Chance Me~ Low SAT/ Unique Background( North Korea related, Will Chance back ASAP)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey everyone. Would you mind to take a minute to chance me? What chance do you think I have of getting accepted from the following college?</p>

<ul>
<li><p>International Student, dual citizenship from Brazil and China, born in Sao Paulo, grow up in several african countries moved to China when I was 9</p></li>
<li><p>School Type: Switched HS for 3 times
Local Competitive Public School in China
Prestigious Private School in Canada
Really Competitive Independent International School in Central America (over 80 nationalities) </p></li>
<li><p>Ethnicity: 1/4 Jewish, 1/4 South East Asian Muslim, 1/4 Chinese, 1/4 Korean (well North Korean meh), has a typical Jewish last name like Goldstein or Rosenberg hyphenated with typical Chinese-Korean last name such as Yoon or Sun, so....</p></li>
<li><p>Gender: Female</p></li>
<li><p>Language- Portuguese/Chinese/Korean/English</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Went to HS for 5 years, is taking a gap year ( Well, it's a complicated story, shortly after I finish 9th grade in local high school in China, my family was granted to the immigration status in Canada so I enrolled in a prestigious private school in a medium-size Canadian city. Then my father was diagnosed with cancer so my family decide to move back to China where more accessible medical treatment was available, so I had to go back to my local high school I previously attended. Since they don't take any transfer credit from foreign country so I had to repeat grade 10. Then my mother went to Latin America for a job and I followed her after receiving a scholarship from a highly independent school here while my father remained in China and undergo medical treatments. I was on this IB program but I didn't go back to Latin America to finish the second year of my studies as when I went back to China for summer break and was told my father had about 8 months to live. So...I went back to my local public high again...My father passed away this June and I hope he is a better place now...</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Major: International Studies </p></li>
<li><p>SAT I: Pending (Took in October and still waiting for my result, I wouldn't be too confident, it should be around 1900 or even lower as I couldn't put too much into SAT preparation and stuff) </p></li>
<li><p>SAT II: Chinese (620), Math I (660) ( Not really a science person)</p></li>
<li><p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):top 5% at my Chinese public high, have predicted grade of all 7 and 6 during my IB course and around 90 on my Canadian transcript (assuming they are more trusted)</p></li>
</ul>

<p>*Volunteer/Community service:</p>

<p>Well, my dad was an idealist who devoted most of his energies into helping north korean refugees in china. I often helped him to pick up refugees who newly across Chinese border via the underground railway. I teach North Korean basic Chinese and help them to translate necessary document needed for asylum status into Chinese. And I helped them to locate host family in China. Well I guess you don't get a recommendation for this kind of stuff.</p>

<p>Editor for an online newspaper for North Korean refugees. Translated contents from Chinese to Portuguese/English vice versa. </p>

<p>Volunteer as tour guide in local Jewish heritage center.
Sustainable Ambassador at school and local community
Archery(promising player, hoping to attend a college with excellent archery program)</p>

<p>*Summer Activities:
Urban Development Program in Armenia
Volunteer in another urban development program in Dominica for another month
Spent a summer in Pyongyang( well my grandpa flee from north korea to China before the communist took over)
Taking care of my father</p>

<p>*Essays: I think they're pretty good- show my passion for international relations and urban development</p>

<p>*Teacher Recommendations:</p>

<p>-One from my IB Higher Level Economics teacher and one from my high school (well he's also the counselor is that okay?</p>

<p>*Counselor Rec: i think its pretty good, all the teacher all got a basic idea what i have been through. </p>

<p>School List: ( Not applying for Financial Aid)
Barnard( ED)
Still thinking about school for ED 2, possibly Bowdoin?
Brown (RD)
Carleton(RD)
Cornell ILR School (RD)
Princeton(RD)
Stanford(RD)
WUSTL(RD)</p>

<p>Any recommendation in regards to school choice is also welcomed! i haven't decided my final list yet! I know I probably need safeties. Please name few if you happened to got an idea. Thank you so much for your time to read this long chance and all your help will be appreciated. </p>

2

<p>WOW, what an amazing story. I think you’d have a chance because your essays would be breathtaking </p>

3

<p>I am not sure how your story will affect you. I’ll assume that it makes up somewhat for your not-up-to-standard test scores.
Barnard/Bowdoin-not knowledgeable, probably match or low reach with early decision?
Brown-High reach
Carleton-match
Cornell-High reach
Princeton/Stanford-Can’t reach, even with your amazing story</p>

4

<p>Thank you Chris,so I guess I am removing Princeton and Stanford from the list then. Well I didn’t know too much about school in US, so I just gonna apply a few famous one. I know it sounds ■■■■■■■■ and I definitely need safety schools, do you have any recommendations? I am not really into large state schools like UIUC or UCB due to over over-represented Chinese population and the tuition difference international students pay. </p>

5

<p>Update: Sorry guys! i just notice I accidentally put 620 for Chinese SAT II, I actually a 800. Sorry… And for some reason I couldn’t chance the original post…oops</p>

6

<p>up up up</p>

7

<p>An 800 on the Chinese SAT II for a native speaker is meaningless, same thing for a 5 on the Chinese AP exam for a native speaker. </p>

<p>I am not clear what you are doing now. Are you in a HS or are you taking a gap year? If you are not in HS, can you contact the HS you graduated from and talk to their GC about colleges that would be appropriate for you?</p>

<p>You should try to use Naviance (if your school has it), Parchment, or other college search tools:
<a href=“University and college search | Parchment - College admissions predictions.”>http://www.parchment.com/c/college/search/browse/&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>You need get realistic choices on the table. Yes, your story is interesting, and I even think you should consider your own safety if you mention your involvement in activities which essentially are illegal according to some. Time in Pyongyang may not be a positive to some colleges.</p>

<p>Carleton is more reachable than the others - I don’t see much hope for the others but that doesn’t mean don’t apply.</p>

8

<p>Thank you! I am actually doing a gap year after turning down an confidential offer from a prestigious college. Well my hs in China is very Gaokao-driven and I think no body knows or cares about college in the states. Ok put the Pyongyang apart side, would it be better of me to self-report as Jewish? I mean my name is among those typical Jewish name after all. I mean is Barnard nearly impossible for ED as an international student from Brazil? And I dont need FA so… Thank you I should move up Carleton from the list then. </p>

9

<p>Don’t take Stanford/Princeton off your list just because someone on the internet tells you to! Apply to any school that you would like to go to regardless of your chances.</p>

10

<p>Do you have good reasons for those schools? I agree not to take any schools off your list just because someone told you, but think a lot about why you want to go somewhere. Right now, to me, your list looks like the typical Asian hopeful that hasn’t done a lot of research (no offence. I was like that.). </p>

<p>Anyway, your story is unique and compelling, but I can’t say how any college will look at it. Go for a nice range of reaches to safeties.</p>

<p>I would suggest applying to Middlebury. It is highly international, top LAC, best school for international studies IMO, and just seems like a perfect match for you (not as in acceptance chance, but in terms of fit). It would be a reach for everyone. </p>

<p>About your Jewish-Chinese-Korean situation, don’t hide the fact you’re Chinese. You’ll need to tell a summary of your life story, which points out your background. SAT Chinese may then be counted lower than it would, but I believe the positive affect from your story will be a lot higher. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>Chance me? <a href=“Claremont Mckenna, Duke, Bucknell, Grinnell, UofR chances! - Chance Me / Match Me! - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1690007-claremont-mckenna-duke-bucknell-grinnell-uofr-chances-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;