International Student Seeking Help

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I'm a high school student in New Zealand.</p>

<p>I hope you'll hear me out and give me some advice which i quite frankly need right now.</p>

<p>Basically, my parents are missionaries so we've been travelling a lot.</p>

<p>When i was 7 we moved to Africa, and stayed there for 3 years, and we've been living in New Zealand for about 5 years or so.</p>

<p>Last year, (Form 6), Year 11 equivalent in USA, we decided to go to the island called Tonga, and serve the disabled people there.</p>

<p>In other words I'm actually really a nomad, and now (Form 7), Year 12, I've decided to broaden and enrich my education by applying to a University in USA, and in particular, an Ivy League University.</p>

<p>I know the odds are against me, but I'll gladly explain my situation if you'll just listen to me. It'll be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>My GPA has not been trascripted yet, but my average scores are 93 %.</p>

<p>So far, my SAT scores are 2050</p>

<p>750 for Maths
650 for Critical Reading
630 for Writing</p>

<p>They're not great, but it's worth a try.</p>

<p>I'm taking A-Level exams (GCSE) currently, and i've taken several other forms of certificates such as NCEA(National Certificate of Educational Achievement) in NZ and PSSC(Pacific Secondary School Certificate) in Tonga.</p>

<p>I'll be taking SAT subject tests this November, and I believe it will not be that difficult.</p>

<p>My extracurricular background is primarily made up of community service, and music and a few sports. I'm a prefect at the current school I attend.</p>

<p>I'm not sure if you can give me a definite answer if i have some chance in getting into Ivy League, but please, if you can, give me some form of advice.</p>

<p>I'm trying to be a doctor, in particular, pediatrician, and the only reason I want to become one is to improve children's life, especially in developing countries such as in Africa. </p>

<p>It'll be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Yours,</p>

<p>Paul.</p>

2

<p>I dunno about much about Ivy leagues, but the SAT's seem a little low from what I believe is needed. I think a 93% would be something like a 3.7-3.8? I could definately be wrong though. That might be a little low too. But you do have quite an interesting background, and that is definately something good going for you. You may not be able to get into an Ivy, but you can definately get into a really good school. I hope this helps!</p>

3

<p>I second that... your experiences are amazing
you could definitely play that up in the essays part</p>

4

<p>Thanks . I'll be giving it a shot anyway :)</p>

5

<p>hmmm</p>

<p>anyone else?</p>

6

<p>Are you a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident? Are you a US citizen or permanent resident(Green Card)? If you're not a US resident, then my advice would be to stay in New Zealand, and get into either the University of Auckland or the University of Otago's medical programs. They are both 6-six undergraduate medical programs, unlike the U.S. where a MD is a 4 year graduate degree. Getting into a medical school in the U.S. is extremely difficult, even more so for international students (only 1 or 2 accepted into each medical schools every year at most). Doing well in your A-Levels will prepare you well for your first year university studies, and with some hard work you should be able to get into the two medical schools in New Zealand. Good luck!</p>

7

<p>Hi onevoice!</p>

<p>I haven't done chances in a while because it gets boring after reading over stats that look similar to one another (e.g. great scores and GPAs and similar colleges ... everyone's the same), but your post definitely caught my attention and you seem like a pretty interesting person, so I'm more than happy to chance you. </p>

<p>Before I start my eval, I understand that your parents are missionaries. If they are, you need to make sure that they have enough money set aside for college tuition for private schools, perhaps $200,000+, because admission for international students is need-aware. This means that they will take into account your parents' financial condition when they look at your file. So if you need financial aid - of which most funds are set aside for US students - you will be at a severe disadvantage, and your chances of admission will be greatly lowered. </p>

<p>Your UW GPA of 93 is pretty good, but not outstanding. That record suggests a mixture of As and Bs, with more of the former than the latter. GCSE A Levels or the British patterned education is looked upon favorably here in the States, because they are supposedly more challenging than the AP curriculum. In fact, I believe that your school prep will make the SAT Subjects look like absolutely nothing compared to the A level exams you will take. </p>

<p>Your SAT total of 2050 is very good, but you demonstrate some weakness with English skills. This may be problematic for you because you express interest in Medicine, yet you demonstrate more of an aptitiude for Math -- the score discrepancy between M and CR/W is very significant. </p>

<p>Other than that your ECs sound typical, but the fact that you've been to Africa for 3 years is very interesting. I highly recommend that you talk about it in your college essays and tell the admission officers about how it impacted your life. It may even sway your decision because US colleges seek for diversity in admitting students, and your diverse experience is a huge draw. </p>

<p>Overall, I can tell you're a pretty good student. Do a good job on your essays and you could be surprised. </p>

<p>*Chances: *
Ivies (HYP, Brown, Columbia, Cornell): Reach, but far reach if financial aid is needed (you're academically the typical applicant, but your story is far more interesting than any student from the US or Asia can tell)
Top 20 US Private (Rice, John Hopkins, Northwestern): Slight reach, but far reach if financial aid is needed (again, the typical student with good GPA and scores)
Top US Public (Michigan and Berkeley): Slight reach, but far reach if financial aid is needed (esp true b/c the international applicant pool for these two schools is extremely competitive)
Top 50 Schools (Boston U, Case Western, Ga Tech): Match, but reach if financial aid is needed </p>

<p>Again, if you are in need of financial aid, your chances for US schools are reduced significantly, and I would suggest looking at schools in your home country. You can always apply to grad school here in the States 4 years from now. However, if you don't need financial aid, I'd say go for it. </p>

<p>Good luck and feel free to PM me for any other ?s,
-ab2013</p>