Chances for an International student from Brazil?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I completed freshman and sophomore year of high school in Brazil and junior year of high school in the US. I'm going into my senior year at the same US school.
I have a unusual story. I'm thinking about incorporating it in my essays since I've been told it'll help me with admissions.</p>

<p>I came to study in the US at 16 by myself. I grew up here, from the ages of 7 to 14, and always indentified myself as more American than Brazilian. When I had to move back to Brazil in 7th grade, I was devastated. I was in Gifted here, so in Brazil they skipped me two grades because they didn't know what to do with me. Regardless, I was miserable. In the two years I spent studying there, I fell into a deep depression. I couldn't identify myself wiith the culture at all. In turn, I felt no motivation to do anything, especifically succeed in school. I decided I had had enough and wanted to come back to the US. I worked hard tutoring kids in Math and English to save up some money to prove to my parents I was serious about living on my own. With their blessing, I moved to Miami and rented an apartment. However, I was shortly placed in foster care after attempting to enroll myself in high school under the McKinney-Vento Act. I've been in foster care since. I have not been in the best of environments, I must say.</p>

<p>My GPA from Brazil is a 3.0 (all B's). This sucks, I know.
My GPA (UW) from junior year is a 3.8.
Average GPA (UW) so far 3.4.
Still, I'm in the top 10% of my class.</p>

<p>SAT I - 2130
Math - 710
CR - 740
W - 680
I'm taking this one again to try to improve.</p>

<p>I'm taking SAT II in Math Level II and Biology in soon. I've gotten 740+ on practice tests for both, so I'm confident I can do well.</p>

<p>I took three APs Junior year.
AP Calculus AB - 5
AP Biology - 4
AP US History - 4</p>

<p>AMC 12 Score - 90
Just barely did not qualify for AIME. I'm working my butt of to qualify this year though.</p>

<p>EC's
Water Polo Team
Health Occupation Students of America (20 hours community service)
National Honor Society (20 hours community service)
Math Honor Society (officer position, 100+ hours community service)
My school has a very prestigious Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society). It is one of the best in the nation. We placed 11th Nationally overall this year.
I went to all MAO competitions this year, competing in Calculus. I got two trophies at the Regional level (12th and 14th place) and one at the State level (14th).
I will also be in the Calculus Team 1 this year (the best 4 Calculus competitors in the club).
This club really is my life. I know our sponsor (also my Math/Computer Science teacher) will give me an excellent reccomendation.</p>

<p>I run an after school Math program at my local elementary school with my boyfriend. I also have experince tutoring kids from when I lived in Brazil.
I started a Rubik's Cube club at my school.
I'm working on compilling a book on logic puzzles and creative ways to solve them.</p>

<p>Other Awards
- National Hispanic Recognition Program
- Math Excellence Award </p>

<p>My schedule for Senior year
0 - Early Bird (This is an extra class one hour before school starts for MAO members. We use this time to practice together every morning).
1 - AP Computer Science A
2 - AP Calculus BC
3 - Honors Government / Economics
4 - AP English Lit
5 - AP Statistics
6 - Forensic Science</p>

<p>Since I don't have citizenship, I have to apply as an international student. Also, my parents cannot pay for my college, so I'm looking into need-blind, full need colleges for international students. Those are
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
MIT
Dartmouth
Amherst</p>

<p>Do I have any chances at all at any of these schools? Should I bother paying the application fee to the likes of Harvard? If it helps at all, I'm a girl and I'm first generation.</p>

<p>If you actually read through all of this, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much!</p>

2

<p>Despite your relatively low grades and lack of extracurricular achievements, I think you may have a chance at these schools. You have an amazing story - the idea of making money and moving on your own to the United States at 16 years old is extraordinary, and with a well-written essay could easily capture the admissions committees to vote in your favor. It is important to remember that, particularly in your case, strong essays are critical. Write about your experiences in Brazil, your determination to move on your own to the United States, and your hardships in foster care, and you will have an excellent chance of admission to one of those schools.</p>

<p>The only thing you need to work on is your test scores. In unusual situations like yours admissions committees tend to put much more weight on them as a sign of potential, so high SAT or ACT scores could easily tip the admissions decision in your favor. </p>

<p>Also, have you looked at the possibility of applying for a green card/citizenship? You wouldn’t be considered an international student then, which would make things easier, and foster children have a fast-track program to permanent residency.</p>

<p>Know how the student body statistics at these schools always lists ~5% of the class as being below the top 10% of their high school class, or with SAT scores below 2000, or some other issue that makes one wonder how they got in? Those kids are people like you - people with unusual stories. You would be crazy not to apply.</p>

3

<p>Thank you so much for your reply, it really means a lot to me!</p>

<p>My parents were denied green card, so I can’t apply for it on my own until I’m 18. Also, I was denied entrance into the fast-track program to permanent residency because my case does not qualify as “abuse and neglect” from my parents. I came here with their blessing, I talk to my mom on a near daily basis, and she still helps me out financially. Therefore, there was no reason to terminate their parental rights, a necessary first step for the program.</p>

<p>I have two more chances for the SAT and one for the ACT. I’m working very hard to get top scores on both. Thank you again for your input :)</p>

4

<p>Anyone else? :)</p>