Chanses for an international?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Geographical residence: Stockholm, Sweden. </p>

<p>Ethnicity: Don't know, to be honest. My parents are from Finland, their ancestors are from Russia and Germany, but I'm born and brought up in Sweden. I identify as a swede, but I'm sure I constitute some kind of a minority. </p>

<p>Religion: None. Atheist.</p>

<p>GPA: I'm only in 11th grade this far, but I expect a GPA of about 18.5 when I graduate next year, which would equal a US GPA of about 3,7.</p>

<p>SAT: I'll take the SAT I this saturday. I was planning on taking the subject tests in august. </p>

<p>TOEFL: I'll be taking it in august. </p>

<p>Class rank: No such thing in Sweden.</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:
*Sports
- Soccer
- Thai boxing
- Golf (haven't actually started playing yet, but I was thinking I'd pick it up this summer)
*Working experience
- I was a mailperson for about a year when I was 12 years old.
- Customer booker at the biggest financial advisor in northern Europe. I've only worked about 36h this far, but on the other hand, I've only had the job for four weeks.
*Organization and business activities
- I was involved in the funding of a school in Kenya last year.
- Founder and president of both the Debate Club and the World Politics Discussion Board at my school.
- Member (hopefully I'll be running for regional president later this year) in the Young Swedish Share holders Organization.
- Active member of the Classic Liberal Party. </p>

<p>I'm also in the starting pits of founding an ideal organization for womens rights in Africa. I just need to get the paper work done, and once I've done that, I was thinking of starting a fund for the building of schools in Kenya. </p>

<p>So, what do you think my chanses are? I'm aware of that my EC's aren't spectacular, and that an SAT result could easen the prognosis a bit, but hypothetically - if I were to score a, let's say 2400 on the SAT I, and get my organizations up and running, what would you say my chanses were to get into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UPenn: Wharton, NYU: Stern and Columbia?</p>

<p>If it makes any difference, I'm prepared to pay for everything myself. </p>

<p>Oh, just one last thing: I don't know how high school is in the US, but in Sweden, you must choose a program. I chose a specially designed program called "World Wide Business", which is the only one of it's kind in Sweden. Only 32 students are admitted each year, and we study business administration. We also go abroad three times during our three years, to study different business cultures. I guess this could be a good thing to mention in the application, though I don't know where to fit it in. Any ideas?</p>

<p>Shoot.</p>

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<p>I can't edit my post!</p>

<p>Anyway, in a short moment of insanity I thought I'd actually be able to score a perfect 2400 on the SAT:s.
I know better than that, and I wan't you to ignore what I wrote in my earlier post. Instead imagine I wrote "/.../if I were to score a, let's say 2200 /.../".</p>

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<p>There's no real difference between a 2200 and a 2400. Other factors are far more important.</p>

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<p>I don't think being a white Swede counts as a minority, since you're white.</p>

<p>Why are there so many Atheists in Sweden? (Just wondering). :)</p>

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<p>I don't know, it's really hard to tell with ivy leagues because pretty much anyone who applies, even a veledictorian, is taking a shot in the dark. Harvard is bombarded with students who have a 4.0 plus all of the extra curriculars you have. You do have many leadership extra curriculars, so I would go for it. try penn, and brown, you're actually probably good for NYU, yale and harvard are pretty far reaches, but it never hurts to try. Good luck</p>

<p>And are you sure you're able to pay $40,000 a year out of pocket? Lucky you. :)</p>

<p>and yea, i wouldn't really consider you being a minority. international students are placed in a different category i think</p>

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<p>Why do you deny being from Switzerland?</p>

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<p>Thanks! Penn would be great, as well as NYU. I'm actually aiming at landing an analyst position in an investment bank after graduation. So from that point of view, Wharton or Stern would be fantastic.</p>

<p>$40.000 a year out of my own pocket? Only in my wildest dreams! I was more thinking in terms of taking a huge loan to cover the costs. ;)</p>

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<p>A lot of people seem to think that Sweden is the same as Switzerland, that there are polar bears roming the streets, and that meatballs are what we eat. I don't know if it's true, but that's what I've heard people think of when they hear someone mentioning Sweden. </p>

<p>Anyway, my prejudice ego felt that it had to clarify it really isn't Swiss. Becasue the only thing they're good at is chocolate and producing watches. Period.</p>

<p>Oh, I forgot. I speak five languages. Could that be of any help when applying?</p>

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<p>Wow.</p>

<p>What languages?</p>

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<p>
[quote]

I was more thinking in terms of taking a huge loan to cover the costs.

[/quote]

No one will give a 18 year old a $160,000 loan without without a co-signer. If you can't afford it you should apply for aid.</p>

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<p>
[quote]

I identify as a swede, but I'm sure I constitute some kind of a minority.

[/quote]

People of Nordic descent are over-repersented at top American schools.</p>

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<p>I don't think top colleges are going to be impressed with me too, recently started non profits. You probably need to read the international board to get a reality check. Students with perfect stats are rejected from schools far below HYPSM. It is uncommon for an international who is not truly exceptional in terms of having national honors to get into a very top US college. So in all honesty, as a western Europe intnl without an exceptional GPA or ECs, and not the child of a world leader, those schools are really unlikely. As is finding someone to loan you $200K unless things are very different in Sweeden. I go to school with a ton of intnls who have achieved top stats at a very top high school and can't get financial aid. You need to look at schools where you are at the top and that don't get a lot of intnl applicants. Look for lesser known schools in the US South and midwest.</p>

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<p>bump for you...</p>

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<p>Swedish, german, french, english, finnish. </p>

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<p>I've had the impression that most of the people writing on the international board, are asians. Aren't they heavily over-represented at American univerisities? I was hoping my shortcomings EC- and GPA-wise would be balanced by my personality and interests. I'm a social person, I love standing in front of a group of people and talk of something I'm passionate about. It gives me the power to actually make a difference, and I like it. A lot.
I'm also very humorous. I think life is too short to be wasted on being dull and boring. Sarcasm is bliss. </p>

<p>Anyway, you're saying it's virtually impossible for a European to get admitted into a top college? Do you know if there are any lesser known colleges in New York City or in the surrounding areas? A business college would be nice, since my goal is, as I mentioned earlier, to get into Investment Banking.</p>

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<p>ai batlth,</p>

<p>finally some european in here. i myself am german and also toying with the idea of applying to ivy league colleges. </p>

<p>about nyu: it's definitely worth a shot, but the disadvantage is that NYU doesn't give any scholarships to international students without american citizenship. </p>

<p>I would preferably apply to harvard or yale since these are need-blind colleges, that means they choose the people they want to get and afterwards determine the amount of financial aid every individual student is granted.</p>

<p>about the sat: unless you're a genius taking the test one time won't be sufficient in order to reach a satisfying score. Furthermore, don't listen to the people who say you don't stand a chance. You simply have to be ****ing good and be able to compete with the americans, being a european doesn't mean any disadvantage to the selection process. A friend from my school was accepted by 11 out of 13 colleges he applied to with great financial aid offers (yale, duke, dartmouth etc.). I personally believe that the comitee acknowledges that german and swedish schools are definitely way above the american standard, that means even if you don't have the perfect grades, you can still get in. And do me a favour, don't give them a GPA, you can't compare it so easily. Give them a rank or a top 5 % (or whatever percentage you're in).</p>

<p>good luck on saturday.</p>

<p>phil</p>

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<p>I'm not at all saying it's impossible, just really hard. Those handful of very top schools get oodles of applications from all over the world. Diversity in the form of an international would be someone from a small, impoverished African nation, an earthquake victim who lost their shack in Indonesia....you get the picture. Yes Asians are over represented in the app pool, but so are Western Europeans, especially wealthy, connected ones. And at HYPMS et al, nothing less than a truly exceptional EC (Harvard turned down an olympic medalist with good stats this year) makes up for lack of truly stellar stats. So try to get in like everyone else (they need everyone to keep hoping if they want to continue to reject 10 of 11) but if you really want to come to school in the states, look at schools where your stats put you in the top 25%, top 5% if you want any aid at all.</p>

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<p>
[quote]

Are you sure they're over-represented? I think I've read somewhere that there are about 10 people from Scandinavia attending Harvard, which to me, doesn't sound that much. Do you have other statistics? I would really appreciate it.

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I meant Americans of Scandinavian descent are over-repersented.</p>