Chance--CIE -> American Universities

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Hi guys
I'm from New Zealand and is studying the Cambridge International courses (CIE) which is an UK system. However I wish to enter American Universities. Please evaluate my profile.</p>

<p>Grades
Our highschool starts from year 9 to year 13... haha. but the CIE courses only start from year 11 upwards. And the maximum subjects we are allowed to take per year is 5.</p>

<p>IGCSE level(year 11)
Maths (with stats & calculus) ~A*
English ~A
Physics ~A*
French ~A*
Graphics Design ~A*</p>

<p>AS Level (year 12)
Maths (with stats & calculus) ~ A
Physics~A
Chemistry ~B
English Literature ~C ....... pretty devastating i kno..</p>

<p>A level ( this year) <<< I read it somewhere that A-levels are the equivalent of APs
currently taking..
Maths(with stats & calculus)
Physics
Chemistry
English Literature
French (AS level)</p>

<p>Haven't sat the end of the year exams and I won't be able to get the results till january 2011.
But the thing with CIE is that the A level mark is made up of 50% of your AS level mark and 50% of your A level exam. So.. it would be close to impossible to bring my English A level mark to an A...T_T; i wish i could go back in time and studied harder..</p>

<p>SAT I
CR: 630
Writing:610
Maths:770</p>

<p>total:2010.. :/ i got 2010 in the year of 2010.. ...
I'm retaking in October, hopefully 2200+</p>

<p>SAT II
Maths 2: 780
Literature: 660....</p>

<p>Rank
School doesnt rank</p>

<p>Co-curricular & Awards</p>

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<p>Volunteering & service</p>

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<p>So.. @_@;
I wish to study in the business area..
Upenn<br>
Brown << Is it likely for me to get into any Ivy Leagues?
Carnegie Mellon University
UC-Berkeley
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor
New York University</p>

<p>Or liberal Arts colleges</p>

<p>Can somebody shed some light to my situation? Will my C in English greatly affect my chances of getting into schools? And also I'll be applying as an international student, will it be tougher?</p>

<p>eeek helppp</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>Are you a native speaker of English ? If not, some colleges might give less weight to your English Literature grades. </p>

<p>I noticed that you consistently score higher in math than in reading/writing/literature on the SAT’s, but your IGCSE English grade is good. I’d assume IGSCE English is closer to “regular” HS English in the US, whereas AS/A level English would be comparable to AP English in America. </p>

<p>Anyway, I think that, excluding that particular weak link (English grades/test scores), your application looks reasonably competitive. Some tech schools like Carnegie Mellon may disregard your somewhat lower CR/Writing scores if you are applying to the engineering school for example. You’ll have to take though at least one SAT II science test (preferably physics) and get a good score. That shouldn’t be difficult considering you are getting A’s in A-level physics.</p>

<p>BTW, another possible weakness in your application is that some colleges, even if you are applying as a prospective engineering or business major, might ask for one year of biology in HS (in addition to physics and chemistry). Since you didn’t take any biology at GCSE level, that might be a problem (I’m not sure though).</p>

3

<p>Thanks guys for the advice. ^^</p>

<p>And also, I find the admission system a bit wierd, because one of my friend from the year above had straight As throughout and he got rejected by Brown… So… i really duno ._. if even straight As get rejected… what chances have I got lol.</p>

<p>What a depressing thought</p>