Chance Me - Physics @ HYPSM/Caltech [Korean Int'l, Top 5% at Science HS, need full aid]

Chance Me / Match Me
, , , , ,
1

Demographics

  • international student
  • Republic of Korea
  • science high school (within the top 10 in a Korean high school)
  • Other special factors: international. I can almost certainly attend a top Korean university (SNU or KAIST) on a full scholarship.

Cost Constraints / Budget
Full scholarship required. While not low-income by Korean standards, my family’s income converts to only about $70,000 per year in U.S. dollars, making us low-income by US standards.

Intended Major(s)

  • Physics, Neuroscience, AI, Econimics

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: My school does not calculate a GPA. I rank in the top 5 of about 100 students, and under the Korean grading system, I have received all A’s except for one B.
  • Weighted HS GPA:
  • Class Rank: Within the top 5 out of 99 students
  • SAT Scores: 1580

List your HS coursework

English: Common English, English I, English Reading and Writing, English Conversation

Math: Common Mathematics 1, Common Mathematics 2, Algebra, Calculus, Specialized Mathematics, AP Calculus BC (AP), Linear Algebra (college-level), Advanced Algebra (college-level), Vector Calculus (college-level), Real Analysis (college-level), Number Theory (college-level), Topology Seminar (college-level)
(Highest level completed: Real Analysis, Topology Seminar)

Science: Mechanics and Energy, Advanced Life Science, Genetics, Earth System Science, Calculus-Based Physics I & II (college-level), Calculus-Based Physics Lab I & II (college-level), General Chemistry I & II (college-level), General Chemistry Lab I & II (college-level), General Biology I & II (college-level), Advanced Chemistry Seminar (college-level), Analytical Mechanics (college-level), Electromagnetism (college-level), Quantum Mechanics (college-level), Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

History and social studies: Integrated Social Studies 1 & 2, Korean History, World History, Microeconomics (college-level), Macroeconomics (college-level), Korean Literature 1 & 2

Language other than English: Chinese

Visual or performing arts: Music I & II, Sports and Everyday Life

Awards

  • Silver Medal, IYPT, Team Korea
  • Prime Minister’s Award (2nd-highest honor), National Science Exhibition of Korea
  • A-, KPhO(Korean Physics Olympiad)
  • Bronze Medal, Hanhwa Science Challence
  • AMC 12 Distinguished Honor Roll; AIME Qualifie
  • Finalist, Wharton Global High School Investment Competition

Extracurriculars
Captain, IYPT Preparation Club
Lead the school’s IYPT preparation club, organizing research on tournament problems, guiding experiment design, and training members for debate-style physics fights.

Volunteer, Flood Risk Mapping for Suwon City
Used data analysis to identify flood-prone locations in Suwon City, helping prevent flood damage in the community.

Schools
I am only considering Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Columbia, and UC Berkeley. Do I have a chance of getting in?

  • Assured (100% chance of admission and affordability):
  • Extremely Likely:
  • Likely:
  • Toss-up:
  • Lower Probability:
  • Low Probability:
2

For UCB, you need to get a rare very top level scholarship to afford it, because there is no regular need-based financial aid for non-California residents.

For the private universities, check on their policies about financial aid for international students and their net price calculators.

2 Likes
3

Given that you can attend a top Korean university, it makes sense that you are only applying to a handful of highly ranked universities in the USA.

I would be very surprised if you were to be able to afford to attend UC Berkeley. Financial aid for out of state students and for international students is very rare at UC Berkeley, or at any of the various Universities of California.

Your stats are excellent. Your ECs are excellent. The same could be said for the very large majority of applicants to all of the schools on your list. I would not be surprised if you get in somewhere, but I think that it is more likely that you will be rejected by all 8 schools that you are applying to in the USA. That is okay however since you have excellent options in Korea.

My recollection is that Stanford does consider financial need for international students. However, I am not sure that this should discourage you from applying.

It is not all that unusual for students to get a bachelor’s degree in their home country, and then some sort of graduate degree in the US. If you do not get into any of the universities in the US this time around, they will still be there if you are considering a graduate program in the future. Your application this time around would not have any impact at all on your chances of getting accepted to a graduate program in the future if this is of interest to you at some point.

2 Likes
4

So to really evaluate your chances, we would need to see your full application including your recommendations, which you shouldn’t have access to anyway.

But nothing you told us seems automatically disqualifying.

I think given your financial need, your best chances among the list you gave us are the need blind for Internationals colleges, so Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and MIT. It is still insanely competitive, like 49 out of 50 Internationals applying will end up rejected, but that still means there are a few getting admitted.

Stanford and Columbia have much lower budgets for International aid, which is why they have to be need aware, and as a result far fewer Internationals getting aid. Roughly, I think your chances at those colleges are likely around 1/3rd of the need blind ones.

Caltech is then a quite different sort of college, and for its size has an OK budget for International aid, although not on a par with the need blind colleges. So I would slot them somewhere below the need blind colleges, but maybe a notch above Stanford and Columbia. Call it 1/2 of the need blind ones, understanding this is all very crude guesstimation.

Finally, I’m not sure Cal is even possible. Even if it was, it would be way, way less of a chance than any of these.

5

You will need to expand your list of colleges to at least 20. It’s much tougher for international students to get admitted to “reach” schools with admit rates of ≈1-2%. Intense global competition for 10% of the slots in a freshman class at many schools with enrollment quotas.

I would apply to all of them & then some.

Physics @ HYPSM/Caltech:

Also, keep this in mind if you are contemplating pursuing a PhD in physics or even engineering post-undergraduate (you can do this with a solid background in physics). Some physics departments don’t allow or highly discourage their undergraduates from pursuing graduate study in the same department. This shouldn’t be the case if you convert from ugrad physics to grad engineering at the same university.

6

Then there is really no way for you to pay for Berkeley. The UCs give no need based aid, and precious little merit aid to international students. This school will cost you about $80,000 a year. @Gumbymom

As long as you are happy with this option, then go for it with your current list. HOWEVER, if you really want to do undergrad in the U.S. it is my opinion you need to broaden your search to include less competitive colleges…

3 Likes
7

As noted by a couple of posters, UC Berkeley will most likely be unaffordable since they offer little in merit aid and you are ineligible for need-based aid which is a combination of Federal aid for US citizens and California state aid for residents.

The UC Berkeley Regents Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship awarded by the UC campuses. As such, it is very competitive and is awarded to an extremely small percentage of admitted students (top 1-2%). Selection criteria includes an interview.

UC Berkeley

  • Regents Scholarship - $2500/yr
    Candidates are usually admitted in February and are invited to interview for the scholarship.
    Scholars with financial need are awarded a scholarship up to their full need as assessed by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office however this is not guaranteed for OOS and International students.
    Includes: Priority enrollment, guaranteed housing for duration of scholarship

You should also be aware the Berkeley is currently test blind so your SAT score is not considered for admissions or scholarships, only course placement.

If you are looking for full funding, you need to expand your list and drop UC Berkeley.

Best of luck.

2 Likes
8

If you apply somewhere, you can get in.

But as others have said, you can’t afford UCB.

Stanford meets need but says - Stanford has a limited amount of financial aid for international students.

So that hurts you.

There are 11 or 12 schools in the US that are need blind and meet need. Then there are others that meet need but are aware - so your level of need can get you rejected. That includes Stanford who notes - For international citizens who indicate on their application that they will be applying for financial aid, that request will be a factor in our admission evaluation, making the process more selective.

I think there are 11 or 12 schools that meet need and are need blind and they might be wise to include:

Amherst, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Notre Dame, Yale, W&L

There are a few more.

But many more that are need aware, like Stanford.

Bottom line - with your list and if you think you need full aid, you can try - and yes you have a chance if you apply. But you will unlikely be in the USA and there’s no reason to try UCB. Good luck.

9

If you are assured SNU or KAIST, I think your heavy reach list is fine. It is better to really focus on the essays/short answers to those schools vs scatter your efforts on a large number of schools. I’d toss out UCB as unaffordable. Take a closer look at Caltech. It really is a “fit” school. If a full American college experience is important, not sure Caltech would fulfill that.

2 Likes
10

Agree with the others. Since you have excellent and affordable options in your home country it is fine to focus on top US universities with good aid. (Agree with eliminating UCBerkeley from your list).

As you know, these schools are hyper-competitive (many with acceptance rates under 5%, lower for international students). Much will depend on things that cannot or should not be shared on a public forum such as essays, LORs, etc. All anyone can say is take your shot, give it your all,.and see what happens. You will do well wherever you end up.

3 Likes