As an international student

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>So I live in Canada and I'm sure I can get into a university here. However a year ago I started talking to my parents about studying in the States. It would be very expensive, so I would need financial aid. So please tell me do you think I can get into any US schools! If not I will just be applying to Canadian universities. </p>

<h2>Also please keep in mind in Canada a 100-80 is an A, 79-70 a B, 69-50 a C, and anything below a 50 is a fail. Also in Ontario, we are required to take certain courses! If we don't we won't get our high school diploma!</h2>

<p>Schools I'm interested in applying too: Brown, Yale, John Hopkins, MIT, University of Rochester, UChicago, Columbia, Upenn and Duke. </p>

<h2>I KNOW these are some of the hardest schools to get into! However I would still like your opinion. I would like to take classes on Biology and Art in university. </h2>

<p>Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Canadian Pakistani</p>

<h2>Income: Low, 3 other college/university bound kids </h2>

<p>SAT I: 2000 (going to try again for 2200-2300)</p>

<h2>SAT II: Planning to take biology and chemistry</h2>

<p>9th grade: 84 average
English, Math, Science, Visual Arts, Phys ed, French, Business and Tech, Geography
10th grade: 87 average
English, Math, Science, Visual Arts, Phys ed, Food and Nutrition, Civics and Careers, Canadian History
11th grade: 87 %
English, Functions, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Visual Arts, Anthro, Peer Tutoring
12th Grade (registered to take these courses)
English, Advance Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Chemistry, Biology, Visual Arts</p>

<p>Extra Courses Online (took them because I was interested):
Health for All through Primary Health Care - John Hopkins
Critical Thinking and Global Challenges- University of Edinburgh
English Composition- Duke University
Basic Behavioral Neurology - UPenn
Cardiac Arrest, Hypothermia and Resuscitation Science- UPenn
Nutrition and Physical Activity for Health- University of Pittsburgh
Art and Composition- Upenn</p>

<p>There are no AP courses offered at my school, but in the city there are multiple schools that administrate the exams. I'm planning to take the following exams in Grade 12:</p>

<h2>English Comp, Chemistry and Biology. Maybe Studio art.</h2>

<p>-Newspaper (9-12)(Sports Editor)
-Varsity Field Hockey (9-12)(Captain Next Year. and Honorable player for 3 years)
-Community Field Hockey (9-12)
- Alter Reality (10-12) (president next year)
-Canadian Cancer Society Youth Troop (11-12)(Ambassador/ Vice President)
-Student Council Communication Officer
-Religious Group Volunteer (grade 4- 12)<br>
- 300+ volunteer hours</p>

<h2>- Awards: Planning to apply to some art competitions. Have one national academic award. </h2>

<p>Please give your honest opinion.
(Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, I was in a hurry)</p>

<hr>

2

<p>An A ranging from 80-100 would give an accurate picture if you were an Alberta or Quebec student but there’s a reason why 84-87% averages from Ontario can’t cut it at the top of the Canadian colleges. A more accurate picture would give you a ~3.5. </p>

<p>U Rochester: Match/High match</p>

<p>No matter how you slice it, everyone else is a reach, even if you got 2200+/33+…</p>

3

<p>Does your school rank? Because you’ll be compared to your classmates, and if you’re one of the top students, they’ll probably be fine with your GPA or will be more lenient about it not being 3.9-4.0.</p>

<p>At the moment, all of those except for U of Rochester are reaches, especially considering your financial need and that MIT’s the only one that’s needblind. Do your best to improve your SAT and work hard on your essays. </p>

<p>I think it’s great that you’re showing motivation and took the online courses. It’s not something that will shock admissions officers, but it’s a small thing that shows you truly love learning and you aren’t doing it just to get into colleges.</p>

<p>I suggest you check out some LACs, which have slightly higher acceptance rates (around 10-20% for internationals with need), and while they aren’t needblind either, they offer great financial aid. Macalester, Colby, Grinnell, Kenyon, Whitman, Amherst, the Seven Sisters, Oberlin, Reed, etc.</p>

4

<p>Can you afford UPitt or U Edimburgh?</p>

<p>How well did you do in those online courses?</p>