I moved to India after 8th grade in the U.S. and I completed 9th and 10th grade in a pre-IB curriculum from an international school and will be a junior this fall in the IB Diploma Programme. I have begun researching colleges in the U.S., and I was wondering what the application process would look like for me.
Current Stats:
-GPA isn’t calculated however I received the highest grade total of 60/63 (9 subjects, 7 as max score) in 10th
-1400 PSAT/NMSQT in 10th (w/o practice) - 720M/680R
-Will be taking in the IB Diploma Programme:
Physics, Math, and Econ HL
English Lit, French, and Chem SL
ECA:
-Football School Team (Only one high school team per sport)
-Basketball School Team
-Model UN - Have attended many as a delegate, chaired one, and I will be Deputy Secretary General(Vice President) of School MUN Club in junior year
What can I do over the next two years to improve my chances and strengthen my application for top-tier universities like Cornell, UCB, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, etc. (For example, Ideal SAT scores, ECAs, hooks, etc.)? I will also be looking for scholarships and aid to help pay for college.
SAT score should be 1500+ (ideally 1550+). Or an ACT score of 33+.
I’d recommend finding a really weird hobby. I german wheel for example (it’s a circus act) and all the college reps I’ve talked to have been super interested in that. You’re in India, there must be some very cultural interesting stuff. Maybe try to learn something very different and foreign so you can stand out.
The California public schools will not offer you need based aid and the merit aid they have is very competitive. For the very top schools, you will need the top stats. Most of those schools only have need based financial aid, so there isn’t anything you can do to prepare for that. If your parents’ incomes will not qualify you for need based aid, you should look at schools that award merit aid to students with your stats.
If you are a US citizen, you’ll apply as one, but will be in a pool for review with students from your area of the world. Having an IB education makes it a little easier for schools to understand your curriculum.
Thanks for all the answers…this is my first post on CC. @twoinanddone “in a pool for review with students from your area of the world”, so will this make it more or less competitive than say if I was living and attending a competitive high school in Texas?
We are also US citizens in India and I have asked this question to many adcoms who have visted.
From what I can tell applications are divided by region in most offices and read by people who understand the educational system in that region.
You are a US citizen and your application will be viewed through that lense (for example if a school is need-blind for citizens your’s will also be need-blind.) However, there may be a person who deals with non-citizen apps from India who also reviews yoru app. That person would be more familiar with what activities are available to students in India, what subjects are available, the different curriculums,etc.
If you are in a big city you should easily be able to find good SAT prep and even good private college counselors if you want to take the extra help.
Get the Princeton review’s best colleges and start reading.
You’re falling into a common trap : thinking of dream schools first. The hardest colleges to find will be your safeties - especially since you may not be considered instate anywhere.
Since you’re in an IB school, your goals should be 38 on the IBD for Top 25 universities/LACs.
Focus on developing an interesting EC in addition to MUN (football and basketball won’t be it, but keep playing if you find it fun, fun is important.)
UC’s do not give financial aid to non Californians. Your parents will be expected to pay 60k every year. Ask them if they can and are willing to. Most parents wouldn’t.
@MYOS1634 Unfortunately my international school doesn’t offer many EC’s (MUN being the largest and most popular by far) apart from sports. Even if you start a club, getting participation is difficult due to the small school size. My side interest is in developing projects from opensource software and also learning code, so I was considering starting a robotics/coding club in my school this coming year. Any advice on what I should do: start a club or just improve my skills on the side?
Also, I am a consistent volunteer and have taken a few initiatives at a local shelter/school for specially abled children.
Actually it’s better if you develop something on your own - the circus example is a good one. Not a club at school but the pursuit of a personal interest that happens to be unique. If your interest is common, that is not a problem, but you have to become unusually good at it
Ok thanks, also when I do apply to colleges, would I be able to use the ‘international and diverse minded’ and ‘adapting to changes’ card or is that not favored by admission officers?
International experience is a given and will help, however everything else will have to come from your essays and be smart (please use “show, not tell” and don’t expound on how all the poor people around you show you that really you don’t need an iPhone to be happy, or some such which has been done one hundred times and isn’t really meaningful if you are just stating this from the sidewalks and typing on your Macbook.)