I currently live in Panama and study in a highschool with British curriculum (Junior /11th grade). I wanted to know how well am I doing if I am aiming for a top univerdity such as Harvard, Princeton, etc.
Class Rank: 1/115 #1 in class since 1st grade (primary)
GPA: (3.8 unweighted)
SAT: Not taken yet
Extracurriculars:
Debate (since 7th grade)
Member of the Debate Club since 2012
2015 - Debate Club board
2016 - Secretary General
2017 - President
I have participated in over 25 MUN debates, receiving 8 best delegate awards, 6 outstanding delegate awards and 2 honorable mentions, as well as chairing 6 committees and being the Secretary General of the school’s debate (national level) with over 300 students.* 2 of the awards are international, and the rest are national. *
Theatre (since 6th grade)
Member of the drama club since 2011
Participated in the 5 school plays since then.
8 hours of practice a week from April to August. Surprisingly, I have always had one of the starring roles, even in the lower years
NGO founder (2015)
I founded along with 4 other friends an NGO which promotes social justice in Panama. We are currently giving out speeches in public schools to create awareness on topics such as discrimination, racism, etc.
School Newspaper (2016)
This year I founded an online school newspaper for all students to be aware of the activities done at school, as well as covering performance at other events such as debate, sports etc.
Member of the basketball team since 2014
U - 16 4th place in the National League. (2016)
U - 18 3rd place in the National League. (2016)
So, considering all this, would it be enough to get into an Ivy League school? In case not, what shall I do to improve my chances?
You are clearly an amazing student with lots of great interests.
I can guarantee that the advice you are going to get here is going to suggest you throw a much broader net than the Ivy League. Those schools are a reach for EVERY student and there are many, many wonderful colleges and universities in the US that you would have an actual REAL chance of admission.
So sure, if you find an Ivy League school that really speaks to you - go ahead and apply. But you need to do more research and create a much more diverse list of schools in order to avoid disappointment.
Assuming commensurate test scores, does your record make you a viable candidate for Ivies? Yes. Does it guarantee admission to at least one of them? No.
Read a bunch on CC or, indeed, read pretty much anything that offers advice on US college applications. One of the first things you’ll learn is about applying to a range of schools.
You need safeties (schools you are overwhelmingly likely to be admitted to), matches (schools you have an excellent chance of being admitted to) and reaches (schools you have a shot at, but either because of your record compared to most of their students OR because they admit so few students, you really can’t count on.) All those schools should be schools you afford. Ivies are reaches for everyone.
Common wisdom on CC is that the admissions committees don’t care about anything you did before high school. So no need to mention anything before 9th grade.
Make these safety/match/reach assessments based on admission and affordability. I.e. if the school’s net price calculator on its web site does not indicate that it is affordable on need-based financial aid, your target at that school is a large enough merit scholarship, which can be significantly more difficult to get than admission.
You certainly have a strong profile, but like many have said you can’t put all your eggs in the Ivy League basket. You do need some safety and match schools as well.
Yup, as others have said you look to be in pretty good shape, but remember that as an international student you’ll most likely be facing an uphill battle with higher standards than for domestic applicants when trying for admission to American universities. So, hope for the best but make sure you stay realistic and have a back up plan.
I would retake the SAT if I were you. Getting 1500 will improve your chances. Just be aware that literally thousands of kids with superior stats and ECs will be denied at those schools. You will have to show compelling reasons why you are a good fit for any particular college. They are not interchangeable. Brown is nothing like Princeton. Dartmouth is not the same as Cornell. Those colleges are looking for very particular qualities in a student, and it is very rare indeed for anyone to be a good fit for all of them.
Why an Ivy? What do you think that means and what do you think sets the Ivies apart from other schools full of very smart students?
Just so you know, everything I’ve read says that the admissions committees don’t care about what you did before high school. So nobody cares what your class rank was in 3rd grade.