Chance an international student, interested in finance: Good EC's with 3.8 GPA and 1530 SAT (UPenn, NYU, MIT)

Demographics

  • international student
  • white male from highly competitive public school:

Intended Major(s)

  • Finance and Operations research

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.8
  • SAT Score: 1530

Coursework
AP csp (4), AP stats (4) AP physics (3), Two years of calc, AP csa, AP Lit, AP lang, AP Physics 2

Awards

  • National level investment pitch winner
  • International level investment competition semi-finalist
  • Third place national level trading competition
  • Honors all 4 years
  • 3 coding certificates which took 8+ months (not sure if this counts as an award)

Extracurriculars

  • Founder of an investment research and portfolio analytics startup which democratizes investment research by scraping data for free. I developed all the software by myself. The startup is rapidly growing with around 300 email sign ups currently.

  • I developed a highly specific analytics software actively used by a group of 200 people

  • Retail sales job for 10 months: sold over $10,000 worth of product, trained new employees and managed the e-waste program.

  • I led a group of 7 people for 8 month in an entrepreneurship program. We developed a consumer technology product with great social impact and pitched it to a panel of investors.

  • President of the Finance club for 3 years and regular member of CS club

  • Creative hobbies like making electronic music and customizing shoes

Essays/LORs/Other
I have good essays but average LORS

Cost Constraints / Budget
No budget

Schools
I’m applying without financial aid:

  • University of Pennsylvania Wharton
  • NYU Stern
  • University of Michigan Ross
  • Columbia Operations Research Financial engineering
  • Carnegie Mellon Tepper
  • Cornell Operations Research
  • MIT managment major

Congratulations on all your achievements.
You’ve built a strong profile, so you’re competitive at all these schools.
But as you probably know they are all reaches.

  • Do you plan to apply ED at any of these?
  • Do you have other schools on your list that have higher acceptance rates?
  • Do you have a solid backup in your home country?
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Checking for clarity. This means your parents have about $350,000 right now to support your studies in the U.S? Because you will need to complete a certificate of finances to show you have the money at the ready to get a visa to study here. This cannot include future income or loans not already approved.

Regardless…this is a very top heavy list.

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Congrats on your achievements. The schools on your application list are all reaches for any unhooked applicant - even more so for an international. Apply and give it your all but seek out options in your home country (and possibly some less competitive schools in the US…maybe Kelley at IU, Fordham in NYC as a couple of ideas).

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Take a look at the Farmer School of Business at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio: Farmer School of Business | Miami University

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All my safeties are in my home country.

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Congratulations on all your have already done. You may have a chance at some top colleges with programs that will support your business interests.

Why do you consider your LORs average? They are an opportunity to differentiate your application. You still have time to work on those relationships and for them to understand your interest in attending college in the US. Your school counselor recommendation and two teachers can help validate your level of preparation to thrive in college. Make sure to share your resume or talking points with them, so they remember your accomplishments.

Take time to dig in on the different opportunities these colleges would offer you and build those things that interest you in your college specific essays.

Good luck!

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