<p>Im from Romania and Im currently a high-school senior. Im planning on applying next year (so Ill be in my first year at a Romanian University)</p>
<p>First of all Id like to point out that Ill require financial aid, so Ill probably apply to the more selective universities that give more financial aid.</p>
<p>My GPA will probably be 9/10 or a bit higher.
Im part of the student government in my high-school.
History Club.</p>
<p>Participated in history contests : county (1st place 10th,11th grade and 3rd in 12th), county level (1st place in a contest in the 11th grade), qualified for national level (didnt take place due to technical difficulties)</p>
<p>School Olympiads : Biology (district and county level), English (district and county) and History (district and county) throughout the 4 years of highschool starting with the county level they usually take place on the same day, so I could participate only in one.</p>
<p>My high-school doesnt offer too many ECs (mostly none) so I dont think I have anything more to add in terms of ECs.</p>
<p>I'll have to take the SATs. Im aiming for 2200+ in SATI and for the SAT IIs : US History, Biology, Math IIC and World History</p>
<p>well, that's about it, so thanx for your time</p>
<p>Unfortunately, we can only make a prediction after we know more, like what your SAT scores will be, not what you're aiming for and also which universities exactly are you thinking of applying to.</p>
<p>Do you mean after this summer you'll be attending a Romanian university? If you do, you'll be a transfer student to the US and not a whole bunch accept many transfers (and some DON'T accept international transfers at all) and funding is very limited for international transfers, too.</p>
<p>Well, i will attend a Romanian University, because i decided not to apply this year. I initially wanted to apply for this year, but things got messed up in the end...i did take the SAT I once, but it was silly, i dindn't get the prep book until after the exam, so I practicaly saw the test for the first time, and I didn't do so great...i got 1950...not what I wanted...anyway I'm planning on actualy preparing this time and I'm quite confident i'll do better...
Oh, and I'll probably apply as a freshman, because, as you said, there are limited options for an international transfer student</p>
<p>Izzy, lemme correct you here. Some universities do accept students discounting previous credit, but it's only the top schools, like HYP. That's because they're very nosy about transfering credit anyway.
Bogx, I'll be frank to you and say your chances don't look great for the most selective schools. A GPA of 9 is going to be lower than what most Romanian applicants to top schools get and your list of olympiads is unfortunately not convincing enough. I personally haven't gone to any national olympiads while I was studying in Romania (I had some other ECs to make up for it, though).
My very personal and subjective suggestion is to either apply to less selective colleges (like IU Bremen, Macalester and the like) or take an year off and do some great stuff and apply the year after that. Great stuff can mean a lot of things - research, really meaningful volunteer work, starting your own business, whatever rocks your boat just as long as you could achieve your best at it. If I were you, for example, and had the opportunity to take another year off, I would probably try researching and writing a book on some historical subject (I'm a history nerd myself).
This is my 2 cents. Whatever your decision will be, I wish you good luck with it.</p>
<p>And about the universities...well, from my point of view there isn't such a thing as a safety for an international (expecialy one who needs fin aid), so they are mostly reaches... Ivyes, NYU, Williams, Brandeis U,
Carleton, Hamilton, Johns Hopkins, Middlebury, Oberlin, Vanderbilt U Wesleyan...my guess is that the chances are pretty much the same, but i was hoping you could share some of your own opinions on the matter
Thanx</p>
<p>Ivyes,
Not all Ivies all the same. Harvard, Yale and Princeton are the most sellective, applying to them would be just like playing the lottery. It's easier to get into Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth or UPenn, but I would say you have some realistic chances only at Cornell, but there you have to worry about being awarded finaid after you do get in.
NYU does not award financial aid to international students.
Williams - if you are considering Williams, then look into Amherst and Swarthmore as well. The difference between need-blind and non-need-blind LACs is less than you think (and Amherst may go need-blind next year, hurray!)
Brandeis U - good school, located near Boston
Since you're looking into NE LACs, I would also suggest Bates, Bowdoin, Colby (in freezing Maine), Connecticut College, Lafayette, Bard and the list could go on.
Oberlin is a wonderful, quirky school. It's only problem is that it's located (literally as I understand) in the middle of a Mid-Western cornfield. The closest big city is Cleveland, which is fine if you want the biggest Romanian community in the US nearby, but the city can not really measure up to NYC, Boston or Washington.
I don't know anything about Vandy, except that it's probably the preppiest school in the US.</p>