chance me(on the Ivies, Stanford, Columbia, UPenn, UChicago)

Chance Me / Match Me
1

I am a male, Middle eastern, will major in life sciences(and hopefully pursue medicine).
Grades:
• Rank: 1/120(our school is for exceptional students recognized by the National Organization for development of Exceptional Students, NODET), unweighted
• GPA: our GPA is calculated out of 20, 19.90/20, weighted
• SAT: going to take it in December, math would definitely be +750, practice tests predict 2200)
• SAT Subject: can’t take them (SATs aren’t held in my country, and I can only take either the SAT or the SAT Subjects in a neighboring country) • TOEFL score: going to take it in November but definitely +110/120
Extracurricular Activity:
• Gold Medal in the International Biology Olympiad(2015) • Gold Medal in Iran’s Biology Olympiad at the end of my junior year • Silver Medal in Iran’s Biology Olympiad at the end of my sophomore year (the medals were chosen after summer-long camps and examinations so I don’t have any other summer activites -also getting a gold medal is quite a big deal here, resulting in exemption from the school leaving exam) • I am member of Iran’s National Elite Foundation(INEF); here’s a page in Wikipedia that says what INEF is all about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%27s_National_Elites_Foundation • I have a blue belt in Taekwando(before high school) • painting(5-8) • Varsity basketball Team (Grade: 9th – 12th): titles at the district, municipal, and provincial levels • I have a website Olympiadlab.ir that gives free counsel on the Biology Olympiad and also contains videos and text on the practicals that are needed in the Biology Olympiad • I’m part of an organization called Iroob(one of the core members) dedicated to making the Biology Olympiad more accessible to all, especially to less endowed region. Iroob holds nationwide exams and biology fairs in cities all around Iran • I have coauthored a book(published by a renowned publication in Iran) on the answers to Iran’s past Biology Olympiad exams • I lead a project on translating the questions of the past International Bioloigy Olympiads + providing comprehensive answers(not translated)-the end result will be books published by the aforementioned publication • I have 200+ hours of teaching biology to students wanting to participate in the bio Olympiad in Iran’s best highschools in different cities of Iran

I will definitely apply for financial aid

I’d really appreciate any replies

P.S. SInce I can only go once to take SATs, would 800s in two subject tests (in math and biology-100% sure) be better or a single 2200(hopefully) in the SAT?

2

You HAVE to take either the SAT or ACT; substituting SAT II scores is not an option. You should contact admissions offices at your target schools and explain your situation, as not having access to SATs in your country is a serious disadvantage. If you are currently a senior, waiting this late to take SATs is a potential problem; your situation is uncommon, but SATs should have been taken care of a year ago.

Your Gold Medal in the International Biology Olympiad and actives related around that are impressive, but the road for international applicants is very difficult. It’s hard to predict - without the International Olympiad medal I would have said your chances were very slim. That credential probably carries the most weight with MIT, which is not on your list.

3

So long as you get a good score on the SAT (which is NON-NEGOTIABLE), you should do well! Make sure you apply to other good schools too, like Northeastern… Carnegie Mellon… I’m linking you to a list of the colleges with most % of international students: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/most-international

For these schools, you should take 2 SAT IIs (subject tests), i.e. math and bio, as you mentioned
Impressive dedication to the life sciences!

Best of luck!!

4

Thanks a lot for your reply:)
I’ve done some correspondence with some Of the universities, except for Dartmouth and JHU they say that they would waive the SAT requirements for me since the exam isn’t held here.
The thing is that I don’t know if a 2200 in SAT would be a better addition to my application or two 800s in SATIIs, given that the SAT requirements are waived in the first place

5

I’d ask schools what they prefer, but I’d think SAT I.