chances for german student getting admission at ivy league college???

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>hello,</p>

<p>I'm german and Im currently thinking of attending an Ivy league college after my secondary school time which is in 2 years time.</p>

<p>my background: I get basically A's if you can compare the 2 school systems because the german system is quite a bit harder than the American one (sorry, guys).</p>

<p>I spent a year in new zealand and got very good marks there.</p>

<p>Im really bored at school in germany because its really easy for me, so Im not that motivated to do a lot but I hope thats going to change in the next 2 years.</p>

<p>Im also member of the german national representatives team U17s and U18s in Rugby and member of the committee of the German Rugby-Youth(I'm the youngest in their history). Im the spokesman and responsable for all public relations work. Im also the schools coordinator for Rugby in my state in Germany.</p>

<p>after school I might do a year of community service either in south america or in the pacific somewhere. I have to say that, theoretically, I have to do this year anyway as there is compulsory military service in Germany or community service but sometimes they overlook people as there are too many to get them all into the army but even when they don't want me to do either of these things, I still want to do it because its going to be such a great experience and after my trip to new zealand where I had to cope with a new culture and lifestyle Im up to that challenge.</p>

<p>My dream is to get admission at stanford or MIT.</p>

<p>Could some of you tell me how good my chances would be as a foreign student getting admission at an ivy league college? what about financial aid? i guess my family is middle-class as they could afford my trip to new zealand and my brother's to USA next year but I dont know how much it would cost studying overseas (tuition fees, living, etc.)...</p>

<p>I'd also be more than happy if some of you could talk about their experiences concerning this matter.</p>

<p>thanks for your help!!!</p>

<p>btw: check out <a href="http://www.rugby-jugend.de%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.rugby-jugend.de&lt;/a> <-- sorry for ad but being a spokesman I gotta raise the popularity of Rugby in the whole world ;).</p>

2

<p>Hey, Mafan. I also an international student and I am currently a sophomore at an Ivy League school. Honestly, I think that you have very, very good chances. There are not that many people from Western Europe, and as long as you continue to be a good student and get good scores on the SAT and right good essay - your chances look really well. </p>

<p>P.S. Are you in Berlin right now? I am doing a language course there and happen to have a lot of admission materials about Yale (application, discreption, some engineering info) - in case you are interested in that.</p>

3

<p>Manyzhka,
Could you please send those stuff to me too???</p>

<p>I am also from western Europe, and can't find any real challenge from my current school system. Almost no one in my country care about good grades, they only want to know if they pass or not. My school grades are kinda good, but those freaking SAT"s are killing me. But hell ya, I will see, just like mafan applying to Ivies.</p>

<p>BTW, are you a sophomore at Yale??? That would be really cool, I apply EA for Yale</p>

4

<p>Mafan,
I don't think you have to worry too much about fin aid because i heard that DAAD gives scholarships to German students who want to study in America. Have you checked their website yet?</p>

5

<p>Hey,</p>

<p>what is DAAD? I guess I could look it up at google but would be even better if you could tell me first-hand.</p>

<p>thanks a lot.</p>

6

<p>hey mafan, I'm German looking at Yale as well. They seemed to have Germany well represented at Yale, so I was wondering if being German actually hurts my chances.
Where are you from? Your rugby committment seems uncommon for a European. Until a few years ago i didn't even know what rugby was...</p>

7

<p>hey,</p>

<p>I'm from a suburb of Berlin. I don't think that it hurts your chances being german. Yale actually seems to seriously consider the German students. They answered my mail for application detail in person as most of the others just sent a standard response indicating links to their websites.</p>

<p>And it's not unusual for a European being involved in Rugby, it's just unusual for a German ;).</p>

8

<p>I dont think being a german will give you a edge in the application process.
I am from Belgium, and they also reply my questions in person.</p>

<p>Maybe I am wrong, and is the consideration for all West- Europeans</p>

9

<p>Hey mafan... Im goin to be at MIT this fall (er, in 6 days :D)
its good to see that you're focused on your goals so early..
if you need any help you could email me on <a href="mailto:laila@mit.edu">laila@mit.edu</a>
send me an activities resume if you can :)</p>

10

<p>DAAD -> Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service)</p>

11

<p>oh, great. sounds good. I'll try to find something out about DAAD. thanxxx.</p>

12

<p>Mafan - I think you will find that most of the schools you are looking at are quite familiar with German school systems and grading. (Most upper level universities have individuals who specialize on different US states and other countries.) Therefore, I hope you are in a Gymnasium, and working hard. 1s and 2s are going to matter. They will not compare you with Americans -- they will compare you with the other Germans or Europeans who are applying. </p>

<p>Here are some of my recommendations:
1. Do NOT say your education is better than an American's. They will then say, "Why should you come here if your schools are better?" (They won't believe it, but they will wonder why they should bother convincing you, since there are so many others who already believe in their system.)</p>

<p>America is a big, big country. There are many, many types of schools. You cannot make a blanket statement that all German schools are better than all American ones. I wonder where you are getting your information? German schools are respected, but not more so than many public and private schools in the US. My daughter is in a very good German Gymnasium, and it is not better than the American high school we came from -- just different.</p>

<p>And if you say your school is "easy" or "boring" - and yet you do not have all 1s, they will think you are not a hard worker.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>DO take the year of community service. Americans generally do much more volunteer work than what we've seen here in Germany -- in part, I guess, because the US government doesn't pay for as much, so there are more needs. But American colleges do look for people who are aware of people and needs outside themselves. German people, unfortunately, have a reputation for looking the other way, rather than helping people. Your service, espeically if voluntary, will make a good impression.</p></li>
<li><p>Find a couple people who will be able to write good, strong recommendations for you. Americans offer praise much more readily. Germans are more reserved in their praise, but now is not the time to be "balanced" -- but for them to emphasize the positive. Make sure the teachers writing for you know this. </p></li>
<li><p>You will, of course, have to take the SATs. Study for them, just to get used to the testing format, if nothing else. You will also have to take the TOEFL, to show you are fluent in English. The scores on these tests are very important.</p></li>
<li><p>Your essays are also very important. The Ivy-leauges pay extra attention to them. Write them carefully. You have several good options for essays based on your activities. Let them see what you are really passionate about.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Have an American, if possible, proof-read them. American English is subtly different from England English, which is taught in the schools here.</p>

<p>Good luck with your application.</p>

13

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>first of all, I also think your chances are pretty good. One of my classmates got into both Stanford and MIT, he decided to go to Stanford. He had 1.0 on the Abitur but not-so perfect SATs, and his main extra-curriculars were also in sports. However, do think about finance - the DAAD won't help you with your tuition fees, so be prepared to pay. You may get a scholarship from the "Studienstiftung", but they won't pay anything towards your living expenses or tuition fees, if you don't study in Germany first for at least one year. If money is not an issue for you, that won't matter too much, otherwise you might try to start at a German university, and get a Fulbright or McCloy scholarship to spend some time abroad.</p>

<p>Of course, also think about why you really want to go to the US - it's a great experience to study abroad, but depending on your subject, you may not gain so much academically over a German university.</p>

14

<p>Based on experience with Brown U., I would say that for a foreign student whose qualifications are equal to those of the average American applicant to a given Ivy school, his chances of admission are only 1/2 to 2/3 as good. But for outstanding foreign students the situation is by no means hopeless--so it's worth a serious try.</p>