My chances as a Dutch student?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>So I have been browsing this forum for a while and now i'm finally going to post a question. This is a really long message but i would really appreciate it if you would take the time to read this and could help me out. After all, you are the expert. </p>

<p>I am an international student from the Netherlands and I would like to study in the US.
However, in comparison to the American equivalent, my grades are pretty low. If I convert my grades I would probably have a 3.0 GPA. (While I actually go to "an excellent" school, at a level only 4% in the nation attends. So I'm actually considered by people as "smart." So it really sucks that my grades look so low when i convert them.)</p>

<p>Besides that, I have invested alot of time in extracurriculars. I will name most of them (Maybe you are not familiar with these activities, they are more common in the Netherlands)</p>

<p>Projects:
- Super Saturday Project (For children in an asylum)
- China project (The principal asked me to participate in this, It's still in the making so I don't know what's going to happen yet)
- Alcohol Awareness Project</p>

<p>This summer:
- I'm going to work in an orphanage in Sri Lanka for 2 weeks
- Teen Ink NYC writing program for 2 weeks
- Youth Vision in Roemenia for 2 weeks
- Leadership course of United World Colleges for 2 weeks </p>

<p>At school:
- Junior-coordinator of social traineeships
- Redaction of the school newspaper
- Counselor-assistent of the freshmans
- Leadership course
- (And I hope I will be asked for the student council next year!)</p>

<p>Outside of school:
- On the Youth Board of Plan Netherlands (An organization for the rights of children in development countries, part of plan nation)</p>

<p>Honors:
We don't have such a thing. Is that something like prices? I've won to prices in national poem competitions when I was twelve. </p>

<p>English:
- Cambridge Advanced Course
- Cambridge Proficiency Course</p>

<p>Work experience:
- Tutoring in Latin
- Job at clothing store</p>

<p>Conferences attended:
- Girl Child Violence conference in the Hague
- This summer a conference in Jamaica</p>

<p>So If i make sure I get high scores on the SAT and the TOEFL, and I'll write a killer essay and I get very good teacher recommendations, what do you think my chances would be?
I really want to go to a school like... let's say... USC, or maybe Swarthmore, Brown or Wellesley. (My dream would be princeton or Yale.) Do you think this is realistic? What do you think is a realistic aim?</p>

<p>I hope you can help me!</p>

2

<p>It seems like you have put in a lot of time in your extra curricular activities, which is good.</p>

<p>Now, your GPA (if it is 3.0) may actually hurt you. Although the committee will take into consideration that the Dutch grading system is different.</p>

<p>Now, a great score would be a 2200 + on your SAT. You must be able to offset your low GPA. </p>

<p>Now everyone writes stellar essays. Be sure that when you do write your stellar essay, do not touch global concepts such as:
After visiting a third world country i learned that we are blessed… etc.
After the death of my “relative” I learned that live and time are valuable commodities… etc.</p>

<p>Try to be personal and strong and show a lot of passion for what you will write. Be sure to submit supplementary material that is not required such as a poem, artwork, etc. (anything you are good at)</p>

<p>Do not stress about it. You will have a decent shot at USC and Swarthmore. Brown is within your reach. Princeton and Yale you will have to work a lot for.</p>

<p>Best of luck and always remember try to be as creative with your application and add the most value that you can with it.
You will soon know what I am speaking of once you begin the process.</p>

<p>Hope that helps a bit.</p>

3

<p>I am from Holland too. What is the name of the 4% level? </p>

<p>I did the VWO level at a Dutch non-international high school myself and it is hard to compare grades from that level to American grades. The American high school level is equal to our HAVO level. I think class rank is more important for international students than a comparative GPA is. </p>

<p>Just make sure you nail your SAT’s, since they are THE standardized test and therefore the best mean for the admissions committee to compare students across countries, systems and levels. So if the above applies to you, I would not worry to much about the fact that your GPA might seem a bit low.</p>

<p>If you went to a Dutch non-international school, please keep this in mind when comparing GPA’s: If the 8, 9 and 10 are taken together, they represent the top 15% of examination results. In a grading system based on letters, the A represents approximately the top 10%. Grade A may be regarded as equivalent to grades 8 and above. So the GPA comparison should not be a 1:1 comparison, but rather a relative one.</p>