Australian applying for US undergrad:
My school doesn’t calculate GPA and only calculates subject-based class ranks in the final year. these are my current ranks:
Phyics: 1st (100)
Chem: 1st (100)
Math Ext 1: 1st (100)
Math Ext 2: 1st (99)
English: 13th (84)
Economics: 2nd (96)
Will colleges calculate my GPA? I am concerned as I have 7 B’s in theology, physical education, and literature.
I’ve sat the SAT(1600), Math 2 subject test (790), am expecting a 99.95 atar (1/2000 score) and first in my state for chemistry, and a top 20 rank for extension 2 math ( university-level course) ( I’m from NSW Australia largest state with 8 million people).
For EC’s
Cross country (competitive)
Swimming ( state team but only just and gave up at the start of this year as I despise the sport)
Tutored Refugee children from Sudan (8-13 years) helping to develop English proficiency.
Community Gardening
Teachers assistant at special needs school ( only 5 hours)
Div 1 football for Australia’s oldest football club (APIA)
Founder of the mathematics club at my school
A senior member of the social justice activism group at school
What are my chances at Amherst or HYP? Applying for mathematics and econ
(99.95 atar=1/2000 student)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Tertiary_Admission_Rank
I’m a bit confused. According to the link above, an ATAR rank of 99.95 would indicate that you’re ranked within the top 0.05% of all students in NSW. But how is this possible if you have 7 Bs? Are grades not considered for ATAR rankings?
US colleges will surely look at your grades. But they look at them in context. Competition among internationals is fierce, so they generally only will take the top students from each country.
Your atar is based solely on your final year grades.
Also, what do mean by in context?
For example, even though I have seven B’s I’m probably still overall at my school, a pretty competitive private school in Sydney, top 5 tracking form year 9. This is because nobody truly cared about or tried up until maybe last year as your atar is the only factor in Aussie admissions.
There are a some US colleges which ignore freshman year grades (Stanford, Princeton). Just about all other colleges will look at all of your high school grades. So your Bs will definitely be known. The colleges will want to know how you rank compared to others from your school/region/country. Its obviously good that you have an upward trend, but your previous B grades might be a hindrance.
In context means: admissions readers are trained to look at all of the applicants from a given high school at the same time. You will be directly compared to others who had the same level of coursework, opportunities, etc. They also take into account if you have extenuating circumstances (poor family, had to work a part time job, disability, etc). This is what I mean by context. It is considered holistic. So they will look at your complete background before making a decision.
That being said, getting accepted to any of the Ivies as an international is not easy. You’ll have to be one of the top most students in the entire country, along with great scores to get accepted. Having financial need will also be a detriment, especially in light of the current financial crisis. Most colleges will have less funds next year.
You’d have a dramatically better chance at Oxbridge where the grades don’t matter (though you haven’t made it clear if you need financial aid or can be full pay).
Australian B’s aren’t American B’s - they’re very good grades, meaning “high achievement”. [American B’s are closer to Australian C’s. Someone with 7 b’s would never be top 5 in his/her prep school class.]
Although you could expect most US universities to know the Australian scale, you’d be better off making sure the percentage of students who achieve each grade (typically/nationally) is apparent. In addition, a school profile indicating whether it’s a selective secondary school or not; what percentage students at your school typically rank top 1%, top 5%, top 10%, and top 25% for ATAR; what percentage continue to tertiary education (and if available what percentage are admitted to selective programs/universities); any other relevant information presenting the ways in which your school is academically rigorous and/or has competitive science/sports/whatever.
With that ATAR you’re guaranteed admission anywhere in Australia, so I’m guessing you’re aiming for top universities in the US too. Look at the Top 40 universities on the National Universities list and top 20-25 national LACs. Think about what matters to you, beside academic excellence (which all of the above will offer): big spectator sports? close-knit community? access to research? special programs? work hard/play hard? Political involvement? Intellectual discussions? “Fit” will matter a lot, ie., understanding what the college’s “personality” is and choosing what matches yours. For instance, you could argue there’s overlap between Dartmouth, Williams, and Notre Dame. Or between Notre Dame, Boston College, and Holy Cross. Or between Williams, Amherst, and Bowdoin. Or between Yale, Pomona, and UChicago. But UChicago, Brown, and Dartmouth would have little in common beside high rankings and “prestigiosity”, and applying to all three could be questioned (ie., rankings v.fit) . Figuring that out requires careful reading of the websites.
not sure why focus on only on amherst and hyp