Chance a Freshman from a Regular All Korean School Can Get Into Top Schools

You can’t just hope. You have to ask and explain. If your school doesn’t send kids to the us, your counselor doesn’t know what’s useful or expected. S/he might think the school’s name speaks for itself or that the numbers don’t need the wider background because they’re so clear.
So: check. Ask. If need be, make sure it’s corrected.

Hey fellow Korean student, I was at a Korean Special Purpose High School too. I’m graduating at a US high school, but grades from Korea are pulling me DOWN. I’ve heard that major colleges that have experience with international Korean students do acknowledge the academic prestige of Korean high schools (especially the special purpose ones) and view the grades different than the US grades. I’m not sure how this exactly works, but I’ve heard it several times with people that are very experienced with international college admissions. Let’s just try our best!

Note that Penn State has a specific question for Korean students which would seem to indicate it knows about the system and can evaluate it. It might worth it to apply (priority deadline is today but it’s very basic and you can “recyce” your commonapp essay- click “apply later” for Schreyer ie., the Honors College)