Chance me at Princeton/Yale! (Chemistry Major)
I’m an international student
Currently a junior at a private school on a full scholarship
4.0 Unweighted GPA
Full IB program
(was planning on doing the SAT this March but it was cancelled, but from practice tests i’d say i’d get 1500+)
My school doesn’t rank but I’m guessing im in the top 20/400
Extracurriculars:
Chemistry internship with the top professor in my local university (I conduct experiments and help with the research)
I founded my own club/nonprofit organization in which we fundraise and donate the money to vulnerable children
I co-founded a recycling environmental project that aims to reach the SDG goals of the UN
I’ve been doing Model UN for 2 years
I’m in a Varsity Rugby Team
And that’s all! I have a few other ECs but these are the main ones!
Thank you!
These are reach schools for anyone. Chances of getting into either are 5-6% even with your resume - unless you’re being recruited for Rugby.
Think Emory as an alternative to Princeton and Washington U in St Louis for Yale. You’ll have a much better chance of getting in - although they’re still highly selective - and you’ll have a similar experience as at the Ivy of your dreams. If you want to stay in the Northeast, the little Ivies are a nice alternatives - especially the bigger ones like Wesleyan and Middlebury.
As an international student with high financial need (assuming the private school scholarship is need based), many selective schools will be high reaches for you.
Even at Princeton and Yale, who are need blind for internationals, the international student acceptance rate is in the low single digits.
All you can do is control what is in your control…get a high SAT score, continue getting good grades in your IB curriculum.
Make sure you apply to range of schools, including some where your chances of admission will be higher than P and Y, although you are unlikely to find a true safety due to the financial aid requirement.
I assume as a private school student you have access to a college counselor who will help guide your thru the application process.
Good luck.
@Mwfan1921 Thank you so much for your reply!
And yes, you’re right about the financial need thing! Unfortunately, both my parents aren’t working (it’s been like that for 5+ years due to a list of reasons) and I have 3 siblings all of which will have to go to really cheap local university. However, ever since my parents went through these financial hardships, it was a wake up call for me that I have to work harder and build myself. With that, I’ve been spending time with my college counselor and she has been providing me with amazing guidance! She gave me a bunch of scholarships to apply to, however, they are extremely selective and I don’t have it in me to believe that I would get any of them 
It’s sad because I’ve been working so hard for the past 6 years, and I’ve managed to do everything independently with no support from my family. I have a HUGE passion for chemistry to the extent where I spent hours doing research and worked with my chemistry teacher on A LOT of experiments to train myself. Anyways, thank you so much for your reply! Appreciate it! And stay safe 
U have very good EC’s but get your SAT/ACT scores up to improve your chances. Please remember these schools have very low acceptance rates and ESSAYS play a very crucial role. I would suggest write about your journey/hardships in a creative way and you would have a good chance.
I’m mainly concerned about you needing significant financial aid as an international student… I had a friend who was also an international applicant (I used to live abroad) and he had similar interests/ qualifications as you but in bio and was valedictorian of his school but was not only flat out rejected by the ivies but from lower-ranked state schools as well.
Your activities look pretty good though!
@AnotherORMDad Thank you for your reply! I think I’ll do well on my SAT because I was getting 1570 on every practice test so I wouldn’t worry too much about that!
And yeah, that’s what I’m going to be focusing on in my essays! My journey! Thank you again
@diannee123 Thank you for your reply! Isn’t Yale need blind to international students?