<p>Hi ok so I am in grade 12 right now and I have always dreamed of going to Harvard, MIT, , Princeton and all those universities. I generally get all A's in my classes but I study in a public school with no AP classes at all. My average last year was 94% and this year it dropped because I was preparing for my SAT's. So my november stats state that my rank in school is 14 out of 220.( i am sure it might have gone up ) My SAT score was m700, 610 cr, and 730 wr. (I know it doesn't look good at all but i don't have time to take it again now). I am taking the required subject tests in January and hope to do well. I am involved in extracurricular activities( work, volunteer etc. ) and am quite active that way. At least 2 of my recommendations were great n i have no idea about the third one.And a major highlight of my life(which sadly my school doesn't consider when giving out awards:() is that I will be graduating at age sixteen and a half. And If this helps, I am a PR in Canada ( came about 1.5 years ago) from India and reside in bc. </p>
<p>So do I stand any chance at all at any of these universities. Sometimes I even feel that I stand no where even within Canada ...I don't know but can I even get into sciences at UBC or Waterloo or U of T.</p>
<p>I think the most important thing is to find a hook to make you stand out among all the other applicants… and if the hook is big enough, as long as you have reasonable scores… you probably stand a chance.</p>
<p>As the Canadian universities goes, just make sure you have high grades, like 90’s.</p>
<p>A 2040 with with no AP/IB in the international pool is tough to work with. Possible yes, but somewhat unlikely. </p>
<p>Hooks like international/national awards, recognition, competitions, (URM is always something good), or something that makes you stand out of the tens of thousands of other applicants are generally good one.</p>
<p>If you need financial aid = no hope.
If you don’t, then there’s still a chance.</p>
<p>Generally for the Ivies, regardless of financial aid status, you probably will be rejected.
If you’re applying to UC Berkeley and you don’t need financial aid, then you probably will have a shot of getting in (you need to pay 60k+ a year though).</p>
<p>Except for schools that are need-blind to international :P. But your scores may be too low to be competitive there though. And UCs deadline were in November…</p>
<p>Personally I think, besides the academic achievements, the hook could also be the experience you had and the thing you got out of it. THINK BIG, not just something a random person can easily think of. I really believe that everyone has their hooks to tell; you just have to wake up one day and have a pound to your head to realize what it is. </p>
<p>It’s hard for me to give you an example. You have to know yourself thoroughly to figure out what the hook could be – think what make you different from other people , and how you can express it in a way that the admission offices understand it. And make sure you show them your determination to go to their schools somewhere in your application as well.</p>
<p>Btw, you really only have 7 or 8 days till the U.S. application deadline.</p>