<p>Hi, I'm from Aus but would really like to study at either an Ivy League in the US or Oxbridge. I'm finishing up my sophomore year (I grad in another 4 weeks) and I'm not sure as to whether I have any real shot.</p>
<p>Ethnicity: African
School: Not too prestigious. Upper-middle class private school.
Strengths: Really good at English (write killer essays). Good speaker, enjoys any humanities subject, tests well.
Major: Law (wanna go straight into it like the Aussie/UK system which is why I prefer it to the US' schools)
Will be applying for fin. aid.</p>
<p>Education:
We're graded by levels and then overall letter grades up to tenth grade.
I've gotten Straight A's in English and SOSe, B's and a C in Maths and B's in Science.
Level(or band?) 6's in English and SOSE and 4's Maths/Science.
Keep in mind I'm certain I could bring these up. I haven't really been trying or had a clear goal (college-wise) in mind 'till now.
Also wanna do summer courses at a a major uni in our state (biggest and most prestigious, actually). Would that help?
Also wanna self-teach myself AP Literature, AP European History and AP U.S History.
And I plan to do the SATs. My school doesn't offer IB, unfortunately :(</p>
<p>Community service:
20 hours but I could probz stand to do more.</p>
<p>EC:
Here's where I need the most help 'cause doing anything EC didn't really occur to me as really important.
I am a yellow belt at Karate, I should be getting my Junior Lifeguard certificate sometime in '09 and I just started Tennis though that may not matter as much.
I'm on Debate and Mock trial for next year and Film/Media clubs. School choir.
I'm also volunteering to help out at the City largest Fashion Week and trying out for the state Debate team. Debate's one of my specialties so I prolly have a good shot at it.
Oh, and I'm in drama - I wanna help backstage in the writing/producing/directing but I'm a fairly decent actor too. Would it help if I was prefect/head girl? I'm a peer supporter/counsellor this year and should be next year too.</p>
<p>Work Exp.</p>
<p>None at all. Plan to apply for a post at a cafe` next year but none as of yet. And looked into doing some legal work exp. at the public legal offices next year, hope to do it.</p>
<p>That's all I can think of at the mo'.</p>
<p>Anything's appreciated! I know it's a little late but I plan to do what I can for the next two eyars.</p>
<p>Do well on your SATs and stop getting Bs and Cs in your math/sci classes. Then you might have a small chance. Really -- the odds are very much against you (and everyone, frankly)</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. What if I just did my undergrad here and got HDs, would a grad be more practical?
And thanks for the oh-so-helpful comment, takeadeepbreath. Nobody really forced you to post, I realize this is a forum for over-overachievers but still.</p>
<p>You have a tactical advantage in terms of admissions because you are an URM and good at humanities (as you say you are). You potentially have top chances if you score well on the SAT (aim for +2250) and on the SAT IIs and APs. I personally self-studied 4 APs in a space of 3 months, and I believe the only testing centre in Australia is in SCEGGS, Melbourne. There you can eye out your competitors...hehe</p>
<p>Addendum: I ask all Aussies this question and I ask you this now: why do you really want to go to the US? Believe me, most people seem to think it's all about the prestige of your college not the pricetag of it...</p>
<p>andreeab, trust me, I'm not applying anywhere NOW, I'm only in Year 10.
And thanks, hieronymus312, I'll keep that in mind. I'm considering just starting now since I have 2 months with nothing to do coming up.</p>
<p>And, I think the reason most of us would want to study abroad (mainly US) is for the experience more than anything. If you've ever been down under, you'll see the colleges aren't really much for 'experience' or 'college years'. They just want you in and out as fast as possible and not many leave their state to study. That said, we DO have pretty good education so it's not like we're third world in terms of education. It just comes down to wanting more experience and being able to leave college with...I have no word for it yet. I just want to be able to look back upon those years favourably, I guess? Not as a maelstrom of exams, grades and term papers. But that's just me :)</p>
<p>Haha. "A maelstrom of exams." - agreed. I think in AU the unis are too provincial in terms of its research as well as where its graduates end up. The thing that I hate is the narrow focus of its bachelor programs - you do courses solely for the purpose of the program and nothing else. In other words, it is not a liberal education, as offered by the great unis in the States. That's primarily my reason for wanting to go there.</p>
<p>URM isn't going to help an international applicant all that much. Your class rank matters more than your grades, if your school ranks. Another major factor, actually, is whether you're going to need financial aid or not. An international applicant needing financial aid is much less likely to get in (since there are a ton of overqualified people abroad and the one think stopping them from getting in is the tuition).</p>
<p>Since you enjoy all the humanities, I'll suggest the University of Chicago. It's not Ivy League, but just as good, and a little easier to get into. You will need top grades and test scores, and a great essay to get in. And Aranyria is right that whether or not you need aid makes a big difference.</p>
<p>Yeah, I said I was (applying for fin. aid). I'm ranked second in class, if that matters (my school's rank is non-existant). And I just got my new report back, I managed to get all A's except for one B. I guess there's still a year and a half longer for improvement ;)</p>
<p>Also, I did say I was looking at UK so anyone with exp. there might help...
Does anyone know the SAT's difficulty in comparison to our (Australian) exam/s? I hear it's multiple choice but ours is a variety, I think.</p>
<p>carpe: I didn't mean to be harsh -- but the fact is the US Ivies have some schools with less than ten percent admit -- and it's even harsher for internationals. It seems like you're well underway to a successful high school career and therefore a successful college career. The numbers of open slots in Ivies and Oxbridge is just very small in comparison to the 10000s of students chasing after them.</p>
<p>Thanks, T26E4. Any word on UC or the U of London, Exeter etc...?
I'm actually just seriously considering doing my undergrad in Bond U (here in Australia on the Gold Coast) and then applying for some overseas grad schools. But what do grad admissions rely on? (Since I'm assuming it has more to do with college levels than HS?)</p>
<p>And, one last thing: How are the liberal arts colleges? Like Vassar etc... Anyone have a clue about their admissions?
Thanks!</p>