I am a high school graduate from Pakistan. I’ve got 75% marks in grade 11 and 12 and 89% in grade 9th and 10. I come from a low income background. I want to study Bs economics in top universities like Stanford, ivy, MIT etc. I am good enough in Mathematics. I am preparing myself for SAT and TOEFL and I am actively involved in several community development initiatives. I want to apply as a freshman or sophomore. If i spent one, two, or a half year in Pakistani univeristy to get excellent CGPA then apply as a freshman or transfer, would it be wiser? Is there any chance to get accepted?
Stanford, the Ivies and MIT are all reach schools for you, regardless of how well you do at some other college in the meantime. The acceptance rates are under 10% and even less for international students.
You don’t mention affordability, but you probably should check which if these schools meet full need for transfer students, and which are need aware for transfer students.
And WHY these elite colleges?
And remember, IF you attend a U.S. college, it will be on a student visa, and once you complete your studies, you will be expected to return to Pakistan.
Did you get accepted for this fall at ANY of the prep schools you applied to?
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And even lower for transfer students.
I interpreted that as OP is looking for a full ride.
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Unfortunately not, I applied to four prep schools. I wasn’t accepted to Andover, and the rest told me that my applications were incomplete. I also know that I must return to my home country after completing my B.S.
I will work hard as much as i can to strengthen my application for the top universities.
i don’t know the equivalency rule in the U.S because my high school degree is a Pakistani verified board degree (which is a national board of pakistan) and we have a grouping system like I studied pre-engineering group in my high school. Our exams are conducted by boards, not schools.
What are the best universities in the U.S. for international students where I can get full financial aid as an international student?
Generally these are the ones with extremely low admit rates, especially for international transfer students (ivies, etc).
You might have some luck at Clark - I am not sure what their international transfer admit rate is though. Of course, this is not an internationally known “name”, but it is one that is easier to get admittance to than the others and possibly funding, according to this page, but note that they do not seem to automatically meet full need like some others : International Students | Undergraduate Financial Assistance | Clark University
Then - This kind of worries me - why were they incomplete? Did you not submit all required materials and if so, was that an omission on your part? (Worries me because it is a warning sign for US college applications)
Btw:
SAT is assessed when admitting current high school students. I don’t believe it has much if any value if you take it after you have already graduated high school, as you seem to plan to do.
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Agree that these are all reach schools.
I also would not bother with the SAT at this point – it is an exam meant for HS students and nobody will be impressed by even a perfect score from a student already in college.