Chance Me! Finance/Film Kid (TX Resident, 3.95UW, just outside top 10%, 35 ACT) [on visa, not US citizen or PR]

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Demographics

  • Live in the U.S but Immigrant (not a citizen)
  • State/Location of residency: Texas
  • Type of high school (or current college for transfers): Public

Cost Constraints / Budget
none…

Intended Major(s)
Majoring in Finance/Econ w/minor in Physics or Math

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.95
  • Weighted HS GPA: 5.1/6.0
  • Class Rank: not top 10% but somewhat close due to public HS with 500+ student class
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 35 ACT

9-11th Coursework

  • English: AP Lang, Eng 2 Adv, Eng 1 Adv
  • Math: AP Pre-Cal, Alg 2 Adv, Geometry Adv., Alg 1 Adv.
  • Science: APES, APCSP, Chem Adv. Bio Adv. AP Psych
  • History and social studies: APUSH, APEuro, AP World, AP Seminar, AP Research, AP Macro, AP Gov
  • Language other than English: French 3 Adv, French 2, French 1

Senior year courses (next year)
AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP French 4, AP Physics 1, Early Release + 2 other classes

Awards
2 International, 2 National, 1 Regional Finalist at business competitions

Extracurriculars

  • Only submitting 8 ECs

  1. Founded an AI-driven Fintech startup for retail investors and business schools. Raised over $30K in funding and collaborated with professionals and students major firms and top unis.

  2. Built a global network connecting ambitious high school and college students passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation (very selective to get in as we accept people with real tangible results). Organized high-profile events including pitch competitions and workshops, and collaborated with professionals from top venture capital and PE firms. Grew the community to 100+ members worldwide with over $5,000 in event funding.

  3. Established a personal brand focused on business, productivity, and growth mindset and cinematically filming me scaling my startup. Gained a following of 75,000+ across platforms.

  4. Supported local veterans through storytelling and fundraising. Produced documentary-style cinematic content of veteran war stories and dealing with PTSD. 10M+ views and 50,000+ followers across all platforms. Raised over $15,000 for veteran-focused programs and organized impactful events and campaigns.

  5. Actively traded stock options, generating over $25,000 in profits. Developed skills in market analysis, risk management, and portfolio strategy. (started at 2k)

  6. Completed a finance internship at a wealth management firm in NYC, gaining hands-on experience in client relations, portfolio building, and investment strategy.

  7. Served as Student Body Vice President, overseeing school events and managing multiple student teams. Led fundraising efforts totaling $30,000+ and organized over 500 hours of volunteer service for the student body.

  8. Boxing - Regional Champion: Practiced boxing for 4+ years and earned a regional championship title, demonstrating strong discipline, focus, and commitment to personal growth.

Essays/LORs/Other

Wrote a narrative essay reflecting on a historical story involving probability, randomness, and a war-time innovation birthed in a bathtub—connecting it metaphorically to my own life. Having moved often and adapted to unpredictable environments (as a immigrant who moved 5+ states and 2 countries), I drew parallels between complex systems influenced by random variables and my ability to navigate change, uncertainty, and reinvention. The essay culminates in a moment of inspiration from a veteran, where I began to reflect on how I could use my skills and ideas to put tangible value into the world—focusing on being remembered for the value I put out in the world and not me as a person.

So possibly strong?

Schools

Only some schools I’m applying to, I have safeties!

UPenn Wharton ED
Harvard
Stanford
MIT EA
UMich
Carnegie
Georgetown
Columbia
Cornell
Duke
UT Austin

Questions:

I have two other ec’s of research w a professors and President of my school’s investment club which is the second biggest, however i’m not putting it on bc I believe i’m already showing my passion for business and want to show my true passion for finance and content creation and don’t wanna seem fake with the research (which i’m not really even passionate about) is this a good approach?

also, i’m only putting 8 ECs as I want to stand out as being bold/concentrated on my passions as well as not put random stuff on my ec’s that don’t truly show me as a person. I believe I kind of stand out with my blend of film and finance while most business kids do that and just some community imitative they don’t rlly care about whereas I’m connecting my passion for film AND still having community impact (veteran thing). Lmk what you think!

1 Like
2

You need quality, not quantity. So three or eight don’t matter and they don’t necessarily need to relate.

I assume Indiana is your safety given the list.

Best of luck - you could get into a couple or strike out. You are qualified.

3 Likes
3

Are you a US permanent resident, or are on some kind of visa? If the former, you would be a domestic student. If the latter, you are likely to be an international student, although Texas may allow residency for tuition if you graduate high school in Texas after enough years of attendance.

3 Likes
4

Yes, Im on a visa but will be graduating from a US high school and have lived here for more than 10 years, am I still a international student?

5

You will have to check the rules at each college with respect to the type of visa you are on, but it is likely that you will be considered an international student by most US universities. If so, this tends to be disadvantageous for admission, financial aid, and scholarships.

Texas may treat you as a resident for tuition even if you are an international student. See Texas Residency - Texas One Stop - University of Texas at Austin

1 Like
6

Understood, i’d likely go for need based financial aid and ED Wharton UPenn, what are your thoughts on this? Should i even consider applying?

7

I’d throw in a couple of East Coast LACs to hedge things a bit.

1 Like
8

You said no cost constraints - but you require aid ?

It’s need blind. It won’t impact admission.

1 Like
9

Apologies, I kind of but that on there on the basis that I’m willing to pay if it’s worth it if you understand what I mean; however I would still appreciate financial aid to reduce the stress

1 Like
10

No I don’t understand.

But they do need only so you’ll get it you won’t. Doesn’t hurt to try.

You can run the NPC in advance to see if you will.

I assume your safety is Indiana ?

SMU would be another.

11

Unfortunately, yes. You’re not an immigrant if you’re on a visa.
Although your school record will be read in and context of your US high school, you will be in the international applicant pool at all the schools on your list.

12

Hmm… Understood. However, I see that UPenn looks at applications by high-school locations and not nationality. Should I still consider applying ED there if I apply financial aid?

13

I mean as in I’m willing to pay 60k for Harvard but only 20k for OU…

14

What can you afford. So OU is your back up?

Since you’d qualify for direct admit, why not IU. You list Michigan. IU is the safety top 10 b school.

15

I don’t know any college that doesn’t. That’s what I meant when I said you’ll be evaluated in the context of your high school. However, you’ll be in the international pool, which unfortunately has a lower acceptance rate. As long as you have a school that you like, is affordable, and where you have a high likelihood of admission, you’ll be fine. All these reach schools are very hard to get into anyway, but you never know. Worth a shot.

Have your parents run the net price calculator on Harvard’s website? You’ll need to pay what they think you should be able to pay—not what you’re willing to pay.

2 Likes
16

Are both your parents employed in the U.S.?

17

UPenn is need aware for international students, except for permanent residents, and those from Mexico and Canada. Hopefully, OP can clarify their situation.

18

yes

19

Ahhh - fair point.

20

Any suggestions on where to apply in my case?