I would recommend preparing for and taking the SAT and ACT. Also, SAT IIs should be relatively easy due to the more specialized study in the UK. AP exams don’t count much for admission, but you don’t need to have taken AP courses to take them.
It is hard to get into Harvard just based on academics. MIT and Caltech are more concerned with straight academics though. You could also consider Oxbridge.
I think that this thread is hopeless. If OP is as stubborn and arrogant as he seems, then this will show in his essays. Obviously he has a misguided perception on what US schools look for, ECs in particular, and his refusal to accept this fact is a testament to how he will be viewed in his supplements, which I would say are the most important factor of an application (yet for some reason no one has mentioned them yet).
OP, you have less than a year. Please try to do something notable; it doesn’t have to be sports or volunteering either. I encourage you to still apply to top UK universities because it seems you have an objectively better chance at those than US ones (so you say with the courses you’re taking).
@ZBD5421 He didn’t get into MIT with those stats? Wow…
Ughh, more self-entitled people. If you can’t even assess your own perspective, how are you supposed to assess others’ perspectives and change the world?
For MIT as it is stated on their website “Every year more than 4,000 international students apply to MIT, and we can admit fewer than 150”. So the acceptance rate is below 3.75% (difficult, but not as impossible as some people in here suggest). Also as MIT is need blind, you don’t need to be a millionaire nor a tycoon to get in, you just need strong and preferably unique EC, great grades and luck. (And remember that you will be competing against other people from your country… So as one alumni of MIT once suggested me - try to prove to the admission office that you are the best student of your country)
I will point out that school is not the only possible source of extracurricular activities. Have they no soccer teams locally or golf or maybe some piping or haggis baking competitions? No community drama or bands, opera or choir?
Yeah, not only that. If you are truly passionate about something… Why don’t you make a club about it?
Guys, instead of piling on (because being mean on the internet is so liberating?) and showing how little you know about Scottish academics, read this
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article145316.ece
ex:
2 AA at Higher = 3 A at A-Level = 24 college credits
1 A Level = 8 college credits (to give you an idea, Calculus BC, for example, is typically worth 6 credits).
One math advanced higher is equivalent to 3 to 4 semesters of college math (calculus and beyond).
Keep in mind that a British B is the equivalent of an American A-, with E being the equivalent of an American C (and grades of F, G, U being D and F).
Also keep in mind that you need 5 “core” APs in related subjects (ie., AP Calculus BC, Physics C, Chem, English, plus one) as an equivalent to 3 A-Levels - in other words, all of this is equivalent to 2 Scottish Advanced Highers.
I agree OP needs to work on ECs. This he said right away in his first post, and ECs are one reason why he’s holding off applying to US colleges.
But it’s also true that internationals’ context is taken into account by universities. OP has “qualifications” (ie., awards), even though he may not be involved in clubs (ie. yearbook, soccer) at his school. Playing soccer in his neighborhood won’t really help him. He has to figure out what activities he does and which ones he’s good at. Finally, we don’t know this, but OP may be involved in a job and may be working at a corner shop every evening or something, which counts as a “strong EC”.
The OP should spend some time developing the fine and subtle art of Humble-brag. In my humble opinion (see how it’s done) the key to distinguishing himself in a pool of international overachievers is to sound like a kind person, funny and self-deprecating, a pleasure to be around, somewhat shocked and bemused by his own myriad achievements. It is important to avoid any hint of arrogance or condescension. From the little I know (see, I did it again) Harvard and MIT pride themselves on their graduation rates. They may be sensitive about promulgating a cutthroat environment. They avoid potential roommate problems by rejecting potentially problematic roommates.
My advice (and please take it with a grain of salt) (HB example three) is to make sure you have recommenders sing the praises of your genius (so you don’t have to) and to craft essays that make you sound like someone with whom the reader would want to kick back and have a beer (after your 21st birthday)!
Minor point, but I’m not sure if OP was clear on the difference between SAT I and SAT II? Sounded like you’ve taken II, but not I, and the people advising you to take “the SATs” meant SAT I.