It’s my junior year. I go to an international school, but I’m applying to colleges in the US. I take IB French SL, chem SL, and Lit & Lang HL, plus AP world history modern. I’m in clubs, and I’m working on a research paper with the intent of being published. But is all of this enough to get me into a good school?? All my friends are full IB diploma students, run clubs, and have to wake up at 7:00 AM every day just to fit in all their work. It feels like everyone around me is doing more than I am. Do I need to up my workload? Is there anything I could do to be more competitive?
Do you have any idea which schools you are hoping for? Do you need financial aid?
Are you a U.S. citizen attending an international school? Or are you a citizen of a different country.
Regardless. Do what you like to do. Don’t compare yourself to others. That is pointless. Your college application list should reflect colleges that match YOU…not others.
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Plus…there are literally hundreds of “good schools”. What are you aiming for?
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You could do a 1000 things just to do them for the sake of “looking good on paper”, but if you don’t like what you’re doing, it will come across on your applications.
In other words “you do you”. It’s not about filling out every blank on an application; it’s about doing things for yourself. Do you want to work a part-time job? Do you want to “chill lax” reading novels?
So even if you do all of this, will you have the funding to pay for a US college or university?
Financial aid is very limited for international students. Make sure you can afford a budget of $75-$95,000 a year for a US education.
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I’m a high school teacher. I do not recommend my students (or my own children) to arrange their high school lives with a goal of acceptance to selective universities. Students in high school should learn all core subjects well, and grow to be responsible, both equally important. On top of these, find something of interest and potentially (hopefully) discover a passion, and pour your heart into it. It’s not how much you do that matters; instead, it’s why and how you do what you do.
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