Hi 
Last year I applied to some universities in the US and I didn’t get accepted anywhere. My SAT 1 score was 2040 and my SAT Subject Test scores were Phy/Chem/Math - 800/770/750. Therefore I’m reckoning that I fell short on extracurricular activities. I have an intense will to study Computer Science as my major and I want to get admitted to a top-tier university to fulfill my goal. Since my extracurricular activities can be considered to be zero at the moment, does anyone have a suggestion as to what I should do to make an application that reflects my interest in Computer Science and makes my application perfect?
At present I have a few ideas:
- app developing for Android
- online freelancing related to programming/making websites
Could anyone (preferably a Computer Science major) help me out?
Best regards.
If you applied to top tier colleges, likely your SAT score was a stumbling block. International students, especially those who need aid, need stratospheric SAT I scores. Yours is low in comparison.
And asking for financial aid almost always lowers your chances. There are just too many brilliant kids requesting FA.
International students almost always want CS or Medicine. Is there anything else in your life other than a computer? Agree with above posters, if you ask for financial aid, your chances decrease significantly.
OP never said he/she tried to request FA.
Regardless, the combination of subpar SAT scores and no ECs will not look good for top colleges, especially as an international student. You should also apply to a few safety schools in case you get rejected everywhere.
Please do not stereotype this way: ‘International students almost always want CS or Medicine’.
No, international students wanting to study in the US do not want to study medicine at all; that path mostly does not exist at all, because most internationals are aware that 1) medical schools in the US mostly reserve their seats for Americans and 2) it is ridiculously costly. Many students outside America who want to study medicine take the cheaper, guaranteed and more efficient route of an MBBS, a program which they enter after they graduate.
The problem is that you should have worked on these ideas before, as soon as you knew you’d go on a gap year - the gap year started when you decided you’d take one in order to reapply - so that you had a finished product/sales numbers/views to present by November 1st. Work fast and get things done now. In addition, you need to raise your CR+M to 1400, or get your ACT composite to 32. Having a bit of variety in your subject tests would help, too. Students from some countries (China, India), almost always present the same results in the same subjects. If you want to stand out, present a subject test in Literature or in World History or in a foreign language (check out offerings in October, November, and December to see if you language is offered - they’re different). Read the website “Essay Hell” to have a better idea of the way you should write your essays.
Work on the ACT and plan on taking the September test (register today or tomorrow since the deadline is soon).
What’s your budget?
It’s harder to be admitted to a university if your parents can pay less than 25K.
In that case, your best odds would be applying ED to Amherst (need blind/meet full need even for internationals, top college that’s part of the 5 college consortium in MA, fewer applicants from over-represented countries as well as from under-represented country, ED is a real boost). This is provided you can boost your SAT or ACT score.
Right now, either you want to study in the US and you’ll apply to many universities that are unknown in your country, or you want to impress people at home, and you’ll only apply to universities known at home.
If you choose possibility 1, you’ll choose universities that offer merit scholarships, such as Temple or UAlabama Tuscaloosa or ASU Barrett. For computer science, there are LOTS of good possibilities if you start looking.
If you choose possibility 2, then you need serious back ups in your home country as well as in a country of your choice (can be the UK or Australia or Canada or Germany or France…)