<p>Hey guys,
All the smart guys here make me a little bit terrified, but here goes:</p>
<p>I used to attend two different Korean public high schools for my freshman and
sophomore year - my combined GPA is like 3.5 - then I came here to US last summer.
I had no problem catching up with other kids in my new American school because I used to live in LA for a couple of years - and right now, Im pretty sure I will have 4.4 for my junior year.
My practice SAT test score came out something like 2200, and hoping to raise 100 more by this summer - and SATIIs or APs, I have not taken yet.
Now, I havent really had any opportunities to do stuff in my Korean high schools because they keep students until like 9 PM 5 days a week, but as of now I'm deeply invovled in Choir, NHS, and NAHS in school, and will join more clubs and hopefully do tennis in my senior year.
Also, I'm a huge church person - i was the choir member, prasie team bass player, and president of the youth group back in my old Korean church. Here in my Korean American church, I play bass and in choir - I will probably be elected president next year.</p>
<p>so here are my questions -
- I know I can't make it to HYPSM, but what are my chances as econ major in Columbia, Northwestern and UC Berkeley(Finance)? (I have US citizenship and an Indiana resident)
- Will the 3.5 I've got in my Korean schools will affect my chance of admission? or are they just looking for how well I did in the American high school
- Is it true that Asian kids generally have to try harder than white kids to get in because schools are trying to balance the student body? I think I heard this from one of my friends</p>
<p>Good luck for anyone who is studying for APs in may! Thanks!</p>
<p>two more things for EC -
KCC(Korean Conversation Club) at local state university; I teach Korean to so called "twinkies" and those who take Korean classes.</p>
<p>Habitat for Humanity -i've done like 40 hours since last summer I think.</p>
<p>I dont think this will help that much... but oh well :P</p>
<p>It's tough to assess the impact of a GPA from schools outside the US on chances for US colleges. My guess is the adcoms will just average the GPA from Korea with your GPA from your American school. If that's the case, and you do score around 2200 on your SATs or even 2300 as you hope, HPYSM would - as you've already guessed - be reaches, primarily because your combined GPA (Korea + US) would not be competitive for these schools. I'm afraid the same thing would hold true for Columbia, which is a very difficult school to get into. You'd have better chances at Northwestern and UC Berkeley - both High Matches or Low Reaches, given this scenario.</p>
<p>By the way, if you're interested in Northwestern, you might also want to consider Washington University in St. Louis. The undergrad Olin business school was ranked in the top 15 in the US, the pre-med program was ranked #2, and the school overall is ranked 11th in the US by US News, ahead of Cornell, Northwestern, and Brown. It's a darn good school, and everything I've heard says that the kids who go there really like it.</p>
<p>Since you want a 4.4 this year, I'm guessing your 3.5 isn't very impressive at all. This combined with your international status would probably make all your choices reaches to high reaches.</p>
<p>No way!
Is it THAT hard to get in???
I mean, I tried real hard since I came here and 4.4 for a FOB? Wouldn't admissions people love to see me adjust really quickly and do great?
Dang I knew I should have came as a sophomore....</p>
<p>PS Ive researched about WASU, but I just feel that Olin school is not as strong as other "cheaper" biz schools such as Darden or Kelley. Thanks though! I thought Northwestern was so much better - visited the campus this spring break, seemed like smart cool rich kids' school.</p>
<p>Matches should usually be 50%. Reaches can be anywhere from 5-20%. </p>
<p>You have to understand that international applicants get put into a different pool at top schools and the acceptance rate %'s are in the single digits and many of them are kids with near flawless GPA's and SAT's. </p>
<p>If you were not an international applicant I would say that Ivies are a reach and top 25's be a match. </p>
<p>However you are so I stand by my high reach for Ivies and reach for top 25's. </p>
<p>PS: I'm guessing you are going to finance 50k a year by yourself?</p>
<p>Actually I do have a citizenship although I'm no native speaker :p
I've lived 2/3 my life in Korea - All the schools i wrote up there are
basically my dream schools. I was thinking, well since I qualify for Indiana
resident, I will go to IU Kelley school of Business and pay like $2000 a year
if I dont make it to any of the schools, because I heard Kelley ranks
11th in the nation.
Thanks!</p>
<p>If you have an American citizenship then you can refer to my Ivies being a reach and the rest being matches to slight reaches. I think you have a pretty good shot with your current list. </p>
<p>I guess I was confused because you said you came to the U.S. last summer but if you are not an international then your chances go up substantially.</p>
<p>You have a good shot at Columbia and Northwestern. You have a chance at the Ivies, especially if you present yourself as an interesting person. Look at University of Chicago- great econ program, great business school, top school in general.</p>
<p>Few more questions to ask:
1. Would taking summer courses at the local college help?
2. How important is volunteering in college admission?
I remember one of my friends saying that "volunteering doesn't worth a s**t unless you save the world with Mother Teresa", and that you can always inflate your volunteer hours.
3. Any suggestions to strengthen my stat and chance of admission?</p>
<p>Well, Asian kids generally have to try harder other races because of high applicant rates.
However, as for your question, you should ask your guidence counselor if you plan to take a local college class(depends on whether your high school will accept the work)
Volunteering is usually not considered a major hook, but still seems to be a crucial factor that you shouldn't leave out.
- Just raise your SAT scores and you'll be just fine :)</p>