An international student's chances for the top US Colleges

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

What do you guys think of my chances are in getting in to these 7 colleges as a whole: Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Columbia, Chicago, Brown, Cornell, UPenn (this is my full list to colleges I will apply to; though, there are 1-2 safeties)

Academically:
3.9 GPA out of 4
I did not take the SAT yet but my I am aiming for around 1500 and hopefully above
11 APs in all of high school career ( still a junior)
I have earned 3 scholarships before from different schools. (1 in Turkey which was a full scholarship for all of my elementary and middle school, 1 was in Russia which was sponsored by a shopping mall lol, and the last one was also in Turkey)

Personally:
I speak 5 languages: Turkish ( Native) , English (Fluently like a native), Russian (fluently like a native), Spanish (fluently) and Latin (learning still)
I have lived and studied in 4 countries: 3 years in Turkey in a turkish private school( earned scholarship two times here), 3 years in Russia (went to a fully russian school with almost no russian but managed to excel and get better grades than native russians and earned scholarship there), 1.5 years in Kazakhstan (went to a fully American school there), 2 years and continuing in Turkmenistan ( I am still here in Turkmenistan in a fully American school)

Although I have no connection at all, I have interned for Pasquines, a Puerto Rican political news website. We saw a huge increase after I began writing. One of my articles became the most read article of the website for 2016. Me and 2 more people are the ones who carried out the only polls for the Puerto Rican primaries and my article about the poll results featured me in famous political sites such as Heavy, FiveThirtyEight, and DailyKos. Also another article I wrote was in top stories in google news.

Extracurricularly:
I was the Yearbook Editor/Leader 2 years ago.
I have played basketball 2 years semi-professionally with a license.
I have played volleyball and earned a sportsmanship award.
I have played water polo in the best team in Turkey
I am currently an officer of National Honor Society.
I was the secretary of the Student Council, now I am the President.
I do not play any physical instruments but I am an electronical musician/audio engineer
I am a part of the schools Model United Nations, I have a best delegate award in an University MUN
I have over 200 hours and increasing in volunteer hours
I am also becoming the founder and first president of Future Business Leaders of America chapter in our school here
I have an AP Scholar Award.
I get the US Presidential Excellence Award every year in my school.
I will be interning for a Senator this summer in DC
I took 6 credits from Georgetown college credit program this summer. The classes were US Political System and International Relations. I will take 2 more courses 2017 Summer in addition to the internship.
I will be publishing a research paper on Central Asian politics on a very famous International Relations Journal.

Extra:
I want to double major in Economics and Political Science
I am a dual citizen of both Turkey and USA
I come from a family of former very high-ranking politicians in the Turkish government.

Thanks a lot! Hope to get your responses!
Kerem

2

Assuming that you do get a 1500+ on the SAT (and you never want to be too presumptuous), all of these schools are possibilities. Keep in mind, though, that they’re still very selective and turn down loads of highly-qualified applicants every year, so your chances won’t ever go above 10% at any. What safeties are you looking into? You need matches, as well.

3

My safeties will be George Washington and University of Michigan. Although, they are not really safeties they are kind of a safety for me. George Washington is a test-optional school and they crave for diversity and people who are politically active. So that makes it a safety for me. For Umich, I have a huge advantage because of legacy. My great- great grandfather was one of the first Turks to study there, before the 2nd World War. Plus I have numerous more relatives who are from UMich that hold great jobs atm.

Personally though, I believe that I have a good chance at getting into the colleges I included in my initial post. Hopefully, I won’t have to worry about the safeties.

4

No one has a “good” chance at getting into the elite schools you mention.

5

If you say so…

6

You have clearly led a very privileged life (though I also know that sort of moving has challenges as well). You have a lot of accomplishments (a fair few of which reflect that privilege). And to have achieved native fluency in Russian in 3 years is genuinely impressive.

But.

I don’t quite believe that you were on the “best water polo team in Turkey” (which should be the national team, all of whom are considerably older than you are now), but am intrigued that you were a “professional” water polo player for a year before you were 14 years old and a semi-pro basketball player before you were 16 (from your other threads).

I don’t believe for a minute that you have ‘no connection at all’ (where you have lived and the schools you have gone to say that you do) though you may mean that you have no specific connection to Pasquines.

Taking 5/6 APs in grade 9 and another 5/6 in grade 10 is indeed unusual. Did you take all the exams, or just take the classes? are you an AP scholar, or scholar with honor, or scholar with distinction?

The presidential excellence award will not impress- it mostly says that your principal loves you and you (probably) have a 3.5+/90+ grade average.

Also, be careful about over weighting your GPA in your estimations of your ‘chances’: at your school it not possible to get a mark lower than a B, and they give you lots of chances to resit units until you get an A, and all the schools you apply to will know that. Your subject tests / SAT / AP scores could therefore be relatively more important as a way of validating your marks. From another thread you say that you do not want to take subject tests- I would strongly encourage you to, even when it is ‘recommended’ not required. From your other accomplishments you should be able to do very well.

7

You asked to be chanced but are dismissive of anything other than having a good chance of being admitted.

8

Thank you for your reply collegemom! You really read my text well!
I am accurate with all the info I have presented.
Let me clear some things up.
I had a basketball license in the turkish basketball federation. I called it semipro because although we did not get paid there were large sponsors.
I did indeed play semi-pro in the Galatasaray water polo team(arguably the best sports club in turkey). I had a license with the federation as well.
By no connection at all I meant that I am neither of hispanic descent nor knew the editor. I found the opportunity on internships.com. Btw my poll analysis was read by clinton and sanders staff as it was the only poll for the island.
It is true that our school gives Bs and As, that is why I am taking 13 APs in total not 11(sorry for wrong info): 3 last year, 5 currently, and 5 next year. We do not have weighed gpa, so everything is out of 4.

Lastly, I would like to mention the priviliged life thing you said. My family is certainly above the Turkish average but we are not rich. I will have to apply for loan, join the national guard and also work part time. Yes it is true that I have studied in private schools for most of my life. The things I have faced in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan were very difficult for me. I excelled in Russian in 1 year not 3 years. I was put in to a pure Russian public school with 2 months of classes. I went through Alopecia areata in my first year in Russia from stress when 9. I have seen some of the dumbes laws and rules and still live with them. So, believe me I did not have a priviliged life.

Hope I answered all your thoughts!
Tell me if anything else needs any clearing up!
Thnx,