<p>That last bit is in response to the starter of the original thread, who is Dutch and not Egyptian, but I think it applies to you too, to an extent.</p>
<p>My point is, you need to find out every school’s *relevant *acceptance rate–that is, its acceptance rate for aid-seeking int’ls–international fin aid budget, and standards of admission for internationals. Sloppy research may very well bury your application.</p>
<p>I’d suggest you have a look at Lafayette as well. Its acceptance rate is relatively higher compared to other more selective LACs, and it gives out great aid (as good as that of Williams and Middlebury, as I saw from some friends’ aid packages). I’m not trying to push to you to apply or anything, but just consider it, since it has a really nice personal touch with students and a great deal of research opportunities. :)</p>
<p>I have a new question! Now my parents have gotten a job offer in Europe (I am in Egypt). At the place they are going, the only diploma offered is the IB diploma! I am currently a junior (11th grade), and I’m going to be a senior (12th grade) in about three months! If I go with my parents, then I would have to redo a year and pay about $25k over the time of two years to that school(it is private). In Egypt, my current school costs about $5k per year, and since I have only one year left I will pay only $5k! Wouldn’t it be a better to invest that extra $20k in my college education? My parents say no, because they believe that my current school is very weak, which is true since they do not offer any AP or honors classes(I self-study everything)! They are saying that even if I do get accepted to US colleges, which is a very little chance on its own, I wouldn’t be able to manage the course load and that I would be a generally weak student! They believe that the IB will be ideal college prep, because of its infamous workload! What do you guys think? Also, my school has never sent anyone to America, so I am not too sure of their capability to write recommendations to these very selective colleges! The IB school, on the other hand, has sent kids to MIT!</p>
<p>That sounds like a very personal decision. It’s not only about $20,000 or one year more or less in high school. You are deciding which country to live in; whether to live with your parents or stay with your current friends. The IB is a very strong college-prep curriculum but certainly not the only way to get prepared for college. What’s the better decision for you, only you and your family can decide. </p>
<p>I will say this much: if your primary goal is to attend MIT, you are probably better off at a school with a track record of sending students to MIT. But I don’t think you need to be concerned about being prepared for college in general. Many American students struggle in their first year in college because they have never had to work independently: they have always passively digested what their teachers told them. If you know how to teach yourself and fill in gaps in your knowledge, you are way ahead of the curve!</p>
<p>You are correct regarding the whole family and friends thing. But, I tried to put my emotions aside, and make the most logical decision. Now, it is true that most American kids aren’t use to independent study, but the kids, who will be going to the colleges (Williams etc…) I will be applying to, will be relatively strong students with, maybe, 5 or more APs safely under their belt. My Egyptian school only offers English as second language and very weak math and science courses. I am just afraid that my writing/math/science skills will not be up to par with those of the kids who will be attending these top LACs. Another thing that scares me is that I really don’t trust the quality of the recommendations that I will receive from my Egyptian school. This school has about 5000 students, and doesn’t really put much time into each student; as a result, my relationship with teachers/counselors is very weak if not nonexistent! The IB school has only 9 students in its graduating class, which I think means more student-faculty interaction. Nonetheless, I might be decreasing my chances at colleges by decreasing my expected family contribution. In Egypt, my EFC might be around 6-7k per year, while in europe my efc will be closer to zero! Also does graduating with an IB diploma help? Does my IB score matter to American colleges?</p>
<p>I also forgot to mention that my current class rank in Egypt is 1/135. In Europe, the best case scenario is that I will remain number one, but my class size will decrease to around 15, at best. Do American colleges consider rank within the context of the academic rigor of the school? For example, it is easy to be number one in Egypt (although there are 135 kids in my graduating class) but I would imagine it is hard to be number one in IB (although it is only 15 kids). I think it will be harder to be number one in IB, since most of the kids in IB hail from Europe or America; both of which have stronger educational systems than Egypt.</p>
<p>just wanted to clarify that although you’ll essentially be competing with all international students, you will be “grouped” with other applicants from your region, and THEN you will be compared with other internationals outside of your region.</p>
<p>good luck to you, it is VERY hard to apply to American schools as an international; schools hardly give enough aid for domestic applicants. i don’t know acceptance rates for internationals, but make sure you email people on the admissions committee/the dean of the schools you are interested in. introduce yourself and tell them how you are interested in their school. if it is a small LAC, you can find the dean’s email on their website (i emailed the amith dean and she was very pleased and said she will make sure the admissions committee knows that i have a keen interest in smith.) make it sound semi formal and not like an eager applicant (although we all are) </p>
<p>@ CPUscientist Thanks for the luck; I will definitely need it!!
So, I just want to clarify. I am an Egyptian citizen. If I were to apply while in Europe, would I be treated as a European, or would I be treated the same as if I were applying from Egypt?</p>
<p>You sound like you are trying to talk yourself into the IB school even though you are more attached to Egypt. Is there something else on your mind besides academics?</p>
<p>I have a lot of respect for you for trying to make a logical decision, but please don’t discount happiness in that equation. You won’t be able to do your best work if you are unhappy, and that might hold you back more than the differences in the schools you came from. It’s okay to consider your feelings. In fact, if I were in your shoes, I would make this decision primarily based on where I wanted to live and look at academics later. Both schools will allow you to have a successful career!</p>
Academically, you would be compared to other applicants in IB programs. Extra-curricular activity wise, you would probably be compared to Europeans. Culturally and legally, you are still Egyptian. There are plenty of shades of grey between black and white!</p>
<p>
The IB school probably does not rank its students, since a rank below the top 10% can destroy a student’s shot at academic scholarships and most of their students are probably very high achieving. If you do get ranked, admission officers will consider your rank in context for admission decision, but scholarship decisions may be made by a strict formula without considering context. </p>
<p>
Don’t worry about that. APs are teach more “advanced” material but not always on a more advanced level. American high school students are generally taught very passively: the teacher presents the material and the students spit it back on multiple choice and short answer exams. I have attended public high schools in Europe and the US. In Europe, every exam had some “transfer questions” that required connecting old material from class with new information. (‘Here’s a new text. How does this author come to a different conclusion from …, whose work we discussed in class?’) That wouldn’t fly in the US - American high school students cannot be expected to make sense of a new text by themselves.</p>
