Chance a German International for Ivys

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Demographics
• International Woman from Germany, low-income family, white, no transfer, first gen college student
• Background: I’ve had challenging circumstances; my dad suffers from severe mental health problems, my mum lost her job in the pandemic
• I also went to middle school. In Germany, you get sorted into either high school or middle school after elementary school, and if you go to middle school, you get directly trained for a job, and you can’t go to college. It’s tough to switch, but I did. Also, my school was in a deprived area, so seeing poverty, violence, and addiction firsthand has formed me politically. That kind of explains my GPA, I had to study a lot by myself to achieve where I am.

Intended Major(s) Political Sciene/Government

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.7 (at my school, people barely graduate hetter than that)
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.3 (out of 4)
  • Class Rank: 1/50
  • ACT/SAT Scores: none taken
  • Duolingo English Test: 135/160 (solid C1)

Coursework:
• 8 APs over high school (maxed out)
• all others are honors classes (30 or something)
• German schools don’t offer dual enrollment
• I speak German, English and French fluently

Awards
• Youngest Delegate at the state party convention
• Youngest delegate at the city party convention
• special qualification for international relations, economics, administration, and EU-specific laws
• best high school student since sophomore year

Extracurriculars
• Youth Parliament Member of my city - elected by over 300 people - drafted bills, represented the youth in my city, and met up with Amy Gutman (US Ambassador for Germany, the chancellor, etc.).
• Chair of the Youth Council of my city - elected by the city council, passed motions for our city, made my city declare climate emergency (national news!), spoke in front of the city council several times, led meetings regularly, represented the Youth council on official occasions such as memorial days.
• Volunteer job in a parliamentary group of a state parliament for my gap year (I work closely with the Governor, attend meetings, draft motions, do social media work, etc.). I have also again met the chancellor and, for example, the CEO of our biggest media company in Germany. I work there for 12 months, 40h/week
• Chair of the students and trainees group for my political party on the state level for three years
• political activist for multible campaigns (regional, state, national)
• Exchange to France for four weeks after six months of class
• political satire TikTok Channel with 10.000+ views, etc.)
• German schools don’t have clubs so I cant list any

Essays/LORs/Other
Honestly, all 10/10. My teachers were close to me and helped me a lot.

  1. We don’t have a counselor, so my class teacher, that also did AP Economics did it.
  2. My Maths teacher
  3. My German and Politics teacher (she did both)
  4. My peer from the youth parliament explained a lot about it and what I’ve done there in his LOR.

Cost Constraints / Budget
Basically zero. Household income is <50.000. I need a full ride for all schools :frowning:

Schools

  • All reaches *
    (If it doesn’t work out, I’ll stay in Germany)
    • Ivys RD
    • Stanford RD
    • JHU RD
    • UChicago RD
    • Duke RD
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Why don’t you apply to the colleges that meet need for international. If you have full need, it becomes more difficult although others will meet need if they admit you - a Franklin & Marshall for example.

I would guess your chances are very low - but you never know if you don’t try. The schools below will not look at your finances in regards to making an admission decision. The other Ivies and top schools will. Good luck.

  • Amherst College.
  • Bowdoin College.
  • Dartmouth College.
  • Harvard University.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Princeton University.
  • Yale University.
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How about Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Dartmouth for me? I am applying to them.

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My guess is little chance - but if you don’t try, you’ll never know. Good luck.

PS - few have a chance at an Ivy - period.

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The admission rate for international students at Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Dartmouth is in the LOW single digits.

You can do your chances yourself based on this. They are low…but they are low for everyone.

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Congratulations on your achievements. I can’t chance you, but as others have said the international student acceptance rates at the schools on your list are very low. Why do you want to study in the US? Are you set to attend university in Germany next Fall if things don’t work out at a US school?

All of the schools on OP’s list do meet full need for internationals. But, some are need blind, some are need aware.

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Additionally: what do you plan to do after graduation? You will be required to return home, as there is no guarantee of employment in the United States after completing your education.

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Sorry that’s what I meant. Why I listed the 7 - because need won’t impact andmissions. And I suggested a school more international friendly and an easier admit (F&M) but of course they are aware vs blind. Thx for clarifying.

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If you decide to refine your list, this site may offer you additional ideas:

Most of the colleges included meet full demonstrated financial need for their international students.

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Very unlikely to be admitted to any of them, but if you do well in your studies at a German University, graduate school here will be an option.

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As others have said, chances are low, but if you don’t try you’ll never now. And just maybe your ECs will win them over.
But, if you end up going to college in Germany, there will be many opportunities to come to the US as an exchange student and those are often free for you. Most German universities have exchange agreements with US partner unis. Then there is DAAD and Fulbright for funding and exchange programs. Since you are so politically involved, check on programs between both governments that sponsor internships in Congress in DC. Also check with the foundation attached to the party you support. They have offices in DC and offer internships.
So, even if going to college in the US as a regular 4-year student ends up not working out, there will be many opportunities to go to school here and/or do internships if you study in Germany.

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And important hint: You cannot translate “Mittlere Reife” or “Realschule” literally to “middle school”. It has a completely different meaning in the U.S.

In the U.S., there is a grade progression from elementary school, which is Kindergarten (Grade K - think of it as “Nullte Klasse”) through approx. Grade 5, followed by Middle School (Grades 6 through 8), and then High School (Grades 9 through 12).

Typically, “everyone” will have attended Middle School, because that’s what schools for that age/grade range is typically called. You absolutely don’t want a U.S. reader to misunderstand, that you dropped out of school after 8th grade!

Let me just confirm:
After graduating Realschule with “Mittlere Reife”, you then enrolled into a Gymnasium for year 11 and 12 to graduate with “Abitur” (equivalent to a High School diploma)?

In that case, this is probably way too confusing to relate to a U.S. reader, at least at that level of detail. You could summarize it that you…

“…graduated with the German 10-year ‘intermediate’ secondary school diploma, then successfully transferred into senior high school, graduating with Germany’s 12-year “Abitur”, the pre-requisite to attend university.”

Now - as far as “Ivy’s”, the chances are already very low for everyone, even for those with a straight-forward educational journey. Beyond that, someone must have some exceptional qualities/background, to make that student a “must have” for that university.

So you should definitely widen your circle and identify ANY colleges that do meet “full need” for international students.

But - to be completely honest, I think at the end you most likely will be attending university in Germany – which actually is a great opportunity that very many from this country would love to have (given the minimal administrative enrollment fees).

If anything, maybe there are opportunities for you to take some of your semesters in France, or Ireland (I don’t know how fees for E.U. citizens work within the E.U.)

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I’m letting this all sink in, how incredibly political engaged you’ve been within your state’s party structure, but also your highly relevant, full-year internship (?) at the state legislature - and showing a genuine multi-year commitment to those extracurriculars!

Then you have a creative side, producing your TikTok channel.

You do have a great resume and certainly don’t need to worry about any other “clubs”.

And the fact that you’re fluent in three languages, have been ranked the #1 in your grade for three years straight is further testimony to your academic prowess.

I very much hope that you’ll beat the odds and will find a college that appreciates your above-average potential.

To gain a better understanding, may I ask:

I can’t wrap my head around a German school offering U.S. AP classes - especially the way you described the school environment?
Were all these classes conducted in German, and the AP exam administered in English?

If you’re comfortable saying - does that nuance mean you are German resident, but possibly not an E.U. citizen?

Any chance, that your state’s party chair might write you a letter of recommendation, maybe your city’s mayor where you’re serving in a committee (sounds like a larger city, so there might be name recognition), or a state assemblyman, using their parlamentary letterhead?
These are all things that can make YOUR application stand out, and more memorable, among the thousands that an admissions officer will review. It might also help them justifying to themselves to use their sparse financial aid on an international student.

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You have a very interesting profile and a compelling story. The only missing piece is the standardized test scores. Its difficult to predict, but if you find a sympathetic reader, you might have a chance.

Overall your chances are low, as others point out below. But you might get lucky.

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