What are my chances of getting into ivy league schools?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi, I am a grade 12 in Toronto, Canada..
i am totally aware the ivy league schools are black box that we NEVER know what's gonna happen, but can anyone just advise me on chances?
so, here are some of who i am...</p>

<p>-I immigrated to Canada in grade 8 from South Korea, so it was pretty late..(&poor english then)
so my gr 8&9 years were full of confusion,, difficulties,, but i never took ESL. (was in regular classes from my first day of school)
and now:</p>

<p>-my GPA: 3.6
(but it's dropped cuz of english and religion- i go to a catholic/public school so it's mandatory to take religion,,got like 90. my math and sci marks are strong i guess)
-SAT1: 2110 (CR 630, math 800, writing 680)
-SAT 2:
math 2-800
chem 760
chinese with listening 760-started learning mandarin from gr 10
bio m 670 (i know,, not too good)
-from a low-income family...so couldn't attend private school that have like 15 AP courses,,
-my school has 4 AP(calc, 3 sci) courses in gr 12, and i took 2 last yr and am taking 2 this yr. -so 2 AP exams i wrote so far - 5 on cal ab & 4 on chem..
-ec:
founder of math club, korean fan dance chief choreographer, peace and development club prez,etc. nothing TOO awe-inspiring,</p>

<p>**but yesterday i got an email from u of t that i am admitted to u of t math research program with an actual prof, starting in Jan 2011, don't know how to report this to univs.. since i already submitted my common app for early,,(for Yale)</p>

<p>**early interview went quite well..the alumni was extremely kind, and asked me about my family,,how i could adopted to the new environmnet, and made me cry at the end by saying something that touched my heart. he was really kind..</p>

<p>so, pliz advise me!! (sry its too long lol)</p>

2

<p>a catholic public school…?</p>

3

<p>ya, its a Catholic Secondary School.
it’s within Toronto Catholic District School Board.
not in Toronto Public DSB
nor a private but its free so its catholic/public</p>

4

<p>It would help to know your approximate decile ranking in addition to the GPA that you already listed. Your SAT I scores put you in the lower range for Ivy League schools. I would look at some non-ivy schools as well, since you are a very accomplished student. Also, be aware that financial aid is not easy to come by for an international student.</p>

5

<p>You should send any additional info to the admissions counselor at the schools, so it will be considered in your application.</p>

<p>I think better aid for internationals is actually better at the highly ranked, well endowed schools. I know a very smart kid, who needed nearly 100% aid, and ended up at Princeton. I think Harvard also accepted him. He was turned down by Caltech and waitlisted by MIT - because they could not afford him.</p>

6

<p>my quick take:</p>

<p>If you’re applying for Engineering at an Ivy, then you’ve got some chance. If you’re applying for any other degree, than I think those are very long odds. I don’t know if Ivies even have separate admissions decisions for Engineering… I suspect not.</p>

<p>It is admirable that you’re able to get a 680 in the Writing portion of the SAT with newly acquired English starting in 8th grade, but be aware that there are many applicants to Ivies who came here from another country also around 8th grade who score into the 700s in the CR and W parts of the SAT. You won’t get a free pass on that I’m afraid.</p>

7

<p>ya @ DunninLA I am definitely applying for engineering (biomedical) for all 8 schools I’m applying…</p>

<p>and @ jshain, for my gr 11 year, I ranked 7th out of 224 in our grade…but I was the only one who was taking 2 gr 12 courses and 4 AP courses. Who ranked the 1st was taking no AP, no gr 12 courses, and ya… if it matters at all…</p>

<p>@anotherparent: did the smart kid accomplish way more than I did? like mark-wise or ec-wise…</p>

<p>& to add if it helps at all, I got a high (RCM gr 9) certificate in flute and won a number of top awards in canadian math and chem contest…</p>

<p>and thank u SO MUCH 4 such great replies so far!!!</p>

8

<p>Slim chance, just like most other applicants. Good luck. Not very impressive overall, not much academic achievement, but less impressive applicants have gotten in. Hope you had some nice ECs.</p>

9

<p>well I’m happy for all my efforts I am putting in as I prepare for American universities. I could have just “take things easy” and apply to canadian universities (still very prestigious) but I didnt have to write SAT or try to be involved in many ecs… </p>

<p>Also since I am the only one who’s applying to the states in my school, I think I learned a lot from doing all the admission stuffs all by myself…</p>

<p>lol, BUT since I want to get in with my whole soul (like everyone else), all the universe will conspire in helping me to achieve it… (coelho- btw i’m his biggest fan)</p>

10

<p>@OP - Yes, he probably did. He was an amazing kid and a particularly wonderful person. The point was to say that if you are an international, you are probably going to get more aid at the well endowed ivies. Most schools lean heavily of government money to provide aid. Internationals do not qualify, so it would mean using a larger portion of the institutional monies. For a school without a huge endowment that would mean using too large a piece of the pie. If you qaulify for aid in Canada, you should definitely put a fair amount of attentions there.</p>

11

<p>I don’t know if Canada is international but I do know that it is much harder for international students to get accepted just about anywhere. Also, I know for a fact that Cornell has separate admissions for their engineering program. Not too sure about Columbia but I think it does too.</p>

12

<p>ya i think columbia does too, like SEAS or Fu Foundation</p>

13

<p>Good luck; it seems like a long shot but that’s just my opinion. There is nothing wrong with U of T; I’m probably applying there, actually. You’re obviously bright, and you will be fine wherever you go. :)</p>

14

<p>@iwantivies: Thank you so much!! It means a lot^^ btw r u Canadian? What major do u wanna do? doing ouac?</p>

<p>& plizzz! advise me on my chances any outstanding viewers…</p>