Safety schools for 2300 SAT, low school grades?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Here are some of my stats:</p>

<p>SAT: 2300
SAT II: Chinese 790, Maths II 760, Chem 720
2 self studied APs: 5(Music Theory), 4(Calculus AB)
No GPA in school, but my raw scores are actually pretty bad. In the middle of my class.
School ranks top 5 in country, VERY competitive</p>

<p>Straight As in Stanford EPGY/OHSx English Lit and Maths courses
7A*3A1B for GCSE, 3A3B for GCE AS</p>

<p>EC:
1. MUN chair
2. Zonta Z International school club VP
3. School music club President
4. School debating club committee member
5. School Chinese History club VP
6. Music: Various international awards recipient, studying in a professional music skl, local record holder, knows 5 instruments
7. School magazine editor
8. Local newspapers and magazines contributing writer
9. Co-founder of a local online orchestra
10. Interned at an investment company
11. Many voluntary works (teaching public speaking,visiting elderly houses, volunteer at music concerts...)
12. Wrote school musicals</p>

<p>Potential studies and career paths:
1. Media and communication
2. Business
3. International Relations
4. Minor in music/dual degree (I must have a place to continue my piano studies, conservatory or not)</p>

<p>From previous discussions, I know my school grades are major issues. But that said, I'm also an international student on full pay, so I really have no idea what chances I will have for the top schools. Given that I have back up schools in my home country, I'm trying to pull up and apply to schools with high rankings here in US (at least top 60 internationally). What are you suggestions to the below schools? Hows their environment like and what are my chances?</p>

<ol>
<li>Carnegie Mellon</li>
<li>Emory</li>
<li>Vassar College</li>
<li>Ithaca College (safety?)</li>
<li>Wisconsin-Madison (safety?)</li>
<li>North Carolina Chapel Hill</li>
<li>Notre Dame</li>
<li>Rice</li>
<li>Boston College</li>
<li>Tufts</li>
<li>Wesleyan University</li>
</ol>

<p>I'll be applying to ED Northwestern and EA UMich apart from these schools, so I'm looking for Possible schools and 1-2 Safeties. </p>

<p>Very much appreciated.</p>

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<p>Assuming you’re in the British education system, what are your predicted A levels? </p>

<p>Assuming you’re applying for Business schools where applicable:
Carnegie Mellon Tepper - High Match-LowReach
Emory- High Match
Vassar College- Match
Rice- Low Reach
Boston College- Match
Tufts- Low Reach
Wesleyan - Low Reach
ED Northwestern - Reach
EA UMich Ross - Low Reach</p>

<p>I only did the ones I know about, so I skipped a few. </p>

<p>Chance me? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1690007-claremont-mckenna-duke-bucknell-grinnell-uofr-chances.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1690007-claremont-mckenna-duke-bucknell-grinnell-uofr-chances.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Do we have to go through this the third or fourth time? OP is an international student and we went through this in several threads. One was even closed.</p>

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<p>@Woandering‌ My predicted A levels are A<em>AA-A</em>A*A. I’ve heard Vassar’s hard to get in though?</p>

<p>@artloversplus‌ I’m not wasting anyone’s effort with these threads. I’ve made myself clearly and started from another angle after listening to you guys’ suggestion to ask me to lower my choices. So here they are.</p>

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<p>For reasons of clarity we actually asked alafae to start a new thread. S/he is perfectly OK to do this,</p>

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<p>@fallenchemist‌ Thanks for clarifying. I hope this thread’s better.</p>

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<p>For an international student, there are very few safeties in the US - even at full pay. The only safeties for you are those that admit purely by the numbers (like some public universities) where your numbers are good enough to guarantee admission. What would be a “safety” for a US applicant with your grades and scores will be a “match” for you.</p>

<p>Do students from your secondary school apply to colleges and universities in the US every year? If so, ask the people responsible for college applications at your school, and find out where students like you have been admitted recently. If you are the first from your school to apply in the US, get in touch with the closest office of EducationUSA. The counselors there will be able to advise you based on what they know of the educational system in your country, other schools like yours, and where students similar to you have been admitted in recent years. <a href=“https://www.educationusa.info/centers.php”>https://www.educationusa.info/centers.php&lt;/a&gt; They really are the experts on this matter.</p>

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<p>Carnegie Mellon Tepper: Reach
Emory Goizueta: High match
Vassar College: Reach
Ithaca College: Low match
Wisconsin-Madison: Low match
North Carolina Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler: Reach
Notre Dame Mendoza: Reach
Rice Jones: Reach
Boston College Carroll: Match
Tufts: Reach
Wesleyan University: Reach
NWU ED: Reach</p>

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<p>@Catria‌ Thanks. Seemingly there’s an abundant of ‘reach’ schools for me. What are other ‘high match’ schools you would suggest on the East Coast?</p>

<p>@happymomof1‌ I understand that international students are more risky, and yes I’ve heard about the EducationUSA and I’ll go find them soon. However, do you have any schools in mind? I’m concern about my school grades and don’t know how I can top that huge disadvantage.</p>

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<p>@happymomof1‌ </p>

<p>While I agree that the safeties would be ones that admit by numbers but I would not say that there are “very few” for those int’ls that are full pay. There are A LOT of safeties that admit by numbers who would accept an int’l - in a heart beat - at full pay. </p>

<p>Many of our country’s state flagships (or next-in-line schools) would be safeties for this student. </p>

<p>Since I don’t know the British system, can someone explain why this student thinks he has “low grades”? What is “low” about his grades? What are his grades equivalent to? a 3.0? lower? higher? What?</p>

<p>Alabama would certainly accept this student. Alabama is on its way of becoming an All-Steinway school, so practicing the piano would certainly be available. Very nice School of Music with nice practice rooms (with windows! which I’ve been told is a big plus! lol)</p>

<p><a href=“http://music.ua.edu/”>http://music.ua.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/01/ua-school-of-music-to-become-all-steinway-school/”>http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/01/ua-school-of-music-to-become-all-steinway-school/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Definitely has excellent Media & Communications…brand new Digital Media Center, top PR program, and fine film school. <a href=“http://tcf.ua.edu”>http://tcf.ua.edu</a>
New Digital Media Center: <a href=“https://storify.com/uaccis/university-of-alabama-digital-media-center-grand-o”>https://storify.com/uaccis/university-of-alabama-digital-media-center-grand-o&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Very good B-school:<br>
<a href=“http://cba.ua.edu/”>http://cba.ua.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The app is very easy…takes like 5 minutes. No essays, no LORs…admits by stats and high school curriculum. Unless this student really has a LOW GPA (which it doesn’t seem like he does), Alabama would accept him…and he’d have his acceptance in a few weeks. A safety in hand rather quick.</p>

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<p>GCSEs @ 3.9, 3 As, 3 Bs would amount to a 3.5 for A-levels. And, usually, with the British system, GCSE is ~1/2 of the grades, A-levels the other ~1/2. or so I treat them.</p>

<p>What do we have here? A downward trend that has the student more worried than actual low grades.</p>

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<p>@Catria‌ I don’t think public exam results can = a school grade- they’re two different things, right? And if you’re really counting GPA as GCSE/AS levels (not A level! My A level predicted will be A<em>A</em>A-A*AA), you have to take into account the actual courses I’m taking. For example I took English for one of my AS levels, where it’s impossible to get an A. </p>

<p>@mom2collegekids‌ Thanks, I realized you’ve suggested Alabama to me before and I’ve researched it. However, given that I do have safety schools in my hometown, I’m just looking for match or high matches, not safeties :slight_smile: I appreciate your good intentions of finding a college with good music and communication programs. Do you have any other suggestions?</p>

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<p>Everything about you seems pretty fantastic and you would probably be at admitted to many of these colleges… If you weren’t international. Because of that I feel like most of these schools are more or less equal in their chance of providing admissions. I am however, talking out of my arse as I have practically no experience or knowledge regarding international admissions except for the fact that it occurs and it is difficult. Given the quality of your application however, I have high hopes for your admission to at least one of these schools. Apologies for what is practically a repeat of what you already know, I do not know enough to make an educated opinion except that I wish I was more like you.</p>

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<p>In the British system, the typical scale compared to the US is thus:
A+ = A* (very rare, limited nationally)
A = A (rare, limited nationally)
B = A- to B+ (about top 30%)
C = B to B-
D = C+/C
E= C, D+
F = D
G= F
There are two scales, one for advanced subjects, and one for “foundation” subjects. Foundation level is not as much in depth and does not lead to A Levels; the only grades for students who take subjects at Foundation Level are G to C.
OP has something like a 3.8-3.9 on his national exams.</p>

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<p>@MYOS1634‌ Thanks, but I know that national exams does not equal school exam, where it’s considered ‘consistent performance’, so wouldn’t it be useless to calculate GPA from these?</p>

<p>@Blazelisk‌ I understand that international admissions’ difficult, that’s why I’m worried about my school grades :slight_smile: Thanks though</p>

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<p>alafae -</p>

<p>It’s been almost 20 years since I was an EducationUSA volunteer, and at that office we had very few students coming from British-style schools so I am truly clueless about what would be a reasonable match for you. Have you checked in the International Students Forum here for ideas? The general rule of thumb for international applicants, given similar grades and exam scores, is that what would be a reasonably safe institution for a US applicant, would be more of a match for an international, and what would be a match-type institution for a US applicant would be more like a reach. But again, everything depends on the institutions themselves, so don’t be afraid to contact the various admissions offices, and ask how they handle students like you who have GCSE results.</p>

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<p>IMHO, as happymom said, there is no one on this board can give you an opinion, because each school’s international adcoms will review the scores you have differently. Mainly based on your HS ranking, your course rigor and your test scores both in home country and SAT in the USA.</p>

<p>To ask an advise here is quite misleading as many of us are NOT experienced in your situation and will provide the wrong direction. Perhaps you should start with some “target” schools such as Northwestern or Barnard and either call or write to the INTERNATIONAL adcoms to seek advise and opinion on how do they convert your grades. If you cannot get answers quickly, you should apply broadly to high medium and low ranking schools so you can be covered during the decision time.</p>

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<p>@happymomof1‌ I’m pretty sure colleges will ask me to submit both, but to the extent of how they consider each (transcript and public examinations), we’ll never know much, right?</p>

<p>@artloversplus‌ I understand, do you know any schools at all that doesn’t require school grades?</p>

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<p>Alafae, instead of “being pretty sure”, why don’t you ask colleges, one by one, in exactly this manner:
“Dear …
My name is … and I am an International applicant from … I attend a British-style school, therefore I prepared IGCSE’s and am now preparing CGE-ALevels, with official AS levels in. Do you want the intermediate/Mock exam results or would the official IGCSE and AS Levels, along with predicated A-Level results, be sufficient? Thank you very much. Sincerely, …”
Send this precise message to EACH SCHOOL’s adcom. Most will tell you they only want IGCSEs and GCE-ALevel official and predicted results, because this is the norm for British-patterned schools (many of which won’t even ISSUE intermediate transcripts). For those colleges that do want every result from your school, well, you have a choice: not apply there, or send the intermediate results/transcripts.
Asking us won’t help. You need official answers. I worded the message for you, all you have to do is complete it and send it. Do let us know the results.
Also, NYU will admit you based on your external board exams (IGCSE+GCE) only, but you’re allowed to send SAT scores if you wish.</p>

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<p>I think MYOS summarized it well, per his experiences he knows that NYU will take your board test scores and not review the transcripts, that is one school for you, I am sure there are more but I don’t know of any.</p>

<p>40 years ago, I was an international student, when I went to college, they did not ask much about my grades which in American standard will be between 1.0 to 2.0, but I went to a college that was not selective, they practically took any warm body in. A lot of colleges in US are easy to get in but difficult to get through. One of the examples is Ohio Weslyan as suggest before to you. In my college, about 50% of the students are dropped off or gone by JR year, that is why ALL Big Accounting firms recruit on our campus, they respect our school’s graduates but we are no where near NYU’s reputation or ranking. I was a paid intern as a third year student on Wall street, I didn’t feel inferior to those from Columbia, NYU, Fordham, Hunter or any other schools.</p>

<p>OTOH, many of the very selective schools are difficult to get in but easy to graduate, Harvard, being one of them. So, in your apps, you should mix reach schools with less selective schools like OW to make sure you get in a good school. If you do well in a school like OW, you will go some where. It does not have to be HYPMS.</p>