What do you guys think i can improve in my application within a year? @collegemom3717 @Mwfan1921 @teleia @Novacat9191 @momofboiler1
You’re obviously motivated. I think you should take a little of that motivation and investigate other universities and colleges in America. There are over 4000.
You said NYU has been your dream since childhood. The younger you had a much smaller worldview, less knowledge and understanding of everything. The now you should be able to research the situation, apply the new knowledge, and determine that you can achieve your ultimate goal at more than just a single American college.
You should also re-evaluate what is your most important, most immediate goal. Is it “NYU or stay in Pakistan until parents move somewhere else and move with them”? Is your most important/immediate goal “NYU or another university in America that will allow me to take my major and live in a city/urban setting … and if not I stay in Pakistan”? Or is your goal, “NYU, any other American college/university in a city/urban setting, any other America.n university that will let me take my major, whether urban or regular size city, or remain in Pakistan”?
You’re a teenager now. You’re in the middle of a gap year because you had a one-option plan. That is not a criticism of you at all - just a fact to try to gain perspective. I think it’s in your best interest to do everything you can to not have this application season end up with you still in Pakistan - you said you want to leave ASAP. It’s up to you to have a plan B for when you don’t get into NYU.
The reality is, no matter how great you are, NYU denies 4/5 of all applicants. You are obviously intelligent enough to be able to understand the math of that statement - 8 of every 10 applicants to NYU are rejected. Most of the students denied admittance have stats just like yours. It’s no slight to you to say the most likely outcome of your 2021 application is the same outcome as your 2020 application. That’s not to say you should apply. You should definitely apply to NYU. However, you should also definitely apply to a dozen other American universities/colleges. You’ve said money is not an issue - if your family can afford full pay at NYU, they can afford just about any other uni. The good news is many of your other options will actually offer you merit-aid and might end up two-thirds or even half the price of NYU.
You owe it to yourself, to your dreams, to the dreams of your youth, to research all your options. You owe it to yourself to apply to other American universities. You appear to be a great applicant and you are a full-pay student - you will have many good options as long as your apply to them. The only way for you to fail this application season is if you fail to research all your options.
Good luck!
PS - There are many American east coast universities in urban settings that have a better admit rate than NYU.
George Washington University
Drexel
Villanova
Babson College
Bentley University
University of Richmond
These are not easy admits, but you’ll have a better chance at each of these than NYU. And there are dozens other options that would be great for you. All you have to do is ask and people here will give you more than enough recommendations for you to research yourself.
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@Mwfan1921 is helping you get started. NYU is not the only NYC-based university, so which aspect is more important to you: being in NYC or being at NYU?
You hint that IB isn’t your largest goal- is IB the only/best way to that larger goal?
Have you looked at the University of Amsterdam? It’s in a city, COA under €20k/pa (& only 3 years), and they have an exchange program with NYU. Trinity College Dublin is more expensive (~€30K) and is 4 years, but is in a city and has an exchange with NYU.
The point is: widening your view can help you see more ways to get what you really want. NYU is not an end in itself- it’s a way to get closer to what you really want.
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Thank you so much!! this made my day. Such a detailed response. When it comes to IB the better the uni the easier it is to break in since they have more connections. If i really wanted to go to a uni this year i could have, even in the US, but i wouldn’t have been able to break into IB through them. Would you say unis such as UNCH, UMICH, UNotreDame, UBerkley, UMiami, USC, Georgetown, UVA, WakeForest, UCSB, UOF, UOR, BostonCollege, BU, UOG are all unis where i shouldn’t apply? I know these are all top unis but they are the ones that have connections in the Investment banking division. The Obvious HYPSM are beyond my reach and i wont even apply to them. Northwestern- i’m not in it’s league. UPenn/Columbia/Cornell- cant even dream of these places. A few of these unis allow me to have an access to a few alums which have been in the IB area so they can help me. Of course i’m not considering Rice/Tulane/Vanderbilt/Tufts/WashU/Uchicago because i know i’ll never be accepted into them.
I am also applying to UK unis which are based in london for IB opportunities. My ultimate goal is to start a tech business or maybe a hedge fund. But i’ve alwyas been fascinated with money. It’s the only thing that motivates me. The reason i am so fixated on NYU is because i know i cant get into cornell or columbia which place higher on IB firms. I thought maybe i got rejected last year since i was asking for more than 75% aid and this time i can pay more than 80% of it, so maybe my chances would increase. I didn’t think my grades/ECAs were that bad given my circumstances. IB pays a lot of money. The highest in the finance division and much more than tech companies in silicon valley, so naturally i was drawn towards it.
You are going to have trouble in London with AAB.
Yeah i know. Going to give the B again in may 2022
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I presume that when you type “UNCH” you actually mean UNC-Chapel Hill? You are unlikely to be accepted as an OOS/international applicant there. There is a quota for non-North Carolina freshman applicants, capped at 18% of the entering freshman class; considering that 2/3 of the freshman applicants at UNC-Chapel Hill are OOS/international, and they are competing for 18% of the available freshman slots, your chances of admission there are lousy.
Most of the other schools that you list are also going to be hard to get into. I do think that the University of Richmond, as suggested by @EconPop, should merit your consideration.
Have you looked into Miami University in Oxford, Ohio?
Just as you admit the incredible low odds of anyone being admitted to HYPSM, it is important to recognize it is nearly as difficult to be admitted to some of the schools you just mentioned.
PUBLIC FLAGSHIPS: Schools like UNC-CH, UVA and UMICH admit in-state applicants at a much higher rate than Out-of-state or International Applicants because those states recognize they have a higher duty to their residents over applicants who do not live in those states. It is basically as difficult for an OOS or International applicant to get into these schools as the other schools on your list.
HIGH-RANKED PRIVATE UNIS: One look at the admittance rates for these schools on your list and you’ll know the odds of being admitted. WFU, UMiami and BC are the highs between 32% and 26%. The others are all less than 20%. WFU and UMiami are probably your best bet if you apply as a student not seeking Financial Aid. The others, and add in Berkley, you have the same odds as NYU. And don’t forget that the Admit Rate for international students is often even lower than the overall admit rate.
I’m not sure what UOF, UOG and UOR refer to. Maybe U Florida, U Georgia and Oregon? The first two are easier admits than UNC/UMich, but no guarantee.
The issue you’re running into is you’ve obviously used the same source to inform your search as many other students. And ALL THOSE STUDENTS apply to the same 30-40 universities, meaning those universities end up rejecting 80+% of all applications - applications from outstanding students - simply because they don’t have room for them all.
You can apply to any of the low-admit rate colleges you want. There’s no reason not to, as long as you have the time and money to pay application fees. However, you owe it to yourself to also apply to colleges/universities where you have a much more realistic chance at being admitted.
That way, if every low-admit rate university says no, you still have options. It is common for students with stats like yours to go 0-8 when applying to T20 colleges. Not because they have bad applications, but because the odds are not in any one student’s favor.
The good news is for every UMichigan (26% admit), there is a UWisconsin-Madison (57%) and UMinnesota-TC (70%) and 20 more. For every Notre Dame (19%) and Georgetown (17%), there is a Lehigh (50%) or Macalester (39%) . Or George Washington (43%) or many others. There are a lot of people on this site who know a lot more about a lot more universities than me. Ask and they’ll give you a lot to research. The more you learn, the better your chances at finding great options.
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I think everyone here is thinking i only plan on applying to top 30 unis. 
Thats not the case this year. I’ll be applying to 12-14 top 50-80 unis and the rest will be the more realistic options. Again the reason i… Lets say “Must” apply to top unis is because of their IB connections. It’s impossible to break into IB from Lehigh or Macalester. If i really wanted to go to a uni this year just for the sake of going and not taking a gap year i would’ve applied to these unis but i had done my research and found the unis which have a higher IB alum network and place better with IB banks. Also, one thing i’d like ot know is what can i do to make my application better? I thought unis wanted to see us as we are and not present ourselves as the way we think the unis would want to see. I do things that i like, i never took part in sports, debate, research, etc because thats not what i like. I love money, business, playing against all odds. Thats just the type of person i am. So what more should i do? I really dont get it. My grades have been on an uptrend. Maintained a 4.0 UW GPA throughout HS. Granted my SAT score is mediocre i do plan to give it again next month and am aiming for a 1450+. But i really don’t know what i lack. I have the passion, determination, drive, resilience, confidence, and willpower, more so than some others. What must i do for these top unis to increase my chances. We’re paying almost full tuition now too (Maybe even full).
You might be surprised. 
Leveraging The MAC Alumni Network: Student Prepares for Career in Finance
Lehigh University Wall Street Council
Bentley College: Wall Street Financial Analyst
There are more paths to get where you want to go. And there may be outcomes you would love but you don’t know them yet.
Up to now, you say you did what you liked and didn’t try to mold yourself to fit a application recommendation. Great! Now, instead of trying to force fit who you are into a list of colleges that might not be the best options for you, research some others and see if they are ready and willing to admit students like the one you’ve made yourself into.
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At this point there is not a lot you can do. Getting the SAT up / improving the B in A-level Maths will help. But most of your application is done- except essays. Which brings us to…
The US colleges are choosing students who will fit well in their community. Your essays need to convey that you have some drivers in you beyond just “I want to be rich”. Go re-read @EconPop’s last post.
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So you’re telling me i should cherry pick events, qualities, and other things from everything i have to offer and individualize them according to each unis preferences?
No, and that’s not what @EconPop is saying either.
In other words, you know what you want from the colleges on your list- but what do you know about what they want? Which ones on your list are closest to being a natural match between who you are / what you are looking for and who/what they are looking for? Those are the ones that are most likely to admit you, and those are the ones where you are most likely to thrive. It does take work to figure it out, but it’s usually worth it.
Fwiw, if you can get a predicted A for A-level maths, UCL or Kings are (imo) your best bet. Therei is a clear pathway from internship → job; it is much easier to stay on after graduation in the UK; and all the big IB houses have offices in both London & NY (intra-company transfer is by far the easiest way in for a non-national); it’s much more affordable, and it meets your desire to be in a world-class city.
The two most successful, richest investment bankers I know went to Lehigh.
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We had to give the CIEs in pakistan whereas everyone else in the world they had opted for predicted grades. I will have to give it again in their next session since the option of availing predicted grades was never available to me. I gave this years exams while i was covid positive and managed to secure a B. Had i been awarded a predicted grade mine would have been at least an A as well. Any idea how i can find out what unis want? I really dont understand how to find it out since every uni says they want to see who we naturally are and not present ourselves as someone we’re not.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems you’re focused on T20 magic keys. Aside from winning or placing high in one of the national/international math/programming/etc competitions, there is none that I know.
For these schools, you should take a Top20 list, choose your favorites, write your best essays, and apply. If you apply as an Int’l Applicant needing 50%+ aid, your odds of being accepted to any school is, my best guess, less than 3%. If that’s your goal, go for it.
What I and others were trying to do was help you be successful in your stated attempt to escape your current situation and attend college in America to pursue a degree in Business to help you start your career. Because we know the odds of being admitted to a T20 are incredibly low we offered more realistic pathways to being accepted to an American college.
If that’s truly the case, I guess you have it covered. If the only questions you have remaining are “how do I get accepted into a Top20 school”, I don’t have much to offer. Maybe others do.
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But what i still dont understand is what does my application lack? Never participated in those competitions because they arent available in pakistan, and i never was interested in them. Are you saying i should have done things just for the sake of a uni?
It’s not a question of what it “lacks”. Your ECs should be what interests you and yours seem in line with your interest in business. Your first round of applications were, in all likelihood, fairly handicapped by your financial aid requirements and the fact that international students (and particularly those who need aid) comprise a relatively small slice of the overall student population in US colleges and unis.
Your financial outlook has improved which is a point in your favor. Since you’re not quite full pay I’d research schools that are a bit more generous with merit. As well as schools that are looking to increase the diversity of their student community.
For what it’s worth I’d encourage you not to feel too defeated about your results this past admissions cycle, especially as regards NYU. I believe they received around 100,000 freshman applications; from their website.
In a year in which NYU broke the 100,000 applications barrier for its campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai (an increase of some 15,000 applicants from the prior year), NYU today notified applicants to NYU’s Class of 2025 of their admission decision. At its New York campus 12.8% of applicants were admitted—a record for NYU.
The New York campus’ admittees are notable for their record levels of diversity: 29% of admittees were under-represented students; 20% of admittees are first generation college-goers; 20% of admittees are Pell-eligible; and 19% of admittees are international students. Those admitted to NYU’s Class of 2025 come from 102 countries, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia.
They don’t breakdown the 19% international students accepted among their 3 campuses but I’m betting most of them are connected with the 2 campuses located outside the US.
That being said, if you want to attend school in the US you do need to cast a wider net, not necessarily geographically, although that could help too, but “prestige” wise. While there are definitely feeder schools to IB being in and around NYC is a bonus. My nephew attended Wharton but in his first IB internship in NYC there were kids from Fordham and Baruch as well as NYU. The proximity will give you an advantage in networking and obtaining internships.
I’d also add that NYU isn’t the only place IB jobs exist and there are many many IB firms: Chicago, LA, Houston, Charlotte for example.
Good luck!
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Your application doesn’t “lack” anything. The colleges you applied to probably admit ONE student from Pakistan, perhaps two. Among the dozens of worthy applicants, among which you certainly were, they had to choose, based on criteria no one knows, generally institutional priorities.
Consider Fordham and Baruch in addition to NYU, expand your scope to other major cities.
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