<p>I'm a junior in high school doing the IBDP.
I scored 32 in my semester 1 exams out of 42. (tok, ee and cas havent been counted)
I'm normally a pretty good A grade student but kind of slipped up during the last couple of months in submitting assignments. Hence the score.
I'd like to get some advice.
1) What would be the minimum score for getting into Ivy league colleges like Harvard, Yale, Princeton etc?</p>
<p>2) My cousellor normally predicts very less scores than the ones actually received at the end (maybe just as a precaution? I don't know). So if she predicts a 36 for me, do you think there are chances?</p>
<p>3) I would like to major in English Literature. My second option would be International Relations.
As I went through the Harvard website, it kind of gave me hope for an acceptance into Enlgish major after I read an article by the Professor of English on how Harvard is starting to focus on giving equal weightage to students applying for majors in arts and humanities.
What do you think about it? Do you really think theres an actual chance?</p>
<p>4) I got a 9.2 cgpa out of 10 in grade 10 (sophomore year). I'm an International.
And I might require financial aid.
^ (Just extra information)</p>
<p>5) Do you think its better to apply for Early Decision or Early Action to Harvard or Yale respectively?
Thanks a lot.
I appreciate your answers in advance. :)</p>
<p>There are no specified cutt-offs, but a 32 would be low by Ivy League standards. A 36 is probably the minimum acceptable prediction most Ivy League schools will be willing to consider, but most Ivy League schools, and other selective universities, like to see a healthy mix of 6s and 7s. Most of the IB students I know who were admitted into Ivy League schools had predictions in the 39-42 range (not including TOK, EE and CAS).</p>
<p>And universities generally do not give preference to students who indicate a desire to study an unusual major because (1) students are free to change at anytime before Junior year and (2) if they did, then everybody would apply to those less popular majors.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, in order to get into Harvard of one of its kind one needs to be able to pay for it. So your need for aid is one problem. Half the students admitted to Yale, for instance, require no aid.</p>
<p>The second problem is that you haven’t spoken of any kind of extracurricular “hook”–something that you have done that is so unique that the university can boast of it in return for paying for your education. To understand what is meant by an ivy hook, look at northstarmom’s post here:</p>
<p><a href=“"Those ECs are weak...."- So what's good? - Chance Me / Match Me! - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-are-weak-so-whats-good-p1.html</a></p>
<p>The third problem is that Harvard and its kind are ridiculously difficult odds. Many students who apply from overseas could be said to be the top 1% of students in their countries. Obviously, not all of them get in. There just aren’t enough seats at the ivies to hold all the best applicants in the world.</p>
<p>So if you want to come to the US for your education, we have hundreds of four year colleges where you can get a great education. In addition to Harvard, apply to some of them because you’re probably not going there. If you need aid in the US, look at these websites for some possibilities:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/financial-aid.php”>http://www.educationusa.info/financial-aid.php</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.desperateguide.com/us/top-25-financial-aid-colleges-in-us-for-international-students-need-aware”>http://www.desperateguide.com/us/top-25-financial-aid-colleges-in-us-for-international-students-need-aware</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2013/09/19/colleges-that-give-international-students-the-most-financial-aid”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2013/09/19/colleges-that-give-international-students-the-most-financial-aid</a></p>
<p>I’ve not answered your question about your grades because it hardly matters what your grades or standardized test scores are at these “ivies” if they’re not the best AND you meet these other qualifications.</p>
<p>To add to the above, neither Harvard nor Yale offers Early Decision, only SCEA.</p>
<p>I’d say I am pretty good in extra curriculars.
Theres a lot of stuff I’ve done in past two years like:
Choir (9th and 10th grade)
Drama
NSS (Its called: National Social Scheme which is basically a club on social service in school. I was the vice-captain for my grade/school in this. Captain is given to a junior year or senior year kid).</p>
<p>Editor In Chief of the school’s fortnightly newsletter.
I’m also into sports, but never took it too seriously. I play basketball really well but couldnt join the team as I was busy with other things and had problem at home which didn’t allow me to.
I also swim, play soccer, corrom and chess well.
I joined the girls soccer team this year though.
I know these might not help me or count as much (or maybe not at all) but could you please help me on how to go about with this?</p>
<p>Which subjects do you have? </p>
<p>Your IB predicted is rather low. A 40-42 is more like what you need to get into an Ivy. Also the ECs you mentioned aren’t that great if you ask me. Do you think you can do better than a 36 on your IB exams?</p>
<p>OP, I’m not seeing that ivy hook I’m looking for, and given what @sarahdaherr has suggested, I encourage you to look for other American schools if your goal is to come to the US for undergrad.</p>
<p>No ACT or SAT? no SAT subjects? </p>