Match a trans maths major in Italy applying to USA [domestic, full pay, 1520 SAT, 40 IB]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics: Full Pay, US/UK/ITA Citizenships, domestic applicant. resident of Italy, private IB high school. female to male transgender

Intended Major: Mathematics

UW GPA & Rank: 3.9/4.0 (roughly, school doesn’t do GPA). No rank.

SAT: 1520 (800 EBRW, 720 M)

Coursework:

HL Maths AA: 7

HL CS: 6*

HL Physics: 7

HL English Literature: 6

SL Italian B: 6

SL Philosophy: 5*

IB 40/45 Predicted Grade (see additional info though)

*being disputed, as they dropped during my hospitalisation without me taking any extra tests to warrant lower grades.

Awards:
Regional Qualifier, Italian Informatics Olympiad (Top 5 in School): School, State/Regional, 10th Grade

Regional Qualifier, Italian Mathematics Olympiad (Top 15 in School): School, State/Regional, 11th Grade

Winning Team, XXX Hackathon: School, 11th Grade

XXX Scholar: Academic Distinction (Top of Cohort): School, 11th & 12th Grade

Distinction (97/100), LAMDA Public Speaking Grade 4: School, 10th Grade

Extracurriculars:

  1. Student Council President — 11th, 12th Represented 300+ students to school leadership; led budget/vendor management; drove policy change through student advocacy.

  2. Community Manager –XXX Fan Communities — 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th Managed 150,000+ Reddit and 4,500+ Discord fan communities; led 10+ volunteer moderators; grew Discord by 2,500+ members.

  3. Co-Founder & Lead Writer – School Newsletter — 9th, 10th Co-founded school newsletter; authored 53 front-page articles across 50+ editions; commended by Head of School; reached 200+ students weekly.

  4. Arts Editor & Web Design Lead – School Newspaper — 11th, 12th Directed arts coverage and fully redesigned newspaper website; improved accessibility and UX; reached 250+ students weekly.

  5. Freelance Web & Tech – XXX Business — 10th, 11th Paid freelance: built/maintained website, optimised SEO, redesigned UI, and integrated client booking system for local business.

  6. XXX Project *– 11th, 12th *Led full software for rover in team of 3: Raspberry Pi sensor integration (GPS, IMU, camera), database, live web dashboard, object detection.

  7. Volunteer Robotics Coach – XXX Robotics Competition — 10th, 11th Coached 9–13 year-olds for robotics competition; taught block-based programming, problem-solving, and Lego Spike principles.

  8. Community Moderator - Online IBO Student Communities— 11th Moderated 53,000+ Discord and 170,000+ Reddit IB communities; maintained academic integrity and policy compliance during exams.

  9. Student Ambassador — 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th Led campus tours, supported admissions outreach, created marketing content, and voiced official school promotional videos.

  10. Épée Fencer — 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th Competitive épée fencer since age 7; competed at U11/U12 level in the UK; returning to competition after relocating internationally.

Essays/LORs/Other:

  • CommonApp Essay – I would say it’s very good, very specific to me and I’m told I’m a good writer. Subject I’m really passionate about.

– Additional Info – I was hospitalised for eleven weeks across my Junior year, hence the drop in grades and lower SAT, but still qualified for scholars programme and made StuCo Pres

Cost Constraints / Budget: Full pay, no budget constraints. States where HRT is accessible for adults and I’ll be safe as a visibly queer man.

Thank you so much in advance!

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You are a strong student, and could be admitted to many schools in the US.

Beyond that you will have to give us a list of schools you are interested in, or at least some criteria – e.g. only small schools, or big schools or urban etc.

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I’m looking only for more urban schools, though I am willing to compromise. Just not super rural, middle of nowhere kind of schools. But I’m really unsure what selective schools I have a chance for. I don’t really care about school size, I just want schools with a strong maths programme and good research opportunities for undergrads.

My main problem is that I am full pay and don’t qualify for financial aid, but my parents are only willing to pay for schools they think are “worth it” – a.k.a. prestigious ones that they’ve heard of. So I need to know where makes sense for me to apply and where I have a shot at getting in.

Thank you!

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This map may be helpful in determining which US states have laws and policies that you find acceptable. Click on a state for more detailed lists of laws and policies for the state.

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Which schools have they heard of and are willing to pay list price for?

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I need to check with them, but one of my parents is American and does know a variety of schools - sometimes they can be very arbitrary though. Assume most of the well known ones (like T50? idk) and I’ll check with my parents once I’ve compiled a big list. I just need the list to have names that my parents would both pay for and I actually have a shot at getting in to, which is where I’m finding it problematic.

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Yes, you will need clarity from them as you will need a balanced list including targets and highly likely schools that both you and your parents like (and that meet your other criteria.)

Are you looking at ex-US schools? Would any of those offer more likely admission that your parents would pay for?

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Are you also looking at schools in Europe or elsewhere? The following may be helpful regarding the environment in various countries:

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So this is the interesting part… Europe is allowed by my parents, but I’m the problem on this one, because I’m not very keen on staying in Europe.

So I’m thinking I might apply to likelies/safeties in Europe, and then my reaches in the USA. That means that my parents will be happy with my USA schools (should I get in), and if I don’t, I fall back on the comparatively cheaper European schools. Whilst they’re not preferable to me, I’ll go, because this is looking to be the best option.

Idk does this strategy make sense? and I still need some ideas on where to apply in the USA. Thank you so much!!!

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Would schools like the state flagships in CO, IL, MD, MN, NJ, and WA be acceptable to your parents? Or other schools like Stony Brook in NY, or the various UCs (not just UCB and UCLA) in CA?

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I was explicitly told no to Stony Brook, and I think UCSD, UCB, and UCLA are the only “acceptable” UCs.

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The maps probably look similar, but there is a specific map done for trans people as well:

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I recommend retaking the SAT math or trying ACT math. If you can skip the SAT reading/writing sections & just take the math sections, then do it. I don’t think your current math score of 720 is accurate. Aim for 760+, which should open up more possibilities for a potential math major. You could even score the 800 the second time around this fall (Oct, Nov, Dec).

The 3.9 GPA shouldn’t be an issue since you went through a hospitalization, but you have time to retake tests.

You mention being told you are a good writer. You may want to also consider taking the ACT writing test if think you can score a high percentile (96+). This would benefit you at colleges that accept ACT writing, as required or optional.

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There are schools of varying costs. So for example, since you are domestic, UMD is very strong in math. I don’t know if your scores get you in - I don’t know how to translate - but it’s not as expensive as say a Harvard.

And there are schools as cheap as $20K for you.

The question becomes - being trans, not is that a hook as it likely isn’t but where will you find a supportive community. And that may be hard even at liberal schools. To me, that’s more important than a name. Let’s say you go to a great name but are miserable for four years?? Math is a great major and you can do well from anywhere.

So I would find kids somehow - whether as student ambassadors or in LGBTQ clubs, etc. and ask them about their experiences.

You may find some in the South that you think aren’t good but the kids have great experiences. And you might find some in the north that you think would be good but aren’t. That’s why it’s important to talk to students.

Then you have so many states today with laws working against you. It doesn’t mean it’s that way on campus but it may be at the doctor or in other ways.

So yes, start with lists - but dig much deeper. It’s math - so you’ll find great schools all over that can meet your needs.

Here’s a list to start - and pricing will vary but schools like Clark, Goucher and Macalester will discount. Oberlin is on the list - and it’s always well thought of but not sure Ohio is trans friendly. That’s the type of school I would talk to other students at.

You might also check Ithaca - not on this list but on many.

You may look at schools from UMASS to small schools that discount like Connecticut College, Hobart, and then others that don’t - like Tufts, Princeton, Bowdoin, etc.

And maybe look at schools in liberal states - I don’t know but worth a look - a Delaware, U Washington, UMD (as noted), URI, Rutgers - to see if they might work.

Again, not sure how your GPA transfers to a 4.0 scale - but there’s a breadth of schools academically that I’ve noted.

Good luck.

10 Hidden Gem Colleges For Transgender Students

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FYI, a 5 is a B, 6 is an A, 7 is an A with international distinction.

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thx

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Yeah the philosophy grade is my first B in my entire academic career :sob:

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Bs are ok - but honestly, find the right environment - that trumps name in your case, in my belief - and if it’s not the name your parents eschew too, it will cost a lot less than the ones they do - in most cases.

But even top kids get Bs - maybe not 20 of them but a few doesn’t eliminate you. Your 720 math score would likely need to come up - for very top schools - if applying as a math major. But it’s fine for 98% of schools - or some very very very high number of schools.

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Ohio state government is trans hostile. Ohio recently passed a state “bathroom law” that applies to private colleges like Oberlin.

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What about Harvey Mudd? It’s top notch for Math (think CalTech, MIT..) and the kind of place where a student organized a club of “fun problems” for fellow students in preparation for the Putnam. All math majors are expected to be involved in and complete research in order to graduate.

It’s part of the Claremont Colleges - about 7,000 students over 5 different colleges on a single campus near LA (think Oxford colleges but with modern architecture). Harvey Mudd is the STEM college, Scripps is the women’s college, etc.
Despite all its accolades, it’s quite likely your parents haven’t heard of it but it does offer something entirely different from what you’d have in Europe.

One they’ll have heard of is Northwestern - another great Math undergrad program.

In Europe, you have the UK unis as well as

With a predicted 40 and current ECs + being full pay, if you can get 760+ on the Math part of the SAT, you can really apply anywhere.

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