Hello, I am an international student planning to apply to the US, however, I am not very familiar with the admission chances, SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO RECOMMEND SCHOOLS, this is what I got:
- 99,98% GPA from a public Saudi school, 2nd on +100 students.
- 1430 SAT ( Math: 800, R&W: 630), will my 800 make my score more competitive?
- 99 TOEFL
- SAT Math 2 (730), No other Subject Tests
We have fewer than 5 activities in my school but here are mine,
ECs:
- Deputy head of the Organising Club, it's like students who help to organize other students(11-12).
- Help the counselor in organizing events, like anti-smoking event
- Head of the library club (5th and 6th grade), I really don't know if I should include this
Prizes:
- Won a Mathematics contest on the level of Central Region (Riyadh and cities around it), First place. although, they didn't send me any Model or Trophy.
- Excellence Medal from the General Directorate of Education in Riyadh
Other important notes:
- I am Syrian living in Saudi Arabia, from a very disprivileged background.
- By September 2019, I will have completed two years of gap years, because of visa rejections or my mere nationality here in Saudi Arabia
- I know no one who took SAT, I had no mentor, and I scored the given score after one attempt
- I learned English on my own, no one helped in this journey
- I need financial aid or Merit scholarships, if none I won't be able to attend.
some points above I don't know if they matter at all, but I am writing everything just in case.
universities I am aiming for are:
Amherst College
University of Michigan
Boston college & university
NYU Abu Dhabi
and the list is open for any universities or colleges with Financial aid or scholarships
I am applying for computer science
Your SAT English score is impressive for never having formal lessons, but it probably isn’t high enough for any of the colleges you listed (not sure about NYU Abu Dhabi, though). Your other scores are great, though. I’m sure your essay will tell an interesting story too.
What can you afford to pay? That is where you need to start when looking at colleges. There are very few full tuition AND room/board scholarships out there, and getting one is probably unlikely both with your low English SAT score, mediocre TOEFL and little computer science experience (your resume seems more “business”), at least at a highly competitive school. There’s a good chance of you getting some kind of partial scholarship, but you’ll still have to cover 50% or more of the total cost.
@Groundwork2022
Thank you very much for your reply!
I really needed this regarding SAT English score!
Since I am planning to apply for a full financial aid (maybe I can manage some of the living expenses but certainly not the tuition fees) I have some extra questions if you don’t mind it.
1- Will scoring +670 on English SAT be enough in your opinion? Given that I am non-native wouldn’t that be the case?
2- I am planning to use super scoring, but I am not sure what to do in Math section, should I leave it empty? or do I have to take seriously again, even though my score is perfect?
3- Do you think a high score in English SAT will make up for my average TOEFL score? I can’t afford to retake both tests, on the scale of time and money.
4- What can I do regarding my “little computer science”, I mean what college admission look for?
5- Lastly, you said my resume seems more “business”, what do you exactly mean?
You can choose to retake either the SAT or TOEFL. I probably would not leave the math SAT blank, though. Colleges will see the zero, even if they only consider the 730. SATs are more useful for scholarship consideration than TOEFL, so I would give an edge to the SAT (try to get above 700 on English). What really matters as far as getting in goes is that you prove to colleges that you can understand classes taught in English.
Computer science is a highly competitive major in the US - for everyone. Applicants with calculus and physics are preferred. While having some programming skills is not a specific requirement, almost everyone entering that major is going to have some coding/programming experience through clubs or high school classes. I don’t see any of that in your history, but I do see strong math and organization skills, which are common characteristics of business and finance majors (other areas too).
@Groundwork2022
Thank you for your response!
You said that what actually matters is that I can understand classes taught in English, well, I don’t know if you are familiar with TOEFL test or not, but 100 is what most universities require. So basically my score isn’t that good, but it’s enough.
Regarding the experience, I have taken some Java courses and CS online, but they were free so no certificates were given. I didn’t know if I should include that or not because I can’t prove it.
And lastly, although as you pointed experience is important, I think given my situation, small experience won’t be a huge disadvantage. Since no club or courses or boot camps were given in my area.
You’re okay in the TOEFL, since a lot of colleges require slightly less than 100. Top applicants have a bit over that, but the TOEFL is more about you; the SAT is used to compare you to others.
You should probably mention the Java classes. It demonstrates interest in CS. The kids from China and India applying for CS all have experience. Competitive colleges will only go so far in overlooking lack of opportunities. They look for people who will make their own opportunities when none are provided. In that sense, at least you’ve got your Java classes. It’s not very strong, but make the best of it. You won’t know until you apply.
@Groundwork2022
Thank you very much!
I really appreciate your responses! However, I think it’s weird that no one else is actually replying, do you have any idea why?
“I really appreciate your responses! However, I think it’s weird that no one else is actually replying, do you have any idea why?”
I wish you nothing but the best of luck. You have a fairly specific situation. I assume you are getting limited responses because people don’t want to offer uninformed advice (at least that is my situation).
Once again congratulations on your achievements to date.
You should consider applying to as many as 12 to 24 colleges & universities, in my opinion, because your financial need is substantial & because you are an international applicant.
Email your target schools & ask for an application fee waiver based on your financial circumstances.
In order to target appropriate colleges & universities, you should research colleges & universities which award financial aid to international applicants.
@HighlyEn
Google “65 Colleges That Give Generous Aid to International Students.” I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post the link or not. This will give you information about where you might find affordable options.
@Publisher
Thank you very much for your suggestion! the thing is that sending scores, especially TOEFL scores will cost 20$ USD for each university, which is insane so I will try to limit it to around 10 in US, 2 or 3 in Canada, 1 or 2 in the UK (although they have no full scholarships), AUB and NYU AD.
@mamaedefamilia
Thank you very much! that was helpful!