<p>Im a 18 year old Junior from Germany (we have 13 years not 12!!) and I want to go to scholl in the US. I spent the last year at Schlarman High in America and I liked it a lot!!! </p>
<p>But I have no clue how to aplly to a college out of Germany!!! I dont know what is important and how an application works! I dont even know what the first step is if somebody wants to aplly for a college!
I just know that the SATs are important but there is so much more I have no clue about.
In Germany we dont have guidance counsellors to help me so Im al on my own!!!!</p>
<p>Please help....Im finishing school in 09 and I heard from some people I better get going or if not Im too late!!!!</p>
<p>I was basically in the same situation as yours. I attend a German school in my home country. Here are some of the things that are important for admission:</p>
<p>1- Sat I - This test has 3 parts: Critical reading, math and writing. The important parts are CR and math. (Although most schools say they don't consider the writing part in admissions, it also has an effect I think)
2- Sat IIs - Some schools require 2 or 3 of these tests. There are many subjects like: Chinese, German, Italian, Maths, Physics, Bio... (But I think you can't take German because you're a native speaker, I'm not sure though)
[You can register or get more information on these test from College Board's web site.]</p>
<p>3- What you do in and out of school is important (basically your ECs, awards etc.)
4- Your grades are also very important, I think you're taking the Abitur so I think that's an advantage because it has a rigorous work-load and colleges also care about how hard your current curriculum is..</p>
<p>And about the application procedures every school has a different procedure so you should check the school web sites, there are some forms you have to fill online (although you can also fill out the paper forms, most prefer online) and some hard copy forms you have to send in.</p>
<p>That's all that comes to my mind right now.. If I remember anything else I'll add..</p>
<p>Start preparing for the SATs. You'll probably need a couple of tries: see collegeboard for info on where you can take them and when.
Take the TOEFL. All colleges require it for foreign students.
Download Common Application, it's pretty clear on what you need to do and send.
Start making a list of colleges you are interested in. Most of them want extra essays, but some don't require SATs at all.
Start having your report cards translated. You need an official translator, you can't do it yourself as it has to be certified. If need be, have the school send an explanatory letter about the grading system in Germany.
Good luck....</p>
<p>Someone should mention that there is no need to hurry at this point. </p>
<p>You still have a year until you have to send you applications. Most good colleges have application deadlines between December and January. For right now, just start preparing for the SATs or the ACT; I prefer the latter but most internationals go with the SAT. And maybe start thinking about which colleges you might want to apply to and just inform yourself about the admission process. You can find infos about that at pretty much every college's website.</p>
<p>To start your college search I would recommend two websites:
Collegeboard's college search engine lets you search for colleges by specific criteria (e.g. location, majors, selectivity, tuition fees, financial aid availability...) College</a> Search</p>
<p>Another helpful resource might be the college rankings by US News. Consider individual rankings with a grain of salt (college #13 is not necessarily better than #24), but they give you a list of all the decent colleges and universities in the country. You might want to steer clear of 3rd and 4th tier colleges. USNews.com:</a> America's Best Colleges 2008</p>
<p>You don't have to think about things like essays, high school transcripts or the Common Application yet. Just on a side note: you can translate your high school transcripts yourself as long as your school certifies your translation.</p>