<p>Okay so I have a unique situation. Two years ago I was a freshman, and I took ended the year with about a 86 average I think, I forget but I had 90s in the humanities and 70s in math and science. I took the biology regents as well as the geometry regents getting 70s in both. I also took the PSAT and got 163 which I heard was a very good score. In my sophomore year I ended up transferring to another school because of bad grades just to get them up. At this other school (it was a private school) I had a 3.8 average. I took the algebra 2 and trig regents but got a 65 and 65 for chemistry as well. I took the global regents and got a 99. My family had to move over seas so I ended up missing half a year of school due to traveling overseas we are now living in Saudi Arabia and for the time being although I should be a junior I'm I unofficially in a sophomore class (since I missed half the year). Next year I will start my junior year. I'm doing much better in my classes, and I think I will actually be able to get an A (in the 90s) I'm an American citizen and want to go to college in America. I'm thinking either in New York City or California. Right now I'm considering schools like nyu, Stanford, and UC Berkeley. I'd like to get an idea of what my chances are for those Schools and if possible other good schools in NYC and Northern California. Btw I'm also interested in pursuing psychology later on so if there are good schools for that too id appreciate it. I will be taking the SAT next year and I have been studying, as is on practice tests I get scores in the 1900s but I plan on working to get past 2000. Also if I would be considered an international student, if my living abroad will influence financial aid, and how it will influence the way colleges see me when I apply.</p>
<p>Thank you </p>
<p>I was living in NYC before btw</p>
<p>If you are attending an American school in Saudi Arabia, you will be compared to American-educated students. Since you’re a citizen, you’re not international for financial aid. So you have the best of it all, an international experience without the extra competition between international students.
Based on what you said, your stats aren’t what Stanford or NYU are looking for (they want a 3.75+ cumulative GPA with lots of IB/AP classes and 2100+SAT just so you make the first cut, THEN you need something exceptional for a chance at further consideration). Sure you could apply but odds are almost nonexistent that you’d get in unless you rank nationally in something you didn’t think of mentioning.
If your transcripts include your regents grades you’ll be hurt by those scores.
If your parents have lived abroad and don’t pay taxes/maintain a house in a specific State, you won’t be considered instate for any State which will also hurt financially.
Have you talked about college costs with your parents? How much are they willing to contribute toward your education?
Public universities in California will cost you 55k, for instance. Do they have that in a college fund for you?
If you are interested in New York City, look into Fordham, the CUNYs, Manhattan. Further away but still within okay distance you have Marist, Manhattanville, SUNY New Paltz. Geneseo and SUNY Albany, SUNY Bing, or SUNY Buffalo would be matches, plus Syracuse or Hamilton (depending on majors) as reaches. In Northern California, you have St Mary’s of California, University of San Francisco, Humboldt (pay attention to the specific culture), Chico (&honors program), Sonoma, plus if your parents have 55K UC Davis.</p>
<p>The school has an American style education but I doubt they’re actually American certified. And they don’t offer APs here so I won’t be able to add that to my application. We own a house in NYC, and lived their all our lives so payed taxes and all that; so I think I wouldn’t have to pay out of state for ny. Are regents scores required? Because since I’ll be graduating from here I won’t be able to take regents for all my classes…would they just accept the four years of all the classes I’ve taken? I was also considering Fordham and the cunys as well it just seemed like more sense to aim higher if I’m going to travel across the world for college. But I’ll figure it out, be more realistic. Thank you so much for your reply this cleared up a lot of things for me :)</p>
<p>it doesn’t matter if it’s American certified, provided it’s “American style”. Make sure your guidance counselor states that the school doesn’t offer any AP so that it’s not counted against you.
If you have a house in NYC and pay NY taxes, then you should be considered “in city” for CUNYs and in-state for SUNYs - so that’s good for you.
Have you started learning Arabic? This would be a plus for you since it is a critical language.
You don’t need Regents at all, but if your scores are included in your transcripts they’ll hurt your application. If they’re not included, you don’t need them.
Obviously NYU Abu Dhabi would be a great option.
Fordham is aiming pretty high (not sure you have a realistic idea of how competitive the process is).
Run the net price calculators on the colleges I suggested and bring the results to your parents, then start discussing costs and options. Once you have an idea of the budget, you can aim for merit scholarships or SUNYs/CUNYs. Then only do you add universities and LACs ranked in the top 50.</p>
<p>When it comes to languages I took two years of Spanish and I took the proficiency and got a 96. One year of French and by the time I graduate I will have taken three years of Arabic, and I am an Arab and speak Arabic at home. I haven’t considered nyu Abu Dhabi mainly because I wanted to return to America but it’s something to consider. This is all so helpful. I will definitely look up the tuition calculators since it’s something I haven’t addressed yet. </p>
<p>I know it’s aiming high, all I hope is that if I continue my hard work I’ll be able to maintain the 3.8 gpa and I mainly want to get in those (I forgot the term, but the schools that look at the individual but not the grade) type schools. So I hope with my background and experiences I’ll be able to carry across the kind of person I am and what I’d add</p>
<p>You mean “holistic”. But it doesn’t mean they don’t look at grades… it means they look at everything.
In order, this is how it goes
1° course selection: do you have 5 core classes each year (core class = English, Math, Foreign Language, Science, Social Science); do you have 5 classes, of any type (core or not) that is Honors, Accelerated, IB, AP, or AICE each year?
2° GPA (they may recalculate it) Typically they look both at weighted and unweighted.
3° test scores (by the way, if you’re an Arabic native speaker, it’d be to your advantage to take the TOEFL, even if you’re a citizen and have lived in the US. It’d convey the fact English wasn’t your home/native language. And the TOEFL shouldn’t be too difficult with minimal practice. The lecture&textbook excerpt essay is tough but the rest is doable.)
4° essays
5° extra-curricular: did you distinguish yourself in your chosen endeavors, and if so is it at school-level, community-level, regional, state, national, international level?
6° hooks (in your case, being an Arabic speaker if you intend to continue in college is a slight hook; but being Asian and from NYS is pretty much the anti-hook).</p>
<p>For the universities you listed, you need to be a national standout, which your grades and test results so far indicate you’re not. You’re a very good student so you may have a shot at Fordham since for Fordham being a national winner/champion isn’t necessary, while a regional/state distinction and 3.8/2000 would definitely keep you in the running even for scholarships.
Numerical universities are simple: they check GPA and SAT/ACT score and if you meet a certain threshold, you’re in. Iowa State, CSU’s function like this; Penn State also, to a large extent (they factor in course rigor in the weighted GPA to decide on admission and if you have excellent other factors they’re added in, but 2/3 of the decision is your GPA.)</p>
<p>I see thank you again :)</p>