COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO GO TO PRINCETON UNIVERSITY OR TO IVY's

Applying to College
1

<p>Title says it all. (FOR EARLY ACTION/decision)</p>

<p>I need help, based on my GPA, what score do I need for SAT's I and II to get into ivy-league or should I say what type of scores make me capable of applying to IVY?</p>

<p>SAT SCORE:</p>

<p>GPA: (I have approx. 3.5) Junior year Cummulative: Lower than 3.5 (I have a reason, I will make sure I mention this in my compelling, steller, essay, hopefully) </p>

<p>Approx. of two semester.
English: around avg. b or b+
Mathematics:A
Arabic: B
PE: A
Science: A-
History: A or A-
French: B (approx)
Art: A-
Islamic Culture: A or A-</p>

<p>Note: I live in Saudi, Yanbu, here Islamic culture and Arabic are mandatory. I begin with 0 knowledge when I came herein 9th grade. </p>

<p>Subject test: Math II and Physics (Going to take Math Level 2 on Saturday, hoping to get 800) </p>

<p>Should I consider taking AP's ? If yes, I rather do AP CALC AB AND BC AND PHYSICS </p>

<p><em>Neither my school offers Ap classes nor does it have clubs</em></p>

<p>As far as other activities are concerned, I have been very active in helping people ally over the world, in addition I have done 100+ (not on top of my head, more than 150 for sure) community service. I have been making educational tutorials on YouTube in my freshman year and in two months I reached more than 100,000 views+ and more subscribers (Not sure, if it matters but oh well). </p>

<p>Languages I am proficient at: 7+ </p>

<p>Race: Indian</p>

<p>Religion: ( not sure if it matters) Hindu </p>

<p>Varsity sport: will play in my senior year. </p>

<p>Recommandation Letter: I can get 6+ (Really good ones, fingers-crossed, from my teacher)</p>

<p>% - Top 10% </p>

<h2>School type: Private School (Yanbu International School) </h2>

<p>Can you guys aid me because. I really want to get accepted to IVY LEAGUE. Can you guys tell me the score I need? Thanks. </p>

<p>Ps. I hope I haven't made this post boring. </p>

2

<p>In international applicant with a cumulative 3.5 /4.0 GPA has zero chance at Harvard (or the other 7 ivies), Stanford and MIT, American schools that receive thousands of international applications. You should spend some time at these schools’ individual forums and look at the results threads of others before you, those who got in and those who were rejected. </p>

<p>For instance:
<a href=“*** Official Harvard University 2018 RD Decisions Only*** - Harvard University - College Confidential Forums”>*** Official Harvard University 2018 RD Decisions Only*** - Harvard University - College Confidential Forums;

3

<p>@T26E4‌. Yes, I understand but I disagree with 0% chance because I have seen people with amazing Sat scores and Subject test scores but every low as 2.3 GPA getting into HARVARD. (hopeless to Harvard) in any case, even if I score very stellar score on my sat I and II I don’t have a chance, according to this theory? :/</p>

4

<ul>
<li>it’s early action we are talking about… :/</li>
</ul>

5

<p>Early action doesn’t give you that big of a bump.</p>

<p>A few other things:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Don’t take both AP Calculus AB and BC. Your BC score (which includes an AB subscore) overrides your AB score. For Physics there are 3 APs- Physics B (mechanics and E&M on an algebra-based level), Physics C Mechanics (calculus-based), and Physics C E&M (calculus-based). You can take both C exams and they override the B exam (I wouldn’t recommend Physics B unless you can’t do Physics C).</p></li>
<li><p>You’re only supposed to provide 3 recommendation letters- one from a math/science teacher, one from a humanities teacher, and one from your counselor. There’s an optional fourth one from someone who knows you really well outside school (and a peer recommendation for Dartmouth) but giving them 6 is basically asking for rejection.</p></li>
<li><p>It all depends on how well you can string your story together. These schools mostly admit based on what you demonstrate through your essays and recommendation letters.</p></li>
</ol>

6

<p>Also, be sure to do more research on the individual schools in the Ivy League + MIT + Stanford before you apply. The Ivies seem to hate nothing more than an applicant who can’t distinguish between their school and the other Ivies- they don’t want people who’re just applying because of prestige.</p>

7

<p>@dividerofzero‌ THANK YOU. You’re great. (I will manage add it up with my life, hopefully)</p>

<p>One more thing: </p>

<p>What score, like I mentioned above, do I need for Ivy’s ? </p>

8

<p>Well even with a 2400 sat and 800 subject scores your chances do not look very good. I know an american citizens who got a 2390 and 4.0 gpa and didn’t get into any top 20 schools. You being an international (are you asking for financial aid?) will make your chances worse as internationals usually have to be better than american citizens to get. Look into less selective schools.</p>

9

<p>Considering you are an international applicant with a relatively low GPA applying to these schools, you will need something pretty high. I would think >=2300 SAT or a >=35 ACT to stay competitive. Since you are in the top 10% of your class you still have a decent shot with high test scores.</p>

<p>They Ivy League is starting to care less and less about the number of your GPA and more and more about how you stack up to your peers. They want students who stand out among their peers, so since you did that relatively well with your GPA, you’ll need to blow it out of the water with those tests, particularly due to being an international student.</p>

<p>Also realize that if you had perfect stats, your chances could still only be as high as 10% for schools like Harvard and Princeton. Test scores only get you passed the first round. You need to create a unique story that the adcoms can appreciate and make them think “we want this kid HERE.”</p>

10

<p>@KaranMIT: you have unrealistic pressure on yourself and have no basis in reality for the schools you’re targeting. In another post, you said you studied 3 months straight, ignoring your homework and letting your grades suffer, in hopes of getting +2000SAT but you managed a 1500.</p>

<p>You share about with your ~3.5GPA and conveniently omit your SAT (after an unusual, prolonged and unwise preparation strategy). Even your practice tests had you scoring 1630. </p>

<p>Now you’re asking people to “chance you” and give you SAT goals for American colleges with less than 10% admissions for international applicants with near perfect GPA and near +97 percentile SAT/ACTs. And then rather than thinking deeply on the advice and pronouncements people give you, you BEG for your likelihood of being that supposed miracle 2.3 gpa ivy admit.</p>

<p>You are displaying middling analytical skills here. Please, please, get off this train – you’re only heading towards disappointment and disaster.</p>

11

<p>It’s okay, guys. He will learn.</p>

12

<p>@T26E4‌ Yes, all of your claims are true. However, neither did I get 2.3 GPA nor I want any miracle to happen to me. Let me tell you if you don’t already know. Nothing is impossible. And maybe I have unrealistic pressure on myself and Maybe I did study unwisely for my SAT because I wasn’t so clever like you to begin with. People are different, our environment is different. Let me tell you something, if I don’t know something- I will come to the point and, with all my honestly, tell you that I don’t know but you know what I will die to find the solution for whatever problem that is I was faced with. I believe in hardwork, I believe that I am the one who, through hard-work, can be qualified to go to the IVY. In addition, one is not born differently to go to IVY; everyone is same, everyone has to, at some point, work hard and experience failure in one’s life. I am sorry to dream about IVY beacuse I experience failure, if this were the case Thomas Edison should have just killed himself for failing for trillion times until he finally made the ‘Light-bulb.’ </p>

<p>I am not trying to be arrogant. I am not trying to BEG to you nor am I telling people to CHANCE me. All I want from you smart, genius, people who attended or will attend IVY to let me know what should my score be to boost my chance? Nothing more. Personally speaking, I have no idea why you had to sound so bitter. In any case, thank you very much for crushing even the little hope I had. I am no girl hence I don’t want to make it dramatic. But you know what, I will work my butt-off to get there and once I do, I’ll let you know. As president Wilson said ‘Watchful Waiting.’ Follow that, I will give you the result. (I asked for help, not begged for it, it was one’s will to comment on this post no one was forced to comment. But I take your insult/criticism as nothing but a motivation for me getting into an IVY) </p>

<p>Ps. Life effect certain events in one’s life as well. Maybe YOU lived a perfect life, hence oh 2400 or 4.0 GPA, but I didn’t. </p>

13

<p>Yeah, with a 1500 you stand basically no chance. Go for at least 99th percentile (2150+) and then you can worry about your essays/etc.</p>

<p>Seriously, don’t get Ivy-crazed. By the way you’re portraying “IVY” students as this elite bunch that’s the only one that knows hard work and whatnot… and treating all the Ivies as the same monolithic group, you’re just setting yourself up for failure.</p>

<p>I’m not saying it’s impossible. I’m just saying you should be realistic or you’ll never make it.</p>

14

<p>How am I being unrealistic? I am merely asking for scores? Nothing else. But okay. </p>

15

<p>Raising your score from 1500 to 2150+ will be difficult - not impossible but difficult. I too think you’re being unrealistic given your GPA and your current test scores. Ivies etc. have acceptance rates of 5% to 10% - which means 90-95% of those who apply are not accepted, even among applicants who have high GPAs and test scores. I think what we’re all saying is we’re concerned you’re setting yourself for disappointment. There are so many great schools to choose from beyond the Ivies. And in answer to your question you definitely would need to bring your test scores up to 2150 or greater to be considered. Good luck to you!</p>

16

<p>We all experience failures and have troubles of one flavor or another in our lives, yes. But those who rise above them – now those are the students that get accepted to Ivy League Schools/top liberal arts colleges. Those who, despite being homeless and hungry, earn a 4.0 GPA are the students that have a realistic shot at Harvard. Google Dawn Loggins.</p>

<p>Since you are in the top 10% and have an interesting background, it would not be a stretch to apply to Harvard. BUT the odds are that you will not get in, especially with the so-so GPA and very, very average test scores. You will have to get at least a 650 in each section of the SAT to have a chance at Harvard. I know posters on here will say you will have to get much higher but if you have a 650-ish CR, 700 or above Math and 680ish Writing, you would very much be considered for admission. But the competition is fierce, and there are thousands of students who have much, MUCH better profiles. Why should you be admitted? They worked hard too. They experienced problems in their lives too. Not only that, they earned perfect test scores and strong grades. What sets you apart? What is so compelling about you that would allow the adcom to consider you over all the others??</p>

17

<p>Good one, @International95‌! I will reply to that as soon as possible. </p>

18

<p>It is very disheartening to read this and see someone like yourself so determined to go to an ivy, when your stats indicate that you will not get in. Why is an ivy so important to you? Why not go for a school where you have more of a chance of getting in. I doesn’t matter that maybe you read that someone with a low GPA got in. It is almost impossible and a waste of time and finances to think you will get in. Put your energy somewhere else.</p>

19

<p>And until you mention specific Ivies that resonate with what you want (this post is like saying “I want to work for a Forbes 500 company!”- there’s tons of different brands), it’s blatantly obvious that you’re making this decision without any real research. Don’t just buy into the media hype.</p>