Could someone chance me please? Help is much needed, thanks!

inside
Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:49:40 +0000

Hey guyfromportugal,

You have a great chance! Congrats on your accomplishments. Definitely apply. Big US universities are very familiar with the abitur system.

About the recommendations. Only send recommendations from people who know you VERY well. It’s no use sending a recommendation from somebody who doesn’t know you very well even if they are famous or important. If the ambassador knows you very well (for example, if you have worked for him) then it might very well be worth it.

Remember though that most schools are not ‘need-blind’ for international students (meaning that they take into account how much scholarship money you need for admission) except for a few (I believe they are Yale and Princeton.) You are an extremely good student though, so I would recommend you apply to Yale and Princeton anyway.

Good luck! I would say make an account on Commonapp.org as soon as possible so you can start seeing how all this stuff fits onto an application.

PS: I believe summer internships at some EU institutes are possible for high school graduates. I don’t know that the ICJ (International Court of Justice in The Hague) does, though.