I am the mom of an Asian American student in grade 10 attending an international school in Asia, where all instructions are given in English and most students in this school go to college in the US. My son also hopes to apply colleges in the US to seek his career in math fields.
My son has nice EC regarding math. He started AMC in his grade 8 and has qualified for AIME 3 times straight since then. At Math League this year he recorded 2nd place in the international zone. He performed 98% at Canada-Open Math twice, which is another renowned math competition in North America. He received 800 for SAT2 math in grade 9.
Till now, he may sound competent, but his GPA is a different story. No matter how hard he tries, his grades remain at around UW 3.6-7. He has become very downheared by them.
I wonder (1) what level of colleges he can apply, (2) how he can make a college list, and (3) what things he can focus on from now? For reference, he would like to try one more time to qualify for USAMO. (4)Is it of no use with medium GPA?
Good schools to look at would be ones that are looking for more STEM applicants. GW comes to mind, they’re looking to increase their STEM population in the coming years.
Has he taken any standardized tests other than the SAT II (SAT/ACT)? He might be able to balance out the gpa just a little with a good test score.
@izrk02 My son and I were looking at somewhat higher level of schools, so your reply sounds rather disappointing but that is the reality we have to face, what else can we do? My son will spend this summer studying SAT. Hope for a good test score as mentioned. Many thanks for your reply.
How does his GPA compare to others in his school? Do you know his approximate rank?
If he’s in the top 5-10%, then I wouldn’t worry as much but outside that, top schools are going to be to a super high reach.
I joined CC after a close friend of my D’s overshot his college list and ended up at the safety the guidance counselor forced him to apply too. His stats are similar to your son’s. Very high test score but 3.6 UW GPA/top 20%, with just OK grades in subjects that didn’t interest him.
My advice is to use the weakest part of your son’s application when creating the college list, especially when looking for match and safety schools. Absolutely put in some reach applications but be realistic.
IMO this high test scores/“lowish” GPA is not a good combination for students. It can signal lack of effort and colleges want to know that a student is going to succeed at their school. No matter where your son goes, there will be gen ed requirements outside his interests. He needs to show he can be successful in those areas too.
The good news is grade 11 is most important and his GPA isn’t terrible by a long shot. If he can buckle down and rock the rest of HS, he’ll have more options. He has time to get his GPA up, and getting above a 3.8 UW will make schools less of a reach.
I’d wait on college lists until you see how next year goes.
Regarding his GPA (which is better than ‘medium’), does he have a high level of rigor in his course curriculum (honors/APs/accelerated math)?
What is his class rank/how does he compare to classmates wrt GPA and ECs?
Certainly continue the math competitions, and USAMO qualification process, those are good ECs.
Generally, (assuming he is a US citizen) students apply to several reach schools, 4-6 match schools, and at least one affordable safety. Budget dictates the college decision for many students, so best to define that as soon as possible.
@momofsenior1 Thanks for you tip for how to create the college list. @Mwfan1921 The school that my son is attending is an IB school, which program is considered rigorous itself. Furthermore, he is taking one more class than most of other classmates. So, he is having a busy year this year.
The alternative would be to look at UK colleges which don’t care about GPA at all, although they will care about his IB predictions and would potentially make a conditional offer based on that. If a high IB score is feasible (and predicted by his teachers) then somewhere like Oxford would be worth an application. The course is ideally suited for students with “one-sided” talent because you only study a single subject.
There is a decent number of state flagship universities in the US with strong math departments, but not super selective admission. Perhaps consider those, if the out of state costs are affordable.
What are your cost constraints?An example of @ucbalumnus suggestion is the University of Wisconsin. At the graduate level they are a top 20 school in math. They are not as difficult in admissions compared to the other to 20 schools. Normally I don’t like using graduate rankings for undergraduates. However, someone that comes in at an advanced standing in a subject is more likely to be taking graduate level classes. The issue is that you will unlikely get any financial aid and the cost will be $55,000+ per year.
@Eeyore123@ucbalumnus Of course, the college cost is another issue I have to consider, cause I have another son to educate. Being a parent is a very demanding job. Anyway, let me keep U of Wisconsin in the college list. Thx!
Since most students from your school go to college in the US, wouldn’t the best source of information be the school? An international IB school in Asia is not a typical US public school, and I suspect most posters cannot give accurate advice concerning your son’s GPA etc. I read on CC that a 3.6 from a public school is not considered that good, but I know a 3.6 from a rigorous boarding school is considered very good. So it depends on the school.
Also, the financial side of things becomes important, I believe especially now. If you are full pay, that will make a difference to many (not all) schools. If you are looking for financial aid, or merit aid, that will affect the schools you would want to be considering.
Does he have US citizenship? If so then to @ucbalumnus 's point, the University of Utah has a strong math program (with the top student often winning a Churchill scholarship for example) and makes it easy to get state residency and instate tuition after the first year. It would be a good safety in the US for admissions purposes.
You haven’t mentioned your budget. If your son will be a full-pay student (if you are not looking for financial aid) there will be many very good schools that will welcome him with open arms.
Please note, that public universities are unlikely to give you any significant financial aid. (Most of their FA is for instate students.) So you’re looking at around $50,000-$60,000+ per year at the better known public universities. If this is not something you can afford, you should concentrate on private universities with strong math programs.
What does he want to do? I think he would be a good candidate at schools like Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Worcester Polytec and schools like that. The fact that his school is rigorous and he is taking a heavy course load means that his GPA being lower isn’t equivalent to a less rigorous load at a less intense school. His school record and letter from his guidance counselor should make that clear and colleges should understand that when evaluating him. My son’s GPA wasn’t super high and he got in a highly ranked school. I think GPA alone isn’t the only determining factor, so I’d put in apps to a range of schools and put in some reaches for sure, as he has math talent.
Also, I find in some cases some international students think they are not good at a certain subject because they are not as good as some others in their countries, but compared to American students, they might still be good. This is more so true in math and science but could be the other subjects as well depending on the student and school. Just because your son is much stronger in math doesn’t mean he would be weak in other things in the USA. It is also very common for students in certain STEM majors to be much stronger in math and science.
He can also probably get in various NESCAC and similar schools (which are not necessarily STEM-focused but are great schools). Trinity has engineering as a major and a number of others have 3-2 exchanges with other schools for engineering. Bowdoin, Trinity, Bates, Middlebury, Colgate, and maybe Colby all would like to increase the number of Asian and Asian American students they have so being Asian American can be a hook at those schools. His GPA is in the zone for those and math score very high for many NESCACS.
Good luck!! I think he is going to get into lots of great schools if you make a list that has a range.
For a safety, depending on what he wants, Rochester Institute of Technology might be one to consider.
If he is very advanced in math (e.g. will complete college sophomore math like multivariable calculus and linear algebra while in high school), he should check that the math offerings at liberal arts colleges and other smaller colleges (including engineering-focused ones – at some, math is more of a supporting subject rather than a focus area) are sufficient for his interests (including graduate level courses and research activity that he will likely be interested in as an undergraduate).
Also, math at the upper levels is fairly broad, so some colleges’ math departments may be relatively stronger or weaker in some areas (this is often visible in course offerings and faculty rosters).
If OP’s son is just relatively good at math he will have huge difficulty gaining admissions at top privates in US. Keep in mind that even if he is a US citizen and makes it to USAMO he is just one out of 500+ Asian boys every year who will be vying for a spot at top schools. Most of them will be disappointed in college admissions if they don’t have anything else to show. A case in point here on CC a few years ago (the boy had three USAMOs and top stats ):
If anything college admissions have become more holistic in recent years. I agree with Twoin18 that UK colleges may be your best bet.
Another data point, I know some kid from China who won Bronze medal at Int Math Olympia was shut out on all top schools he applied to in US and he ended up going to a top college in China.
I’m of the opinion that repetitive qualification/participation in math (or similar) competitions, without at least advancing to the next level each time, isn’t much of a plus for certain schools. Showing your passion with repeated participation isn’t sufficient. You need to demonstrate your intellectual abilities by winning, or at least advancing to a higher level, without so much effort that it affects your ability to perform in other areas.
Anyway, let me keep U of Wisconsin in the college list. Thx!
I think he is going to get into lots of great schools if you make a list that has a range.