<p>I'm currently studying my A2 levels at a state school in England. I have always been a strong student, and recently decided that I'd like to apply to universities in the U.S after my gap year. At GCSE, I gained 7A<em>s and 5As. At AS level, I gained 5 As, all with 90%+ UMS. I'm set for 3A</em>s and 1 A at A2 level. I'm planning on applying for law and want to be a human rights lawyer. I did 8 weeks work experience with a solicitor and 2 weeks in court with a barrister last summer. I'm head girl of my sixth form; organising events regularly. In my gap year I'm travelling to Ghana and helping build schools and community facilities there, to increase their standard of living. I know that I have high chances if I apply to Oxford or Cambridge, or any Russell Group universities in the U.K, but I've heard that universities are harder to get into in the U.S; relying heavily on extra-curriculars, which I don't have many experience of. Despite my lack of extra-curriculars, do you still think I'd have a chance if I applied to an of the Ivy League universities - in particular Harvard - next year?</p>
<p>The test scores that you cited are not used in American college admissions. You’ll need to take the SAT or ACT, as well as SAT Subject Tests. Also, you don’t apply for a law program as an undergraduate; you study that at professional schools after graduation.</p>
<p>If you don’t have great extracurricular activities, you would not have much of a chance, as admissions at top American universities is very difficult for international applicants.</p>
<p>I am taking my A2s right now as well. And I am an Ivy League-hopeful too (Oxbridge just isn’t as good as the top 10 in the U.S imo). Honestly, you have very good grades, just focus on your test scores and essays (very important factors in American admissions) and you’ll have a good shot.</p>
<p>good luck! :)</p>
<p>To be fair on imjustine, I’m also a British applicant looking to apply to American Uni’s in the future (doing AS at the moment), and I’m sure she’ll agree with me on that extra-curricular activities are hardly promoted or encouraged at all in the UK compared to the US, and its in my opinion why we have such a huge youth binge drinking problem in this country. It also doesn’t help that our UCAS system (your Common Application) isn’t holistic. I am planning on mentioning part of this somewhere on my application, even though I think my ECs are pretty good (for a British applicant).</p>
<p>Some American Unis give advanced standing for foreign exams (albeit very little and not that many Unis do, so you’ll have to check which), so yeah you would need to take the SAT and SAT Subject Tests some time in your gap year. I would also recommend taking up some genuine ECs which are relevant to your interests :).</p>
<p>From the looks of your A-level results I think you have a perfect chance at an Ivy school, if you concentrate on ECs and your SAT/Subject Test exams in your gap year.</p>
<p>Scores are important for an international applicant as is ability to pay (no matter what they say). There are a ton of applicants from the UK at ivies, most with good grades. Each ivy will only take a few and some of these spots will go to the likes of Tony Blair’s son (Yale). The trick will be to seem the most interesting in the pack.</p>
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<p>There are some schools that claim that they are need-blind even for international applicants. What data do you have that contradicts this?</p>
<p>The presense of so many wealthy and powerful internationals at very top US colleges. Purely anecdotal.</p>