So I I’m a rising senior and i have an 88 average. I took the SAT and got a 1580 i plan to take it again in October and bump it up a good 400 points. I’m at a disadvantage because i spent 4 years in Pakistan. So i missed a year of high school. The first year after i came back, I wasn’t that involved in my studies because of the culture shock and getting used to the environment. And before i could finally adapt to my new surroundings, it was Junior year! My guidance counselor told me that I should write about that in my college essay and that colleges would eat it up. But i don’t know does it make up for my academic weakness? ,My extra curriculars have been good. I have tutored junior year, i was also in class council and key club. I played Varsity Badminton Sophomore and Junior year. I have over 500 hours of volunteer work at the local hospital. Do you think i can get into NYU with that? Also my counselor wants me to apply early action so can i still boost up my average senior year before i send in my application? Is there anything else i can do? I’m Pakistani btw. So would that be a disadvantage for me.
Why NYU? We might be able to suggest other schools. Where do you live now? Are you a citizen of the U.S. Or Pakistan? What is your intended major? What can your parents afford to pay?
If you need any financial aid it is usually better to apply early action or regular decision instead of early decision. That way you can compare financial aid offers.
“So i missed a year of high school.”
If you are in high school in the US, you should speak with your guidance counselor about the way your Pakistani school records were evaluated. Are you really, truly ready to graduate next spring? In the US, the public schools have to allow you to remain in class until you have indeed fulfilled all of the graduation requirements or until the end of the school year in which you turn 21 - whichever of those is later.
Are you a US citizen or legal permanent resident, or are you in some other immigration status? That will affect both your chance of admission and your access to decent financial aid.
I’m a US citizen i was born and raised in the US except the 4 years ilived in Pakistan. I live in New York and my dads a cab driver so i cant afford to pay for college. And my counselor couldnt give me credit for the classes i took in Pakistan cuz they didnt meet the New York state requirement (I didnt do the labs). I’m still graduating on time, with the rest of my grade in June 2016. I plan to major in biology and i would like to go to college in Manhattan. @KKmama @happymomof1
With an 88 average and a 1580 SAT, you’re well out of the range for NYU. With those stats the types of schools you should be targeting will be ones that won’t require an essay or any list of your vol hours or ECs or frankly, your ethnicity.
The colleges you’ll apply to will only evaluate your grades and test scores and will tend to admit the vast majority of applicants.
Please seek these other NY area colleges – I don’t know why your counselor hasn’t suggested others for you already.
Have you research some of the CUNY schools?
If you can’t delay your graduation in the hope of raising your GPA and getting a better SAT score, then the numbers you have to work with are the numbers you’ve got. Your own high school guidance counselor should be able to tell you where students with your stats have been admitted in recent years and whether or not those students got decent financial aid. Forget NYU. Even if you had the stats for NYU it does not give good financial aid. It is almost certain that you wouldn’t be able to afford it.
Go to the Financial Aid Forum and read up on need-based and merit-based aid. Look for anything posted by @sybbie719. She is in the NY area and knows about financial aid for NY residents.
CUNYs.
Of course feel free to apply to NYU but IMO being out of the country and having difficulty adjusting back will not make up for stats below the school’s average. I suggest you 1) try the college match function on CC 2) get your hands on some college guide books (bookstore, library) and read up on schools that would be more in your range 3) talk to your guidance counselor in the fall about reach, match, and safety school options that will be affordable and if your school has Naviance use that as a tool as well 4) study for the SATs over the summer to try to boost your score 5) it seems to me that if you want your senior grades to show more prominently you should apply RD not EA – be sure you correctly understood what your guidance counselor said to you.