Hey, I’m a senior in high school. International student with US Citizenship but did my 4 years of HS outside the country.
I did solely science in the last 2 years of high school and mixed courses in the first two but I’m thinking about possibly majoring in economics.
Risks- UCB, UMichigan, possibly UChicago (in case I’ve adapted to rejection in the next few months)
Other- UCSD, UToronto, UMinnesota (Twin Cities), McGill
Of course one or two safeties.
ACT: 33
SAT: 1450
Grades: Mostly A’s (80-100) with one or two possible exceptions
I know it’s already a pretty weak set of numbers compared to most on this forum, but it gets worse: I have minimum, to what some would say no ECs.
Member of the Model UN (Delegate/Press corps)
Journalist for online blog/ student run org for which I’m constantly interacting with NGOs
Started karate club in neighborhood
Community service: less than 30 hours (cancer hospital, beach clean ups, orphanages, spastic society)
Theatre: scripting, school plays, elocutions
Spent a few hours a month at an animal rescue NGO (member)
Not a lot of honours/awards: maybe one or two regional olympiads, writing/poetry competitions
Kept changing high schools, limited opportunities. Being international, it’s hard to find ECs, especially considering only an exclusive group would be chosen for any rare opportunity presented at my school.
If I manage to somehow put out a strong essay, what are my chances? Primary focus being UMich.
Are the UC’s affordable since you are considered OOS with no financial aid?
UCB is always tough admit and difficult to predict. You have a decent chance at UCSD.
Full fees at the UCs as a non California resident puts you at $55K per year. Can your family afford those fees at UCSD and Berkeley?
As a citizen, you qualify for federal aid, but that aid is limited.
The best aid comes from the universities themselves. California public universities don’t fund non-residents.
Taking up a part time job/applying for federal aid. What are my chances considering tuition at the UCs isn’t a problem?
Otherwise, how are my chances for UMich?
You are in range at Michigan, it will depend almost entirely on your essays and recommendations. Since you moved around a lot, perhaps you’ll want to write about it. Were your parents transferred frequently or were they with the military? Make sure you apply EA at Michigan too (Nov 1).
@TooOld4School Do my ECs leave me at a disadvantage even with good essays/recoms? Appreciate the response.
The adcoms will understand your experience. Your EC’s appear good. They read thousands of applications and have seen all sorts of stuff. Michigan is a large school, 6600 freshman this year, and they value diversity (race not a factor) of experience and background as long as academics and test scores are in range.
Think of it this way. Everyone admitted is academically qualified. They are trying to create a diverse class so students can learn from each other. What is different about you and your experiences that would benefit others in the class? Play to your strengths.
Thanks for the advice. Any other opinions would be highly appreciated.
In my opinion, you have a good chance at UCSD and UMich. UCB is a little bit more competitive, but acceptance is possible.
Good luck.
What is your GPA specifically? 80-100 is too big of a range for an accurate evaluation.
International student, curriculum doesn’t evaluate using GPAs. Till 10th, we had a cumulative GPA out of 10, in which I got a 9.8 in 9th and 10.0 in 10th. Percentile grades are A1’s (top 1/8th) and A2’s (next 1/8th) depending on the subject for following 2 years.
Not being a resident of California may impact your admission to the UC’s. There is political pressure to admit more California residents.
UCB probably won’t admit based on competitiveness of instate residents. UCSD is more likely, but you will be full fees.
Your Federal aid will be very minimal for California costs (maybe 10% of your total UC fees?)
I don’t know of any student who can work (either full or part time) and pay for non-resident fees of $55K per year.
I know, trying to look into the financial barrier. Could anyone experienced in Canadian university eligibility predict my chances for UToronto as well?
Some more insight on my grades:
9th: 9.8 GPA (80’s, 90’s, and 1 in 70’s but was bumped)
10th: 10.0 (90’s except math 80’s bumped)
11th: 3 90’s, 2 80’s
12th: 1 in 70’s (english, stringent in-school grading, A2 percentile), 1 80’s, 3 90’s
Please note everything above 80 is considered an A where I live since the testing standards are different from those of US. Any thoughts would be appreciated.