International here who has studied under the GCSE system. I’m applying to the US but my situation is tricky.
During my O levels, I had 8 subjects including Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Math, English Language, English Literature, and Sociology. For these I received 5 Bs and 3 Cs.
I come from a low-income background, and I’ve had to deal with a lot of issues at home that, during that time period, made it quite difficult for me. I’m also a burn victim and have had to cope with that over these past few years.
Although over the course of my A levels I have improved. Here, I had 4 courses: Sociology, World History, English, and Economics. I received an A*, A, A, and B.
Current class rank- Economics: top 40%, World History: top 10%, Sociology: top 20%, English: top 3% School does not provide overall class rank.
I have a substantial number of ECs. Notably, I have written and presented my own research paper on the deficiencies of the public schooling system in my country. During my O level years, I was student council president and continued to be a student council member as well as captain of the Model United Nations society during my A levels. I have won an international award at the Harvard Model UN in Boston. Moreover, I’ve worked extensively with a local NGO for the empowerment of girls’ education in my country, as well as having co-founded a public cleanup campaign. Lastly, I’m also a published contributor to a well-respected news publication in my city.
I am currently taking a gap year, and would hope to major in Business or Political Science. I would also hope to get my green card next year, which is why I’d like to apply for the Spring 2022 session. I’m willing to attend anywhere decent because financial aid will be #1 priority.
With this in mind, could you please recommend some reach and match schools that I should consider?
College/university in the US is not cheap so budget (in US $$) really matters. Your scores look good and I’m sure you could get in somewhere, but it’s just a matter of paying for it.
If you’re hoping to get a green card next year, does that mean you and/or your parents are already in the US? Will you be a resident of any specific state once your green card comes through? Will you have a family home from which you may be able to commute to school and/or attend community college, and then transfer to the state flagship?
If you have productive endeavors to pursue in the meantime, it may be your best bet to aim for Fall 2022, when you’re reasonably sure to be a domestic applicant and can apply to school that will meet your full documented need. You can, of course, float some applications in the meantime to see whether something works out, but have a new list ready for when your residency comes through. Some of the best options don’t take spring applications.
There are schools that give pretty generous merit to internationals, but I don’t know how to evaluate what you’d qualify for based on the info you’ve provided, and you’d need a lot of merit to get to your price point. Basically you need a full tuition scholarship, because room/board/expenses will cost $10-12K/year or more.
If your family income is sufficiently low, you could apply to Berea College, which accepts only low-income students. All students receive a full tuition scholarship and participate in a campus work program to cover their other expenses. About 8% of the student population is international. They offer business and poli sci majors, and have an extremely strong alumni network that helps students get into good internships and career opportunities. Here’s a tool to estimate whether you’d qualify: Berea College - Quick Estimator - Net Price Calculator
Another affordable school to look at is Truman State, which is Missouri’s honors liberal arts college and has business programs as well as traditional liberal arts majors. The full-pay cost of attendance for non-residents is around 27K/year, and automatic merit goes up to $8K/year depending on GPA and SAT/ACT. Still over your stated budget but better than most other options.
Congrats on your achievements - I hope you’ll keep us posted on your process.