<p>I recently moved to America from Northern Europe (I'm a junior right now). My school (public) is quite competitive and most of my friends have taken 10 AP courses. I am only able to take one this year (AP US) because I am also in the IB Program and there isn't space in my schedule for more classes. I am planning to take 1 online AP class next year because I won't have any space on my schedule to take an AP class. Will my excuse be legitimate? I've also been told that IB classes don't mean as much as they do in Europe.</p>
<p>The same goes with EC's. I am doing a lot now but back in Europe I was only in 2 clubs (National Debate Club and Amnesty Club). A lot of the schools there aren't really into clubs and volunteer work was hard to find if you were under 18
I'm interested in: Vanderbilt, NYU, BU, Cornell (reach) and University of Minnesota
I get above average grades now (I don't have a GPA yet)</p>
<p>Will the lack of AP's and freshmen+sophmore EC's hinder me from getting into the schools I'm interested in?</p>
<p>Who told you that IB courses aren’t considered as valuable as AP courses? Your American pals who aren’t in the IB program? Stop listening to those people. Every single college admissions officer in the US is fully aware of the IB program. You need to read through the websites of the US colleges and universities that you are interested in to find out how they handle IB exam results and full IB diplomas. Many will give you credit or advanced placement for certain IB exam scores, and there are plenty of colleges and universities that will admit you as a second year college student if you have a full IB diploma.</p>
<p>Not to mention that completing a full IB diploma will make admission at a European university much easier!</p>
<p>When you apply for admission in the US, you will have to include copies of your secondary school transcripts from your old school in Europe. Chances are, that you will also write somewhere in one of your essays something about your experiences there. The admissions committees will know that you aren’t a typical “American kid”, and they will not evaluate your HS activities in precisely the same way that they would for someone who spent their whole life here. </p>
<p>Stop worrying about this. Worry instead about doing well in your classes.</p>
<p>Talk with your guidance counselor about whether or not it makes sense for you to take any of the AP exams that are in subject areas covered by your IB coursework. Sometimes it does, and anyone (even your own mom) who is willing to spend the money for the exam can take it. All of the information is on the College Board website.</p>
<p>Lastly, don’t forget to sit down with your parents and talk about how much money will be available for your education. That will ultimately be the factor that decides where you can study.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>
<p>Actually, my teachers were the ones who told me that IB doesn’t hold that much value. Especially since in my school we don’t get to know our IB grades until we get accepted into a college. It’s safe to say that most of the people in my school aren’t that happy about having the IB program.</p>
<p>I will most likely be staying in the US since that was my original plan before I moved here.
I’ve tried to talk to my counselor but he doesn’t really have any experience with dealing with foreign transfer students (I moved to a place that doesn’t really get much foreigners). I might ask for another counselor from the school before my senior year.</p>
<p>I’ve talked to my parents and they said they’re willing to pay about 15,000. I know this probably isn’t enough for schools like Vanderbilt but I’m probably going to get a loan/apply for scholarships if I do get in to a school like that.
Thank you so much for your response! I really appreciate it!</p>
<p>Colleges don’t expect APs if you’re doing a full IB. Focus on getting good grades, you’ll need well above average grades for Cornell, Vandy and NYU.</p>
<p>Are you a US citizen or do you have a Green Card? If so, have your parents sit down and run their financial information through one of the FAFSA EFC calculators. There is a good one at [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Calculate Your Cost – BigFuture | College Board) Your family needs to know your EFC now so that you can make a realistic list of colleges. Most places will expect you to pay more than your EFC.</p>
<p>If you don’t qualify to file the FAFSA, you will be considered an International applicant even though you will graduate from a US high school. You need to find out if you can study in the US in your current visa status or if you will have to change to an F-1. If you are an international applicant it will be very, very difficult for you to get financial aid. You need to start to find out your options now. If that is your situation, take time to read through some of the threads in the Financial Aid and International Student Forums here at CC.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>I have a F-2 Visa. I don’t have a social security number because I am illegible to get one because of the F-2 Visa (ugh). My parents have social security numbers
Our EFC is 30,000+ That’s what my dad calculated a couple of months ago. My parents aren’t really willing to pay higher than 15,000
Thanks for bringing up the visa/international student issue! My parents don’t really like talking about stuff like that with me but I’ll get them to talk somehow</p>
<p>If you have an F-2, that means that at least one of your parents is currently here on an F-1. Are they both students, or does the other parent have some kind of working visa? Any chances that your family will have Green Cards before you start college?</p>
<p>You need to find out if you qualify for in-state tuition and fees at one of the public community colleges or universities in the state where you are living. Some states don’t care about the immigration status of state residents, they only care that you have lived there for a certain number of years.</p>
<p>If you won’t qualify for in-state tuition and fees where you live, and you won’t have a Green Card, you will be an international applicant. $15,000 won’t go very far if you have to pay for OOS tuition, fees, housing, food, books, etc. You need to apply to colleges and universities that offer merit aid to international students. You also should be looking at institutions in other countries. For example, Canadian universities are generally less expensive than peer institutions in the US, and there are fewer restrictions on students working there.</p>
<p>Will I still be able to ATTEND college in the U.S? Even though I have to pay full price</p>
<p>Yes you can attend college in the US! Your issue is going to be financial. Now that you know that, you and your parents can plan accordingly.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it! No one has been able to answer my questions (including my school’s district board) but it’s nice to find people online that can help</p>