Hi everyone,
I’m a 22-year-old from Israel. I’ve been thinking of trying to apply to NYU for fall 2021, and I was wondering if I have any chance at all.
I graduated high school with GPA of 3.8 (converted from the Israel system), and did some volunteering as well. Then I enlisted to the Intelligence Corps of the IDF (an elite unit) where I had two roles over a period of 3 years. Currently I work as a data analyst for a small startup, which is also one of the reasons I’m not taking the SAT (full time job, living on my own and need to save up for my education).
So I have two questions. one- will my service (even though it’s a foreign military) and job be taken into consideration? two- I have no academic background nor recent courses/scores, but I went through sorting and classification for my job and for the army, and took many tests and stuff on the way. Will it be enough?
Generally, what are my chances? Is there any point in even applying?
Would appreciate any thoughts and opinions shared 
Thanks!
You have a chance. NYU does have testing requrements, and they are the same for both domestic and international students. You would have to meet the requirements if you haven’t already. Taking the SAT is only one of several ways to do that.
https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/standardized-tests.html
Take a standardized test of some sort, and yes I do think they’ll take your background into account. In my opinion it will be a positive, NYU likes people who bring different experiences into the classroom and yours is likely to be a relatively unique one for its applicants. Do be aware that there is limited aid for internationals so you also need to examine how affordable it will be for you.
I wouldn’t worry much. I took both the A-Levels and SAT but the admissions office asked me to only select one to be reviewed for my application.