<p>Hey guys! I wanted to start up a thread for Canadian seniors who applied to American schools (or even Canadian ones!) so we can discuss and see the results!! :) (And I know the Class of 2015 thread was really helpful for people, so hopefully this one will be too!)</p>
<p>Hey! Here are my stats:
(I have no hope though. My life is too messy. Hopefully some kids will find it useful in the future, though). </p>
<p>Province: Not disclosing because anyone can identify me with it.
SAT1: 770 Math, 770 Writing, 800 CR
SAT2: 780 (Bio M), 730 (Math 2 - eek…hopefully they’ll have mercy on me, but doubt it)
GPA: 96 - in an school with selective admissions and enriched curriculum.
Rank: N/A, but I’m definitely in the top %.
Courseload: Most rigorous schedule. Have completed Calc BC as a sophomore, independent studies in mathematics this year, did research IS last year. I have exhausted the English curriculum- 4 levels in 2 years and am selfing AP Language. </p>
<p>–ECs–:
- Research (10-20 hours/week in school year, 40+/week during the summer). Done in a specialized field - I have made some advances. Hopefully a paper is possible. (Have worked in various fields for the past 3 years)
- Editor of an internationally recognized Youth Science Journal. We work with the National Research Press and publish student research twice a year. I blog for this organization on the government’s science blog.
- member of the Minister of Education’s student advisory council: I advise the minister on education, meeting with him for 4 weekends and help organize workshops and a final conference for students in the province.
- Youth Advisory Council for the Breast Cancer Foundation. Cochair/Founder of youth city wide volunteer committee for BC. We are hosting a large event soon.
- High School science club, mentored some kids.
- Associate Member of Sigma Xi Research Society as a high school student
- Started a company unofficially - will not get anywhere by the time apps are due.
- I am also in the process of writing a book on science education. </p>
<p>–Minor–
- Writer for a Youth Think Tank
- Leader of Model UN club within school; I taught Model UN to students for a few classes. The teacher asked me to.
- Debater (less so this year, but qualified for Provincials in grade 10)</p>
<p>–Awards–: One of 18 selected to represent Canada in an international competition (2013), Best in Category for Sigma Xi Online Research Showcase, 2nd in Regional Fair (biggest in country), top 20 (silver medal) for research (2012), various smaller awards for science. Participant in a provincially competitive program for research - gave me 6 weeks of funding. I also used to live in NY and won state awards for writing (Honourable mention for best news story) and business (FBLA - 2nd place, 4th place in New York). Awards for Model UN/Debate/Speech. Also submitted a position paper to an international youth forum. </p>
<p>–Other–: Difficult family situation - parents were originally living apart, then we had to move to the new country. Some deaths, job losses, so overall very hectic. My GC wrote about it, I think.
Supplements: Research </p>
<p>Recs: Math teacher (solid), Social Teacher (…I don’t know? I don’t really trust him but I’ve done well in his class.), Supplemental - mentor (he likes me).
GC: Probably solid but with spelling errors and otherwise unclear. </p>
<p>Schools I applied to: HYPPC Emory and Rochester. I can’t afford to go to the last two, especially since Emory got rid of its’ Emory International Scholars program. Rochester didn’t give me Renaissance and tbh it’s not really worth it otherwise. </p>
<p>Other notes: Won Queens’ Chancellor’s Scholarship. Seriously considering it, especially if I get into a particular program there. </p>
<p>Also, I don’t know how I feel about my essays. I think they conveyed my personality well, but whatever. (whatever is my current attitude towards life right now) </p>
<p>pin3apple and other Canadians, I am disappoint. #5everalone </p>
<p>haha sorry @ecouter11 ! Your stats are AMAZING though, wow I’m so glad you didn’t apply to the same schools that I applied to :p</p>
<p>Copied and pasted my stats from another thread…</p>
<p>GPA: 90~%/100% …my mid year report was terrible though, my grades dropped like crazy
Ranking: School does not rank
ACT: 35 C (35 E, 34 M, 36 R, 34 S, 11 Essay)
Did not take SAT IIs/Will not submit SAT I
Public high school with 400 kids in my grade (top 50 in province)
School does not offer AP/IB, but I self studied 2 APs and got a 4 and a 3. I will be taking two more APs this year.</p>
<p>ECs:
- Student Senate (Co-president…10, 11, 12) - have hosted several conferences for 400+ elementary students
- ESL Tutor (9, 10, 11, 12)
- Model UN (Founder & President…11, 12) - hosting first ever conference this year at my school
- Prom Committee (Member…11) (President…12)
- UNICEF Group (Chair…10, 11, 12)
- Saturday school volunteer (9, 10, 11, 12)
- Flute Orchestra (9, 10, 11, 12)
- Local music organization volunteer (9, 10, 11, 12)
- French study-abroad program in the summer (11)</p>
<p>Recs:
- French teacher: Top 1%/Top 5% - should be really good
- History teacher: Top 1%/Top 5% - should be really good as well
- GC: Should be really good as well</p>
<p>Schools I applied to: Wellesley, Amherst, Bryn Mawr, etc. a bunch of LACs </p>
<p>Other notes: Accepted to all of my Canadian schools AND got a likely from Wellesley (my dream school)! So it looks like I’ll be heading to Boston come fall. :)</p>
<p>and @ecouter11 did you mean you won the Chancellor’s nomination for your school? Or were you awarded it from Queen’s already? (I applied and got into Queen’s too!) and I’m guessing you’re pre-med?</p>
<p>@pin3appl3</p>
<p>I was awarded it from Queens. I think they made decisions at the end of January (?) I actually know like 4 other people who got it, haha. One other kid from my school and three kids I met at one of my competitions. And congrats on getting into Queens and especially about the likely from Wellesley!! </p>
<p>Wellesley is such an incredible school! I was seriously considering applying but I got lazy with my apps (I did all my US ones in winter break and only applied to Queens and my local early. I still haven’t applied to Waterloo…) What do you plan on studying? I actually know two girls who go there (not from Canada) and they seem to love it.</p>
<p>And you also have really awesome stats. My school has relatively few clubs and I just didn’t feel like getting involved and setting up something in anything besides MUN. In retrospect, I probably should have joined but I think I turned out ok.</p>
<p>@ecouter11 WOW! Congratulations! 
But looking at your stats, you seem like you highly deserve it. 
Oh ok, because my friends who were nominated from my school are still waiting for an update because no one had any idea that they were already handed out. Holy crap! Your school must be amazing. If I may ask, did you apply/get the QuARMS nomination (that’s what I thought you meant by if you got into a particular program there)?</p>
<p>Thank you so much! Aww, I completely understand what you mean. I rushed my apps all in like 3 days :s and I applied to like UChicago like an hour before it was due. 
Aww, that would have been awesome if you had applied to Wellesley too! I’m really glad that I applied to all of my Canadian schools early - I heard from Queen’s and some other schools before Winter Break so that was a relief! Wait, can you still apply to Waterloo? </p>
<p>I put my intended majors as International Relations and French but I’m honestly not so sure anymore haah I’m going through a bit of a quarter-life (?) crisis I’ve been thinking about going into English or even Cinema and Media Studies (because the program at Wellesley is unbelievable!!) or even Cognitive Linguistics because there are so many languages I want to study. Ahh!
Wow that’s great! My close friend’s friend actually is at her first-year there; she turned down Harvard and Oxford to go there instead so ahh! I can’t wait to go to the open house. But that’s great to hear about Wellesley!</p>
<p>Thank you! I hope I made up in ECs and a strong test score what I lack in my GPA And I think some of my essays were pretty horrific. Eeek. Wow my club actually has a lot of clubs, but very few leaders. Like I think we have 100 clubs? But there are only 30 student leaders - so I’m one of those who run multiple clubs. I totally understand what you mean though about joining/starting up clubs. It’s a really, “What if/Should have done this…” situation but honestly, I think what a lot of people here on CC say about, “Be true to yourself/Do stuff because you love it” rings true, and I have definitely experienced that this year! </p>
<p>@ecouter11 Sorry for the extremely long and rambly post!!</p>
<p>@pin3appl3 lol no worries. My posts rarely make sense since I type w/ just my stream of consciousness.</p>
<p>Thanks so much! And I think this is actually the first year that anyone has won the Chancellor’s from my school. The other kid who won Chancellors was a Loran finalist. He’s also very good. I usually check StudentAwards for updates on scholarships and stuff. Not that many people go on but it’s a good source of info. And yeah, I got the nom but it’s soooo competitive and I feel like I have no chance. I’m so anxious about it and a few other competitive programmes that I actually had a dream last night that I got rejected from everything like three times. I clearly need more sleep. </p>
<p>I heard from Queens a few weeks after my app was sent in, but I didn’t start hearing from other schools until VERY recently. I think you can still apply but OUAC is not letting me log in. I have to apply to Waterloo since I checked it off for Schulich…</p>
<p>Woah! Your friend sounds super impressive. I imagine it’ll be really fun to go see her and everything. My friend actually just got a likely yesterday and I think its her dream school as well. Anyway, you’ll have lots of choices at Wellesley. That’s the best part about the US, IMO is that they let you do some exploring before making you pick a major. Programs here are pretty strict.</p>
<p>Your GPA was obvs good enough for Wellesley, so I wouldn’t worry 
. I hate people who go insane over marks; I really don’t think they should be the focus of school. My school has a very limited # of clubs and the same people do run most of them. However, I don’t find the work they do meaningful or enjoyable. I think a lot of it is just resume padding which is why I didn’t go for it. One club was rlly big the year before a girl went to uni and now it’s virtually nonexistant. </p>
<p>Update: got into Columbia! </p>
<p>Also, I wanted to add additional info for any future Canadian applicants.</p>
<p>Things I feel that I had going for me:
- Marks
- ECs were good, though not that in school
- I liked my essays
- Supportive guidance counsellor
- Supportive EC mentor
- honours (though I would have liked to have done more)
- SAT1 was respectable</p>
<p>Things that I did not have as good:
- School was clueless; I had to get the school profile done. They forgot to send my grade 9 transcripts despite me asking a number of times.
- continuation of the first point: my mark in one class was really low by my standards when my GC scanned the transcript (be wary of this - I think this defs hurt me)
- Math2 SAT2 was iffy (730) because I hadn’t studied in a few years
- I took my subject tests late (Jan 2014)
- less in-school activities
- only 2 years of foreign language and none past grade 9
- limited international honours
- unknown school (most students don’t apply US or don’t do it properly); so-so prep for AP tests</p>
<p>Make of it what you will - I may do a longer reflection thread later. I think you need to definitely pay attention to the subjective bits of the application and challenge yourself beyond typical ECs. Marks alone will not cut it.</p>
<p>@ecouter11 AKJEHRJKSDHFJKSHDFKJSHDJKF CONGRATS OH MY GOD</p>
<p>Hey guys. Glad I found this thread. I’m thinking of applying for senior year. I’m grade 11 right now. When is the latest that I can take SAT II? I’m only taking AP bio this year, rest of my APs are all in grade 12.</p>
<p>Also, are any of you guys intending on doing pre-med in US? If so please get back to me b/c I’m not sure if I should stay in Canada for medicine; med school isn’t available for Internationals in U.S. :(</p>
<p>@Martin18 Hi! Have you taken your SAT I’s or ACT yet? If you’re going to apply ED, the latest you can take a test is usually October/November (depends on which test and which school). If you’re applying RD, the latest you can take a test is usually December/January (once again depends on test type and university). </p>
<p>I am not doing pre-med in the States. And do you mean if you do undergrad in Canada you can’t get into a medical school in the U.S.? Are you sure about this because I have a family friend who went to McMaster University and got into a top medical school in the States. </p>
<p>@pin3appl3 Yeah, I’ve taken SAT already in Jan: 1940, which is low. Also, what I meant is that typically medical school is only available to US citizens same as in Canada where only Canadians are eligible. Notable exceptions are private institutions (Ivies, Stanford, Tufts, etc) but no financial aid is awarded other than Yale and Harvard (basically no chance with no more than 5 internationals accepted a year). </p>
<p>My plan is to either stay in Canada, get an undergrad degree then apply for med school in Canada or to go to US for undergrad and then come back to Canada for med school. I’ll probably end up staying in Canada though, not really practical to leave then come back, and the idea of re-taking the SAT and taking two Subject tests just to be eligible to apply isn’t very appealing.</p>