I am a white South African student who would like to study chemical engineering or computer science at a top tier university. Just wanted to know if anyone thinks I have a chance.
My marks are as follows
English: 89%
Afrikaans(first additional language): 82%
Math: 97%
Physical Science: 95%
Accounting: 94%
Biology: 92%
Information Technology:94%
Advanced Program Maths: 93%
Note: The only AP subjects offered in South Africa are AP English and AP Math. My school only offers AP Math though.
My extracurricular activities are as follows
1st team cricket and provincial cricket(making a state team in America)
1st team athletics
1st team cross country
Forum discussion team
Public Speaking team
Top 3 in grade of 250 pupils at the top boys academic school in South Africa
Member of the academic support task team
Member of the public relations task team
Do numerous community service projects
Third in BDO general knowledge quiz
Gold certificate in South African Maths Olympiad
Gold certificate in South African English Olympiad
SAT: 2310
Have not taken SAT subject tests yet
NOTE: I would have to receive full financial aid due to the poor exchange rate between the USA and South Africa
What do you think my chances are of getting into MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Caltech, Cornell and Columbia.
You meet the SAT requirements for those schools (minimal of 2100-2200). Try taking the ACT as well to stand out even more. What is your GPA as well? I would honestly say that our chances on getting into most of those schools are pretty high. You have a really good background and test score.
@EmptySequencee Taking the ACT will do nothing to impress colleges since his SAT score is already awesome. I think OP should focus on SAT subject tests and start looking at the common app essay prompts as well as the supplementals for each school he will apply to.
OP, please keep in mind that your chances of getting into these schools is lowered because you are an international. However, your resume is pretty outstanding so I think you have a decent shot at getting into at least one of these schools (assuming you have a high GPA). If you’re set on going to college in the U.S., maybe try to apply to a few less slightly less selective schools such as Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, USC, etc. All fantastic engineering schools. Really any accredited institution should do.
You mentioned you need financial aid which opens a whole new can of worms. What amount CAN your parents pay for college? run a net price calculator for all these schools and if your EFC is too high, you may want to look into schools that offer considerable merit based scholarships.
Your scores are fine. I don’t know about the ZA grading system, so I can’t comment on whether your marks are up to par.
You will probably need to demonstrate proficiency (ie >720) in at least 3 SAT subject tests. Pick wisely.
Suggest to apply to the need blind for internationals schools. There are only a handful, but you stand a fair chance. Work on packaging your ECs together in a cohesive manner.
Nothing in your ECs stand out. However your stats seem pretty good. Remember you’re an international needing financial aid so expect to be rejected by all the schools.