I have scored 83% in CBSE and I expect a 1500+ SAT score in the October SAT( I am getting 1300+ on practice tests and hope to improve by at least 200-250 points) So are there any odds that I get into an Ivy league
Excellent test scores and a $15 million donation will probably get you in. Without the generous donation, however, there isn’t enough information to say one way or the other. All successful applicants will have more than just test scores and top grades. Those are baselines; they alone aren’t what get you in. Admitted students will have stand-out extra curricular activities, letters of recommendation that say all the right things, a well-written essay that shows the qualities the college is looking for, and an overall application that shows they’re a perfect match for the college.
Do the best you can on the SAT. A 250 point increase is unlikely, but not impossible. Keep in mind there are other excellent schools out there that aren’t part of the ivy league.
you can’t say that a 250+ point increase is unlikely as I literally got 1080 on my first practice test now I am 1300+ and still improving XD.
And my extracurriculars are:
1> I was Vice-captain of Yellow house in my school( House is basically a big student body and my house covered around 1/4th of the total student count in my school)
2> I was Monitor(same as what US schools call a President) of my class during my senior year
3> I played state level table tennis and our school was no.4 that year in table tennis in our whole state.
4> I spent 25+ hours every week during the whole year helping my father at our family business.
5> I worked as a sole volunteer at my school, set up an additional computer lab from school’s electronic and computer scrap for the children and maintained it for the next 1 year.
6> I spent 200+ hours during my senior year helping out my juniors and classmates during a free period in their career and computer science problems.
Getting your SAT over 1500 removes a negative, but does not create a positive: the super-selective universities assume top marks, and want to see what else you have as well. So, once you have the numbers the AOs will be looking at the rest of your story.
Giving a $15 Million as a donation is not possible for me at all. If I convert my household’s yearly income to USD it stands around $8200 according to current conversion rate and I heard that Top schools either take students who don’t need financial aid at all or the students who need almost whole amount as financial aid so that their average financial aid remains very high.
@collegemom3717 I have listed some of my extra-curricular activities in this thread are they good enough?
The only schools in the US that are need blind for international applicants are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, and Amherst. All of these schools are extremely difficult to get into no matter where you come from or what kind of stats you have. As for the remaining elite-level schools (including Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Penn, and Dartmouth), applying as an international who needs substantial financial aid will be a strike against you, and at this level, it’s basically one strike and you’re out.
@TheBigChef I know that very well but if there is even a small chance then I wanna go for it.
There are a few schools like College of Wooster and Illinois Institute of Tech that will give top international students almost a free ride. Also there are some liberal arts colleges that offer international students same aid as US,such as Wellesley College for girls, and Skidmore College in NY state north of NYC on the Hudson River.
Look at TU Delft in The Netherlands.
If OP is from India, the competition is totally fierce to get into US Ivy schools, broaden your search. International seats are reserved to maybe 10-15% at top US schools. Not so at Illinois Institute of Tech, or College of Wooster, they will accept more internationals, and have money for them too, if your scores are high enough.
okay I got it my chances according to GPA are low but are my extra-curricular okay or I am killed on both the parts and talking about the hard situations I am facing in my life is a good topic for common app essay?
As selective as the Ivies and equivalents are, they are even more selective for internationals. Here is Harvard’s site that breaks down international students by country. http://www.hio.harvard.edu/statistics Assuming you are from India, there are 21 undergraduate students from India at Harvard College, or about 5 per class. This means Harvard admits on average 6-7 a year. Are you one of the top 6 or 7 students in all of India? If you are not Indian, you can select your country from the drop down screen. Looking at your EC’s, while they may be fine at a local level, there is no international, national or even regional recognition. Many of your direct competitors will have that. Of course your chances are 0 if you don’t apply, but you need to realistically assess what colleges you can get into and what your family can afford.
Even with a perfect GPA, your chances as an international are low for highly selective US schools, especially for schools that are not need blind for internationals. As for a compelling essay based on your circumstances, yes that can help, but there will be thousands of essays about overcoming family and individual economic challenges. An essay that describes how you have persevered individually is unlikely to stand out in the way you are hoping. IMO what it would take is some type of accomplishment (and not just general volunteering) where you made a genuine and tangible difference for the better of a community or even an individual not yourself.
Can? It is remotely possible., yes. But for you the chances are as close to zilch as they can unless there is some huge development that catapults you into celebrity status that interests the schools.
Your grades alone would eliminate you as a US student unless you have a strong hook, which you do not have. You are not URM, you are not development, you are not a recruited athlete.
On top of that, you are from an over
Represented country. There are quotas at most schools for international students. Being from India is particularly competitive because the students from there tend to have very high, near perfect academic stats. You don’t.
Then comes the financial aid part. Most schools, even the Ivy League ones are not need blind for international students. You need s lot of money.
If you get your SAT score up rintge 1500 level, look for some schools where you would be a true stand out. Like Sacred Heart Univerdity in Connecticut. Some of the South Dakota or Mississippi schools that might be willing to pay for those test scores.
You realize you are asking for a school to PAY for the privilege and expense of having you as a student? The only ones that might consider it are the ones with average test score that they are trying to raise. It’s not easy for even near perfect stat international kids to find such a benefactor.
Yeah my volunteering made some positive change like our high school didn’t had a computers course for 11th and 12th graders but after I setted up a new one they started the computers branch and my another volunteering work helped some students to make right decision in selecting their stream in class 11th
@BKSquared @cptofthehouse @Coloradomama @Groundwork2022 Thanks for all your knowledgeable advice :-). But can you suggest me what can I do increase my chances of getting into an ivy
Re-read these posts more carefully. There’s a lot of information already shared with you.
- You need an SAT score >1500, preferably >1550.
- It helps to have won an award at the national or international level, or have similarly outstanding achievements. There are more than 50,000 high schools in the US alone, and God knows how many world-wide. And every one of them has a class president. So while it shows leadership, it isn’t the “wow factor” that is going to capture the attention of an admissions officer.
- You realistically have to be among the top handful of students applying from your country. This is especially hard when you come from a competitive country like India.
- Carefully match your personal qualities to what the college is looking for.
Even if you achieve these, there are no guarantees. Only about 1% or fewer of applicants from India will make the cut. However, there are still ways you can study at a non-Ivy, non-top 25 school in the US:
- At a bare minimum, you'll need travel costs, visa fees, money for a laptop, money to set up your dorm room, spending money, etc. $15,000-$20,000 per year.
- Look for colleges that give financial aid to international students. Full rides are hard to find, but very generous partial scholarships do exist. Check out Bates, Carleton, Alabama (if you get your test scores up), Berea, and colleges listed in earlier posts. Google search for a complete list.
- Make sure you apply to colleges in your own country. If all else fails you may be able to do a semester in the US.
From your posts, you have finished secondary school, so there is little that you can do to improve your chances…which are so low for the “Ivy league” that in practical terms it is closer to no chance than any chance.
You have accomplished a lot, and nobody here wants to put that down- and there are good schools who will be happy to have you. But the 8 schools you want will turn down tens of thousands of applicants who have done at least as much as you have. You are a star in your school, but from here it does not look obvious that you will stand out from the crowd of applicants- and that is what it will take.
It is hard to understand just how many seriously accomplished students are applying for a tiny number of seats. That’s what @BKSquared was trying to show you: how many students from India do you think apply to Harvard every year? Harvard takes 6-7 of them. Cornell accepted 414 international students (8% of the class) this year - from 95 countries. Standing out in this crowd is just really, really hard.
If you only want to go to the US if you can get a brand name that has value at home, then you should probably stop looking for undergrad and consider grad school in the US… If you have other reasons for going then you should probably look at more realistic options.
Better grades in secondary school, a huge achievement, and get enough money to be full pay. All the things you lack Still no guarantee but would up your chances.
Remember that you are asking for your ivy chances, so, yes, those of us with experience can say that. You haven’t taken the actual test yet. When you get your actual scores back, then you will see where you really stand.
You seem to be really misguided in thinking that getting into an ivy is a “walk in the park”.
The universities receive funding from the US government for US citizens. The priority for admissions at all the schools goes first to US citizens since their annual taxes go to the government. And yes, we have tens of thousands of students with high SAT scores, great EC’s and great awards applying to ivies each year. These students will be given a priority look.
(Yes, the private schools receive research and institutional funding for programs from the US government.)
The university selects students they need on their campuses; ivies specifically know what they want:
-Maybe they need an oboist for their award-winning orchestra.
-Maybe they need a sculptor for their recently donated ARTS program building.
-Maybe they need an American football recruit for their top football program.
-Maybe they have a lead on their next great baseball pitcher. SPORTS are BIG on American campuses. These schools like Olympic athletes.
-Maybe one of the above students is a legacy, with large donor parents, or are the children of celebrities or celebrities themselves (Malala, Obama young ladies, etc.)
-Perhaps the student is an underrepresented American student who could add to the diversity of the campus.
-Students who get into these schools have had thousands of hours working for national or international programs like Greenpeace, or helping war/national disaster victims.
-We know that you don’t have these activities available, but this list is an example of what the ivy level looks for and expects.
-You are an ORM from a country with thousands of highly competitive applicants. The US also has the children of Indian immigrants who are US citizens, very competitive, and who add to diversity of their campuses.
You are without substantial test scores and you don’t appear to be willing to look at schools that are non-“ivy” labeled.
-Then you are asking a country and school to provide you with financial aid.
Each year there are plenty of students from your country, who complain on this site. that they didn’t get into the ivies. They apply to maybe to 10-20 schools and are surprised that they have been rejected by all of them.
Apply, but know going in, that unless you are one of the top 5 students from among the thousands that apply from India, that your chances are close to zero. Harsh, sad, but true.
I had a student about 15 years ago who was a phenomenal clarinetist. He received multiple offers from ivies to add to their orchestras and marching bands.
@BKSquared @cptofthehouse @Coloradomama @Groundwork2022 @auntbea @collegemom3717 @TheBigChef
Huge thanks to all of you guys for reflecting the harsh reality. Now I am more realistic and finding colleges that could really give me at least a full ride in tuition or may be want me to pay a mere amount for my test scores and ECs .