addition to new testing, there is also a new platform that students can use to apply to 93 universities. The Coalition for Access and Affordability has launched an alternative application to the Common Application. The essay questions are slightly different and the format is different. The schools that will use this form consist of many of the most selective schools in the US. One thing this platform permits is for students to submit extra materials to be stored in what they call a “virtual locker”. Students can store presentations, videos, etc. and permit schools to look at them. Many in education are worried that students will submit too much material. Agents may advertise the virtual locker in ways that will encourage students to use their services. I am worried that students will submit materials that will not help with admission and may in fact hurt if admission readers feel that the students have had too much help with this new platform.Finally, a report came out this year from Harvard’s education school called Turning the Tide. It has the support of many of the top universities in the US. The report makes a significant number of recommendations about how students should approach their education and experience in high school. They also recommend how colleges should change the way they evaluate students for admission. It is difficult to say how many schools will implement any of these recommendations and in what way this will affect which students from China (or any place else) will be evaluated in ways that are significantly different than in previous years. The emphasis on service and community, however, does send a message that schools will be looking for students who have far more to bring to a campus than just strong test scores. Students may wish to contact universities they are interested in to ask how they may incorporate the report’s recommendations.

1. Dr Umar SaifAn Associate Professor of Science and Engineering at the Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS). Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has named him one of the top 35 innovators of the world (TR35). The list is compiled by MIT annually.Source: Our Future World Foundation2. Naila Alam and Yasmeen DurraniThese two Pakistani women have been honoured by the White House for their humanitarian work. The Honour of Hope Award recipients manage a philanthropic venture called ‘Express Care’ which focuses on providing daily essentials, such as food and medicine, to low income individuals. The organisation also helps with employment.3. Ayesha FarooqAyesha is Pakistan’s first ever female war-ready fighter pilot. The 26-year-old fighter, hailing from Bahawalpur, is one of the 19 women who have achieved the ranks of pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade – there are five other female fighter pilots but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat.4. Faizan BuzdarAcknowledged by the US President Barack Obama, Buzdar’s startup ‘Convo’ has successfully launched a social network for global organisations. His innovation has led to five million dollars in funding from venture capitalists in the US, including Morgenthaler Ventures which has significant holdings in tech giants such as Apple.Buzdar is a graduate of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) of Engineering Sciences and Technology.Source: Harvard University5. Professor Asim KhawajaHe is the first professor of Pakistani descent that has been hired by the prestigious Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government. His research has received coverage from numerous media outlets including The Economist, New York Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Aljazeera, CNN and BBC.6. Dr Arjumand HashmiA Pakistani-born mayor of a town called Paris, in Texas, USA.What’s his claim to fame?He has successfully created a community and inculcated a pro-Pakistani image in the Southern state that has been a hotbed of anti-Pakistan sentiments, especially during the tenure of President George W Bush Jr. He is an accomplished cardiologist and continues to run his practice as well.7. Ali Moeen NawazishHe is most notably famous for setting a record of acing 23 subjects in the Cambridge O-Level examinations. He is also the recipient of Pride of Performance award and his contributions to the field of education are immense. He continues to work tirelessly and has founded an organisation called ‘StepUP Pakistan’, where they aim to train teachers and improve education in the impoverished areas of the country; a noble effort by an equally noble youngster.He truly deserves a standing ovation.8. Naiza KhanA visual artist and the recipient of the 2013 Prince Claus award. The Prince Claus award deliberates the honour to those individuals whose efforts have a positive impact in their respective societies. The fact that she is a Pakistani is indeed an honour for all of us.She has successfully managed to promote a positive image of Pakistan with her work for all in the world to see.9. Karamat AliKaramat is the Executive Director of The Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER). He is the recipient of South Asia Peace and Justice Award in India.Source: Vimeo10. Saba GulShe is the Founder and CEO of Popinjay, a social enterprise that empowers marginalised underprivileged girls in Pakistan with education and provides them with employment opportunities by selling their goods (embroidered handbags currently) to a high-end market.11. Syed Fahad AliThe Founder of the Aghaz School. This school is a non-political and independent organisation focusing on providing free education to underprivileged children living in the slums of Karachi. This is also a side project of the Pakistan Youth Forum.12. Mehak GulGul started playing chess at the early age of six. She is now 13-year-old and is creating a pro-Pakistan image by being an internationally acclaimed chess player.13. Rafiullah KakarAt 23 years of age and hailing from Balochistan, the young gentleman is the 2013 Rhodes Scholar for Pakistan. The Rhodes scholarship is awarded to one Pakistani annually to study at Oxford University, UK. Hailing from one of the most volatile regions in the world, securing such a prestigious scholarship is a testament to this gentleman’s dedication and sincerity. Indeed, he will go on to earn massive accolades globally and, in the process, create a better image of Pakistan on a global stage.I wish him the best of success in all his endeavours.14. Maria Toorpakai WazirMaria, born in South Waziristan, is a professional squash player who has won international acclaims for Pakistan. She is currently ranked 54th in the world rank. She is a prolific speaker against extremism in society and has spoken at events such as TedxTeen.Source:Dutchedu15. Faisal MirzaA recipient of the ECHO Awards in 2008; the ECHO Awards recognise the contribution of immigrants of ‘non-western’ descent on the basis of their talent in higher education. Mirza received a scholarship for a summer course at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he chose to study English and Public Policy.16. Namira SalimSalim is the first Pakistani to travel into space. She has officially been recognised as the ‘First Pakistani Astronaut’ by the government of Pakistan in 2006. She is also a peace activist and was conferred with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 2011.Source: CNN17. Ali RehanHe is the co-founder and CEO of Eyedeus Labs; a tech start-up by Pakistani students that developed a mobile application so innovative that it was even featured on CNN and other global media.Source: http://Calagary.edu18. Dr Naweed I SyedDr Syed is a globally acclaimed scientist of Pakistani origin and head of the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute in Canada. He is the first scientist to ‘connect brain cells to a silicon chip’. This is indeed a great honour for Pakistan.Connecting brain cells to electronic chips opens up the potential to take artificial intelligence computing to the next stage and Dr Syed plays a leading role in this quest.19. Sabia AbbatAbbat, originally from the Hazara division, is the winner of the National Cycling Championship. She is an emerging talent and her skills have been recognised nationally. She hopes to foster change and represent Pakistan in the South Asian games next year. She is an inspiration to all the young women out there who want to pursue their goals and, in the process, bring about positive change in the society.20. Sarmad TariqTariq has been an inspiration for people with physical disabilities. He is a motivational speaker and a corporate evangelist. He represented Pakistan in the ING New York City Marathon in 2005 and finished with a medal. Sarmad hopes to bring about positive change in the attitude of Pakistanis all over with his life coaching talks on various platforms.Source: Newsline21. Rosheen KhanKhan is Pakistan’s first female master scuba diver and the only Nitrox diving instructor in Pakistan. She aims to introduce positive social changes with her efforts.22. Parveen SaeedSaeed, the owner of Khana Ghar, started her business to provide hot meals for three rupees to low income individuals. It has become a lifeline for hundreds of poor men and women who are unable to make ends meet.The motivated people of Pakistan achieved what the government failed to deliver. This is precisely why I keep on insisting that it is crucial to look at Pakistan beyond how the media portrays it. The civil society in Pakistan is working tirelessly to enrich the lives of Pakistanis and improve society. With such people in our midst, the only way Project Pakistan can fail is if we let it.Hats off to Ms Parveen Saeed for such an honourable venture.23. Sameen ShahidShahid is a recipient of the OFID scholarship of 2009 to study at Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government. The Public Administration degree that she pursues can help redefine the values and customs of governance for the Pakistan of the future.24. Mir Zafar AliAli is an Oscar winner movie visual effects curator. He has given life to characters such as Venom in Spider Man 3 as well as several other Hollywood flicks such as X-Men, The Mummy. He won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2007 for the movie The Golden Compass.Source: Business Insider25. Waqas AliAli is an entrepreneur and founder of an online shoe store called Hometown Shoes, where they sell locally manufactured leather shoes and accessories.26. Bilal MasoodMaqsood is a student of Crossing Border Global Studies in Denmark and is also a certified trainer of the School of Leadership (SOL), Karachi. He has represented Pakistan as its youth ambassador on various platforms and is keen to bring about positive social change.This is not the end of the trail. There are countless other Pakistanis working either as individuals or in teams that are bringing a positive image of Pakistan into the lime light and are laying the framework for positive social chance.Pakistani civil society continues to unite during events of mass gravity. For example, recall how the civil society formed human chains to protest against the church bombings in Peshawar.AgricultureIn 2013, a Pakistani firm invented a new formula to make fertilizers that cannot be converted into bomb-making materials. The firm, Fatima Fertilizer, had succeeded in making non-lethal alternatives to ammonium nitrate, a key ingredient in the fertilizers it makes. Fertilizers with ammonium nitrate, however, can easily be converted into bomb-making ingredients. This invention was praised by the Pentagon. “Such a long-term solution would be a true scientific breakthrough,” US Army Lieutenant General Michael Barbero, the head of the Pentagon’s Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, said in a statement. After this invention, CNN reported that the United States and Pakistan reached an agreement to jointly make fertilizers with non-explosive materials. But diplomatic sources told Dawn that an agreement could only be reached after the new material is tested. The sources said that US experts would soon visit Pakistan for testing the new material with experts from the Fatima Group, Pakistan’s major fertilizer manufacturer.BiologyDr. Naweed Syed, a specialist in the field of biomedical engineering and member of the medicine faculty at the University of Calgary, became the first scientist who managed to "connect brain cells to a silicon chip". The discovery is a major step in the research of integrating computers with human brains to help people control artificial limbs, monitor people's vital signs, correct memory loss or impaired vision.Dr Samir Iqbal, an associate professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Arlington, developed a novel cancer cell detection method that improves early diagnosis through a tool that tracks cellular behavior in real time using nanotextured walls that mimic layers of body tissue.ChemistryDevelopment of the world's first workable plastic magnet at room temperature by organic chemist and polymer scientist Naveed Zaidi.PhysicsStandard model of Electroweak Interaction.Discovery of electroweak interaction by Abdus Salam, along with two Americans Sheldon Lee Glashow and Steven Weinberg. The discovery led them to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics.Abdus Salam who along with Steven Weinberg independently predicted the existence of a subatomic particle now called the Higgs boson, Named after a British physicist who theorized that it endowed other particles with mass.The development of the Standard Model of particle physics by Sheldon Glashow's discovery in 1960 of a way to combine the electromagnetic and weak interactions. In 1967 Steven Weinberg and Abdus Salam incorporated the Higgs mechanism into Glashow's electroweak theory, giving it its modern form.Development of the SMB probe to detect heavy water leaks in nuclear power plants by Sultan Bashiruddin MahmoodIn 2015 Pakistani researchers developed a solar powered mobile phone network. The network according to them is useful for instances when regular services are disrupted such as earthquakes and floods.Abdullah Soomro invented Flashpack, a power bank that is able to charge fully in just 14 minutes.MedicineSchematic representation of an implanted Ommaya reservoir.The Ommaya reservoir - a system for the delivery of drugs (e.g. chemotherapy) into the cerebrospinal fluid for treatment of patients with brain tumours - was developed by Ayub K. Ommaya, a Pakistani neurosurgeon.A non-invasive technology for monitoring intracranial pressure (ICP) - developed by Faisal Kashif.Two medical devices - a pleuroperitoneal shunt and a special endotracheal tube to supply oxygen during fiberoptic bronchoscopy in awake patients - were invented by Sayed Amjad Hussain, a Pakistani American doctor from Peshawar, Pakistan. His work made him an inductee into the Medical Mission Hall of Fame.A non-kink catheter mount was designed by a Pakistani doctor A. K. Jamil. He also developed a simple device for teaching controlled ventilation (A device through which young doctors can be trained on artificial ventilation of the lungs without Operation theater and patient)ComputingThe boot sector of an infected floppy.A boot sector computer virus dubbed (c)Brain, one of the first computer viruses in history, was created in 1986 by the Farooq Alvi Brothers in Lahore, Pakistan, reportedly to deter unauthorized copying of the software they had written.A Software simulation based on blast forensics designed by Pakistani computer scientist, Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani, that can reduce deaths by 12 per cent and injuries by seven per cent on average just by changing the way a crowd of people stand near an expected suicide bomber.MusicThe Sagar Veena, a string instrument designed for use in classical music, was developed entirely in Pakistan over the last 40 years at the Sanjannagar Institute in Lahore by Raza Kazim.EconomicsThe Human Development Index was devised by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq in 1990 and had the explicit purpose "to shift the focus of development economics from national income accounting to people centered policies".Other technologyA team headed by Professor Sohail Khan, a Pakistani researcher at Loughborough University designed a clever lavatory that transforms human waste into biological charcoal and minerals. These can then be used as fuel or a form of conditioner for soil. It also produces clean water. The invention can lead to community-led total sanitation in the developing world. The challenge was set by Microsoft founder Bill Gates who wanted to improve sanitation for the poor and combat open defacation in countries where water supply and sewage pipe infrastructure is not widely available.See alsoCategory:Pakistani inventorsScience and technology in PakistanList of inventions and discoveries of the Indus Valley Civilization covers the Bronze Age culture that flourished from 3300–1300 BCE in what is now PakistanList of Indian inventions and discoveries covers inventions made in the Indian subcontinent between the decline of the IVC and the formation of PakistanList of Pakistani inventions and discoveries - Wikipedia