I used to live in America but went to Korea and started attending high school there. I had trouble with the language (although I’m officially a Korean, I barely used Korea back in the States since I moved to America when I was three) and my grades suffered. Also, I went to an elite high school and the grades there are different; for example, math tests were extremely hard and the average was a 50 (although in 11th grade my math grades dropped considerably). I didn’t do so well particularly in 11th grade, where I had to learn concentration subjects (Korea is known for teaching extremely difficult math and science subjects). Now I’m moving back to America and will attend 12th grade there. Do you think I have a chance to be accepted to an Ivy League if I write a good essay? (By the way, how am I supposed to put all my extracurricular activities into my essay?)
GPA: 3.1 (Unweighted) (Sadly, my grades dropped as the years went by)
SAT: 1540 (Practice test score average; will take in Oct.)
Extracurricular Activities:
2013
Mentor-Mentee Tutoring Program (Mentor)
School Math Competition (1st Place)
District Math Competition (Honors)
International English Test (1st Place)
Sungkyunkwan University English Contest (2nd Place)
2014
Class Head of Volunteer Service
Class Career Leader
School Career Newsletter Writer (Global Education)
School English Math Competition (1st Place)
ESU English Speaking Competition (District Honors)
Girl Scouts of Korea volunteering
Red Cross Youth CPR License
School Global Leadership Camp Group 8 Leader
School Global Leadership Camp “Short Play: Us” (1st Place)
Kendo (1-dan)
2015
Model United Nations Club President
English Class President
School Career Newsletter Writer (Global Education)
School English Festival Speech Competition (2nd Place)
School English Festival Pop Song Competition MC
School Global Leadership Camp Group 7 Leader
School Global Leadership Camp “My Dream PPT” Competition (3rd Place)
UN Day English Speaking Competition Finals
Kendo (2-dan)
Cheongbuk International Association volunteering
2016
Class Head of International Relations
School English Cyber Debate Competition (1st Place)
Planned Major: Education/Government/Business (I would like to become an Education Specialist)
I think you have a chance to get accepted to some good colleges, although with a 3.1, I don’t see Ivy in your future. I’d suggest looking at some less selective schools.
Agree^^^ unless you have some special hook, an Ivy looks out if your league.
Then which colleges do you recommend?
1° Do not try to convert you Korean grades into American grades.
That’s where context comes in: if half the class got a 50 or lower, than 50 would be a B- or so in the US, right? It wouldn’t be converted as an F.
2° Apply to colleges that will value your high SAT score and count 1st quarter grades in order to offset your current ones. Private holistic admissions and good regional schools are a good bet.
Elon would be a good one. UNC Wilmington and NCSU would be other good ones for instance.
What do you want to major in?
I would like to major in Education/Government/Business
Could I be accepted to the UCs?
UCs would be hard since they stress GPA. Also what was your class rank? Your GPA may be bad but you did mention your school was very difficult and the average math test grade was a 50.
UCs usually rule out students if they have below a 3.5 (I may be wrong, just speaking from experience). For your essay, I’d consider focusing on only one or two activities and associating them to how they built your character and aspirations. If you do more than one activity, make sure they are relevant in the context of your essay. Also make sure that you don’t just end up listing every accomplishment you’ve made– this is the reason I’m emphasizing just focusing on one or two programs you were part of. It’s good to be concise so you can focus more on how YOU are coming off in your essays, not just your accomplishments on paper.
Are you one of the top 100 students in your graduation year in Korea?
Sounds like you’re OOS for UCs, so a higher GPA would be needed.
What state will you be doing your senior year in?
How much will your parents spend on college?
Please tell a consistent story:
<<<
I moved to America when I was in the middle of my senior year in Korea. The schools here are telling me that I have to attend 11th grade this fall due to lack of credits for graduation (which will mean that I will graduate two years later than my friends, who have graduated this spring) or take the GED since I am 18. Should I go for a two-year-late high school diploma or take the GED to go to a community college and transfer in two years? And if I take the GED, can I apply to universities as an undergraduate this fall despite being enrolled in a community college?
<<<<
and a few weeks ago you wrote:
[QUOTE=""]
Now I'm moving back to America and will attend 12th grade there. Do you think I have a chance to be accepted to an Ivy League if I write a good essay? (By the way, how am I supposed to put all my extracurricular activities into my essay?)
<<<<
[/QUOTE]
Please look at my “Transfer vs University” post.
Are you a resident anywhere?
If your counselors advised you to start in 11th grade, take advantage of that opportunity. It’ll be free and will help you get into college. Sometimes, shortcuts lead nowhere.