<p>I am planning on applying to Stanford, MIT, UChicago, Cornell, Duke and Northwestern for Economics. The grades are not the problem I am just not sure whether my extra curricular side is strong enough. </p>
<p>I am on the debating society and recently represented my school in Berlin.
I have work experience at an investment firm in London and I tutor GCSE maths.
I play guitar and I am part of the RAF cadets. Soon to be an NCO?
I have a gliding scholarship and an academic scholarship.<br>
I run on the school cross country team.
I have directed a few plays and write for the school paper.
I founded my school's first film club. </p>
<p>What do you think. I am an international student by the way.</p>
<p>First of all, the duration is quite a big factor.</p>
<p>Your ECs itself look fine individually. However, they have to be related in some sort of ways.</p>
<p>i.e. too broad ECs, not specific.</p>
<p>You will need to make some “stories” or “Hooks” from your ECs</p>
<p>e.g. I did this and it was rewarding because blahblahblah. This will help me to blahblah.
In addition to this, I did this as well ~~ and so on.</p>
<p>BTW, can I ask your grades(GCSEs, Alevels or IBs, SATs)? Im also attending British system highschool and I dont know how to convert gcses and alevels to gpa</p>
<p>First: Do you need financial aid? UChicago and Northwestern don’t grant aid for internationals, be aware of that. If not, these two could be a low reach for you, depending on your scores/recomendations. Your ECs are nice but not that BANG Ivies are looking for. I don’t say you don’t have chance, but it’s not exactly a big one.</p>
<p>@ coverpool: 9 A*s at GCSE and I am taking A Levels and SATs (self studying). I am not sure on how to convert them into GPA either but it is something I will look into. </p>
<p>As I am not familiar with the US application system, can you tell me where would I present my ECs? Will I have to fill in an extra curricular section on the Common App? If given the chance I will definitely write about them and link them with economics and/or talk about specific qualities that I obtained from them.</p>
<p>@ wizady: Yes I will need financial aid but I will worry about money later. It’s MIT that really appeals to me do you think I have a good chance? </p>
<p>Can you please elaborate on the BANG bit? What exactly are Ivy League universities looking for? There are very few people that I know who play an instrument and are in a sports team as well as having several leadership roles, quality work experience and a scholarship. I respect your opinion of course I just want to know what I can do to make my application Ivy standard. </p>
<p>What kind of recommendations should I have? Who should I ask? How many will I need? Can I post this up on the a Common App as well?</p>
<p>What other colleges would you recommend I look at? As a student in the UK, I will be looking to apply to Cambridge, Bristol, Warwick, Bath and LSE but I don’t know very much about the standards of US universities and what I should be aiming for if I am to apply there. </p>
<p>PS some people tell me that I have a better chance at getting a place at Harvard than MIT. What is your opinion on this?</p>
<p>“here are very few people that I know who play an instrument and are in a sports team as well as having several leadership roles, quality work experience and a scholarship.” Go to Harvad and you see lots of them. Nobody really has high chances for the MIT or Ivies, and for an international it’s even worse. I don’t say what you have isn’t impresive, but most MIT applications will have something similar. You need something that really sticks out
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/2646596-post3.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/2646596-post3.html</a>
Here are some examples of good ECs. Recommendations have to be submittet my your teacher through the Common App, most colleges request one or two. I would say chances for MIT and Harvard are basicly the same. If you have the money, apply to both of them.</p>
<p>@ coverpool: Thank you very much Your results are also very impressive! I am taking Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Geography and I intend to major in economics.</p>
<p>@ wizady: Thank you for the link I’ll definitely have a look at it. I’ll try and think of something I have done that stands out; I have lived in South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia and The Philippines as well as the UK but I don’t see how I can use that to my advantage. </p>
<p>But my teachers do not have access to the Common App or have even heard of it for that matter. I live in the UK as I have mentioned so, yes I can ask them, but I don’t see how they can upload it. Is there not a section where I can upload it?</p>
<p>As I said I can perhaps worry about money if I get accepted. I will probably apply to both and keep my fingers crossed. </p>
<p>Living abroad is helpfull; maybe you can use it in your essay? </p>
<p>Does your teachers have an internet connection and an email account? Then they have acccsess to the common app. You just send them an email via the interface, they get an invitation, register there and fill in the questions. </p>
<p>If you get accepted at Harvard/MIT you don’t have to worry about money anymore. They provide need-based financial aid for international students as well. You hand the last tax reports of your parents and yourself in and they calculate what you are able to pay. The rest is paid by the college (maybe you have to work like 8h/week on campus)</p>
<p>PS: May I ask where you lived in South Africa?</p>
<p>@ wizady: But helpful how? I’ll see if I can fit it into my essay but I don’t want to force it in if it is not relevant. </p>
<p>Oh so that’s how it works? What questions? I thought that they would write up the recommendation and then upload it? </p>
<p>But what if, hypothetically, my parents didn’t want to pay for my tuition fees despite earning over $100k a year between the two of them. I don’t know this for a fact but they seem reluctant to let me study abroad when I can easily get a student loan here in the UK and go to some Russell Group university.</p>
<p>Of cause it depends on your essay. I don’t know your topic, but there are some people writing about how they had to move during their childhood and how it affected them. </p>
<p>These questions are just name, school, subject, and that stuff. The recommendation is just a normal letter, like the essays. But all in the common app system.</p>
<p>I can’t help you with your last point; I’m in a income range where nearly everything would be coverd by the financial aid. But still with 100k income you would get some aid. I think the cap is about 20% (?) of your income, at least in that area.</p>
<p>I’m just living in South Africa at the moment, so I was just curios</p>
Your results are also very impressive! I am taking Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Geography and I intend to major in economics.</p>