I’m a sophomore in an Indian secondary school, however, I’m a citizen of the U.S. From what I’ve heard, my application will be considered with those of domestic applicants, but I don’t necessarily have the same opportunities as them and I don’t qualify as an international applicant.
For example, my school does not give grades for assignments (the only recorded grades are those from examinations which take place every other month), we don’t have a GPA system, and no AP/IB/Honors programs are offered. My grades are well above average for my grade, but they don’t look so good on paper (ranging from the low Bs to As, although some have been much lower than that).
I’ve already taken the PSAT and will be taking my SATs this year. I will also be taking a couple AP exams (I can only take one AP exam a year since I’m self-studying for them and have to balance schoolwork).
I haven’t done any volunteer work and haven’t participated in any extracurriculars since starting high school. Also, I haven’t really gotten any awards or done anything noteworthy yet.
Do I have a good chance of getting into a reputed college in the U.S.? Or am I at a major disadvantage? Will the rigor my courses in high school be taken into consideration? What can I do to increase my chances of being accepted into a good college?
First of all, a little more context would be helpful. What board are you in? And what is your class rank (if you have that)?
Most Indian grades don’t look good on paper. That’s just our education system. But if you’re not in the top 10% of your class, I suggest you work harder for the next two years. Your junior year will be the most important.
You can take the SAT multiple times. Aim for 1500+, and if you get less than 1470, take it again. Read up on superscore policy. Also, for some, ACT is easier than SAT + subject tests.
I suggest that you take more APs. You have two years! And since it’s only February, you have three opportunities to take the APs (in May 2017, 2018, 2019). Plan wisely. Also, much of the content will overlap with your schoolwork.
Start now! It’s never too late. A lot of my extracurriculars came in my senior year (when I actually got serious about applying to US colleges). There’s so much to get yourself involved in.
It is too early to tell if you have a good chance. But you’re definitely NOT at a disadvantage. Quite the opposite actually. You qualify for federal aid. Your application is need blind.
Your course rigor is supposed to be taken into consideration, but the Indian education system is quite different, so it will not matter a lot. Most schools here don’t offer a wide array of subjects to choose from (you either get Science stream or Commerce stream). For IB, things are different.
Again, a little more context would have been helpful.
As you can see, I’ve repeatedly said that YOU HAVE TWO YEARS. If you work hard enough to improve your profile, you can easily get into a great college.
Some more suggestions:
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Get into an IB school, if at all possible. Probably the best thing you can do right now.
Get your grades up. It is not that difficult to go from “well above average” to top 10%.
Find some extracurriculars. A sport, a musical instrument. Oh and community service (you could volunteer for some NGO). It helps if your ECs coincide with your desired major.
It is important to do well and not just participate in your ECs.
Participate in stuff like Olympiads, MUN, essay/programming/drawing competitions, sports tournaments, or music/talent shows, depending on your interests. This is the best way to get the awards that look good on paper. You might actually surprise yourself (like I did myself, when I received a national award).
Don’t forget to have fun. If you’re only into some EC/event (say MUN) for your college admissions and you’re not enjoying it, then drop it. Find something you like.
Find work / internship. This could be as simple as tutoring someone.
Get yourself acquainted with the admissions process. The right time to start your college search would be one year from now.
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Thank you so much. Right now, I’m in ICSE and would like to continue in ISC. What are the advantages of doing IB? Is it absolutely necessary to join an IB school?
It is not at all necessary to join an IB school. It has a lot of advantages tho. The focus is on actual learning rather than rote memorization. You get to choose what you want to learn. There is a lot of freedom. Plus, it will develop you intellectually and you will have fun doing it. It is easier for the universities to evaluate your grades, and even offer you credit. Oh and I read somewhere that some 150 hours of community service is mandatory. The requirement has changed now, but you get the idea.
I’m in ISC and I do not like it. It is definitely better than CBSE, but not very much. The system is still flawed. I wish I had moved to IB.
IB or A levels are more easily recognizable, don’t use drastic grading in 11th grade (the most important year for your application), offer more choice, and carry college credits to give you more leeway in choosing your college classes or get advanced standing.
Choose AP 's that match your curriculum and take those
Now, you must find at least one activity to do. Lots of good advice above
Good luck and report back on your progress.
I too am an American citizen, living in India for my dad’s overseas assignment. I will be completing my high school in India and do hope to pursue medicine and medicinal sciences for higher studies. I do aim to follow the pre med to med school route and hope to attend Johns Hopkins as my dream school with some other schools as other options.
Here are some of my stats:
Grade/ Class: 9
Education Board: CBSE
Grades: 9th — 9.8/ 10 or 10/ 10 depending on French (which has proved to be quite a struggle after five years of Spanish)
Standardized Tests: SAT (last official taken in 7th grade) – 1950/ 2400 old format
PSAT 10 (8th grade) - 1390/ 1520
Planning to take PSAT 10 again this year and hoping and preparing for a better score
Courses:
AP US History
Plan to take AP BIo and AP Chem next year
Some extracurricular activities that I do:
Model United Nations - Absolutely love this! One of my most favorite activities. I have won some awards like outstanding delegate and special mentions. I have been a part of the executive boards of a council at the IIT MUMBAI TECHFEST MUN and do plan to do more EB in the future.
I am in the process of establishing the first debate and MUN club in my school under the guidance of my headmaster. It will be in full swing by next year for sure.
I do play the violin. I have currently passed ABRSM Grade 2 (I know its a bit low for this time) but my teacher says I can probably finish Grade 6 by 11th grade. I have confirmed that I can join my city orchestra this coming year but am currently not eligible.
In terms of sports, I am not so active. I used to swim competitively in the US but had to stop due to some bad health issues. I do play Table Tennis but broke my shoulder and can’t do much with it now. I still play at a recreational level.
I have participated in City and zonal quiz competitions. Recently, I was ranked 4th in the city in The Hindu Young World Quiz ( a leading newspaper in India)
In line with my hopes for pre med and medicine, I am shadowing some local doctors, shadowing surgeries (plan to in a couple of months after permits, etc.). I have been accepted to the Rosetta Institute of Molecular Biology’s summer cancer research workshop. I do hope to apply to more prestigious places like Yale Young Global Scholars next year but not many programs took freshmen.
I know this definitely does not look like much. I do hope to join schools like Johns Hopkins, Columbia, or comparable colleges and universities.
Please do tell me what I can do to bolster my resume’s value. I have spoken to my counselor who recommended taking the TOEFL to show another dimension, even though my English is pretty good…
Just so you know, as good as JHU is for med school, I wouldn’t go there as a premed. Premeds need, most of all, a supportive environment. The requirements are different. Another issue is that won’t be instate anywhere, so it’d be to your advantage to attend a university in a state that favors equally residents of the state and graduates of the state - not all do.
@EdwardKenway
I don’t know if you’re hijacking the thread (I will forever fail to understand CC rules) but I guess you can do that as a pirate and an assassin.
Move away from that board ASAP. You may not be able to do that until after your 10th grade, but you should definitely change your board. CBSE sucks big time. ICSE/ISC is better but not all that different. IGCSE/IB seems to be the way.
Not sure about Bio but Chemistry is one of most difficult APs to get a 5 on. As a Science student myself, I would suggest you to wait until at least 11th grade. Look at some of the easier APs meanwhile (Environmental Science, Psychology). A foreign language AP proves quite beneficial if you can do it.
It is actually impressive. Don’t doubt yourself.
Most “counselors” in India don’t know what they’re talking about. You can take the TOEFL but it is hardly a requirement for even actual international students once they get past a certain SAT score.
If you take the SAT, you might also need to take the SAT subject tests. An alternative to SAT and SAT subject tests is ACT, which some consider to be easier (I wish I knew about it during my testing period).
Get something which shows your interest in your desired major. While shadowing doctors is great, you could also try research.
I think you can do pretty well at Olympiads.
Oh and community service will help. And work experience / internship is priceless.
I’ll keep that in mind. Also, is it really beneficial if I choose to take an AP exam in my senior year (May 2019)? Wouldn’t admission results be mailed out by then? I won’t be taking an AP class either, so I can’t put that on my application.
@sxk6429 It won’t benefit you in admissions, but you’ll get credit. Junior year is the right time for the “hard” APs if you want them on your application.
