I would appreciate it if someone would be so kind as to evaluate my candidacy and provide me any advice in regards to strengthening my uni application. I am not American and am simply considering applying to these schools.
Advice in terms of my weaker areas would be appreciated.
Unis I am considering applying to:
Dartmouth
Cornell
Duke
UNC
UVA
Stats:
GPA: My school does not do GPA. We are graded on the IB point scale of 1-7. I am predicted a 45.
Test Scores: 1480 SAT
SAT subject tests still pending
ECAs:
Amnesty International Youth Action and Advisory Council member (Only male member on the board and one of two high-school students on it. The rest are university students either in law or political science courses.)
Amnesty International Strategic Goals Advisory Council(Only youth member on board-youngest by more than a decade)
Fulbright American Youth ambassador’s alumnus
Change your world youth tour to Uganda alumnus
World war Two youth pilgrimage award recipient-fully funded trip to Europe to study the fist and second world wars.
Volunteer at a local youth treatment center- I have run a program there since the eighth grade
Volunteer with Big Brothers and Sisters Association- I am a big brother within the program.
Competitive badminton and volleyball player (School for both and club for badminton)
Awarded various medals in regional and provincial tournaments for badminton
Played up on both the local university club team in high-school team and on the high school team in junior high.
Internationally Genetically engineered machines competition.
Received Highest Academic achievement at my past high-school in at least five classes each year( grade 10-11) (One of the top two students at my former school, a school of over 1000 students-350 graduates)
Selected for high-school scholarship in a different region based on academic and leadership qualities
Leadership positions in sports
Football (soccer) team captain
Sailing Captain
Work experience
Payed summer biochemical researcher for an NGO research firm
Payed summer biochemical researcher for my local University
How do your grades compare with other students in your high school?
At least for the first three on your list (Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke) it would improve your chances as an international student if you are close to being the top student in your school, if not in your country. These are very competitive schools for all students, and particularly for international students.
Are you strong enough at football (the version where you actually kick a ball with your foot) to be a recruited athlete?
Although my current school does not do ranking, I was first at my old school and have a perfect score at my current one. Thus, I am at the top of my current school, as well. Though, there is no ranking system to portray this. I do not think that I would be at the level so as to be recruited to these colleges as a football athlete.
From what I know, universities like Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke are going to be a bit more critical of your academic achievements (as an international applicant, but that’s any given university). A 45 on an IB scale is outstanding, so you wouldn’t find suggestions helpful. Universities like UNC and UVA, though not significantly different from the others, would be just as critical of your academic achievements in relation to your extracurricular ones (most of which are outstanding for any entering Uni student). Good luck; great chances!
It is entirely possible that an average football player where you live might be a recruited soccer player where we live, particularly if you are captain of your team. I would be tempted to send an email to the coach of the soccer teams at the US schools where you are applying.
If you have any financial constraints, then you might want to check whether each of these schools meet full need for international students, and if so run the NPC and see what it says.
Also, finances will figure into the strength of your application. Only a very few schools (none on your list) are need-blind for international students. If you’re able to full-pay, then it’s easier (or I should say less difficult - still not easy) to get in, especially at schools that have a relatively large number of seats allocated for full-pay international students. You may want to refer to this list https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/most-international - there are some excellent schools where international students comprise a high percentage of the entering class. And all other things being equal, it’s safe to assume that more space allocated to internationals means lower barriers to entry. (If you can full-pay. If you need financial aid, the strategy is completely different and much more challenging.) It could be smart to add a few of these international-friendly schools, that are otherwise comparable to your current schools in reputation and other attributes, to your list.