Computer Science, Computer Engineering or Electrical and Computer Engineering. Minor in business.
SAT Score:
1570 (800 Math, 770 Evidence-Based Reading and Writing)
Academics:
GPA: None
Class Rank: 1st out of 126 students
No AP or International Baccalaureate courses offered at my school
A-Level Results( one of the best in my school for over 4 years):
Further Math: A
Maths: A
Chemistry: A
Computer Science: A
Physics: B
Extracurriculars:
CS summer program with scholarship.
Completed Coursera courses in computer science, math, and especially in English writing
Served as an educational prefect in grade 11 and class prefect in grades 9 to 10
Developed an app with 500+ users and created two websites
Run a YouTube channel that solves past A-Level Computer Science programming practical questions to help more students achieve an A grade in CS (since very few students usually get an A each year)
Engaged in tutoring, church service, and a little in basketball.
woodworking job.
family responsibility
Honors/Awards:
Ranked 7th in the national polytechnic examination (which covers math and physics and is taken by approximately 10,000 of the most brilliant students annually)
One of the 100 Semifinalist in the Startupper of the Year competition, selected from over 1700 projects, with one of my website projects
Received an honorable mention in a national CS competition
One of only 51 students nationwide to achieve an A grade in A-Level computer science
Got the best in STEM award at my school.
Ed: Johns Hopkins
EA: U of Richmond, MIT, Reed.
Rd: Trinity college, Hamilton, washU, wash&lee, bowdoin, Lafayette, Whitman, havey mudd, Haverford, Colgate, Pomona, UPenn.
NB: - I need a lot of financial aid.
- No one in my school ever applied to US universities
As I think you know, the problem here isn’t your ability to get into a strong CS program in the US; it’s the difficulty of securing the generous financial aid you need. The majority of schools will either admit you without adequate funding, or turn you down because of your high need.
I would consider adding Grinnell College to your list. They have strong CS and a large endowment that allows them to fund a decent number of high-need international students. (Grinnell has a lot of applicant-pool overlap with Reed.) Maybe also add Amherst College, which is on the very short list of need-blind, full-need-met schools for international students (along with Bowdoin and MIT, already on your list).
You might also consider adding Berea College, which admits only low-income students and meets need for all, including the 10% who are international. (They do not charge tuition, and cover other expenses via a campus work program.)
I’m not familiar with the aid policies of every school on your list, but it seems as if you’ve done your research. Best of luck!
So one thing to be aware of is the colleges on your list largely come from what is known as the liberal arts tradition in the US, including in fact MIT and Harvey Mudd.
And one of the common mismatches between the US education system and other educational systems is those colleges are typically looking for students who are at least reasonably strong in both STEM and HASS (humanities, arts, and social sciences), including because they will generally expect even their STEM majors to take a lot of HASS classes. This is very different from A Level-type systems where by university you are expected to be done with such a “general education” and instead focus only on some specific course. So I think a lot of Internationals with very strong STEM credentials are disappointed with their US college results, not understanding from a US perspective that is potentially not enough even if you are intending a STEM major.
One way around this is to apply to public universities that may be a little less picky about HASS credentials–if you are full pay. But they may not give you much if any help financially, so that is not necessarily a great path for you.
Alternatively, you can just build up your HASS credentials and interests in your application, even if they are not reflected in your A Levels. Your 770 in EBRW is a good start, but you might want to think about some other ways of indicating to these colleges you are not just a STEM person, that you are actually looking forward to challenging HASS classes as well.
It’s an odd assortment of universities and small, selective colleges. As an international student, you probably have less to worry about in terms of what we like to call, “fit” because everything about America is going be new and unfamiliar. I’d say you have an excellent chance of admission to virtually all the smaller colleges on your list since gender parity among students of African descent is pretty lopsided in favor of women. Have you considered, Bates? The surrounding town of Lewiston, Maine has a rather large population of immigrants from Somalia which has made it unusually diverse for that area of the country. One more thing: you should probably have someone proofread your essay for tiny grammatical mistakes.
First of all, I find JHU to be an odd top choice for a CS/CE student unless there is something specific about this school that appeals to you. Is there?
Second, they are need-aware for international students. That means the admissions office will consider the amount of financial aid you need when making an acceptance decision.
You have a strong profile. You should include schools that are need blind and meet full need for international students.
You have a really impressive resume and are clearly ambitious. Your biggest challenge is not whether you are good enough, but finding schools that can give you FA. The reality is that most schools have much more limited FA for international students - most is earmarked for US students.
You are going to need to find schools that see what you offer as something they will pay for. Your list is fine, but you may want to expand it.
Grinnell is a good one. Colby, as a LAC with a relatively new center for AI, might be an option. Kalamazoo and Wooster could be a good options. What about RPI?
Normally, I wouldn’t encourage a longer list, but you may need a few more options.
I agree with this. And there are, in fact, need-aware schools that would find a high-scoring, male, African international highly desirable. A tippy-top NESCAC college like Wesleyan University is nominally need-aware - but only at the margins and usually only for the last 5% or so of the admits - in other words, for borderline applicants.
Is there any data on how much aid URoch gives to internationals? My impression was that they relied on full-pay international dollars to make budget and sustain their full-need-met commitment to domestic admits. I’m afraid the likelihood of an unaffordable offer here could be high. Similar situation with Northeastern, which I would otherwise suggest.
“The University of Rochester (UR) aims to meet the full financial needs of all admitted students, including international students, through a combination of need-based and merit-based aid. During the application process, international applicants must show they have the financial means to attend UR, either through private funds or sponsorship, or by applying for need-based aid.”
They are need aware for international students, however, this is a very strong applicant, so it’s worth the application even if the chance is small.