Demographics
- International (West Africa), High Income
- I have a unique situation academics wise where I was originally at a British patterned school where i wrote IGCSEs but because I desperately want to go to school in America I’ve moved to a school where I’m writing AP exams instead so my transcripts are a little bit weird looking on my common app.
Cost Constraints / Budget : 100k~ per year for total cost of living. Most of my target schools have some sort of automatic merit based scholarships you qualify for upon applying or a subsaharan africa tuition reduction so it probably won’t get that high. Even so 100k isn’t a hard limit.
Intended Major(s) Biochemistry. I’m applying as pure chemistry to the schools without a Biochemistry major.
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
3.75 GPA not too sure on the rank but i was between 15-20/109 students in the equivalent of my junior year. Top 15 on external exam results before i left. Because I’m in a specialized program now my class size is less than 30 students but I’m top 3 as far as grade averages go to my knowledge.
ACT/SAT Scores: 1460 (730rw 730math). originally got that in september, retook in october and got the exact same score and i’m super disappointed in it so i’m hoping to retake again in december and get a 1500. a 1550 is my ultimate goal for december though. I initially wanted to take both november and december but taking december is compulsory in my school for all AP students.
List your HS coursework
9 IGCSEs (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, English, English Literature, Accounting, French (2nd Language).
Senior Year: My school allows students to pick 3 APs but I asked to do four so I’m doing AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics 1 and AP Statistics. School also has 3 compulsory prep classes that will go on my transcript: SAT math, SAT english and College Prep where my college essay and other stuff are graded.
Awards
Gold Medalist 2024 National STEM Olympiad, International Finalist
Bronze Medalist 2022 National STEM Olympiad, International Finalist
Silver Medalist 2023 National STEM Olympiad
School’s Accounting Prize 2024
School’s Silver Honour Roll 2023
School’s Bronze Honour Roll 2024, 2025
ICE Certificate
CIE Distinction (2A* 6A 1B for IGCSE)
only put the STEM olympiads on my common app though because nothing else was really relevant
Extracurriculars
my ecs are very much mediocre because my old school didn’t really focus on that sort of thing because they’re not really emphasized for students trying to go to the uk but they’re as follows:
Student Led Charity 2025 : Student led program that stands raises awarenesss on Fertility and other issues surrounding that. Students help raise money for couples struggling to conceive and raise awareness on medical developments in the field. We’ve partnered with a foundation so we donate the money and then go through a selection process for the couples who get the help. As a new member of this organization I’m striving to raise awareness on this topic and I am currently raising funds for our next event which will be on October 16th.
Secretary of Kindness Club 2025: The term just started but as secretary of the kindness club so far I have raised funds totaling around 500,000 Naira/340 dollars (it sounds way less impressive in dollars but its a lot of money here) and aided in organizing an outreach trip to local grocery stores where we measured the blood pressure of the locals. I’m also helping organise a cancer awareness gala at my school. I intend to organize a program similar to Lab work club and a trash clean-up at the beach also. The club has about 90 members and at each meeting I take attendance and I make announcements at the end of the meeting
Tutoring 7th grade biology students for 3 years after school. 2023-2025
My 9th grade Biology teacher (the one writing my LOR) and I organised a program where struggling 7th graders could come every Thursday After school and revise for tests and be re-taught topics which they didn’t understand in class. Students who had been gravely ill were also allowed to come there and catch up with work.
Community Service and Lab work Club Head Tutor 2023-24, 24-25
Public school students would come to our school to use our lab. As the head tutor I supervised and carried out experiments in the field of Biology, Chemistry and Physics and prepared teaching material to teach these students grade 7-9 science appropriate for their grade. Consistently organised end of year parties at their school and designed engaging games and class activities for the students.
ORA Explore Medicine 2025: Wrote research papers on Visual Disability and received an A* grade (99%). Did Art and Writing Clubs where I interacted with my peers on Yale’s campus.
Writing and Media Club 2025: School writing club where I am an active participant. It also functions as the schools media club and as a participant in that I make announcements at assembly to the schools 250 student population and make speeches on the school’s core values. I will also write a short story which falls inline with the school’s theme for the year will be published in the school’s end of term book publication this year.
Debate 2024: Researched for an inter-school debate on AI and I was one of selected three debaters on stage out of a pool of 15 students. I received an award certificate for it.
French Immersion Program 2024: Spent 4 weeks in St. Malo where I studied B2 Level French. Organized an end of program party, cohabited with a French family.
Chess Club Co-President for one Trimester 2024: Helped teach people basic chess tactics and played games with fellow students. Helped maintain order amongst younger students.
and various charity work and work shadowing here and there amounting to about 50 hours of volunteer work and 20 hours of shadowing. I didn’t think it was significant enough so its not on my common app.
Essays and LORS
I’m getting three LORS from my Biology Chemistry and Math teachers who’ve known me since I was 12 or so. They have experience in writing recommendation letters (albeit for British schools) so I should be fine. I’ve gotten positive feedback on my essay which is about how my parents took my bedroom door off and social accessibility.
Schools
I’d appreciate being chanced for my early schools but I also want opinions on my RD schools too.
I’m applying to the following schools Early Action
Case Western (Received a Fee Waiver, applying for pre-professional I have no expectations for that)
Rutgers (Received a Fee Waiver, applying for honours, very much my top target school I love rutgers and I love the area. I’m thinking of pushing it back to RD though so I have more time to work on my honours essay)
Fordham (Second favourite target)
Long Island University (they emailed me, I don’t have a huge interest in the school but I got a fee waiver so my counsellor says i should apply. I like the area though).
Loyola Chicago
RIT (received a fee waiver)
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Villanova
and I’m applying to these schools RD
Yale
UTD
UTSA
Princeton (dream school but if my SAT stays this low I don’t think I have a chance of getting in)
JHU