<p>Hi.
I am an international student in my last year of high school. My average is 9.53/10 (that would translate into a 3.81 GPA), and I've got quite a long list of good ECs (international conferences, international student exchange programs, participation at some national contests).
The weaker spots of my application are the SAT and the SAT II scores, and I fear that might be enough for some good colleges to not take me into consideration. So here are my results: SAT (May 5th 2012): 1950 - 570 CR, 680 W, 700 M and
SAT II (June 2nd 2012): Math I: 650, Physics: 680.
The next step would be to retake both these exams in order to get better results, but at the same time I'd like to apply early to either Johns Hopkins or Wake Forest, so that means that I would only have time for one of the exams.
So which would be better: a 2050-2100 score on SAT with 650 and 680 on SAT IIs or a 1950 on SAT with 700-750 on two SAT IIs?</p>
<p>The best would be a 2050-2100 AND 700-750 on the two SAT II’s. </p>
<p>Obviously, you aren’t able to take both in time for ED, so I’d suggest getting that SAT score up high to a 2200 if possible. </p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that Johns Hopkins (and I believe Wake Forest) are need-aware for internationals. That means you need to have money, and lots of it because they will likely expect you to pay most of the cost. In turn, it will be much more competitive for you as an international to gain admission, and your GPA and SAT scores are on the lower end for JHU.</p>
<p>It’s unwise for you to apply ED with those scores to very selective colleges. You need to improve both. Apply regular decision. Take the SAT in October and the SAT IIs in November. And take the Math 2 Sat II instead of the Math 1 SAT II. If you don’t have enough time to prepare for the SAT IIs then take them n December or January.</p>
<p>And study with a vengeance.</p>