<p>Hello everyone.... I plan on applying for MIT for civil engineering ( I really want to graduate from there).. I just finished Grade 11 .. I'm an Iraqi who lives in the United Arab Emirates .. My school is an international school with American Curriculum.. Well, My average is 98 % .. and here in the United Arab Emirates, you really can't do that much Extracurricular activities. Plus, there are no honor or AP classes. I'm a member of the eco-club. Plus, I'm in the school's soccer team.. I can get like four Recommendation letters or may be more from my teachers... Well, As English is the second language to me, It is really hard to get high Scores in the English sections of SAT I. I went to the MIT website and found out that SAT I is not required for International Students. Instead, I have to do Two Subject Tests in math (level 2) and physics ... The Range of scores in the SAT II will be between 650 and 730 hopefully .... What are my chances ?? I know that my extracurriculars and tests aren't that much due to the lack of care for these areas here in the country ....Thanks!</p>
<p>You really mean to tell me that people in the United Arab Emirates don’t participate in ANY sports or activities? It doesn’t have to be for a school, but a club or ANYTHING. I find that very hard to believe. How are they going to admit you if they do not know who you are? What one does outside of school helps give a college a picture of who one truly is.</p>
<p>Vhiremath: Do you live in the UAE? It sounds like you don’t. Try not to pass judgment until that changes. The concept of extracurriculars is very American. Many other countries don’t have the kinds of clubs, activities, etc that we do. Believe it or not, they spend more time actually at school.</p>
<p>saifooo: You DO need to take the TOEFL, it is considered instead of the SAT Verbal section for international students. MIT Admissions is familiar with lots of different schools in lots of different countries. They will know and understand that you did not have the same opportunities as others. They will, however, expect you to take advantage of the opportunities you do have and will want to hear about who you are as a person in any way that you can express that. You should describe anything that interests you or that you’re passionate about- the fact that it isn’t an official “club” or “activity” won’t make a difference.</p>
<p>Thanks all of you for the replies … And thanks LauraN … you are true about everything you said about here in the United Arab Emirates… here, schools and people -in general- are narrow minded about University admission … All they think about is GPA , SAT I , and TOEFL … they don’t consider extra curricular acitivities. Plus, for the sport clubs here, they are nothing like those found in the USA …Sport clubs here are attended by low class people who are not succesful academically other than the fact that many problems occur at clubs …You really can’t do that much extracurricular things here … that’s a big problem … Another problem is that schools here don’t focus on preparing you for Evaluation and placement tests … You gotta do everything by yourself … that kind of lowered my self-esteem as I saw many great results and admission profiles here …and I know I’m not stupid …and I really want to go to MIT</p>
…and I really want to go to MIT</p>
… any more replies people ??</p>