I'm a high schooler in Brazil. Any real chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>So, yea, I'm a freshman high school student in Brazil, and I dream of studying International Relations in an English-speaking country. I want to know if I have any real chances to get accepted to one of my dream colleges. More information below.</p>

<p>Stats:
GPA: As my school isn't in the international/US system, none. But my grades in Brazil are very high (like A as average)
SAT: Haven't taken it yet, But I believe I'm capable of getting a 2200 or better.
SAT II: Considering I get to choose the subjects, I believe I can get some pretty decent 700-750s or maybe above.
Comparison to others in my class: I've been top of my class for quite a while.</p>

<p>EC's:
This is where I lack. It's hard to get many in Brazil as we don't have school clubs and things like that, but I did accomplish...
-First Lego League Brazil 2010 participant (qualified through regionals)
-Fluent in Portuguese, learning French
-Received School letter for writing the top essay in a contest during Secondary School and some other recognition at school level for writing good essays
Yeap... That's it.
HOWEVER, I'm yet to complete my first semester in High School, and I have plans to...
-Compete in Brazilian Olympiad of Geography
-Compete in Brazilian Olympiad of Physics (and hopefully international)
-Become a contributor/translator for Coursera with verified Translator certificate
-Get a verified certificate of specialization in Duke's "Reading, Data Analysis and Writing" thorugh Coursera (already started)
-Participate in more courses with verified certificates</p>

<p>Now some extra info:
My desired major: International Relations (as previously said)
Financial condition: Not too good. I manage to have a good life and go to a private school in Brazil, but won't be able to pay for pretty much any college in the US.</p>

<p>Dream colleges:
University of Oxford
Dartmouth College
Georgetown University</p>

<p>I'd like to receive tips/comments on...
-How to improve my EC's. I know they are weak, and if you wanna post that, nice. I appreciate your time spent on this thread, but it would really be helpful if you give me ideas of how to improve it.
-What other colleges I may like.</p>

<p>Thank you for your time.</p>

2

<p>You really don’t have to think about this as a freshman. Come back in two years.</p>

3

<p>Sorry, no answer to hypothetical question. ;)</p>

4

<p>UK unis won’t care about ECs that don’t relate to your subject.
For UK unis you will have to pick a subject to specialize in.
For UK unis it will all about test scores in relevant subjects</p>

<p>US unis will appreciate depth > breadth in ECs: go longer / deeper in a few areas of strength
Certificates aren’t as big a deal in the US as they are in Brazil.</p>

<p>The Brazilian government has various scholarship programs for students to study abroad- you should do some homework on those, as the competition for financial aid is very stiff for international students. </p>

5

<p>Appreciate it all guys.
@bodangles‌ yea, but when you’re in Brazil, you just can’t wait until the last moment.
@billcsho‌ Alright, thanks for your time.
@collegemom3717‌ thank you. about getting scholarships by the government: yea, I’m looking into that. Also, I know certificates aren’t as big a deal, but I thought it was nice to say that Duke University actually looks into these courses are the certificates are verified and all that (so they can’t send to anyone).</p>

<p>Does anybody know of good international essay contests to prove my abilities to the US colleges?</p>

<p>If my questions and the overall course of this thread starts to go off-topic, any mods feel free to contact me.</p>

6

<p>Fair enough. :slight_smile: Good luck!</p>