<p>Hello, I am an international applicant FOR FALL 2009. here is my characteristicS</p>
<p>Origin: Africa (black)
Nationality: SENEGAL ( west Africa)</p>
<p>I just took the SAT I on december 6, pfff I my first SAT ever and also the first real exam in english I have never taken. As you you guess, It was a disaster, my scores are below</p>
<p>CR 400
Math 510
Writing 470
total 1380/2400</p>
<p>The problem is that It is too late to take another SAT I because on January I plan to take 3 SAT subjects (MATH CHEMISTRY AND FRENCH) besides the IBT TOEFL in order to complete my application process-I have no choice because of the deadline. In another hand
in High school (graduated last JULY 08)</p>
<p>Average: (French system) 13.6/20 which is pretty good
Rank: 1/49 - top 5 student overall.
Good recommenders from FRENCH TEACHER AND MATHEMATIC TEACHER</p>
<p>However, about my Extracurricular, there is no big deal.
Leaded humanitarian and environmental expediation in a very poor village as the president
Government-President
Government-journalist
Math club
music-African drum
Soccer varsity</p>
<p>***Something special>>>>> I was regularly sent to my grandparent`s hometown to participate to the harvest. YES! I used to be a FARMER every school BREAK!!</p>
<p>HERE IS MY COLLEGE LIST THOUGH,
COLUMBIA U
CORNELL U
POLYTECH NYU
PRINCETON U
ROSE-HULMAN INST TECH
U. OF VIRGINIA
GEORGIA TECH!</p>
<p>CHANCE ME PLEASE, MY STRAIGHTS MY WEAKNESSES PLEASE!</p>
<p>Are you sure you'd be able to keep up in the classes of the schools you want to attend? </p>
<p>The curriculum at those schools is very rigorous and nobody will hold your hand and translate your work for you. Your low SAT, even in math is a HUGE pause. I don't think I've ever heard of someone with such a low SAT being admitted. Your school is very small so your valedictorian status may not mean much. </p>
<p>Your ECs are.... ok I guess. But not particularly strong. And definitely not strong enough to make for the fact that everything else is weak. </p>
<p>I'm not sure if you have any shot at all. And if you're asking for financial aid, conclusively 0 chance. </p>
<p>i'm sorry but I agree with Tyler. As it is too late, as you say, to retake the SAT, those schools won't give you a second glance. If you are set with moving to the states, why don't you try to apply to some slightly less competitive, SAT optional schools?
Best of luck.</p>
<p>Hum well guys by seeing your opinion I assume that I wont have any chance pfff its a pity because I think according to my high school skills, I could be able to attend those schools. My SAT scores are low very low but that by trying to score on January subject test can recover from that weakness? MY country deals with the french system and it is basically pretty hard to switch to the US educational system. I even checked into their websites but the student from french speaker African countries are few and far between.</p>
<p>Hmm, well maybe you should try taking the SAT again in January rather than the SAT 2. That might help. If you could raise it, I think you'd have a shot at GA Tech and possibly some of the others you listed.</p>
<p>Thank you guys for your advices! the information I posted may appear very standard but I have come so far--the harvest activity I actually mentioned has been done in a particular context which inspired me in my essay. Also I think the lack of student coming from countries such as mine into us good colleges is in part due to that fact. If you want I can send you my essay in order to know more about.
Besides, Does not the fact of taking the SAT reasoning again instead of SAT 2 represent cancelling my application for other college such as columbia cornell polytech...because they do require SAT 2 for us?</p>
<p>Places like Columbia, Princeton, and Cornell rarely --if ever-- accept anyone with scores below about 600 on any part of the SAT. Those students who do get accepted with such low scores are likely to be nationally/internationally ranked athletes or children of millionaire donors.</p>
<p>Having such low scores would indicate that one doesn't have the academic background to be able to pass the classes at such colleges where most students' scores are 750 and higher on each section of the SAT.</p>
<p>There are plenty of other colleges in the U.S. where your scores would be fine, but if financial aid is a consideration, as far as I know, you're not likely to have the requisite scores for U.S. universities that offer generous aid to internationals. Typically, to be accepted at the U.S. colleges offering financial aid to internationals, internationals have to have higher scores and stronger achievements than American students have. That's because as stiff as the competition is for Americans, it's even more competitive for internationals.</p>
<p>To see how your scores stack up, look in the CC forums for the colleges that you're considering applying to. You can find the stats of accepted and rejected students.</p>
<p>yeah I did it and I have seen few that get me still hopeful. also I do not consider financial aid. I assume that the only solution now is to widely increase my list of colleges and try to do my best for the january SAT subject test in mathematics chemistry and french in addition of the Ibt TOEFL.</p>
<p>Another option you may want to try is to go try for the ACT, it is a faster test but also significantly easier (IMO) so if you have time you may want to try that. But in honest you may want to diversify your college list, the top schools are not the only colleges in America and many other schools offer great educations.</p>
<p>I didn't see this mentioned earlier but..
As an international, it's even harder to get accepted into a school here in the states. Your essay needs to be realllllly reallllllllllllllllly good.</p>
<p>Only the very top U.S. colleges require the SAT subject tests. For most U.S. colleges, you don't need the subject tests. Given your SAT scores, the chances are remote that you'll be accepted to any of the top 25 or so U.S colleges, so you're unlikely to need to take the SAT IIs. You'd probably make best use of your time by taking the ACT or retaking the SAT so as to have a shot at one of the top 50 U.S. universities or liberal arts colleges.</p>
<p>so you mean If I retake the SAT I and/or the ACT, i MAY HAVE I good shot? do you think that except my SAT score I can stand out for those colleges??</p>
<p>" do you think that except my SAT score I can stand out for those colleges??"</p>
<p>Your low SAT is a major hurdle, and even with a retake, you're not likely to go up enough to be able to get into the very top colleges in the U.S. With a retake, however you may raise your SAT score high enough to qualify for more of the U.S.'s thousands of colleges than you now qualify for.</p>
<p>Check the College Confidential boards of colleges that interest you and compare your stats and ECs to those of students who are accepted and rejected. That will give you a good idea of where you stand.</p>
<p>Have you considered any Canadian universities? If you want to study in French you could apply to University of Ottawa, which is a good university. Plus, you'd be able to take most, if not all, of your courses in french.</p>
<p>Yes I am actually already accepted to a good canadian school the Polytechnic school of Montreal. But I deffered my admission to fall 2009 in order to try to get into a us top college but it seems like it is dead for me if I want to maintain my primary list!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you won't even be considered by Rose-Hulman with your current SAT score. I believe the minimum for admission is 550 math and 500 CR. :(</p>