I’m a junior and I’m taking these classes now and get straight A for all of my classes. I think I won’t have problems getting 5 in the AP exam. Also, I took AP Chem exam last year and got an 5. I have good grades in my school but I think I don’t have strong EC. I started doing Ballet in my kindergarten and take a 2.5h class every week till now. I also do some photography and have some great shots. I’m interested in Computer Science and started learning programming from my 3rd grade and got some prizes. I wonder if I get a SAT score 2200+, what kind of college can be my choices? Can I make it to the top universities?
It depends what your idea of a “top university” is. If you mean Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, or equivalent schools, don’t count on it. Firstly because nobody can count on getting into those schools, and secondly because your extracurriculars are lackluster and your academics are below-average by those schools’ standards.
This isn’t a reflection of your personal worth, and it doesn’t mean you aren’t a good student-top colleges have absurdly high standards, because their applicant pool allows them to. But most students at very competitive universities will have stronger portfolios. They would tend to have 5-6 AP classes at this point, an SAT score in the 2250+ range, and a laundry list of extracurriculars. Or else they’ll be exceptional in an academic discipline (e.g. the top mathematician in the country for their age). Or else they’ll have one or two “carrying” activities outside of school, with academics that are still very strong to boot (e.g. Natalie Portman, Harvard alumni and Oscar winner).
Just be glad you aren’t applying as an international student. I’m exaggerating only slightly when I say that Malala Yousafzai would be just an above-average applicant in the international pool.
Not to worry. There are about 20-30 colleges in the US where you can get an extremely good education, with the only real difference between these schools and Ivies being snob value, and ultimately the course of your life is almost never determined by the school you attend. Don’t stress too much over college admissions.
Almost every applicant to those top schools (HYPSM) will have schedules just as rigorous as yours. Don’t count on getting in unless your extracurriculars can separate you from the crowd.
Look at Gatech - they are a top 10 program in compsci and are working hard at fixing their gender imbalance.
I actually just got to US from China last October because of my mom’s remarriage. Does it mean that I should have stayed in China to get a better chance getting into a good college?
@Anniel1004 -Nope. You think it’s tough getting into a college in the US? Try getting into that same college when you’re applying from China, with a limited number of spots at each college for internationals (only a fraction of which are open to applicants who go to school in China) and 20-30 million other students who could apply for those same places.
See my exaggeration above when I said that Malala wouldn’t be that much above average for an international applicant. For all the stress and worry you’ll see in high school seniors, US applicants have it easy.
If the OP is still international as per visa status, the same issues will apply, no? That might be the first issue to address.
Cause I came from one of the top 10 high schools in China, and now I find out that it seems I have nothing comparing to the US top students. Even the toughest classes in my school and good grades don’t mean that much The only thing that I’ve got since I came here to prove my academic performance is the Princeton University Physics Competition’s honorable mention. I’ve lost so many precious time to adapt to the new environment. What can I do? Also, do you mean that I can still get into the top 30s? I’m worried that I may only be accepted to some state colleges now.
You’re doing fine. How many APs have you taken/are doing, and how many does your school offer?
Your GPA is fine, and your schedule isn’t weak. Have you gotten any prizes in ballet?
Almost every poster here has been rather harsh. NO ONE can count on getting into HYPSM; that doesn’t mean the OP doesn’t have a good chance. She does.
OP, what I suggest for you to do now is to work on your English, in order to write a good admission essay. Those are rather important. Maintain your GPA and course rigor. Spend some, but not too much, time on SATs. Get some leadership positions in school, such as compsci clubs, dance clubs, etc. Finally, look at some Liberal Arts colleges. If you’re fine with small schools, Harvey Mudd is extremely good for the sciences. Do NOT let the Asian family and perspective cloud your judgement on the definition of a good school. I’m Asian, and I know that some of my relatives won’t approve if I enroll at a LAC, but I believe the LAC I chose is better than Harvard for what I’m looking for. It’s also extremely hard to get into.
Thanks for your suggestions. I’ll try to do something to improve my chances and enlarge my college lists now.
@Woandering -With just 1 AP class before this year, and with OP claiming a lack of strong extracurriculars, there’s not much reason for optimism. It would take something exceptional (winning a national academic competition, curing cancer, that sort of thing) to make OP a really strong candidate.
@Alfonsia -Actually, no. I know this chiefly because I’m in a slightly different situation (US citizen living abroad), and recently discussed the matter with my school’s guidance counselor. Here’s the way applications are divided, as she explained it.
- Every applicant's folder is sent in from the school he/she attends.
- That folder is read by the admissions staff for the region. This means (taking a random example) if OP now lives in Maine, the application will be read by the New England staff.
- The only applications considered "international" are those of students attending high schools outside the US (whose applications would thus be sent to the staff for whatever country they attend school in). For example, an the dossier of an applicant from Slovenia would be read by the staff for the Balkans.
- Each region, including countries has a soft quota of applicants. Although the admissions officers will never say "We've got 400 students from the Midwest, so we can't accept #401," they will try to avoid taking 750 students from a region where their target is 150.
- The rest of the world has about as many spots in its soft quota (~10%) as, say, the great plains region. That's right, one sparsely populated region of the US has as much representation as the homes of the remaining 6.7 billion people of this world. As a US citizen living abroad, I hate all of you lucky (redacted) with "only" a 94% chance of being rejected :stuckouttongue:
@NotVerySmart
I’m not sure if AP Chem was the only AP she took before now, and even if it were, she is taking the harder APs. Her EC list may not be huge, but it does have dedication. Once again, not every admitted student to HYPSM has the “perfect profile” that we all aim for. There’s just not that many students.
Also, about the international status, international students in America are still counted as international, despite going to an American school. It’s true that regional adcoms read the application first, but they also get to consider your citizenship/visa status. Therefore, if the OP does not have a green card, she is still considered international and has a lower chance at admission. Because I’m an international in America, I’ve only researched my side, but I’m also fairly sure that you would be counted as domestic, except for state schools.
@Woandering Counted as domestic? Oh, I wish.
I wasn’t aware that the applications of foreign nationals living in the US were treated differently from those of other US residents. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
You could probably get into schools like the University of Michigan. HYPS or the rest of the Ivies? I don’t know. Maybe Cornell.
US citizens are US citizens, apples and elephants. US citizens living overseas are OOS but still treated in the domestic groups.
I really don’t know what can I do when my last high school doesn’t offer AP course at all. It’s a Chinese High school and it has a completely different education system. I got that AP Chem 5 by self study. Doesn’t the admission office think about this differently when they consider my case? Is it really considered easy for a student arriving from another country skip ESL course and get the only A in her English class? BTW I will get the green card very soon. But applying as a domestic student doesn’t mean my case will be treated like every other US student, right? Anyhow I’m a 17 years old student that lives in my mother country for 16 years, and I’m trying everything I can to challenge myself.
I may have made something unclear. I do have Chinese nationality and I’m a Chinese that has grown up in a pure Chinese environment and I never thought I would go to a U.S. college. But my mom’s remarriage has suddenly changed everything. She brought me here and threw me into the high school one week after arrival. I will have a green card before college application which is the reason why I believe I will be treated as a domestic case, though I don’t consider myself has that many differences vs an international student.
US citizens will always be considered as domestic for financial aid. For admissions, it’s best to check with the school(s) in question. I’ve seen more than a few that categorize US citizens living abroad as internationals.
Well, you can’t rely on having a GC until you have one. IME there are no givens in the process of getting your green card, especially when time is of the essence. If you have it, then that will be better for the college process for sure.
Next year a freshman (currently in 8th) will be taking AP Calc BC at my high school 