GPA - Freshman: 10/10; Sophomore: 10/10; Junior: 85%(?) [School gives CGPA on a scale of 10 for Freshman Year, Sophomore Year, and percentage for Junior Year and Senior Year]
SAT I - 1580/1600
SAT II - Math 2: 800; (will take another one; expect 780+)
AP - none taken (sincere question - should I bother to? I don’t care for college credit)
Major Academic Awards :-
Mathematical Genius Award 2015-2016 Sophomore – All India Rank 12; State Rank 2
International Science Olympiad (SOF) Junior – International Rank 218 (98.77 percentile)
Certificate of Merit from CBSE India for Performance in Junior and Sophomore Year 10/10
National Creativity Olympiad Sophomore – All India Rank 32
Qualified in Second Level of DPS Science and Mathematics Talent Examination 2014-2015 Junior
Extra Curriculars :-
MIT Launch /
Yale Global Young Scholars /
Brown Leadership Institute
Senior Prefect in School Student Council
Made two websites for School – One for School MUN, one for School Alumni
Freelance Graphic Designer – Worked as Head of Design at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur Model United Nations 2016 and many others.
Secretary General of my school’s Model UN – Senior Year
Under Secretary General of my school Model UN – Junior Year
Played Basketball since 2012 in the school team, Participated in many District, State, National, and International Level 10. Championships. (Bronze in Rural International Games Championship recognized by the Government of India).
Playing Piano and Guitar for 8+ years, part of school band, participated in National Music Competitions
Volunteered in a Mobile Eye Treatment Van that goes to villages and offers free eye care to the poor
Although chances for internationals are usually very low, I think you have quite a good chance given your scores/extracurriculars. Good luck! Keep in mind none of us can accurately chance you because we aren’t admissions officer nor do we have your entire application. But regardless I think you stand a good chance.
Those are all selective schools - but you are in as good shape as one can be, for the most part. They are all reaches still, but you are definitely competitive. Just out of curiousity, what are you studying?
I agree with the above posts. I would say to try to take AP exams if that’s a possibility given your location or make use of the IB program because taking the exams and then doing well may help you stand out in the pool of international applicants. It would kind of show an initiative on your part and also more than college credit/placement, I think it would show mastery of subjects like for example chemistry. Overall it would be an added plus point in my opinion but only do it if it’s feasible given your location.
Chances for international students are very low, but you have a strong set of extracurriculars and good test scores. You seem to be about as competitive as you can be but all the schools you’re applying to are very difficult to get into and I wouldn’t let your expectations get too high. Like another poster said, taking APs may help you stand out, but probably wouldn’t change much. Good luck!!
@ro2400 I guess I’ll try to give some APs to show my initiative. But, joining IB at this point is impossible, and only a few schools offer it in India.
Unfortunately, most schools are not great with aid for international students. Very few schools are need-blind and meet full-need for international students (I think the list has about 10 or so schools in the whole United States that fulfill these characteristics).
Your SAT is very high. Which ivies will definitely see as a plus. You should for sure do AP’s or even better IB classes. If you want to be competitive you need to have a rigorous schedule and take the highest level your school offers. Your EC shows that you have a focus on math and science which is good bc it shows colleges your dedicated in a field and you can succeed in a field. But like stated before the science courses are even more competitive especially for international students. Good luck!
