I am a Saudi 10th grader girl planning to study in the USA. I have good grades at school (99% which I think translates to 4.0 GPA) and I’m expecting to get a good score on my college entrance exams. HOWEVER, I’m afraid studying in Saudi Arabia seriously messed up with my chances of getting into a good university. For example, most of the classes we had were Islamic studies up until high school, so the science and math is severely lacking. I can’t take any APs either and there are basically zero EC opportunities as far as I know. I’m also in the middle of nowhere, not even Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam. Is there any way to help it? What kind of extracurriculars can I do without needing the opportunities that are unavailable to me?
I’m currently making an app, which is an extracurricular I enjoy doing, so that’s a plus!
Any other ideas?
US schools will look at your application in context They will know, for example, that the kinds of ECs that US students apply with are not typical in other countries. The selective schools are going to want to know what you do with your time outside of the classroom. If you don’t have school-based ECs, that’s fine: but what do you do once classes & homework are done? Developing an app is a start- but only just. We don’t know you, your interests or your resources, so we can’t suggest activities- and that would defeat the point anyway. It’s your interests that you should be pursuing. With the internet you should be able to find ways to link into larger communities of people who share your interests.
You will, however, have to demonstrate that you are able for the level of academics expected by whatever schools you are interested in applying to. You say that your math and science are ‘sorely lacking’: what does that mean exactly? will you have done algebra and geometry by the end of the next school year? if not you are looking at test-optional colleges, b/c both the SAT & ACT require that much math.
Finally, if you are planning to apply to the super selective schools (under, say, a 15% admissions rate) you will have to be an exceptionally strong student from your country. A high GPA will not be enough.
@collegemom3717
Thank you for your reply!
I honestly don’t know what I should do! It seems like there’s basically nothing to do in Saudi Arabia… The only thing of use I could do is develop an app. That’s the reason I’m asking here. What kind of extracurricular can be done behind a screen? Or extracurriculars that aren’t school based? I want to brainstorm ideas that are possible for me to do within my country and find what I enjoy doing. It’d help a lot if you suggest some elementary ideas I can use to branch out to more personalized and fitting activities. It also helps that I’m curious and interested in many things!
I meant that Saudi Arabia’s education itself is lacking in the math and sciences, I’m the top of my class in math and science and they’re certainly my favorite. However Saudi Arabian education is more focused on Islamic studies than science and math, so I’m not sure if we get as in depth as, say, American schools.
I’m starting to get more interested in good stats driven schools because getting great stats seems like the only way someone with my circumstances could hope to get in.
“getting great stats seems like the only way someone with my circumstances could hope to get in”
Almost everyone who applies to America’s top colleges have excellent stats. Consider that to be a baseline, not a stand-out (you may stand out in your school, but even perfect stats don’t necessarily shine in the applicant pool). Colleges will understand that many Saudi females do not have the same opportunities. However, they will still expect you to be creative enough to stand out in whatever ways ARE available to you. Writing an app could be a first step. What would the next step be? Could you sell that app and make money? Could your next app do something that makes life for Saudi women a little easier? (college like it when you show concern for others) Or make even more money? Could you start a tech blog specifically for Saudi girls interested in STEM? Could you teach younger girls in your school how to code?
On these boards we say, “show, not tell”. Telling the college that you have a dream isn’t enough. You will have to show colleges your personality, show what you can do (through your code, etc.), and show what you want to do (challenge yourself, move to the next level every time you accomplish a goal). I hope this helps, and I wish you luck!
More things than all of us together can suggest! What are your real interests? art? music? writing? sports? chess? fossils? astronomy? etc etc
@Groundwork2022
Thank you for your help!
@collegemom3717
Sounds like good news. I’m interested in many things like music, astronomy, meteorology, languages, and coding. I’m also passionate about math.
People who are passionate about things work hard to find ways to find time to be with it! There are online groups, activities, courses, competitions, etc for all those things. For example, are you aware of Galaxy Zoo or Zooniverse? ISEF (International Science & Engineering Fair) or the IMO? Caribou Contests? Follow your interests.
There are perfectly good schools that have stats-based admission, or where high stats will all but guarantee you acceptance- but they are not going to be ones you have heard of. The other question is funding: do you need financial aid? if not, you will be able to find a good college that will be happy to have you (even if you haven’t heard of it).
@collegemom3717
There are several programs in Saudi Arabia where they send excellent students to study abroad at the country’s expense, so I’m not sure funding is a problem.
KASP is certainly well known in the US, @marchiville, and if you have done the homework and know that you are eligible (or if there are others - KASP is the only one I know) that is great. Take a look at the colleges that are eligible since the rules were tightened a couple of years ago. Once you have SAT or ACT test scores you can get an idea of what options are most likely.
The single most important question is this: can you afford to pay for a US college education?
Many good US universities are happy to accept international students with good grades, good SAT or ACT scores, and the ability to pay the full fees. That probably won’t get you into Harvard, but you can access a good college education without amazing extra-curriculars.
Some parents on this forum like to say that achievement gets evaluated in the context of what’s available, but I highly doubt that’s true. I grew up in a rural area. I had no idea that there’s sports club that meet more than once a week, or academic competitions, or community service organizations that work with teenagers, until I started researching college admissions - because none of these things existed where I was from. Where I’m from, typical after-school activities are helping with household chores, working a part-time job, or unstructured time with friends. Not exactly Harvard-worthy.
So I did what any ambitious high school student would do [sarcasm]: I listened to the internet. For my last two years of school, I cut my school work back to the bare minimum and took a 2-hour train (one way) to the nearest big city several times a week. I took a few university classes there, participated in academic competitions, did community service and got involved in a historical dance group. That was my week. On weekends, I worked 12-hour shifts to earn enough money to pay for the train tickets. Retrospectively, it was a huge waste of time and mostly served to alienate me from my family and my local community. But, it polished my resume to the point where I was able to get a financial aid offer from an American college. Mission accomplished?
I get that there may not be a lot of opportunities available to you. While you may have the ability to access opportunities elsewhere, or to create your own, that may be harder than some posters on this forum think and may come at a steep personal cost. In the end, it’s up to you to decide if the effort and sacrifice is worth the goal you are pursuing (attending a slightly more selective US university?).
Can you create a website about mathfor girls, in Arabic, that would push them beyond traditional standards in primary and secondary school? Can you make it successful? Can it become a sort of Khan Academy for girls in the Arabic-speaking world? Then, mission accomplished it’d be a fantastic EC. Yes, I know, it’s a tall ordeal, almost impossible!
Keep getting excellent grades.
To increase your scientific knowledge, work with Khan Academy and MIT OCW (there’s a section for high school students).
You’re correct: high scores on the ACT or the SAT + SAT Subjects will help (make sure one of your subject tests is in a non Stem area – some STEM appliants make the mistake of presenting only STEM subjects, and US colleges want to make sure you’re intellectually curious and well-rounded, can handle math&physics or chemistry but also Literature or History, because their general education requirements will include both.)
Get a book called Princeton Review’s Best Colleges and get acquainted with the many excellent colleges in the US. (There are 3,700 colleges in the US, that book presents the ~top 10%.)
Make sure your parents are supportive of your studying in the US. If necessary, remember that there are several excellent women’s colleges, from Wellesley to Mount Holyoke to Agnes Scott, Spelman, and Sweet Briar.
One of my daughters extra curricular activities was collecting leather bound classic antique novels. Another was creating incredibly detailed mythical worlds with religions, politics, climate, topographical maps etc…a bit like Middle Earth (Tolkien) in terms of concept. My other daughter creates art sculptures out of things she finds in the school recycling bin. Lots of ways to think outside of the box without even getting on the internet! Of course many ways with the internet as well.
Also are you able to access any online courses to supplement your math or science?
I also second looking into womens colleges in the US!