Chance me (IB) for IVY Leagues, and any College Recommendations are Welcome (I'm kind of lost)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello everyone, I’m in the class of 2021 and am really stuck on selecting schools. I kind of want to go to private schools because they usually have scholarships (?). I wanted to post my stats to see if I actually had a chance to apply to maybe a one or two IVYs. Also I would love some recommendations for universities. I am really really stuck and have no idea where to start in terms of looking at schools that aren’t just ‘reach’ schools. Thank you so much.

Demographics: Asian Male, Living in South Korea, International School, US Citizen, Pretty competitive Highschool, Middle Income Bracket, International Baccalaureate (IB)

Intended Majors: Undecided/Economics/Biotechnology/Biology

PSAT: 1470
ACT: 34 Composite (Will Take it one more time)
SAT Subject Tests: Korean 800, WIll take math and biology

GPA: 3.9/4 UW about 4.1 W (Not sure, our school GPA for IB is weird)
HLs: Biology, English Language and Literature, Economics
SLs: Chemistry, Math Analysis SL, Mandarin Ab Initio + TOK

Received all 7s during Junior Year. Had 4.36 UW GPA (Max)
No Class Rank

ECs:
-Public Forum Team Captain for the Forensics Team ( 3rd Place for local tournament)
-Tennis Varsity Since 10th grade. Captain Senior year (maybe)
-Publication of a Research Paper through a competition
-Community Service, Taught younger kids English at a community center 3 hours away since 6th grade. 1 per month
-Internship at the Korean Internet Newspaper Association
-Middle School Tennis Coach
-Founder and President of Robotics Club
-Public Library Volunteering
-NHS, STUCO

My ECs are really spread apart. I didn’t really focus my ECs into a specific interest… I see this as a pretty big weakness…

Awards:
-Paper Publication
-School Scholarship
-Couple of Tennis awards
-PSAT Commended (I think)

Thank you everyone! Tell me below if I am missing something!
Please recommend other schools as well… :slight_smile:

2

If your interested in research John Hopkins would be in your range for grades and scores.

3

The college search process is exciting and overwhelming! The best place to start is with the least exciting part and that is finances. Have you talked with your parents to see how much they can, and will, contribute? Once you have a dollar amount, you can get advice about schools and scholarships that will bring a school into your price range. Some parents say money is no object but don’t realize that means almost $300,000 for 4 years and say they can’t do it. Others have a high income but lots of debt and can’t necessarily get more loans and some may have college savings and say they can contribute X per year.

You mentioned you are looking for scholarships. Are they need based or merit based? Sometimes a merit scholarship might be for $25K per year which still leaves almost double that to pay. Many most selective schools don’t offer merit scholarships, only need based ones (like the Ivies). Before you get too far down the path, you need to know what your circumstances are because that can determine the list of schools.

4

Also, you are a US citizen living abroad. Do your parents still own property in the US or pay US taxes? Those may influence your ability to get instate tuition rates or state scholarships.

5

Thank you for your advice! I guess I have to talk to my parents for a specific number to make this a bit easier… And no, my parents do not own property and do not pay US taxes. So ya, state scholarships isn’t going to happen… Thank you!

6

Run the NPC.
You will need to look into 1° private colleges, especially LACs that meet need in the Northeast, the MidAtlantic, and the Midwest and 2° universities that offer merit scholarships for scores/GPA, regardless of state residency.
Run the NPC on Ivy League+ universities but they provide financial aid based on need only. If your family makes $75K a year or less, they’ll take care of most of your costs. If your family makes 300K a year, they’ll be full pay. If you’re in between, there’s a sliding scale system which may or may not make the college affordable to your parents.
Keep in mind that most of these universities are much more generous than most colleges that meet need, so you MUST run the NPC on lots of different colleges (for instance: St Olaf, Muhlenberg, Case, Northeastern, Union, Lafayette.)

7

Agree with the above comments on determining what is affordable first.

Your stat’s put you in the competitive pool for just about any school in the US, but that pool numbers many multiples of students ultimately accepted. So definitely take your shot at a few Ivies and other highly selective schools that interest you beyond just prestige. If your goal is to study in the US, you will also need to search for schools that have higher acceptance rates and which are affordable. If you are in a competitive international school, work with your guidance counselor who should have the experience to steer you in the right direction,