<p>You can take the SAT subject tests in the sciences, maths and world history. You can take the subject test in Italian as well. The Italian results may or may not add to your application. It would be expected that you are fluent in Italian since you went to school in Italy. However, very few US students would be fluent in Italian, so your fluency would add to the diversity of a university’s student population. </p>
<p>The coordinator of teachers (or principal) would be the one to write a letter which puts your grades into context compared to other students in your school and possibly other students from Italy. It would be very worthwhile for you to ask the coordinator of teachers where they would place you relative to other students in the school. </p>
<p>I didn’t do everything of science and math. Plus, I feel like I have a more solid base in math than anything else.</p>
<p>I actually just tried Math II practice test and got 670. I noticed that I didn’t do some things at school (limits, matrix, solids…). So if I have to take it in sep I could get to +700 maybe. Is that good enough?</p>
<p>As regard Spanish, I didn’t do that… but I am teaching it myself so… I don’t know. Tomorrow I will take a practice test and see what I can get.</p>
<p>I also have to take the TOEFL (a practice test told me I’m about 94/120 but I’m not sure). I will take it in July or Aug.
Will that be better if I take TOEFL practice course or Spanish (to improve, and take the SAT Sub)?</p>
<p>What does your liceo cover? If you tell us, we can tell you what subject tests would match most closely. 
There are several possible subjects beside languages, and the only subject you can’t take is Italian (since you’re Italian, colleges already know you have more than a basic understanding of the language :p). You can thus take Math2 and two others (strictly speaking, Math2 and one other, but it’s always better to have a choice between the scores you can send, just in case. You’re already there, so why not take all three tests? And you can choose the ones you want from the list. As bouders said, you can take math, science, and World History if you don’t know Spanish, unless Spanish is easier to learn than WH for you.)
If you’re at 94 for the TOEFL already, just practice a few times and take the test. It’s essential to know the format but otherwise, you don’t need to take a special course for it.</p>
<p>There are thousands of universities in the United States, if you want to get in the top Universities, you need really good grades that rival most the applicants in Italy. The adcoms in the University will know if you are competitive or not since you are not the only one applying from Italy.</p>
<p>If however, if you just want to enter a university ranking from 100 to 200, that is pretty easily done providing you have no financial needs. Those Universities are not bad, if you succeed in academics, you still can do pretty well in your life.</p>
<p>@artloversplus can you show me some kind of list where Universities are ranked? Just to have a base to start.</p>
<p>I reduced my college list at minimum, because I think it’s the best choice to try to get into schools I really really want to go, not just random. If I do not get in there, I will stay in Italy (we have admission pocess just for few uni, so it’s ok)</p>
<p>Right now the list is:
UC school (only one application for everything, right?): UCSD (dream school), UCLA, UCB. UCSB.
University of Arizona (that I am not so sure about)</p>
<p>I may add some other schols (USouth Cali, UT Dallas, Oxy)</p>
<p>My major will be Cognitive Science (and maybe double it with Management or Marketing)</p>
<p>For the TOEFL I’m not really sure I’m there… how do I know for sure?</p>
<p>This is the list of subject of my liceo (and I also wrote my grades, out of 10)</p>
<p>Math (Algebra, 2D Geometry, basically everything till pre-calculus… I can look up the 3D Geometry, Probability by myself, but no calculus till next year) - 6/10 (due to personal problems)
Italian - 7/10
English (Grammar and little literature) 8/10
Bio/Chem/Geology - 8/10 (really good grade… bad preparation, at least for the SAT)
Physics - 7/10 (everything till magnetism and modern physics that are for next year)
Computer Science - 9/10 (I love this)
Art 9/10 (maybe 10/10 lol… just bc is very easy)
PE - 8/10 (maybe 9/10 but I do not do much, since I have a certificate of invalidity… I just have some paper to do, that are graded randomly)
History 6/10 (just…no. Last thing we did was French Revolution and Napoleone but I don’t think I can pass an exam on this subject…)
Philosophy 7/10 (love this. Last thing was Kant, but we did skip some philosopher).</p>
<p>If there is something missing tell me :)</p>
<p>Type “USNWR” and separately) 1st: “National Liberal Arts College” (look at schools up to 125); 2nd: National Universities (look at schools up to 60 or so, then according to scholarships and Honors colleges); 3rd: Regional universities (look at schools up to 25-30 in each region).
Remember there are 3,700 universities and colleges in the US, so it’s not like looking at Italy’s colleges - rather as if you were looking at colleges in all 28 countries of the EU plus Russia…
This is an example with lots of possibilities for you:
<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges/spp%2B50/page+2”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges/spp%2B50/page+2</a>
The rankings aren’t “precise”, ie., the number 1 is not “better” than “number2”, in fact since the criteria change, the rankings change a little each year (makes for better sales :p). Roughly, consider that colleges ranked 1-25 are almost impossible to get into (probably only 1 Italian student will get in); LACs ranked 25-55, 56-85, 86-125 would be roughly of similar selectivity; for universities, 25-40, 41-60, 61-85, 86-100 would be roughly of similar selectivity; for regional colleges, think in groups of 10.</p>
<p>The best thing for you would be to buy and read a book such as Fiske Guide, Insider’s Guide to the Colleges, or Princeton review’s Best Colleges. The new issue will come out in early August (or late July). Each probably costs about 20 euros. On the link above, you’ll see universities such as DePauw and St Olaf, with totally different atmospheres, or Hillsdale and Hendrix, totally different too. Rankings It’s important to understand that many colleges in the US have a “personality” and it’s good to find a “college personality” that matches yours.
I agree you shouldn’t apply to random colleges, only those you really want to go to, but don’t limit yourself to the colleges that are known in Italy, as they may or may not be what’s best for you.</p>
<p>Can your family pay 55K? Because that’s how much UC’s cost for international students. There are no scholarships.
If you like UCSD because of San Diego, look into SDSU and University of San Diego. Look into costs though.</p>
<p>SAT Subject:
Math2 goes to precalculus but does not include calculus.
Biology, Chemistry, Physics: check out the content and choose one (or two?)
<a href=“http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-subject-test-preparation”>http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-subject-test-preparation</a>
World History covers from prehistory to today, including Asian, African, South American, and European History. So probably not the best chocie.
Literature may be hard since you’re not a native speaker.
Didn’t you study another foreign language before the liceo? (I thought European students were required to have 4 years in one foreign language and 2 years in another one?) Since the languages are only tested at A2 level, they’re typically the easiest to take for European students. </p>
<p>My problem with the college list is that I want to major in Cognitive Science (in Italy it does not exist), so very few colleges have that. The other major I could look up are Management or Comp Sci, but i could easily do them here, so it’s not worth it. </p>
<p>As regards money, my parents said we can afford it, but they were a bit uhm surprised (?). International can get work on campus? (I know I cannot work off-campus…)
I already looked up SDSU and USD, they seem fantastic! But they do not offer Cognitive Science :(</p>
<p>Are SAT Subject really that important? Is there a score I should get to? (Like, from a practice test I got 670 Math II)
Should I use them to “bring up” the things I did bad at school? I feel like doing a SAT for a subject I did pretty well in HS is a waste (mostly bc I could screw up the test).
Before high school I did 3 years of German, but I remember very little (unfortunately), because it’s like 4 year I don’t practice.
I wanted to save money (and time, since the test center is very far away from my house) and don’t take them, but I am not sure.</p>
<p>Oh, I forgot. I have a certificate of invadility (walking problems basically). Will this affect my application?</p>
<p>it could affect things positively in that you had to overcome a disability in order to be successful.</p>
<p>For top schools SAT subjects are very important. You’d need to get scores in the 700’s though in order to be competitive, since you should choose the two subjects where you feel you’re the strongest.</p>
<p>For the school i want to apply to I do not need them… so maybe I’m gonna take Math II only (just because I have to study that for my school so…). We will see, maybe I’ll add something else.</p>
<p>Another question, since I don’t know where to post it: is it possible for international students to earn college credit in high school?
in Italy we don’t have CLEP, AP or IB. I wanted to study something in summer (like intro to psych, or something)</p>
<p>If the college that admits you grants credit, it’ll be for the Maturità. It’d be typical for you to get credit for 3 classes (calculus, philosophy, and another one) plus you’d get the Foreign Language requirement waived if there’s a requirement to graduate from the college. </p>
<p>this is even if I don’t have philosophy as a subject on the Maturità?</p>
<p>no, if you don’t have philosophy as a subject on the Maturità then it wouldn’t be an obvious credit among the typical subjects but depending on the school, you could provide a syllabus (description of the works read, notions studied, etc - can be excerpted from your textbook) and ask for credit anyway in addition to the 3 best scores on the main exams for the Maturità exams, which you typically 3-4 credits for a score of 7, sometimes 6.
This is NYU’s policy for instance:
Italy
Exam: Esame di Stato (Maturitá)
Minimum Score: 7
Points Awarded per Subject Area Exam: 4 credits/points
<a href=“Advanced Credits”>Advanced Credits;
<p>Thank you very much!</p>