I’m an 11th grade (1ère) student in a French high school in west Africa and was wondering what were my chances of getting into a top 20 school in the U.S.
My average in 9th grade was 17.4, in 10th grade it was 17 and now I have an average of 17.3. I had the equivalent of an A ( occasionally A-) in all of my subjects expect this year in spe Maths where I have between 10 and 11. I had a mention ‘‘Très bien’’ on my brevet (with 400 out of 400 in “controle continu”).
I’m really trying to work on my ECs but I have a couple of them (including leadership positions, community service, sports…).
Where I am really lacking is the ‘‘awards and distinctions’’ category as my school does not offer any and it’s an international school in a small third-world country.
Would you say I have a chance of getting into one of the top schools ? Do you have any tips on how I could use the time that I have left to improve my application ? And will the fact that my school does not offer any APs or Honors impact my chances. ?
“Also, will you require financial aid to attend because that adds more to the equation.”
If the university is really worth the price my parents will pay for it, but any financial aid that I can get is really great. I don’t really know how the financial aid system works but I don’t think I would qualify for need-based financial aid.
Many of the top 20 colleges provide need based aid only. Are your parents able to spend $90,000 a year or so on your college education? That’s $360,000 USD for four years.
My parents don’t really tell me how much money they make but they do know the price of these schools and still want me to go there. I think my job is really just to get accepted.
If so, then you will get a significant price break on McGill if you get accepted and if you want to go there. McGill will not care about your ECs (or at least didn’t when a daughter applied a few years ago) and admissions will be far more predictable compared to universities in the USA.
I am personally not familiar with the grade scale that your school uses, and have no idea how strong a 17.4 is. ‘‘Très bien’’ I do understand, although again I do not know how rare it is in your high school.
And yes, admissions is both very competitive and very difficult to predict at “top 20” universities in the USA.
I am not a citizen of France however I am Canadian so I’m definitely also applying to McGill and UToronto.
I think a 17.4 is considered a 4.0 (if you use the Embassy of France’s grade conversion table it’s an A*).
All your grades from 9th grade and DNB on will be used.
Beside spé maths, what subjects are you taking?
McGill would expect 16.5 in spé maths&PC for CS (your 3rd subject could be NSI or SI, preferably, or SVT. As a 1e only subject and provided you took spe maths&pc in 1e&Term, your 3rd subject can be English) and 16-17 overall.
Now you need to view the landscape differently, keeping in mind we’re talking 50 states, a whole continent – there are 3,700 universities in the US. So even the top 10% would be 370 --and Princeton review’s Best Colleges typically lists 375. You would get an excellent education at colleges ranked 40 or 50!
Beside obvious names, look into Case Western Reserve, URochester, USC, WPI, Northeastern (co-op), UCincinnati (COE/co-op system), UMD-CP, UMichigan. These are all different but all offer very good CS.
As a bit of context for people not as familiar with the French grading system: there used to be a saying that 20 was for God, 19 was for the professor, and 18 was for the best student (maybe).
This website’s conversions and explanation seem pretty accurate to my recollection of how my U.S. college translated the grades I took while abroad at French universities:
French scale
U.S. Scale (A-F)
U.S. Scale (%)
Approximate meaning
16.0-20.0
A+
98-100%
Truly excellent
14.0-15.9
A
93-97%
Very good
12.0-13.9
A- or B+
87-92%
Good
10.0-11.9
B
80-86%
Average/above average
8.0-9.9
C
70-79%
Mediocre
7.1-7.9
D
60-69%
Poor
7 and below
F
0-59%
Unacceptable
I would not worry about this at all, particularly based on your context. The letters of recommendation and the letter from your school counselor will (hopefully) mention how you compare to others and what makes you unique and a desired asset at a university campus. The awards/distinctions section won’t really matter.
I think you have a shot, but don’t forget that the schools you’re thinking of have very low acceptance rates, and the vast majority of the people who apply are very strong candidates. Your chances of acceptance as an international student also are not as high as they would be if you were a US domestic student. But yes, you do have a chance.
Schools will judge you based on what options are available to you. Additionally, if you will be earning your bac, that is a well-respected credential by colleges.
I’m also taking spé Physique-Chimie where I have an average of a bit more than 18, and my third spé is Humanité Literature et Philosophie where I have around 15 ( My school does not have NSI or SI). I am not taking English as a spé however I do have the best grades in English with a 19.9
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Now you need to view the landscape differently, keeping in mind we’re talking 50 states, a whole continent – there are 3,700 universities in the US. So even the top 10% would be 370 --and Princeton review’s Best Colleges typically lists 375. You would get an excellent education at colleges ranked 40 or 50!
I do realize that there are a lot of good schools in USA besides the top 20 but if I don’t get in a really really great school I am going to Canada where there are also a lot of interesting options (and way more affordable)