Hi all, quick question. Posted this on r/a2c and got very few useful responses so I’m trying here instead. First time on this forum, please be kind!
Is there anyone here who applied to an US college as a domestic student but studied high school outside of the States, specifically in an Asian country? And even more specifically, went to a highly-ranked school in said Asian country?
Asking because I’m applying this year with a 3.03 GPA (my school only does number grades; this is an estimate) due to not thinking things through and attending a #1 ranked ultra-competitive public school in an East Asian country with a scary curriculum. All the classes are ridiculously tough; them being taught in Mandarin also helped loads. The place is full of child prodigies and I’m stuck squarely in the middle of the rankings. It’s essentially a feeder for top colleges within the country and only sends about one kid abroad every year, usually to community college. There are little to no resources for applying to US schools, and I don’t think I’ve ever met a single person with a GPA above 3.5 because the exams are simply so freaking hard.
I have good standardized testing scores: a 35 ACT (M:36 S:36 E:33 R:36 W:10) and a 1540 SAT (RW:750 M:790), pretty good extracurriculars (student council, science fair, programming and engineering certificates, Model UN, electric guitar, speaks a handful of languages, also a scientific journal submission in the works, etc etc), pretty good essays and LoRs. I don’t know how all of this will be looked upon, though. My advisor told me she’d prepare a cover letter and some school statistics to show how competitive my school is, but I don’t know if it would be enough.
For those of you who have similar experiences, how much do colleges actually look into the situation at your high school or country? I really hope I’m not treated as a typical low-GPA-high-SAT “smart slacker” type of student and that my chances at getting into a decent school aren’t going to be hurt too much. Any suggestions and advice are welcome!
Colleges know that certain highly ranked high schools in the US have so many high achievers that a top 25% 2ould be looked upon as better than a top 10% from a mediocre school. I imagine that they know this about certain schools overseas, too. Your guidance counselor letter will help, but if hardly anyone from your school has ever applied in the usa, i doubt that usa colleges would be familiar with your particular school.
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Thank you! I’m hoping that the counselor letter and the school statistics she’ll include will be enough to more or less explain my situation to colleges, even if they aren’t familiar with it. Reassuring to know that they’ll at least take it into consideration.
Admissions officers calibrate their review of an applicant in large part based on the school profile that a high school counselor sends.
This document varies from school to school, but includes more than just “school statistics,” but that’s a start. You may want to collect several from US schools — they are often available on the school website — and see if your counselor could put together something similar. If US colleges understand that your school’s rigor, grading system, good placement in Chinese universities (there will be an AO who covers Asia and is familiar), etc., they will have a better understanding of your academic foundation and aptitude.
Also, remember that US admissions are holistic. It sounds like you are a US citizen or dual-citizen who is living in China. You likely have some interesting stories to relay in essays. Your activities can also be impactful. In addition to a school profile that puts your transcript in context, there are many ways to shine on an application.
That’s the good news. The bad news is usually that applying from a foreign country often means you need to be among the tippy top students in your country to have success because most colleges take a small number from each country. In your case, there may be no downside if you are applying as a US/domestic student.
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I also noticed you said that the classes were taught in mandarin “which helped loads.” It sounds like you are being sarcastic. If that’s the case and mandarin isn’t your first language, that’s a compelling part of your story, too.
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Yes, I have dual citizenship so I’m applying as a domestic student, and I’m definitely planning on making my experiences a key part of the application. It’s really nice to hear about how a school profile would help, sounds like it would be perfect for me. I live in Taiwan, actually, and now I think that could make for an even more compelling story if I discuss the geopolitical situation we have over here…
Thank you for the advice, I’m a lot more hopeful about my applications now!
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Be careful about where in your application you discuss the geopolitical situation. It may be an appropriate topic for a supplemental essay, but US colleges really want applicants utilize the main essay/personal statement in a way that allows admissions officers to get to know and understand the student. If it’s mentioned in the main essay, it needs to be done in a very personal way.
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Yeah, I understand. I’m thinking of bringing up how the geopolitical crises and being an immigrant/dual citizen has made me question my identity and in turn shaped my personality and interests. It’s a pretty personal topic for me and plays the main role in my life, so I suppose it would be good as an important part of my main essay.
If your school is as well known as you say it is, it is quite likely that the regional admissions officers will know the school even if they don’t get many applicants. However, don’t overvalue the school. Remember there are likely hundreds of schools like yours in the world.
Can you pay? Then you will find a decent college to attend here.
If you need financial aid, your situation is weakened. But, it depends on a few factors. If you need some financial aid, you have a shot at a number of very respectable schools. If you need full financial aid, as in you can’t afford anything at all, it is highly unlikely.
Here is a list of colleges that provide financial aid to international students:
Of that list, only seven colleges provide 100% fiancial aid.
They are Harvard, Amherst, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, and Bowdoin. They will accept the very best of the best, in terms of both academics and extracurricular activities.
Because you have stated you are in the middle of your class, I believe you have no chance at the schools I just named. However, the link provided includes some of the best colleges and universities in the nation. I am sure that many of those colleges, given your school’s rigor, would be thrilled to accept you.
And as mentioned, if you are full pay, you will have many acceptances, I am sure.
I believe you meant that these seven colleges are need blind for international students. There’re more colleges that are need aware for international students but would meet full need if they’re admitted .
The usual claim is that those seven colleges are both need-blind for international students and claim to “meet full need” (based on their own definition of “need”) for international students.
The number of colleges that fulfill only one of the above conditions is larger than seven (far larger for colleges that only fulfill the need-blind condition).
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Yes to both you and @1NJParent.
With your couselor giving context for the grading and the rigor of the school, you should be fine. This, btw, is known as a school profile. You can find these on the websites for most private high schools in the US. If your counselor isn’t sure what to write, those could be a good template. This will likely be important if your school has little history with US colleges.
Also, beware of thinking that with that understanding, AOs will view you as the equivalent of a top student from a top high school in the US and admit you just like that. Believe it or not, there are a few high schools in the States that are quite selective and competitive, and plenty of top half unhooked kids end up with far less stellar college options than they’d expected. As you no doubt know, highly selective schools get piles of applications from piles of excellent students (often from excellent high schools), so there are no guarantee for unhooked applicants.
You sound like you have an interesting background and are a capable student so make sure your essays show how that, and the person you are (whether because of it or not) will make a contribution to a college community. Do your resarch and make sure your list includes some likely schools where you would be happy. While the odds are that some of your matches, and even reaches, may be excited about you, there is always a distinct chance that something doesn’t quite come through as you’d hoped in the 5 minutes your app gets with a reader , so make sure you will have a few sure things in the end.
My guess is folks here could help with your list if you are still working it out. Good luck to you!
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