Looking for Engineering (electrical/electronic/computer) / Computer Science
SAT 1: 2110 (giving in November again)
CR: 660
Math: 760
Writing: 690
SAT 2: (Hypothetical lows, will give in December, basing these off current practice scores, I think I can get 3 800s though)
Math II: 800
Chemistry: 770
Physics: 760
[Started at US curriculum high school]
Freshman Year: 4.0
Sophomore Year: 3.95 (Salutatorian)
[Switched to British curriculum school]
AS Level: 3As
A Level: Predicted 3A*s
Overall High School GPA: 3.96
Varsity level football (soccer) and cricket player representing school teams in three different countries over the past decade
1st position in regional inter-school football competition
Founder and president of school debating club
Best Presentation award in Science at exhibition chaired by the Director of the Natural History Museum
Best end of year school projects in English and Science with letter of appreciation from regional school director (nation wide large school)
Community service with CDA, Pak Red Crescent, SOS Village
Member of 4-H at the only 4-H registered center in Pakistan
Self sponsored fund raising organizer
Studied in 4 different nations
2nd position in competitive robotics event
Merit school scholarship with certificate of academic excellence for high achievement (school level)
Writer and football correspondent for SportsPulse
Participated in World Wide Fund for Nature sponsored Eco-Internship
Head of school online social media network
Good essays, good recommendation letters.
Financial Aid: Required (lets say I can afford say, $20,000 p.a)
Do I stand a chance for Cornell, Brown, Berkeley, UCLA, Rice, Franklin Olin, NYU, UPenn etc?
I’d say you have a really good chance, but it all comes down to what kind of person you are. You need to give the admission officers a way to visualize you as a friendly person that can better the school society. I am no expert and can’t tell you for sure, but you sound like a dedicated person. Officers also need to know that you can handle much more, and that you haven’t burned out. Wrote a very open and friendly essay that makes them want to know more about you. Good luck!
Thanks for the answer first of all. I tried to use my essay to explain how I overcame adversity and display resilience etc. That and a global educational background is what I’m hoping will be the hook to get them interested. I’m mainly worried about the academic results and whether they will go down as a negative for my chances.
Which part do you find negative? As you know, the Ivies tend to have holistic admissions. If you scored 800 in everything and turned out to have a 5.0/4.0 GPA, there’s still a chance you won’t get in. I’m not an extremely brilliant student, (1920/taking SAT 2 soon/3.67 GPA/not that many activities) but I am still applying even if I know chances are slim. Believe in yourself, and remember that not getting in doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you (I’ll have to remember that too). The reality is that too many qualified students are rejected only because the schools want to keep up a reputation/ don’t have enough space. I’m sure you’re brilliant and will turn out to do something great no matter where you attend.
They are California public schools, funded by California taxpayers, and do not provide financial aid to OOS residents. Fees and tuition will run $55K per year.
Oh wow that does suck How would my chances look for Rice, Cornell, Brown, Purdue and Miami specifically? I believe all of these offer aid barring MAYBE Purdue but I heard their tuition is lower. Do you recommend some other colleges I haven’t mentioned above or in the original post?
Your SAT is low in Cornell or Brown pool. School grades are very solid.
The awards in your ECs are rather common, but your commitment and versatility is impressive. With good recommendation letters these can be viewed in a very positive light.
Whether your international background matters depends on how culturally different these countries are. Canada, Pakistan and which two? But Canada and Pakistan alone sounds interesting enough, given that you’ve spend quite a few years in each country.
An essay about overcoming adversity and displaying resilience can be very good or very cliche. Please be careful with the way you write it.
Overall, I’d say I cannot see why Purdue and Miami will reject you. A decent chance for Rice, and slightly lower chance for Cornell and Brown.
I do suggest you to consider not applying for FA for Cornell and Brown, because you are certainly not one of the best candidates in their pool and applying for FA seriously adverse your chance of getting in. Even applying for FA at Rice is a bit risky. I don’t think Purdue and Miami provides many FA packages.
If you consider your future salary as a Cornell graduate, I’d say taking a loan worth it. Of course this is just my personal opinion and I do not know you well, so please discuss with your family and ultimately rely on your own judgement.
@letsdothis35 Prestige, good for Engineering, provide plenty of research opportunities, lots of aid, internships etc. Basically universities that are good for engineering and can cost less than or equal to $20,000 all things considered after aid and scholarships. If I had to say some locations that would be preferable, probably the Boston, NJ, NY region as I’ve had plenty of experience and visits around that region over the past few years.
@dcstup : The loan option is something I’m not comfortable with personally due to the stress and pressure looming over my education throughout the period with that sort of debt. I’m applying to elite Canadian universities that will cost cheaper for me due to my domestic status so the US is no end all be all. My main concern is simply whether my SAT scores aren’t compensated for by my decent GPA and varied honors. I’m thinking of NYUSH or NYUAD but there’s not much info on their SAT ranges so I don’t know how I stand there.
NYUAD is higher than NYU and NYUSH a bit lower. But NYUAD has the candidate week so if you have strong personality you should give it a try.
Nothing compensates nothing though. It is always better to hit the school’s 75 percentile for SAT if you have time. Beyond that it should not make a big difference.
How would I fair with Rochester, Northwestern, Duke, and Northeastern? I think they all give aid. Not sure about UMich, NC State, Notre Dam and Minnesota. I know GTech doesn’t
I definitely won’t have time to get the SAT to 7th percentile for elite unis but am I still competitive on that front? My worry is still that I’ll get dismissed based off my 2110. My high Math score of 760 may be a saving grace and the CR+Math is 1420.
I actually live in the UAE and have been to the NYUAD campus. The white buildings are a bit of a bore but I love the overall FEEL of the place. They are asking for quite high grades, but I’m sure you’ll get in if you show a really great personality and the ability to provide to the social environment. I recommend you say a couple things about how you love home-liness yada yada (the place is very family like). The location is quite beautiful too! I should also add that they give preference to those who rank them as first choice. Any questions about AD and I’m your person.
I’m applying within the Toronto/Boston/NYC/Abu Dhabi areas; same as you. Let’s see where this goes.
I think that is the reason why there are not many responses. We can’t tell what your grades mean except for the SAT scores. You would have to judge yourself. The good schools would expect a foreign student that will be provided financial aid to be one of the best from the country. But we can’t tell from the information. Unfortunately, you will be competing with the rest of the world for those few spots. Just to temper your expectations a little, the colleges and universities in the U.S. are in a financial crisis because more and more Americans are refusing to be buried by student loans and one of the major source of ‘full paying students’, China, has cracked down on sending their students to the U.S… In 2014, the trend of increasing foreign students have declined for the first time. 2015 will be the same because of global economic turmoil. The universities use these ‘full paying’ foreign students to offset scholarships and financial aid. You can Google the subject more information.
But that should not prevent you from trying. Try and Try. If you don’t succeed with undergraduate, maybe at the graduate level. Good Luck. At the end of the day, your success will not be determined by what school you go to but who you are and what you do. Everyday we are reminded that the titans in the U.S. didn’t even go to college.
How would my chances look for Rice, Cornell, Brown, Purdue and Miami specifically? I believe all of these offer aid barring MAYBE Purdue but I heard their tuition is lower. Do you recommend some other colleges I haven’t mentioned above or in the original post?