<p>May I please ask how many of you did NOT go to an international school or a bilingual school or a private school but just a regular local school in your country where English is not the first language and were still able to break 1000 on your SATs? Thanks for your answers.</p>
<p>Yes, my kids school has many. To break 1000 should not be an issue. Math is math and a good math student will be close to 800. Minimum verbal if you know little would be 500. 200 is minimum so a non english speasker good math student would be way higher that 100 by guessing! So 1000 is not the issue.</p>
<p>International students should easily be able to out-class most American students in math. This is just a generalization of course but is true in many cases.</p>
<p>I went to a normal public school (well, there are VERY FEW private schools in Russia, and I have never met anyone who goes there:) ) Also, it has nothing to do with IB, or A-levels or whatever else you have there. It is obviously not bilingual, because Russia is mostly not bilingual, at least the education. And nobody ever appllied to an American school from there (well except a couple of poeple that went to a college in Mississippi recently - but they didn't apply themselves and it's really another story and for that college they didn't need SAT)
And I got more than 1000 on the SAT.</p>
<p>To frenchmom: SAT I math is not math really - it is some sort of quite strange "quantative reasoning" for which they give tiny-miny amount of time. It is easy to get a good score with tons of practice, but it's not real high school math. SAT II MAth IIC was much easier for me. Well, that's just my personal view on that. </p>
<p>Nobody special - where are you from?</p>
<p>I also from a normal public school with 400 students, and 17 from my year.
I plan for 1400+.</p>
<p>French kids dont generally have a problem with sat math. I did the French Baccalaurate program at a french lycee in Chicago, and the Math was whats being done in College.</p>
<p>I'm American, married to a French person. we live outside Paris. I agree with your assessment about the math. He is okay at Math here at his Lycee but French math insists on showing every step, so he probably didn't practice going fast enough. Also, he wants to study pyschology.</p>
<p>To the person from Russia, you are exactly what I am talking about. Rare is the person who isn't rich and didn't have international school training who can get into a US college. thanks</p>
<p>My son only learned the word Integer or median, a few weeks before he took the test. How were you able to know that ? the Math does involve reading and understanding the question. Thanks, still trying to understand.</p>
<p>Yes, that's a good point that's it closer to college math. He couldn't believe how easy some of the questions were so he spent time trying to figure them out...thanks.</p>
<p>Yes but, back to my original question. From what I have been reading on the web, these "international students" have gone to private English speaking schools? Thanks</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info. We are in St. Maur de Fosses? He goes to D'arsonval, doing BAC ES May I ask which high school you are talking about in France? Thanks so much. Any information you have would help me.</p>
<p>My daughter is an American living in Germany. She will do the Abitur at a local German Gymnasium. She is weak in math but has a higher standard than American high school kids (spent 11th grade in US.)</p>
<p>I went to a normal German Gymnasium. I feel like I have a disadvantage that I did not go to an international school, I never had the AP or IB option. I found the SAT I hard at first, just because there were so many words I didnt know. With practice you should be able to aim for a 500+ on the verbal section and the math part is not that hard, if u prepare for it...</p>
<p>Thanks, your experience is what my instincts tell me is the more common experience. For Kids not in bilingual or private schools over 500 V and 500 M is good. Imagine the potential these kids have once they have had a chance to actually study in English..</p>
<p>I go to a normal, English private school, where I haven't taken Maths in two years...and got no help whatsoever. I scored 1320 on the SATs, and have an A in GCSE maths to make up for my mathematics score, 530. </p>
<p>I'm just taking A levels, and applying to America because it's the same level as Cambridge, my other -real- love.</p>
<p>I am Lebanese. I grew up in an Arab country (the UAE) but I attended Enligsh and American schools. </p>
<p>However, My sisters who also grew up in the UAE attended the French Lycee. They got 1100 on their SAT, primarily because Math was not their strongest subject (one was more into History and the other into Literature), but also because the French system is mainly essay based. Multiple choice questions are not common to a French educated person. </p>
<p>But if a student is good in math and she/he gets the SAT book to practice a little, there is no reason why that student cannot get at least a 700 in the math and a 500 on the verbal.</p>
<p>im also a frenchy from strasbourg. I'm at the international school what are my chances for HYP? Here is some stuff about me.
SATI: Math 720 Verbal 800 (good enough or take it again?)
SAT II: not taken yet, but I've bought a prep book and hope to get 750+
My school record is pretty good. If i convert my (french) grades into american GPA, the unweighted gpa is about 3.9-4. I have no idea what the weighted gpa is. I'm one year ahead. Don't know if that counts. I've taken as many courses as I could. I'm fluent in French (and English of course) and I'm okay in German and Spanish. As for awards and all that stuff, we don't really have those sort of things in France. Sure I took part in a few Math or History contests and did ok. But thats about it. Its not that i wouldnt have been able to get awards, just that there was no opportunity.
By the way, I'm applying for Political science.
No work experience coz labour laws forbid under 16s to work (and I just turned 16 in august)
Now for EC's. My main activity is music. Ive been at the music conservatory for 6 years and I ve been playing the saxophone for 10. I play in an orchestra, Ive done jazz chamber music... And I performed in a series of concerts with professional musicians last year. (>2000 people at some concerts). Im a judo brown belt and im getting my black belt. (also 10 years)
Ive done a whole lot of minor stuff such as skiing tennis deep sea diving badminton soccer etc.
Ive also taken part in school gvt. Ive been class president the last three years.
I havent got much experience in community service, there isn't any opportunity for it here!!! My mother,some other people and me founded an Indian association (she's Indian thats how i speak english ) for fund raising and promoting indian culture in France. And I helped out a bit in a school when i travelled to India. But that's IT!
My application probably looks ok when compared to other foreign students, but it may seem a bit shallow from an american point of view...</p>
<p>what dya think???</p>
<p>You obviously have a shot at H,P,Y, but the acceptance rate into those schools for candidates with your credentials is about 10-15%. So you need a few more realistic options. The University of Michigan has a top 3 Political Science department. The University of Chicago and Duke University are also pretty good.</p>
<p>If I boost my SAT scores up to 1550+ my SATII 780+ and my gpa to 4.0, will it make a big difference? Music is my main focus (im sending a recording will that help?)</p>
<p>I don't think inproving your SAT from 1520 to say 1560 will make a real difference. Admissions in H,P and Y are incredibly difficult, even for applicants with perfect 1600 on their SATs. You do have a realistic chance...but realistic with those three means like a 10-25% chance...assuming the candidate is an excellent student...which you are. What you really want to focus on is your essays. those will make the difference. Now, if you feel you can break the 1550 on your SAT and the 780 on your SAT II math, go for it...you have nothing to lose, but like I said, it will not really change your situations.</p>
<p>But nobody applies to just H,P and Y. You need more realstic universities.</p>