What are my odds-two top choices. Will chance back.

[NotVerySmart]

@ItsHydro‌ @theanaconda‌ Chanced both of you back.

I’m a US citizen, but I’m living abroad. My counselor has been a bit unclear on whether I’d be considered an international applicant-I think it may vary by university. Here’s what the U of C’s site has to say about it.

@"UChicago's website

Am I an international student for purposes of applying to UChicago?

If you are a student attending school outside of the US, you will apply as and be read as an international student. For purposes of your application, we will read your application in the context of where you attend high school regardless of citizenship. If you are US citizen attending high school abroad, then you will be able to apply for federal financial aid, and your application will be reviewed on a need-blind basis like other domestic applicants.

I read that as saying that I’m considered an international applicant despite my US citizenship but, unlike other internationals, I’m eligible for financial aid. In other words, being an international hurts me, but applying for financial aid won’t. I could be wrong-perhaps there’s information elsewhere that would contradict this view, or maybe I’m misunderstanding this passage. If you think that might be the case, feel free to point it out and explain why.

@bboy219‌ @fightingillini97‌ @Dotsfrug‌ @meriks‌ @Anonymoose3‌ @scimathguy‌ @xxteafanexx‌ @latoswitz‌ @BldrDad‌ @AKAKHALEDBEST‌ @20more‌ @ItsHydro‌ @theanaconda‌ -

Thanks for all your advice so far. How would this affect my chances?

@BldrDad‌ Do you really think I’d be competitive at HYPS? I’ve done well in general, but I haven’t cured cancer or won a Nobel prize yet, and I get the sense that most international applicants admitted to those schools (and even domestic applicants) have accomplishments that are barely below that tier.

I don’t want to apply SCEA, because that would mean giving up the opportunity to apply EA at UChicago, and any other schools I may apply to, in return for what is at most a 20% chance of admission (and probably far less, since I might be an international applicant for admissions purposes) instead of the 3-4% odds for RD applicants. I don’t want to stake my chances of getting into a top college on a gamble with a 4/5 chance of failing, because I’m simply not obsessed with Ivies to the point that even that 1/5 chance is worth any price.

Also, how would my awards (and lack of any major ones) be considered, given this context: I attend a small international school, in a country that really doesn’t have any national awards for academics outside of math olympiads (and I’m good at math, but not math-olympiad good). I know now that I probably should’ve entered various awards outside of my country (Is the Intel open to international students?), but I wasn’t really aware of them.