Prior to getting into this: I did not graduate high school. I earned a GED this year after a 6-year interruption. This was caused by 1) Parents’ bankruptcy, and 2) Being stuck in the Syrian war for a couple of years.
I’m an Egyptian national, although I haven’t lived in that country since my pre-adolescence. I earned high scores on the GED (averaged at the 97th percentile), but I doubt the universities will be impressed by this. The schools have nonetheless requested high school transcripts of my final and pre-final years (which are composed of 8th and 9th grade British curriculum equivalents). My ACT scores were lower—way lower—as my total composite was 25.
I’ve maintained full-time employment as both a document translator and an assistant film editor for the past two years. My company has recently shut down due to managerial disputes, and so my departure was on good terms (nothing to do with my work ethic etc.)
I’ve applied to four universities—Brown, Amherst, Wesleyan, and Grinnell—and I realize the odds are not in my favor on this. I’ve been extremely concerned w/r/t my ACT composite score, but several people have pointed that my difficult history may actually provide me with an edge, as a means of displaying some competence at managing personal strain/a self-sufficient knack for academic sustenance.
I’ll list all the “stats” below:
-Middle Eastern/UAE Resident
-GED earner.
-ACT: 25 C (28 E, 19 M, 26 R, 26 S)—no essay score as of yet.
-Approx. 97th percentile GED score. No idea what my grades were on my most recently completed year of high school (it’s been over half a decade).
-Well-versed in two languages, English and Arabic.
-Previously employed at a media agency for ~2 years.
-Applying for financial aid, this could be a contributing factor as a couple of these schools have no Need-Blind policy towards intl. students.
-Preferred major: Semiotics (Modern Culture and Media at Brown; Interdisciplinary study at other three colleges).
Chance request for the following colleges:
-Brown University.
-Amherst College.
-Wesleyan University.
-Grinnell College.
Thank you.