Hello guys, I am an international student, I took 2 gap years after high school because I didn’t know how to apply to American universities. Now, after I did my researches and collected all the information that I need, I am gonna apply this October as a freshman. I am really worried, flummoxed, and lost guys, do you think I stand a chance of getting accepted at these top ranking universities after 2 gap years? ( I am from a small city in Morocco and no one there knew how to apply to American universities, I had to travel to other cites and waste a lot of money to get info. any help would be greatly appreciated guys). Thanks in advance.
I don’t think that the 2 year gap will hurt you. Depending upon what you did, it might even help.
However, the schools that you listed (Stanford/MIT/Harvard/Cornell/UPenn.) are all exceptionally difficult to get into. As one example, the last time that I checked Stanford accepted 4.8% of the students who applied. Most of the students who apply to Stanford have excellent stats, and still get rejected. You should also run the NPC (Net Price Calculator), and see what it says your are likely to need to pay (and note that reality is not always quite the same as the NPC).
Can’t you get this information on-line? Since you have posted on CC, I am assuming that you have decent Internet access.
You should technically still have a chance but international students do not have a good acceptance rate at those schools at all. If you’re set on American universities, I would look at other options and treat these schools as extreme reaches.
well my state got better after i moved to another big city as I mentioned before, i had a lack of information like" do i need to convert my high school scores to GPA, how can i get a letter of recommendation since my teachers don’t know english and my only English teacher just knows basic English and cannot write a letter of recommendation as other American teachers do,… and a bunch of other stuff. The SAT score isn’t a problem for me because I took some SAT practice tests and I scored above 1550, my only problem is “the gap years”
You need to have done something productive during those gap years. Did you work, volunteer, continue whatever actvities you were inolved in, etc.? Do you need financial aid? If so, it will be more difficult, if not impossible. All those schools you listed take the best of the best, esepcially internationally. If you are applying to only those colleges, prepare to be disappointed, and I don’t say that to put you off. Your SAT score is great, but it won’t just be scores. Those colleges will care a lot about the rigor of your courses in high school, recommendations will be really important, the things you do outside of school will be really important, essays, volunteering, and working will all be considered.
The gap years themselves won’t be the issue. It will be what you did during those gap years. You should consider applying to other colleges that are not as selective. If your goal is an American college or nothing, you are hindering your prospects with that list. You need less selective collegs that you can afford. Your list is unrealistic. Give us actual test scores and actual grades, and maybe we can help you find some colleges you have realistic chances at.
Yes i volunteered a lot in translating and writing scientific papers in websites like NASA in Arabic, Moroccan researchers, and Syrian researchers. These websites are the top science websites in the Arab world. I am also working as a graphic designer for a company. My high school score is 18,20/20 and my major was mathematics which is the hardest one in Morocco, (my score was the 6th in Morocco.)
You may want to work with a college counselor. There are several that specialize in working with international students.
If you are interested I can send you details. I agree with the other posts that your list is very ambitious and you will need to expand it to be sure you have options.
Your gap years will not be an issue. Your teachers can write the recommendation in their language as long as you pay for a professional translator (it can’t be translated by you or family member).
On a college website, find the international admissions office and ask for the exact procedures.
My dear @hsibparent thanks for your answer, and YES, i am exceedingly interested in the details, I will really appreciate your kind help.