<p>Well, I'm from Brazil and I'm really planning on studying abroad. After A LOT of research, I fell in love with UCLA. But since I don't live in USA, I don't know how does the system works with international students. I had the great opportunity to start making the Texas Tech University high school program that started this year (I'm still in the first of the three brazillian high school years) and talked a lot with my teacher about it, but the brazillian grades aren't based on letters and also we don't have the gpa system. Biology, chemistry, physics, sociology, philosophy are obligatory in the three years, etc, ANYWAY... </p>
<p>do you think I have chances entering ucla in 2016? Do they evaluate international students the same as usa students (to enter the University)? What are the grades I need to have? Main question: do I need to have high grades in all of my subjects during the whole three years or I just need to have a great average grade of my three years no matter the subject? Sorry for my poor English, please help me!! </p>
<p>Also I'm aware of sat and toefl, but this should not be a problem :D</p>
<p>Your yearly averages for each year will be calculated, along with your last year of lower secondary school (and any other grade in a subject that would “count” as high school in the US, such as algebra). They will be converted. For the conversion, your counselor will have to estimate what percentage, nationally or regionally, get that score (top 10% top 20%?) Remember to include all “majors” or “tracks” if your school system has tracks or secondary majors. It’ll create a yearly GPA and a total unweighted GPA.
Beware that UCLA does NOT award financial aid to international students and that they receive something like 90,000 applications. The odds of your being accepted are thus slim, even if you’re exceptional. Therefore you’ll need to look at many schools, asking for brochures (“request info”). That’s what you should be doing your sophomore year.
You’ll need more than grades and scores, too. You’ll need proof of your leadership skills, your passion for non academic things: Science Olympiad, History Competition, etc. If your school does not offer clubs, you’ll have to secure permission to create on on something you’re passionate about.
For the TOEFL you only need to get the minimum score but for the SAT you need to work very quickly and accurately. Many international students mistake the easiness of many questions for “an easy test”. The difficult is in getting no more than 3, or 5, or 10 mistakes in the tests, depending on the score you wish to achieve. You need to prepare by practicing a lot, otherwise you may know how to answer but you won’t have time to!</p>
<p>Thanks for answering man, I’m quite surprised about no scholarship and all the things I need to do just to have a chance of entering ucla D:
Also, when you said more than 90000 applications, do international students enter at the normal process of admission? This is kinda weird :$</p>
<p>@lihurnirds</p>
<p>i am an international from singapore. in fact, MYOS1634 has underestimated the number of applicants this year. its not 90,000, its over 100,000! international should make up about 10,000, CA residents 50,000 and OOS 40,000. </p>
<p>this number will just keep increasing, trust me. by the time you apply it may as well hit 120,000? so MYOS1634 is right, dont focus on UCLA alone and go search for other similar unis in case you are denied. my friend who score over 2300+ for sat was denied, UCLA is becoming increasingly hard to get into.</p>
<p>Yeah man, I’ve already started researching other unis such as University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin-Madison… Anyone got anything to say about these? I’d be very grateful, because is hard to get all the information all by myself…</p>
<p>@lihurnirds</p>
<p>since you are actually studying IN us now, i would recommend you to visit those campus in person. ranking/prestige is not everything. e.g. if you really like UCLA, you probably wont find U penn a good fit for you. go visit u penn and you’ll know what i mean.</p>
<p>But I’m not studying in us D:</p>
<p>But anyway guys, thanks for the answers, I’ll spend my time studying to actually be accepted in those universities, instead of just stay speculating which one is the best etc… There’s a lot of time untill then.</p>