What kind of SAT scores will I need? Plus anything else...

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm a junior, and I live in Canada, so I already know that my chances of getting into top American schools are gonna be tight. But it's worth a shot and it at least gives me a goal to strive for. Here are my stats:</p>

<p>In Canada, the schools don't use a GPA system of the 4-point scale. And even if they did, it'd be skewered as an A here is 86%+. I've been told that the Canadian curriculum is a little harder, but still, if we used the 4.0 scale at my school, there'd be a lot of kids with a 4.0 average. So I'll just give my raw grades. (classes with * are classes that are counted at my school's GPA, but may not be counted elsewhere)</p>

<p>GRADES</p>

<p>Grade 9</p>

<p>Math - 96% English - 91% Social Studies - 93% French - 84% *Religion - 93% Science - 91% *Band - 93% *P.E. - 85%</p>

<p>GPA - 90.8% (not counting *'s, GPA - 91%)</p>

<p>Grade 10</p>

<p>(Accelerated/Honours) Math - 89% English - 95% Social Studies - 89% Spanish - 92% *Religion - 85% Science - 91% *Senior Concert Band - 93% *Stage Band 2 - 93% *P.E. - 83%</p>

<p>GPA - 90% (not counting *'s, GPA - 91.2%)</p>

<p>Grade 11 (current)</p>

<p>(Accelerated/Honours) Math - 91% (Accelerated/Honours) English ~ 92% (Accelerated/Honours) Social Studies ~ 94% Physics ~ 94% Chemistry ~ 94% *Religion ~91% *Media Arts ~ 94% *Senior Concert Band ~ 96% *Stage Band 1 ~ 96% Spanish ~ 96%</p>

<p>GPA ~ 93.8% (not counting *'s, GPA - 93.5%)</p>

<p>Our school doesn't rank (school pop. is about 140), but the President Honour Society (90% average or above)was created a couple of years ago, and I've been it in the two years it has existed. It roughly represents the top 10-12% in the school. I'm not quite sure where I fit in, although I know I'm in the 5-10% range as opposed to the 1-4% range. I wish my class rank was better, but back in grade 9 and 10, I wasn't grade grubbing like I am now because I thought I was going to go to a Canadian university, where acceptance rates are much higher than America's. But right before my junior year, some money came into my family's way and it was decided I should try for the States, hence my much higher GPA. It eats me because grades 9 and 10 are really fluff years that provide easy grade inflation for your r</p>

2

<p>Well, I'm going to be honest with you. For Brown and Amherst you're likely going to need a 1500 SAT and 710+ on your SAT II's to have much of a shot, since you're an international. And even then, you're chances wouldn't be much better then average. Pull a 1550+ and a 750+ on your SAT II's, and you should be in fairly good standing. At the other schools you listed, you'll probably need a 1400+, and 680+ to be fairly competitive. (This is just my personal opinion....in truth I don't have any insider admissions knowledge or anything like that).</p>

3

<p>Thanks for replying. Any others?</p>

<p>BTW, I'm only going to take the new SAT, so a 1500 SAT is pretty much a given, isn't it? Haha.</p>

4

<p>The SAT and SAT IIs are important, but they aren't everything. If you get a good score (over a 1400), you have a chance. Of course, the better you do, the better your chances. But what really matters is your genuineness and your essays. If you write well and come accross as genuine in your essays, you will have a good chance. Otherwise, forgetaboutit!!!</p>

5

<p>Hmm, I guess so. So make that a 2250, and for the other schools, a 2100+.</p>

6

<p>jw... where in Canada are you from? I think you have a pretty good shot though
good luck
ps what does LAC stand for?</p>

7

<p>LAC = Liberal Arts College</p>

8

<p>I don't want to be too revealing, but let's just say western Canada.</p>

<p>I'm just worried that my cumulative ranking will hurt me, although the good news is that there's going to be a big spike from grades 9/10 to grade 11/12, which are the more serious years. I've been told that my ECs are great because they don't read like a laundry list, and instead are focused interests.</p>

9

<p>don't bother applying to ivies, or little ivies (amherst, middlebury, etc) unless you really really want to because you're stats are pretty bad.</p>

<p>look into mout holyoke and those schools.</p>

10

<p>I have no interest in the Ivies, except for maybe Brown. </p>

<p>Do I lack leadership positions? Volunteer hours? Awards? I know my rank is somewhat low, but I have a good chance of finishing top 3 in grade 11 (if I can do well in math enough). Again, I regret not going the extra mile in grades 9 and 10, but those were fluff years. Grade 11 is where it really begins.</p>