Is being fluent in 4 different languages a plus point for colleges?

Applying to College
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<p>Okay, the reason for me to ask this is I want to know if there is a chance for me to get into either USC with scholarship, because I really cannot afford to pay the full tuition, or to get into UC Berkeley. I want to major in a business related field and then get into ibanking, and later on, into hedge fund.</p>

<p>First of all, I am Nepalese and I’ve lived in Nepal, Australia, Thailand, South Korea, and I am currently living in California. I am Fluent in Nepalese, English, Korean, and Hindi. I’ve been attending international schools and a couple of legit Korean schools(that’s why I had to learn Korean). I am currently attending a school that ranks in the top 5 STEM schools.</p>

<p>I’ve done community services in Nepal, Korea, and the U.S. I’ve also done an internship at a cell phone parts supplier company in Korea. I was in the varsity basketball team my junior year. BTW, I was a junior for 3 quarters and then I left Korea, went back to Nepal, did some volunteer work and then after a month or so came to the U.S. However, my credits for the second semester of my junior year did not count and I had to repeat my junior year to get enough credits to graduate. Anyway, I’m also planning to join the varsity soccer team at my school. My GPA is about 3.8 and I’ve taken only one AP class so far (APUSH). I’m planning to take AP Amer. Gov. and Econ, AP Stats, and any other AP class that would boost my GPA in my senior year. I’ve not taken SAT yet, I’ll be taking it next month, that is June 7th to be specific. I’m hoping to get somewhere around 2000, and then in one on October.</p>

<p>So, to kind of summarize it, I’m a Nepalese citizen who has lived in 5 different countries and can speak 4 languages fluently, I’ve done volunteer work in some of those countries (Korea, Nepal, U.S), and I’ve done internship in Korea as well. I want to get into USC or UC Berkeley because I want to have a career in ibanking. I know that the East Coast is a better place for ibanking, but I don’t want to go far from where I currently live. So, my question is, will my background give me any advantage? Will it standout? And if there is anything I’ve got to do, please do give me some advice. My GPA is not USC or UC Berkeley great, but, I was just wondering if my EC would help.</p>

<p>Thank you for reading the whole thing.</p>

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<p>You need your SAT/ACT to find out if you are qualified. 4 languages by itself will not get much merit scholarships.</p>

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<p>Did you do a practice SAT yet or PSAT? 3.8 is a great gap, worthy of any school. But UC calculates a UC weighted gpa. But colleges will also look at how rigorous your classes are. I would select APs to show rigor, not to take electives to boost gpa. Also since you have not dome all your HS in US, you need to make sure you have UC “a to g” requirements. Your language skills are very attractive but you need to look at schools that meet need for internationals.</p>

<p>It is very difficult for internationals to get aid at UC or USC. It is an outside chance, more likely at USC, but cost of attendance is very high. How much can you pay a year?</p>

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<p>@artlover‌ @BrownParent‌ Well I do have a residentship in the US and I live in California, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to afford to pay full tuition for the UCs but definitely not for USC. I might not be counted as an international student because of the US residentship and as for high school, I’ve spent my freshman and sophomore year in an international school based on a private school in the US. My aim for SAT is to get somewhere in the 2200’s. I’m sure 4 languages by itself would not be enough but, will having ECs from different countries make me standout/will it increase my chances for either USC or UC Berkeley?</p>

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<p>So you are a permanent resident with a green card? In that case you will be treated as a US citizen for admissions and financial aid. Otherwise no. I’m sure you background and language skills will make you a very interesting candidate. </p>

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<p>If you’re a permanent resident (or citizen), your situation is MUCH better than if you’re not.
Have you run the Net Price Calculator on different college websites? Be aware that each college calculates financial need differently so you can’t assume that what UCSC offers is what UCD will offer which will be different from what USC will offer.
When you speak about " a scholarship" to USC, do you mean need-based or merit-based? </p>

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<p>The problem is most of these languages you cannot verify by SAT subject test. You need at least something shown on your transcript.</p>

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<p>^very true.
English can easily be verified, and Korean = subject test in November (basically all test takers are Heritage speakers so it’s competitive, but you’ll stand out because you’re NOT a heritage speaker.)
For Nepalese and Hindi, is there a way someone can attest your level? A cultural center, a professor of the language who’d put through an OPI test or something?</p>

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<p>You may try to take a placement test at a local college for those if available.</p>

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<p>I believe Nepali and Hindi originate from the same language (i.e Sanskrit). This is really as impressive as a French native learning Spanish and becoming fluent in it (I’m fluent in French and Spanish, btw. Spanish was a cakewalk after 4 years of French). Not particularly impressive, and colleges won’t doubt your ability because you are from Nepal. The Korean would be impressive, though, and your international background would be cool for diversity and stuff.</p>

<p>VERY IMPORTANT question: do you qualify for in-state tuition at Cal, btw? You need to get a much higher test score to be in the running for the merit $$ at USC, and you need to be a permanent resident to qualify for need-based aid at USC.</p>

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<p>IThe real question is how many others like you are out there. I’m guessing Nepali/Hindi/English is a fairly common combination. IMO, the Korean stuff makes you a little more interesting, but you’re going to give them more than just fluency in lots of languages–your going to have to show them how that fluency makes you a desireable candidate. </p>

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<p>Maybe you can ask your counselor to include that in their letter of rec</p>

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<p>First of all, thank you very much for all your good advice. Second of all, I am a permanent resident of California which, I’m assuming, means that I do qualify for in-state tuition at Cal @International95‌. As for scholarship, I’m referring to merit-scholarship @MYOS1634‌, how high should my testing score be in order for me to get that? @billcsho‌ Since I am a Nepalese citizen, I would only need to have something for Hindi on my transcript right? Can you give me some ideas on how I’m supposed to do that? I will be taking SAT Korean on November, which I am pretty confident about since I’ve lived there for about 7 years. @qialah‌ Will my chances of getting in to USC or UC Berkeley be higher if I apply for a diplomacy major or something international? </p>

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<p>If your 9th-12th grades is in Nepal or India and that language is shown on your transcript with decent grades, it would be a good indication. Taking SAT2 Korean with listen would be a good idea.</p>

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<p>@billcsho‌ Well, I’ve never been in India and I have studied in grades 1&2 in Nepal. My 9th to 11th grade was in an international school in Korea which was based on a private school in Maine. I had to repeat 11th grade in California because some of my credits did not transfer due to the fact that I left the school in the middle of the second semester(end of 3rd quarter). What are my options to show my fluency in Hindi? </p>

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<p>Check your local community college to see if they have placement exam on Hindi.</p>

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<p>Can’t speak for USC, but Berkeley College of Letters and Science doesn’t admit by department. That said, it’s always good to demonstrate that you are actually interested in what you say you want to major in and show that you know what is offered around that interest at the school you are applying to. If your interest is area studies, there are lots of things you could major in. You should check out Berkeley’s Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies as well as the Center for East Asian studies.</p>

<p><a href=“http://sseas.berkeley.edu/”>http://sseas.berkeley.edu/&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://ieas.berkeley.edu/gas/”>http://ieas.berkeley.edu/gas/&lt;/a&gt;. </p>