<p>I'm an international student from Canada, and am thinking about applying to UC Berkeley and Cornell (maybe) for engineering. Being an international student and not knowing anyone who has recently applied to university in the US, I don't really know what to think of my scores and chances. I'm in grade 11 currently - a junior.</p>
<p>Scores
SAT II Chemistry - 780
SAT I - CR: 680, Math: 740, Writing: 690
I will write Math on June 1</p>
<p>GPA
Not exactly sure about how to calculate this, so I'll just list it off:
-As a freshman, I had no class under ~94% (we don't consider grade 9 high school here so I don't see it on my transcript).
-Sophomore: I had no academic class under 96%, with the exception of a social studies class which was 92%
-Junior: year all classes at or above 95%, except English (at 81%, I am highly skeptical of the standards my teacher held).
-Senior: Obviously haven't entered senior year yet, but I am taking the final English course for my jurisdiction and am getting around 98%</p>
<p>APs
I am taking 4 out of the 6 AP courses offered to me (AP French is also offered at my school but reserved for French Immersion students). I will write all of them Senior year.
-AP European History
-AP Physics B
-AP Calculus AB
-AP Chemistry</p>
<p>Extracurricular
-Played Hockey (11 years); ended in the spring grade 10
-Karate (7 years); ended in mid summer between grade 10-11
-Badminton team (Freshman)
-German Language Classes - at local university (Sophomore)
-Swim team (Junior)
-Volunteer at local homeless shelter
-I will volunteer this coming summer as a math tutor for my city's public library
-I also work as a lifeguard and swim instructor (past year)</p>
<p>Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. The realm of test scores is almost completely unknown to me, as is admission criteria such as ECs. So thanks.</p>
<p>I would not say it is very high. I know someone well who got into UCB and he had an activity that made him standout. They dont want you to do activities for the fun of it, they dont just want an all rounded student for the sake of it, they want an all rounded student so it can benefit their sports teams or their holistic environment. </p>
<p>Swimming and badminton wont help unless you are amazing at them. And play at a state or national level. Your grades are fine, they dont need any improvement. However, there is nothing to make you stand out.</p>
<p>You do need better scores for engineering in both schools. Try at least get 700+ in all section scores. Right now, it would be low reach for Cornell and high match to low reach for UCB.</p>
<p>Your SATs are ok, but not stand out. Raising them might help, but they’re certainly in the ballpark for those schools.</p>
<p>Grades – probably ok – I have no idea what a 94 or 95 means in your school, but generally it sounds good. However, they don’t look stand out.</p>
<p>Rigor of Schedule – probably ok.</p>
<p>ECs – tough to gauge – You’ve certainly kept busy, but you seem to have abandoned the two long-term activities that you had engaged in. Your app might look a bit stronger if you picked up Karate again (I’d suggest Hockey as an alternative, but it’s probably more of a time commitment). Then you’d be able to show an 8 or 9 year activity. </p>
<p>Essays and Recommendations – No information provided (and this may be what is the deciding factor). </p>
<p>Overall – your stats look typical-ish for the serious applicants for these colleges. For both schools – while the majority of admitted students have similar stats to yours, less than half of students with stats similar to yours are admitted. UCB is a bit easier to get into than Cornell, but both are tough schools to get into.</p>
<p>Advice – that’s easy. Apply to both schools. You have a shot. Hope for the best. Make sure you apply to a number of schools where your stats stand out. Make sure that you have a couple of true safeties (both academic and financial).</p>
<p>3rd attempt at writing a reply so I guess I need to make it brief.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the feedback.
I wrote a detailed paragraph describing how my classes are scheduled, but to make it brief I still have a semester of Chemistry, Physics, English and two semesters of math (Pre-calculus 12 and Calculus). Basically, I am sure with more math my scores will increase on the math component of the SAT for fall of my senior year. I also believe I can further increase my reading and writing scores through studying.</p>
<p>My first question is, how much should I aim to improve my score? What scores should I aim to achieve for engineering at these schools?
Secondly, is it even worth it? Could I be on track for admission if I got the scores? Or are my ECs too weak?</p>
<p>As for my grades, I have taken classes my school labels as “AP”. For physics and chemistry that means they have been AP curriculum and very rigorous. Our university prerequisite courses though in my province are already very rigorous, with standardized final exams worth 50% of the course mark, and set at an average of 60%. For grade 11 in the maths and sciences I received:
-Math - 100%
-Physics - 100%
-Chemistry - 97%
-Biology - 95%</p>
<p>Ultimately, these are not the only schools I am apply for. I will apply to universities in Canada for which I am a match. Admissions here are also entirely based on merit and are less variable.</p>
<p>Finally, should I expect to not receive any kind of scholarships if I choose to study in the US?</p>
<p>“How much should I try to increase my scores?”</p>
<p>I see this question a lot – I never really understand it. If I say you should try to get the CR over 750, how will you study differently than if I say you should try to get it over 720? Basically, more is better.</p>
<p>However, to answer, your SAT’s are ‘ok’ as is. Another 50 points each in CR and W would be better. Once you get into the 750ish range, I don’t think a higher score makes that much difference.</p>
<p>ECs – not too weak for admissions to these schools. Just won’t be much of a boost as things stand.</p>
<p>On track for admissions – It’s a really impossible question to answer. Let’s say that Cornell gets 1000 applicants exactly like you. Let’s say 400 get admitted and 600 get rejected. Are you on track? That’s the problem with top US schools – other than to say you look qualified, no one here knows why certain students are admitted and why others aren’t.</p>
<p>As things stand now – I think you have competitive applications to both schools. Maybe a bit reachy right now, but certainly worth applying. Improve the SAT’s and things look a little better, but I don’t think there’s any way to become a lock for those schools.</p>
<p>Financial aid. Non-US students can receive financial aid. You should (1) check the websites for both schools to find out their policies and to see what you might qualify for and (2) probably go to the International Student Forum on this site (it has a name something like that) for information about financial aid. They’ll be of more help. FWIW, Cornell only offers need-based scholarships. It does not offer merit money to anyone – US or International (none of the Ivies do).</p>
<p>Usually I don’t post in these threads, but I’d like to balance out all of the others’ misguided opinions with a dose of reality. </p>
<p>To be frank, you have a very low chance of getting into either of the schools you listed. Your SATs are poor, your academics are mediocre by all metrics, and you have no significant awards/meaningful ECs. You say you want to be an engineer - I see nothing related to that at all, other than your courses, which every other applicant to Berkeley and such have taken as well.</p>
<p>If I recall correctly, your international status lowers your chances of getting in - at the very best, it certainly won’t help you.</p>