<p>Hey guys, Im an international student looking to apply for college/university undergraduate program in about 3 years time. As my country has a policy of conscription, I am only able to apply in about 2014. Areas of interest are, Political science, Journalism or Philosophy.</p>
<p>I'm planning to take both SAT and ACT during the course of my conscription. Currently studying to obtain a diploma that specializes in Banking & financial services.</p>
<p>Did the trial paper of SAT just last night and got a score of 1800 after being out of touch of algebra and stuff for 3 years, with 3 more years to go I believe I can brush it up with tuition and practice to maybe about 2000+ range. </p>
<p>I also have University of Cambridge ESOL, CPE if that gives any brownie points.</p>
<p>My extra-curricular activities aren't exactly stellar, I've shunned leadership roles when offered. The ones I have under my belt are mostly events based such as,
-Emceeing
-Camp facilitation
-Public speaking
-Debating
-Collaboration with police force to promote awareness </p>
<p>All free and easy roles.</p>
<p>With working experience at :
-Citibank N.A. (Intern)
-Free-lance camp facilitators for camp organizing companies</p>
<p>Looking to add more but can't find any related to political science.</p>
<p>Any help, positive or negative would be greatly appreciated and go along way in aiding me.</p>
<p>Yes money is not an issue here, coupled with my funds, my family is able to afford sending me overseas. Although financial aid would be a bonus. </p>
<p>But the most important thing that scares me is my chances of being admitted to the top few universities/colleges in US. I know it is not high and I would like to do everything within my capabilities to improve my odds.</p>
<p>Kelso, could you please provide us with more information? What are your grades? What do you consider as the “top few universities/colleges in the US”? Where are you from? Is English your first language? What are you planning to do throughout your 3-years service? </p>
<p>As for SAT, well, if you get anything in the 700 range you will be absolutely fine for any university in the US. 1800 is quite good for the first time considering that you are out of touch with the material. If you work hard you can probably raise your score by 300 points.</p>
<p>Current GPA out of 4 is pretty bad, hovering about 2ish-2.2ish, with 1 more year to go. Graduating at 2012. GCSE O levels are at 12 points, ESOL CPE at Grade B. Yes, english is my first language with my mother tongue being mandrin. </p>
<p>Looking to enter universities like UCLA, Berkeley, UPenn, etc. Ivy League is a major motivating factor for me right now as well as my goal so Im aiming to make my portfolio seem as “Ivy” material as possible.</p>
<p>During my conscription, Im planning to continue studying(SAT/ACT or even ACCA as a back up) during my leave and if absolutely needed pursue an officer position in my 3 years army service, to boost my portfolio with a leadership role. </p>
<p>Before I enlist into the army for my conscription, Im planning to intern some more but I’m afraid that interning at my local political scene may affect me should I intend to pursue a career in politics in USA if given an opportunity. Given that I may come across as having external political agendas and influences.</p>
<p>Let me summarize: you have below-average grades, good but not outstanding test scores, and no notable extra-curricular accomplishments. What makes you think that you are Ivy League material? </p>
<p>You will be competing with medalists of the international math and science olympiads, nationally-recognized journalists, top athletes, students who have run successful fundraising campaigns, children of very rich and influential parents, and students with impeccable grades and letters of recommendation. I am a student at Bryn Mawr College (not nearly as selective as the schools you are considering) and my international friends have accomplishments like the following: </p>
<ul>
<li>an award-winning designer of medical prosthetics from China</li>
<li>the co-head of the youth section of a major political party in Western Europe</li>
<li>one of the highest-achieving students in her East African country, selected in a national talent search program</li>
</ul>
<p>Well it’s just a benchmark I’m setting to get it as close as “Ivy” like so that admission to other Unis won’t be a problem at all. </p>
<p>There is not much opportunities to exploit from where I come from which is probably why I seek to expand to America. </p>
<p>Sports from where I come from ? Undeveloped and unsupported by the community with local government preferring to import foreigners to compete for the country. Journalism ? Controlled and subject to government censorship, literally little to no free speech. </p>
<p>Being interested in political science, I have considered volunteering and joining political parties. However you got to understand from where I come from, it’s a one party state/country. There is little support for opposition, opposition is not well developed yet and are the minority. Ruling party’s manifesto does not sit well with me at all and I can’t bring myself to fight for something I do not believe in.</p>
<p>The lack of opportunities here is what drives me to go over. The mere vision of what the founding fathers of America had envisioned for the future is enough to compel me to sacrifice the comfort I enjoy now and attempt to carve a living for myself abroad.</p>
<p>I may not have all those outstanding credentials as mentioned by you, the only thing I have is my passion and beliefs. The willingness to pursue and work hard.</p>
<p>As of now I will take your advice into consideration and attempt to beef up my scores to outstanding levels. I have not yet taken the SAT and will be taking it in 2 years time, what would be a safe score to obtain to be deemed outstanding ?</p>
<p>Also, other than that are there any opportunities that an International student can partake in America that could potentially increase my chances of entering ? Would internships at huge banks(Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Stanchart, BOA) albeit unrelated, aid my chances in entering to major in political science ?</p>
<p>Kelso, I do not agree with Barium that you are doomed to be rejected from Ivies and top universities in the US. I think that three years, even one year, is enough time to make a huge change. </p>
<p>But I do agree with Barium that if do not do anything with yourself in the next three years your chances are slim. Nobody cares that you have “passion and beliefs;” it is very nice that you have passions but if you can not prove that they exist, they are worthless. The only way to prove you have passions is to show your outputs, your works, your creations - you must make your passions visible. </p>
<p>The point is that top universities in America do not look for people who “will” do something extraordinary but people who already “have done” something extraordinary. </p>
<p>Your argument that there are “not enough opportunities to exploit” in Singapore is self-pitting and very weak. It will get you nowhere. Why would an admission officer care that you do not have enough opportunities in Singapore? He has thousands of other equally-qualified and ambitious applicants from the worst places in the world who invented opportunities for themselves and exploited them. There are always opportunities and you must find one if you want to get anywhere, not just to college.</p>
<p>Yet, as I said, three years is plenty of time (even too much time to do something). I have friends in Israel who applied to universities in the US after serving three years in the IDF and doing amazing things. Really amazing. </p>
<p>Kelso, you sound like an intelligent guy and I am sure that you can get to a university in America, even a good one, but you must do something worth telling about. Otherwise, you are indeed doomed to be rejected as Barium implied. </p>
<p>Competition for the schools you mentioned is brutal. </p>
<p>Singapore is probably way over-represented with many outstanding students. You have to compete against the top school there which I heard has really good students. If you come from that school, you should know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, just telling you. </p>
<p>@Khasin Yes, I agree that my current credentials are not good. I’ve been sourcing these few days for platforms to build up my credentials. Mostly as of now, I’ve dropped applications to editorial/PR firms as intern. Also am sourcing for writing competitions to participate in, in the coming time.</p>
<p>I’m not sure however if this will improve my chances in gaining admission to my major. I’ve thought of joining the incumbent political party youth wing, although I’m still trying to weigh the pros and cons.</p>
<p>I have a question regarding that, would aligning myself with a political party locally, affect my future or chances if I so happen to decide to one day be involved in foreign politics such as for example, registering as a Democrat and maybe involve myself in their campaigning ? </p>
<p>Or would you recommend other majors besides political science ? My ultimate ambition is to be lobbyist which spurred me to take up political science.</p>
<p>@082349 Yeah, many of the people here have really insane grades. After all the thing this country is famous for is its whack education system and probably other things. I’m fully aware of the competition. </p>
<p>I know what some of you are hinting at, about my goals of Ivy league being ridiculous and stuff. But if you dream, you got to dream big and try your best so even when you fail you can pat yourself on the shoulder and say, “Hey, I gave it my best shot!”. So please other than trying to give me a reality check, also offer me some concrete suggestions to improve whatever area I can.</p>
<p>Whatever you choose to do, make sure you do it because you genuinely want to, not because you think it will get you into college. Colleges in the US, particularly the top few, do not have some EC guidelines. They simply want to see that you did what you did because you wanted to. If you fake it, they can see it. </p>
<p>So, you should ask yourself - do I really want to join this particular political party or not? Is it something that will make me proud? Is it something I would tell me grandchildren enthusiastically?</p>
<p>Also, colleges and universities in the US do not pick their students based on their future major so your EC do not have to be strictly related to the field you want to study… Just do what you like and you surely will do well.</p>
How would they infer an applicant’s motivations? They can see the level of commitment for sure, but there’s no way to tell from a paper application what’s going on in a student’s head.</p>
<p>
Get top grades in your last year in high school. High test scores won’t make up for low grades, especially not at private universities that take pride in their small classes: how much effort you put into your classes on a daily basis will have a direct impact on the educational experiences of your classmates. You want to have some record of strong grades before you apply to the Ivies, to prove that you are motivated and capable of performing at a high level on a sustained basis. </p>
<p>Become an expert in something: academic, recreational (music, sport, theater, …), professional, public service, whatever. Find something that you deeply care about and become better at it than most other students. </p>
<p>Take initiative and translate your insights from the previous point into action. Internships or an officer position won’t impress colleges if you are just passively following instructions.</p>
<p>Books about elite college admissions stress over and over again that the highly selective colleges are not so much admitting individuals but rather building a student body. The key question is: what can this particular student contribute to our campus community? Why would our university be a better place with this student here? You are ready to apply to the Ivies when you have an honest-to-goodness answer to this question.</p>
<p>I went to school in Singapore up to the JC level (I’m assuming you are, too), so I might be able to help a little here. But first off, plough through the ‘Singaporean Connection’ thread here. It has a ton of information. </p>
<p>If you’re in J1 and your GPA is around 2.0 to 2.2, you are by no means doomed. GPA for Singaporean applicants isn’t looked at exactly the same way as that for American applicants, because our grade deflation here is massive beyond belief as I’m sure you already know. And, of course, being in a JC already means that academically, you’re already in a pretty high percentile of the student population for your year. I had a similar GPA for my J1 promos and was well above average (and I went to a top 5 JC). However, your preliminary exams and A’ level grades are of UTMOST IMPORTANCE. You HAVE to do well for them (a guideline of at least 2As, IMO, or high percentiles in all subjects for prelims would be good), as they are the most recent indicators of your ability that colleges have to work with by the time you apply. But of course, pushing your grades as high as possible will only help. </p>
<p>However, as the other posters here have already pointed out, Ivy league competition is BRUTAL. Many applicants from Singapore last year with ‘stats’ much better than yours were slaughtered by admissions. I speak here from personal experience, as I was rejected outright by all 4 Ivy leagues I applied to, as well as by UC Berkeley. You seem pretty steadfast in your faith in yourself and stuff, but you should know what it’s like for us applicants from Singapore, who are tremendously overrepresented. If you’re serious about the US, find some less competitive backups that you REALLY like. There are many non-Ivy schools in the States which give equally good educations, and the only thing that could make them any less desirable in peoples’ eyes would be reputation. </p>
<p>Anyway, I think that most Ivy-league applicants from Singapore score at least 2200 on the SAT, so you should really be shooting for that and not just 2000+. The SAT isn’t a be-all and end-all, but scoring less than many of the other Singaporean applicants can only make you stand out in a bad way, and you’d need something big to compensate. </p>
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<p>I find your enthusiasm for American politics kinda cutely naive here, lol. Do you know how hard it is to get US permanent resident status? Let alone citizenship? America is not the open paradise where anyone escaping repression could carve out a new life two hundred years ago. It’s closing up. For example, just to have my student visa approved recently, I had to provide my consulate officer compelling evidence that I would RETURN TO SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA immediately after my US education. Meaning, family, financial, social, work ties, etc. You’d probably have to be a really outstanding individual in order to have a reasonable shot at US PR status. Like, a brilliant MIT-grad abstract mathematician looking for work in the Silicon Valley or something. A political science major, nah… </p>
<p>Basically, the whole point of the above paragraph is just that you need to be thinking about what you can do with your US education back IN SINGAPORE. I’m fully prepared to return. I’m sure your liberal arts skills would be supremely relevant here by the time you return (the Singapore government evidently knows this given the amount of dough they’ve been pouring into stuff like Yale-NUS). </p>
<p>Your shots at the Ivy leagues at this point are no worse than any of your other Singaporean classmates. Barium has really good advice here, though. Keep your grades up, pour effort into relevant non-academic endeavors, take lots of initiative, and of course read about the whole college app process. Good luck!!</p>
<p>gosh that was the longest post I’ve ever done.</p>
<p>@Khasin and Barium Thank you both, I kind of understand as to what kind of direction I should be heading towards now. I will update it when I have progress in the areas mentioned.</p>
<p>@chinnemeiser Hello! Nice to see somebody from around here. Thanks for your comprehensive post of Singaporean POV. Yeah I do have some back ups in terms of choices. </p>
<p>I also do know about the current situation of America, been keeping up with C-SPAN and watching their policy debates. At this point of time I’m just trying to keep my options open, no commitments to either country yet. I just want to be able to leave a path open should I decide to be involved in their politics and not close that door. </p>
<p>I guess I do have some plans if I so decide to return here. Thank you so much!</p>
<p>@TheSyrianGuy and Khasin I didn’t notice that at all til you mentioned. Coming from an asian chinese guy, dont worry there isn’t any other meaning or I’d be hating on myself, which would be pretty stupid. I guess I’ll try and change it if I can.</p>
<p>@jsanche32 Look, I know my chances are low or close to nil. At least I’d try and am trying to carve out something out of nothing. Nothing is cast in stone.</p>
<p>I maybe no wise man but I won’t impose self limiting beliefs on myself just because the situation seems bleak. It is because the situation is bleak that I fight on and FIGHT HARDER. That’s the only way changes can occur and that is how one can emerge a stronger, better man. </p>
<p>The end of the road of my attempt to enter Ivy may not be one where I enter Ivy but rather the process of which I have made significant self-improvement and progress as a person on my journey.</p>
<p>Sir, I’m not going to enforce these beliefs onto you but I do hope this idea may just linger on your mind when faced with adversity in future.</p>
<p>Dream big. That is it, if you don’t take the risk, you’ll never know. Who decides who is and who isnt an ivy material? Check the stats, people with low sats and or gpa have gotten in. You have two options at this point, apply with the stats you posted and wait for an answer, after all if its meant to be, it will be or starting now improve your stats and your application with ecs and a great sat score, after all, who believes in destiny. Thing is, follow your gut, if you think you need to improve your application do it, do what your mind and heart says, sports, art, politics, whatever, but do it geniuily(sp) because you love it!!! Remember you want to get accepted for who you are not for who they want you to be. Make a choice, good luck!
And never let anyone or anything cut off your wings and change who you are.</p>