Ok, I am from Argentina and I’d need a big financial aid from anywhere.
GPA- 7.91/10 in a super hard Gymnasium styled school (counselor’s school profile explains it)
ACT
Composite 30
English 33
Math 30
Reading 26 (ouch)
Science 32
Writing 8
SAT Subject Tests
Biology 800
Chemistry 730 & 790
Math II 680 (ouch)
TOEFL
Composite 111/120
Reading 29/30
Writing 29/30
Speaking 27/30
Listening 26/30
ECs-
Taekwon-do black belt 1 year during highschool
UN model 1 year
Virginia Tech’s science summer internship
School choir
Math tutoring (school volunteering)
School’s vegetarian society president
Intern at a Cardiovascular Pathophysiology Laboratory
Awards:
Merit in National Biology Olympiad 2012
Bronze medal International Biology Olympiad 2013
Bronze medal International Biology Olympiad 2014
Bronze medal National Chemistry Olympiad 2013
Bronze medal National Chemistry Olympiad 2014
Recommendations:
Very strong ones (1 <5%, 3 <1%)
One of them comes from Virginia Tech’s science internship director
Essays:
All of them were writen very carefully, conveying multicultural awareness, interpersonal skills, insatiable curiosity and academic background.
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering
School I applied to:
Cornell
Duke
Johns Hopkins
UPenn
UVa
Northeastern
Northwestern
Dartmouth
Brown
Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech
Worcester Polytechnic
Most of them were submitted just before the deadline.
Scale: Safety, Low Match, Match, High Match, Low Reach, Reach
Cornell - Reach
Duke - Reach
Johns Hopkins - Reach
UPenn - Reach
UVa - High Match
Northeastern - High Match
Northwestern - Reach
Dartmouth - Reach
Brown - Reach
Georgia Tech - Match
Virginia Tech - Low Match
Worcester Polytechnic - Match
Your ACT is at the bottom of themiddle 50% for most of those, but your ECs seem really nice. What on earth does “Very strong ones (1 <5%, 3 <1%)” mean? Do they give you a percentile on how good their rec is? What? The mere fact you word your essays as “conveying multicultural awareness and insatiable curiosity” makes them sound like they’re really too focused on trying to please instead of talking about yourself.
Cornell: Reach
Duke: High Reach
Johns Hopkins: High Reach
UPenn: Reach
UVa: Low Reach/High Match
Northeastern: High Match/Match
Northwestern: Reach
Dartmouth: Low Reach/High Match
Brown: Reach
Georgia Tech:High Match/Match
Virginia Tech: Low Match
Worcester Polytechnic: Match/Low Match
Very few of these schools will give you good financial aid as an international student as you don’t qualify for federal aid. Every international I know at my school (Northeastern) is full pay.
Hard for me to evaluate your GPA as I’m not familiar with that system, tests are okay but not great, not a lot of leadership in the EC’s though it seems like you’re dedicated to each…
I’d say the only schools where you could get in would be Northeastern, WPI, and I’m not that familiar with Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech so it’s hard for me to say- the rest are definitely reach schools, I would say if you’re looking for big financial aid you should’ve applied to different schools. Even if admitted to NU or WPI I don’t think you’d get a huge merit aid package. I’d look to see where you can still apply, be it a later deadline or rolling admissions- and hurry- at a school of maybe lower prestige where you would get a bigger merit package.
Sorry, I meant one rated me as outstanding and 3 as one of the best students they met. I know this tells nothing though.
Thank you for your opinions! I appreciate them a lot.
Thank you for the advice; any particular suggestions for backups?
@Nikkeoz I’d suggest working on your ECs if I were you. I don’t know what year you’re in but your SAT score could use work, but in my opinion, studying for a test isn’t exactly a “good use” of time. Good luck!
@reddr0p This is my only chance to apply, for I have just finished senior year. What backups do you suggest?
@Nikkeoz Just finished…? Different school year I guess. I’d look at GA Tech(which you already have), Purdue, UIUC, and UT Austin. They are all GREAT engineering schools. The only down side is that they lack much financial aid, but with you looking at JHU and such, I assume you can pay for it.
Guys, I have been told that U Southern California was a good choice and they offered financial aid (not need-based though). I was wondering if you knew whether it was possible to receive aid within the first year, since my entire savings consist of less than 85% of its tuition. Sorry if this is not the correct place to ask this.