Worried International Student

<p>Act Score: 33</p>

<p>AP's
Calculus BC: 5
Physics C: 5
Microeconomics: 5
Macroeconomics: 5
Biology: 5
Physiology: 5
Government: 5
(I self studied all 7 Ap's and took them end of Sophomore year.</p>

<p>Extracurricular:
raised 1100 cans, 20,000 dollars for people in need for somalia
swimming for 4 years
150 hours of community service at a hospital
Internship at a stock trading company
Swimming (3 years)
Bridge ( 2 years)
Java (2 years)
Tai-Chi (2 years)
chess (2 yrs)
Build On
IASA - Indian American Student Association
Econ Club
Tutor in Physics and Econ</p>

<p>I also have 3 teachers + counselor would write amazing recs. of my improvement over the last 3 years.
I was wondering if I could get into University of Chicago thanks :)</p>

<p>UWGPA?
Rank?
SAT IIs?
EA or RD?</p>

<p>BIG QUESTION: Are you applying for FA?</p>

<p>I am an International Student and I moved from India to the U.S in 9th grade. Not only was it tough as the curriculum in India and the U.S are vastly different.</p>

<p>On top of that, my parents enrolled me in International Academy and that was very challenging for me as not only have i moved, I knew nothing here. That was the reason my freshman year GPA was a 2.5.</p>

<p>After, i had a 3.3 Sophomore year and about a 4.0 this year. I took all Honors Freshman and Sophomore years and do all IB’s Junior year.</p>

<p>IA doesnt do class ranks. taking SAT II this year
I will be applying for FA</p>

<p>Building a list of solid safeties, sound matches, and reaches should work for you. More than a few schools do not consider or place much importance on the freshman grades. Most schools do love to see an upward pattern, and you have excelled at that. </p>

<p>Have reasonable expectations but drop the worries!</p>

<p>Low GPA and applying for FA as an international applicant.</p>

<p>I am sorry but Chicago will be very high reach school for you.</p>

<p>I want to go to a good business college?
so you guys know any?</p>

<p>Gladiatrix,</p>

<p>What is your visa status? This will determine almost everything.</p>

<p>If you will not have your green card before you apply, you will have a great deal of difficulty receiving financial aid. Sit down with your parents and talk about how they expect you to pay for your education. You need to know now what they can afford to pay.</p>

<p>If you will not have an F-1 visa while you are in college (e.g. H-4, J-2, etc.) your ability to earn money by working part-time during the school year and/or full-time in the summer will be very limited. This means that you also need to find out the restrictions on working with your current visa, so that you can determine whether or not converting to an F-1 makes sense.</p>

<p>In some states, international students who have lived in that state for a certain length of time and/or graduated from high school there are eligible for in-state tuition and fees at the public community colleges and 4-year schools. You need to find out whether or not you qualify in the state where you live. That can make your education more affordable.</p>

<p>As an international applicant, if your parents can pay $60,000 each year for your education, then your list of safeties, matches, and reaches will be pretty much the same as that for a US citizen or legal permanent resident who has your grades and test scores. If your parents can pay $30,000 each year, the list gets much smaller because anything more expensive than that would require that you get some kind of merit-based or need-based aid, and there is not a lot of that for international students. If your parents can pay $20,000 each year (or less) things get even tougher. Many community colleges have annual Costs of Attendance (COA) in that range even for international students who can live with their families and commute to class each day.</p>

<p>There are a number of good threads on financial aid for international applicants buried in the Financial Aid and International Students forums. I suggest that you spend some time in those two forums reading up on this topic. Look for anything by b@r!um who is one of the experts on that issue.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>My parents can pay, that’s not the issue tho. I wanted to go to U of C since i was in 6th grade and i think my freshman grades are holding me back :/</p>

<p>All you can do is apply. None of us are on the admissions committee at U of C which means that we aren’t properly equipped to accurately evaluate your situation.</p>

<p>I do not participate in “What are my chances” threads because I think it is impossible to measure the chances of individual applicants. An application is composed of many elements that have to be viewed as a comprehensive package. </p>

<p>What I will say is that there are NO reasons why you could not be a competitive applicant at Chicago. No matter how more selective Chicago has become (statistically) it remains the easiest school to earn an admisson among the most selective schools. It also remains more quirkier than others as evidenced by its affinity for essays that are, shall we say, different. In so many words, an applicant like you should fit well in the applicant and admitted pool, especially if you throw your hat in the EA round. </p>

<p>Remember that none of the “advice” you will obtain here will change the decision of Chicago. It can only help you build that application. The work, however, is all yours and this starts with the essays. If you have been dreaming about the school for so long, you should be able to write essays that go directly to the heart of the adcoms. Spend some time reading the forums on essays to avoid the typical errors made by so many. </p>

<p>Again stop worrying and give it your best shot.</p>

<p>thanks very much Xiggi. I am concentrating on my GPA this year and retaking the ACT this year. hope that helps</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>The acceptance rate for internationals applying for financial aid is in the low single digits. Chicago enrolls ~20 internationals on aid per year. It is harder to get into for needy internationals than almost any other school.</p>

<p>Moreover, internationals applying for aid cannot apply EA.</p>

<p>So. Gladiatrix, are you applying for aid, or aren’t you?</p>

<p>Oh, and UChicago doesn’t offer a business major.</p>

<p>“No matter how more selective Chicago has become (statistically) it remains the easiest school to earn an admission among the most selective schools.”</p>

<p>That is great news for many seniors.
Apply to U Chicago!
It is an easy school to get into!</p>

<p>If you want to major in economics and might consider going to the UK instead, you can get into the LSE with your AP scores.</p>

<p>If the freshman year gpa is the only problem you have, then you should apply to U of C anyway. U of C does look at an applicant hollistically. It is very important to have a killer essay in the application process, in addition to good grades. It looks like that you are a boarder line case and you will need the help of the essay to tip you in. Good luck…</p>

<p>ps. you may not get any fa, so to prepare for the 60K/year coa.</p>

<p>Do Adcoms factor in Financial Aid when making decisions? Btw, i am on Advanced Parole, and I heard that if one maintains it for a year, i can apply for some federal financial aid?</p>

<p>If you are an international applicant, then yes, you may be denied admission if you need aid.</p>

<p>However if your status is advanced parole you may be considered in the US pool instead. Visit the FAFSA website and find out how soon you will be eligible to file it. Once you can file the FAFSA you are a domestic applicant.</p>

<p>It said one year on advanced parole. So I get my aid through that. I did not read anything of anything related to applying in the U.S pool. Can somebody help me?</p>

<p>I think she meant you can apply. Actually, you appear to be eligible as an eligible non-citizen. That US Pool term has no relevance at all and is confusing. </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>xiggi -</p>

<p>Thanks for finding that information!! Happydad was hogging the computer last night and I was typing on the teeny-tiny iTouch.</p>

<p>Gladiatrix -</p>

<p>When exactly will you finish your full 12 months in Parole status? Would it make sense to wait and apply for college once you do qualify to file the FAFSA? Is there anything that you can do in a gap year or semester? Sit down with your parents and talk about this. It could make a huge difference for you admission-wise if you are clearly a domestic applicant.</p>