Looking to attend Top 10/ Ivy League Universities for an International Relations/Public Policy/Government Major.
Model UN- Attended 25 (all institutionally backed), On the Executive board of 5, won best delegate in 12, Recognition of excellence by the United Nations Information Centre and Amnesty International, won at 2 college level Model UNs. Chief of Conference Affairs for School MUN in 2017 and Secretary General in 2018.
Research - Published a paper on the Stigma surrounding Mental Health amongst adolescents by taking a survey with a size of 35000 teenagers and working on another about the dominance of Petro-politics in the International Domain. One of 60 high schoolers Awarded the ‘Young Acheiver’ award (awarded for excellence in your chosen field) from a pool of 15000 students from across the city (Awarded for research). Founded a Public Interest Research Foundation called the Rivergate Foundation. Interned as a Policy and Economics Intern at the Aam Aadmi Party (prominent political party). Research Volunteer for the Domiguez Rancho Abode Museum.
Volunteer work- Volunteered for 2 months at United Nations Volunteers to protest against Plastic Pollution and was awarded with the title of ‘Youth Changemaker’ by the same organisation. Member of the ‘Interact Club’ associated with Rotary International. Selected as the student counsellor of the school and helped several students overcome problems of Mental Health.
Writing- Interned as a content writer for Venturesky Business Developments ltd. and was deemed as one of the best writers on the team. Received a letter of recommendation for the same. Founded and head an online platform called “The Global Hub” with over 10000 unique monthly visiters and 14000 monthly views, which regularly publishes content (generally Articles and Opinionated Editorials) on topics ranging from Public Health to Domestic Politics. Main writer for the same.
Speaking and Debate- One of the Main speakers for several school events. Member and speaker at the TEDx Club at school. Member of the winning team at a regional level debate competition. Finalist at the Times of India Debate. Lead Organiser of School Literary Fest.
MOOCs (Online Courses) - Completed ‘An Introduction to American Law’ by the University of Pennsylvania with 98%. Completed ‘Financial markets’ by Yale University with 100%. Completed “The Law and Economics of New Media platforms” by the University of Chicago with 100%. Completed “Geopolitics in Europe” by Sciences Po Paris with 100%.
Student Government - Selected as a Member of the Apex Student council in all years in which one can be. Vice Head Boy of the School
Your ECs are strong but that is just one piece of the application. The top schools in the US are very competitive and even more so for international students.
Only about half of the “top 10” schools are need-blind for international students. That tiny handful of schools is extremely competitive for international applicants because of the extreme demand for international financial aid. In those cases it’s really difficult to say what is “good enough,” because the competition is so intense.
If you are full-pay and applying to elite U’s that are need-aware for internationals and admit enough international applicants to comprise more than 10% of their entering class, then I think it’s safe to say that your EC’s are solid and that other variables (stats, essays, recommendations) will determine the outcome. If you need financial aid, then it depends - the availability of funding and the competitiveness for internationals varies a lot and cannot be inferred from overall admit rates.
Also, focusing on “top 10” is extremely limiting. And what does that even mean? Top 10 research universities? Top 10 liberal arts colleges? Top 10 IR/public policy/government departments? Based on whose assessment? And based on graduate programs, or undergraduate? There are some phenomenal schools in your field(s) of interest that you will miss out on if you take a myopically rankings-based approach.
I’m looking at Top 10 IR/public policy/government departments. My top choices are Harvard, Georgetown, Yale University and The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
My stats are between the 25th and 50th percentile, LoRs are a 9 or 9.5 and my essays are probably an 8.5 or 9.
Do you believe that my ECs could make me stand out on their own given that a lot of them revolve around the field of International Relations?
I definitely think your EC’s are impressive and will help. Whether they will help enough is anybody’s guess in the competitive and unpredictable world of international admissions.
Is William & Mary on your list? It’s excellent in your areas of interest and is seeking to increase its international student population. Claremont McKenna is also very strong in Government/IR and is international-friendly, but its heavy skew toward ED admissions makes it a reach for RD applicants. Tufts could also be a good addition to your list, and Brandeis could be a good safety. NYU and GWU both love full-pay international applicants. You might also consider Canadian U’s, i.e. U of Toronto.
Good luck - you have a chance at all of these schools; it’s just impossible to predict beyond that.