<p>Hello there. As you can probably notice from my name i'm from Bulgaria , currently in the 11th grade(Going 18 in Sept), and I'd like to ask a few questions that I've not been able to answer myself over the course of 2-3 weeks research.</p>
<p>1.So first off, as far as I know, in order to get into a college as an Undergrad I have to apply right now between my 11th and 12th grade.However, lots of colleges and universities require a diploma or a carriculum and grade reports.
How am I supposed to get those if I haven't completed my high school education yet?</p>
<p>2.As any ambitious student, I'm shooting for the top colleges first. Ivy League and Co.But I'm very worried about my actual chances.
During the 8th, 9th and 10th grades I've maintaned a GPA of 5.7 on a grade scale of 2 to 6. 2 being the lowest, 6 the highest.
However, this year, 11th grade, I've been having some trouble IRL and my first term's GPA has fallen down to 4.5, with having the lowest possible obtainable grade in Mathematics(2).
I've read that the High School report is the first thing the admission office reviews and since the 11th grade is apparently the last class they'll see grades from, is it potentionally harmful?
Note that, at least by my judgement and the "preparational" SAT I/SAT II tests i've taken I should be scoring the SATs with at least 95% score.</p>
<p>3.Being a realist I understand that my chances of going to those top colleges are extremely low. But I'm having trouble finding backup colleges.
My family's financial status is pretty low, with Bulgarians being amongst the people with the lowest income accoarding to the latest EU statistics.
Because of that my family probably won't be able to support me at all, except maybe some utterly required deposit or something like that.</p>
<p>So what I'm having trouble finding, is a relatively good college with high admission and a lot of availible financial aid. I know it's probably the holy grail of colleges but I need to find 1-2 of these as backups in case I fail at the Ivy Leaguers.</p>
<p>Well, I think that's about it for now.Thank you for your time and sorry for the potential typos :o</p>
<p>Welcome to CC. Most of your questions are asked and answered in the past. Search/browse trhough the forum. Visit the US college fair(s) in your country, usually during summer or early Fall. You will get a much better idea from the admission about expectation for students from your country.</p>
<p>Hi</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Yes, it's common to apply during your 12th grade (however, it's also possible to apply out of a gap year). Most of those international examinations are held after the decision has already been made. That's why your counselor has to predict your grades in these exams. If this isn't appropriate or possible, it's not detrimental, since colleges have your grades obtained throughout your high school career, and they'll rely on these -- they're probably more important for the admission process anyway (unfortunately, in my case!!).
It's also not uncommon that colleges give you a conditional offer -- for example "You must have a GPA of 5 for your Bulgarian Matura if you want to be able to enroll at our university"</p></li>
<li><p>While it's definitely nothing that will help you, this grade-drop won't prevent you from admission to any college (this is my opinion!). You might want your counselor/teacher to explain your situation or you could adress this issue in one of your essays or during an interview.
This said, your GPA looks amazing! I'm not familiar with the grading policies of Bulgarian high schools, but at my school (Switzerland, grade scale from 1-6), a GPA of 5.7 would be Einstein-like (yes, I know that Einstein had mostly bad grades but I still refuse to avoid this metaphor)
Extracurricular activities, recommendations, essays and standardized testings,etc. also play a huge role in the process. </p></li>
<li><p>Financial Aid will hurt you at 99% of all colleges (HYP and a few other most selective colleges are need-blind). I'm sorry I can't help you with backups, but from what I've heard, Seven Sisters colleges tend to be quite generous (for international students) -- so if you're a girl you might want to consider this option.
In case you don't know already, USNews.com offers a comprehensive list of colleges: <a href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php</a>
While the rankings are certainly flawed, they could help you for your research and serve as a point of orientation.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>You do know that you could get EU status at most UK universities. This will cost about a third of the price of a US university education. Obviously you may prefer the US but I'm just lettting you know of the possibilities available for you. My Bulgarian friend recently got EU status at UCL.</p>
<p>Hello!</p>
<p>I haven't been on CC for a while, but now that I'm back, I want to give my input on u.s. admissions (based on my own experience). When I was applying to colleges, I did not apply to any of the Ivies because I decided to focus on colleges where I had substantial chances of admission. I ended up in a small LAC where I'm quite happy. I am glad to hear that you are aiming high. I'm pretty sure you have a chance at most of the colleges you are considering. When it comes to admissions, it is all a matter of how you present yourself and whether the admissions officers consider you a right fit for the school. As someone previously mentioned, the ECs, recommendations and essays play a very important role. As for your GPA, I think it is fine. However, make sure that you provide some sort of explanation regarding the Math grade. I don't know how many schools you are currently considering, but I want to suggest a few colleges that are not as competitive as the Ivies, and which provide financial aid for international students: Macalester, Brandeis, Bates, Grinnell (I got accepted and I know there are a few Bulgarians there). </p>
<p>I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have!</p>
<p>Veselina</p>