Please help me. Immigrant(*) asking for help about college admissions.

Applying to College
1

Hello, everyone.
I really don’t have anyone around me qualified to answer question that I’m about to post so I’m here - at CollegeConfidential.

I’m student currently in US HS. I came at Fall 2016, and now( april 2018) I’m junior. (3.5 UW, 4.0W, (bad grades from my old school’s freshman year, A’s only in US), 1490 SAT, 1 try; 800 math2; physics, chemistry - will do in future)

Disclaimer: In my country of origin(Asia) college application process is pretty simple - you take 1 attempt at single national exam and then send results to colleges. They sort them by test scores and first (20-50-200-whatever) students get in. Simple. However, this is not the case in US.

I wasn’t really aware of AP classes when I chose my junior schedule so I put only AP Calc AB( wanted BC, but teacher said that AB is prerequisite in our school) and AP CS, because I liked them a lot. (Recently signed up to take AP Macro and Micro tests because I thought it would be good idea) Problem is that I should’ve took a lot of other AP classes at my school that I am sure would be capable of. (Turns out my school offers 18 aps, like AP stats, AP ph1, AP Chem, AP Bio, etc.) Not to brag, but in every class I took I felt more intellectually capable than other students (I’m top 1 student at calc class, maintain 99% grade in CS, was top student at algebra2, precalc, geometry all honors). Schedule that I think I would be able to handle would be: AP Calc AB, Stats, CS, Ph1, Chem + honors English + foreign language

My school counselor said that I can take two dual enrollment classes during the summer, but I think that is not enough to make it to ivy’s. I’m team captain at competitive programming team and made it to USACO Gold Division, but that is not so serious achievement. What I currently feel is sense of regret for not doing right things and hopelessness because of inability to change a lot.

What can I currently do to increase my chances at Ivy League College? Whether I have any? Any help would be accepted. Thank you in advance.

2

The number of AP classes you take has no correlation with your chances to Ivies. Your chances to Ivies is dependent on many other things, including GPA, SAT/ACT/SAT II, extracurriculars, recommendation letters, and your essays/supplements.

3

As I read on various college admissions websites I should’ve “challenged myself” with schedule. Aren’t AP Classes designed for this purpose, or I am missing something?

4

A GPA of 3.5 will hurt your chances at the very most selective schools, including Ivy League schools. Of course, this GPA might improve as you get further into high school. Also, your freshman year will matter a lot less than the next three years.

Admissions at the most selective schools in the US is very difficult, and is also very difficult to predict. However, there are thousands of universities in the US, and many hundreds of these are very good. You don’t need AP classes for the great majority of these thousands of universities. AP classes are useful if you do well on the AP test since you can get university credit for classes that you take in high school.

One major issue is paying for university. Do you know what your budget is?

Are you are US citizen or permanent resident? What state do you live in?

5

I’m not US citizen or permanent resident (visa), so I will apply as international student. My budget is nearly 0. In my country there is 1 top university that accepts SAT Scores and my scores already should get me full ride there - it’s like my “safety” school in case I won’t get any scholarships in U.S.

6

Getting financial aid or scholarships as an international student tends to be more difficult than for a US citizen or permanent resident. However, a few states like Texas have state residency for tuition purposes that can be acquired through sufficient attendance at and graduation from a high school in that state, and allow international students: https://admissions.utexas.edu/residency#fndtn-t143-requirements .

7

Yes, you have good grades and test scores, but as a recent arrival in the US, you aren’t expected to have completed the same program as students who have been here since kindergarten. So stop worrying about how many AP classes you have been in.

Your English is not yet perfect, so spending some time on formal Academic English would not be a bad idea. As an international applicant, even with your SAT scores and your GPA, do not be surprised if some colleges and universities require you to take the TOEFL or another English proficiency exam. If you find that you have to do that, spend some time on specific preparation for the TOEFL. The test sections, specific test items, and vocabulary items are different from the SAT and some students do more poorly than they expected to because they are unfamiliar with the format and content of the exam.

“I’m not US citizen or permanent resident (visa), so I will apply as international student. My budget is nearly 0.” This will be your biggest barrier to college studies in the US. If you really want to study here, and aren’t particularly picky about where, check through the thread on Automatic Full Tuition and Free-Ride Scholarships that is pinned at the top of the Financial Aid Forum. Some of those scholarships are open to international applicants. @paul2752 is an international student who has one of those scholarships.

8

As an international with an EFC of 0, I’m just going to be blunt and say it’s not possible. The international students who will be accepted will be the best of the best. An international needing FA will be the best of the best of the best.

You need to be realistic. You are a good student, but given the ever-lower acceptance rate, your status as an international, and the fact that while your test scores and grades are good, they will not be exceptional, all these things mean I do not see any tippy top school as being within the realm of possibility.

9

I am not sure if your EFC is literally zero…when I applied to colleges I thought the same thing, but after I got in a school with full tuition I only had to pay about 700$ per month(we used payment plan) for first semester for meal plan, dorm, course fee, etc. Then starting 2nd semester, I received 1250$ extra scholarship per semester, and because I moved out, the total cost of off campus housing AND other miscellaneous schools fees decreased.

Know that the cost of attendance estimate isn’t exactly accurate because you may live off-campus after first year, and things like meal plan aren’t mandatory anymore.

10

The other thing that is different about the US system versus your country is that there are great schools for kids who do not get into the top 20 schools. (Which is important because the Ivies admit well less than 1 percent of the national total of high school seniors each year.)

Your big problem is paying for college in the US. If your parents have no money at all (not uncommon–many immigrants send money back to their home country rather than saving for college), the safety school in your home country may be your only choice.

Look for schools besides the Ivies that also offer low costs or generous financial aid.

Search on Big Future for schools that meet 80 percent or more of need and be sure to check the “financial aid available for international students” box.

For another resource, google “personal college admissions Jeff Levy”
When you find his website, click on Resouces then “FA International Students” for a table of schools and their policy for awarding aid to internationals.

11

Also this:

First, that is a straight-up brag.

Second, I note that all of the classes you mention are straight quantitative classes. . One of the things about US colleges in general, and most of the top schools in particular, is that they expect you to be that good in both quant & qual classes- and have some serious EC commitments/achievements as well.

12

^ that’s likely because OP is still an English language learner.

Work very hard on your SAT and aim for your state flagship as some may consider our instate if you graduate from a US high school. Look for honors colleges with good merit scholarships.
Find a book called Princeton Review’s best colleges as well as the Website “public honors colleges” and start reading.

Being an international who needs financial aid is the worst anti hook possible.
Your Sat score will essentially determine if and where you can go to college.