Hello, I am a South Korean Student attending Sungkyunkwan University majoring in Physics. I skipped one year of Highschool. I’ve always wanted to attend a U.S. University, so am planning on transferring to U.S. Schools.
There are two things that I want to ask:
- The admission process.
I am unclear about sending the TOEFL and SAT scores. (Sorry in advance if the following questions seem stupid... but I've never applied to a US school before, so hmmm..... please bear with me ). What is 'sending scores to schools'? Do I have to like send the scores to the schools through email? Also, if a school says that their application deadline is March 2nd, then do I have to send TOEFL scores before that time? Like, how can the school know my TOEFL score?
- What schools I can (reasonably) apply to
By 'reasonably', I refer to which schools I have a shot at getting accepted.
I got the following scores on standardized tests:
SAT1: 1500 (710 on Reading and Writing, 790 on Math) (I did not take the essay portion of the test)
SAT2: Physics, Math(level2): 800,800
TOEFL iBT: Just took the test today, so I guess I won’t be able to know the score yet… But I’m guessing somewhere
around 100 or higher.
Also, I got the following grades in my university.
First semester:
General Physics 1, General Chemistry 1, Problem Solving and Algorithm 1 (essentially, learning python), English Writing, General Physics Lab1: All A+
Calculus 1: A
Scientific Writing: B+
Average GPA: 4.28/4.5 (considering A+ to be 4.5(which is how my school calculates GPAs)
Second semester:
General Physics 2, Calculus 2, Problem Solving and Algorithm 2 (essentially, learning python), English Speaking, General Physics Lab2, Symbolic Logic: All A+
Public speech and debate: A
Average GPA: 4.43/4.5 (again, A+ is 4.5)
During winter vacation:
Scientific English: A+
The total average GPA is 4.38/4.5
With the credentials above, do I have a shot at Cornell or Columbia? (Am I aiming too high?)
Now, I see that this discussion may also be classified under the 'transfer' category, so I will post this question in both categories.
It is exactly what it says: send the scores to the colleges through the testing agency. For SAT, it is College Board. For TOEFL, it is ETS. Each test agency allows you to send the scores either before or after you get your results. It is free up to certain numbers of school each time you send the scores. By the way, before you took both tests, ask the colleges if they will waive TOEFL under certain conditions. A number of schools waive TOEFL if your SAT reading is good enough. Did you attend ordinary high school? Or the one taught in English?
How much can you pay?
Thank you for the reply. Unfortunately, I already took the SAT, so I think I’ll have to send the scores while paying the fees. About the sending score thing though, I’ve found out that it takes about 20 days for the TOEFL scores to reach the university. Then is it necessary for the TOEFL score to reach the university before the application deadline? Or is it OK if I unofficially send the score, and then the score arrives at the university after the deadline? (In other words, do the university consider the ‘arrival date’ of the score or ‘test date’?)(I’m asking this because I want to send the score after I see the score)
I found that a score of 700 or higher on the SAT reading is enough to waive the TOEFL requirements for some schools. But if my score turns out to be higher than 100, it would be better to send to TOEFL scores… or would it?
I went to Daegu Il Science High School. (It’s one of the 26 science high schools in Korea where middle school students who are good at math and science apply to and 25% of them get accepted.). It was taught in Korean.
But there’s a problem … Because my high school basically had all the top students in Daegu, it was very hard to get a decent grade… So I scored top 30% on the math and science, and top 40% overall… Will this affect my transfer outcome?
Finally, regarding money, to be honest, I haven’t actually talked a lot about it with my parents. My father did say that he will try to pay me as much as he can… I don’t know how much that would be though… I think my dad wants me to first apply to schools, get the results, and then decide whether to go or not while considering the money. Thankfully, my grandfather said he is going to pay me if I get into a ‘very good’ university, as he has lots of money. If he helps me, then I’m pretty sure I can get at least $100,000 per year.
Thank you so much for helping me! 
It is not only ok but also common that scores arrive after the application deadline, so don’t fret! The colleges are very familiar with foreign students so unless you send it too late (i.e. sending scores 2 weeks after the application deadlines) you have nothing to worry about.
TOEFL, unlike SAT, is only used to see if you are able to communicate in English. Once you hit the 100+ it doesn’t matter if you get 108 or 110. Which is why I would recommend sending your SAT score instead of TOEFL if your SAT score is good enough. It shows not only you can communicate in English but also have good reading comprehension skills(math section is honestly a middle school math with convoluted questions…)
Regarding your high school grade, it shouldn’t matter negatively if it does affect at all. Colleges look at your university grade from transfer applicant so high school grade matters much less. Also, know that US colleges especially elite ones are very familiar that grading systems in each nation is different. For example, 90% in country A is equivalent to 70% in country B. So, top 30% or top 40% shouldn’t be bad at all.
Regarding money, you really, really need to talk to your parents. Korean parents are surprisingly ignorant (even though there are lots of Korean immigrants in US) of how different US college systems are and how the good colleges spread throughout the US continent, unlike Korea where everything good is centralized in Seoul. I say this because I have seen many foreign parents disregarding schools like Vanderbilt(!) because they never heard of it. They also happen to be the same people who want to go into a deeeeep debt just so that their children can go to Ivy league. Please don’t make such a mistake. It’s not worth at all.
The price tags of American colleges usually vary between 28k ~ 65K per year. Very very expensive compared to Korean colleges, which cost 3k+ per year (still expensive for koreans though since the medium income is lower than US) It gets even more expensive if you consider mandatory health insurance and summer housing and airfare. Not only that, transfer students tend to get less financial aid/scholarhip because colleges focus their resources on their incoming freshmen.
If you do get in great colleges that are not as known as others in Korea(non Ivy leagues), then you should talk to your grandfather and convince him that “this XYZ school is great and highly regarded” by showing statistics such as funding, us news ranking(there are about 6K+ 4 year universities in US), percentages of employment after the graduation, notable figures etc etc.
I hope it helps.
Thank you so much for your advice!
Wow, I was surprised that you know so much about the educational system of Korea.
I guess I’ll have to start to think really seriously about the financial aspect too.
I guess I’ll apply for transfer this year and next year too.
Again, thank you so much!
That’s because I am a Korean @dyhan316 : -). I was born and raised there for 14 years and moved to USA. It looks like nothing has changed since I left, and it disheartens me to see the lack of changes. Yes, financial commitments for a college is a serious matter for Americans too. Lots of students I know did get in great schools, but in the end they opted for state universities because of money.
But really, unless the school is literally in a backwater city(깡촌), you can do anything in American colleges as long as you study hard and enrich your career experiences through internship, Co-Op, research experiences etc. It’s really up to you.
If you have super detailed question, update me or other more experienced people like MYOS1634