Can u put your numerical #s into a GPA. 4 for A. 3 for B. 2 for C. That’s what most schools will do and that’s how you can figure out which schools have merit to get you to $20k.
getting a 4.0 uw is easier in america so even my high A-s count as a 4 according to most sources, my overall should be a 4.0.
OP- I don’t care about your tone. You’re a teenager, and if you come on here asking for advice and then snap at people trying to give it to you- hey, you’ll learn.
However, I’m not sure you are comparing apples to apples from a financial perspective, and I think you are looking at admissions and merit aid data that is relevant for a US Applicant in suburban Philadelphia and assuming it applies to you. Which it does not.
And if your “research” is watching videos and talking to current students… hey, the plural of data is anecdote, right?
You need to clean up your “all over the place” set of awards and accomplishments and edit it down to a coherent narrative. You need to get a firm figure from your family- half or one third is not a number. You need a real number. And then you need to account for health insurance, travel, warm clothing if you’ve never lived in a place with snow, etc.
You need to make sure that you are not double counting merit aid for colleges which will package both merit and need into one number. You will likely be eligible for both- but as an International, you will likely get the merit portion (typically the smaller component) but not the need based component. And you need to verify that the numbers you are looking at do not count Work Study and Federal Loans as part of their packages (many colleges do this-- they count federal money in the sample packages, but you won’t be getting that).
Then, take any college which isn’t coming in under or at your budget and bid it farewell.
You need to do a hard think on how to position yourself as someone a Dartmouth Adcom wants to have at his or her school.
Ditch your website. Dartmouth gives you an opportunity to show who you are in their application. If they wanted more, they’d ask for it.
Good luck. I cannot fathom doing a quality job on more than 12-14 applications, but you clearly have a lot of stamina so hey, there’s that.
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thank you so much for the thoughtful reply. I’ll consider ditching the website.
for the scholarship opportunities though I’m fairly confident because I’m basing my estimates off multiple international admits, the need+merit concern is a valid one but at most schools I’ll only be receiving one of the two. I’ll try my best to relay a coherent narrative and demonstrate my fit for the school as well as I can.
Well, to be technical, it’s the other way around, isn’t it? And actually the unofficial CC plural of anecdote is anecdata 
Seriously, though, OP: you are getting tons of good advice here. Have you actually been to Dartmouth? Hanover, New Hampshire is TINY, and three hours away from Boston by bus (2’ish by car). We went there, and I loved it. My D was aghast, as it was totally not her cup of tea. It was far too removed from a “big” city, and she struck it off her list.
40 apps sounds WAY over the top. I have no idea how you are going to find the time to do all the essays. It is a lot of work to do a quality job, and that’s a bare minimum for the kinds of schools you are applying.
I would carefully look over the advice you are getting. I have learned a HUGE amount from many of the people posting here. Most of us are not experts, but we have (or are having) our children go through this intense process. There is a great deal of practical advice.
Putting everything else aside, you need to really research the financial aspects of these schools from your family’s perspective and the fact that you are applying from overseas.
I wish you the best.
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Actually, as a wise man once said, “the plural of anecdote is not data.” 
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Ski/My name- Thanks for catching my malapropism! And for the correction… 
Ironic- I visited Dartmouth with my kids and I LOVED IT and my kids (very different kids, very different interests) all hated it with a white fury. One of them couldn’t get past the fact that everyone we spoke to (Adcom during the presentation, student leading the tour, the kids we struck up conversations with while wandering around) all said that the best part of Dartmouth was that you got to ski a few times a week. That kid hates the cold-- and although I tried mightily to show the performing arts center, the cool art studios, etc. every living person we saw kept harping on winter sports!
Everyone in the family found something significant to dislike about Dartmouth but I loved it and still love it!!!
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@blossom: I loved it as well, but D couldn’t wait to get out of there. I tried to emphasize the skiing, hiking, outdoors, but she would have absolutely none of it! Coming from the parched areas of NorCal, D was taken aback about the greenery of it, and did really like that.
It’s a fine school, no doubt, but I too was a bit surprised at the seeming remoteness of it.
Same thing with NYU: she was totally in love with the idea of going there UNTIL she saw the “campus.”
Given that wise folks are also commenting on the thread 
, I shall hasten to get back on topic. I am no expert but has anyone commented as to the boost, if any, that applying ED to Dartmouth gives an applicant?
We are currently looking at the whole nonsense of ED, ED2, REA/SCEA etc for other schools and, for some of the top schools, an ED does enhance acceptance chances. Does the same apply for Dartmouth? Does applying as an int’l student change that in any way?
Whew! Back on topic.
There is a significant ED bump at Dartmouth: Dartmouth Acceptance Rate Results for Class of 2027 - Crimson Education US
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I don’t think an international applicant who needs financial or merit aid should be expected to visit the campus. Sure, it would be nice and a good investment, but it’s probably not at all feasible for many international students. Visiting a campus before matriculation is a luxury that many can’t afford.
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The issue this student has is that his or her application will be reviewed alongside of others from their region. There are a LOT of students from India applying to U.S. colleges. Most are very very well qualified applicants. And most will have top grades for all of high school.
As noted above, the acceptance rate for international students is likely half of that for domestic applicants.
But you can’t get admitted if you don’t apply. So…if you really feel strongly that Dartmouth is your number one choice, make that apparent in your essays.
I would also suggest you have your other applications either submitted or ready to submit, just in case you don’t get accepted at Dartmouth.
I believe that an a anecdote about data that is repeated multiple times is in fact plural… but I digress.
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Wow, that bump is enormous, at least to me.
OP: one other thought if you haven’t done so already. Check the “common data set” or CDS for Dartmouth and other schools. There is tons of information there, and I am sure many of the people here can guide you as to the specific areas on the CDS you need to research for your own stats/circumstances.
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Is that really the case? Not questioning you at all, but I just don’t know. Schools like Dartmouth place int’l candidates in regional buckets and admit them within that bucket? That is highly relevant.
Note that OP is of Indian descent living in the Middle East. Does that make a difference? Meaning is OP going to be in a notional ME bucket or an Indian bucket?
Asked purely out of my own ignorance and also perhaps to give some more guidance to OP and others.
You’re splitting gossamer hairs and really going off topic. General questions for your own edification should be its own thread.
For the OP, yes an Indian living in UAE is generally more disadvantaged in admissions than an Emirati living in the UAE. But with an overall acceptance rate of 6.2, and with Dartmouth now need blind for international, I think you need to divide the international acceptance rate by 3, not 2. So the difference between a native Emirati and an expat may be 2.1% vs 1.9%. both are super low.
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I’m the slow one here…I’m still stuck on a student who is in ‘love’ with Dartmouth (b/c of D term & cold weather…) as their ED choice- that’s fine. But the 2nd choice is Swat?! The cultures of the two schools could hardly be more different.
OP, while I understand that health issues are difficult, you need to understand that a significant percentage of high schoolers and college kids(and adults) suffer migraines and have to keep on keeping on , so to speak. Many schools do not ever allow retests. Be careful not to make it seem as though you are making excuses for lower grades, and be sure to discuss with a physician/migraine specialist on how you can learn to manage and function well with this common condition.
OP, Yes, remove the hook comments, so people can focus on helping you.
Why Dartmouth? If you are going to ED there that is what you will need to tackle. Wanting a colder climate and d-term is not enough. Dartmouth cares about your essays, so slow your roll and really take some time on this.
One reason folks are asking is that while on paper Dartmouth may be the an easier admit into the Ivy world than others - it is also a very remote location. Have you been there or to the US? Dartmouth is not the easiest place to navigate to once you land in Boston or NYC airports.
How much aid do you actually need? If you can cover up to 1/3 the cost, is that what the financial aid folks will provide as a number for expected family contribution, or are their circumstances where it may be higher? Do you have additional funds for travel and other costs?
If you get an interview to any of the schools, take a few moments to focus on what you want to share.
It seems you would have had even more extensive interaction with some class of '23 Dartmouth students, for whose organization you have served as chief operations officer and marketing strategist.
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Your ECs are a jumble of what reads, to an American, as a bunch of hooey. You need to pare it down and make it more readable and believable. The personal website is a hard no. They don’t have time to go do supplemental reading on you. The application is designed to give the right amount of information, use the app as a guideline for how to present information and how much information to present.