Hi!
I come from Europe, Austria to be exact and I would love to go to a prestigious university far away, like McGill for example, which is why I hope to meet some other international students or/and people who have knowledge in that department. I’m very worried about that dream because I don’t know much about international studying, so please forgive me if I ask dumb questions!
I know that high grades are very important, however, where I live, you don’t have a GPA or SAT and instead, you get a paper with the subjects plus your grade in it. For example, Math : 1 ; Biology : 1 , etc. I get that I’ll have to get all A’s (which is 1 here) for a high-level university. However, it’s not possible to take harder classes since all the classes are in a set class, will that be a problem? To be honest, I have only one class I can voluntarily choose and I chose Biology for the next two years since that is what I want to major in in university.
Now onto my other problems; I know that extracurriculars and school clubs are important as well, but again, I don’t have clubs where I live, so would volunteering and charity work work as well? And how often do you do it for it to be considered extracurricular? Due to me living in the countryside, I’d have to drive to a nearby city, which only would be possible on the weekends, so I don’t know if that counts. And what can you do to verify your volunteer work?
I don’t worry about IELTS too much because I’m relatively confident in my English skills, but are there other tests that are generally important for universities in North America?
Thanks for reading!
And don’t forget $$ - especially for US schools. Can you pay ??
I want to know my chances of getting into somewhere first, but moneywise I’ll hopefully get through it with aid and a loan. I also plan to apply to unis in other places as well, not only the US, of course!
It matters. If you need aid, significant aid, most schools will be off limits. Members aware means they will factor how much they need to give you to make an admissions decision. If you need too much, they will say no - regardless of your profile.
So first talk to your parents about a budget - what can they pay ? And build your list from there.
Okay, thanks for the help!
There’s 8 or 9 schools that are need blind - so they don’t care your need.
There’s other schools that are inexpensive relative to the high price schools.
Hence you need a budget - if you say you can pay $30K, we can find you schools, etc.
The schools that are need blind for international - but we don’t know what they’ll say your need is:
| Amherst College | Harvard University |
|---|---|
| Bowdoin College | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
| Brown University |
*(beginning in 2025)|Princeton University|
|Dartmouth College|Yale University|
Washington & Lee
Others like Franklin & Marshall - meet 100% of need - but are aware.
I believe Notre Dame is now also need blind and meets full need for all international students. So there are now 10 US colleges that are need blind and also guarantee to meet full need for international students.
@S1amkatze these colleges are all highly competitive for admissions…and even MORE competitive for international students.
There is a poster here who has dual citizenship in the US and Canada, and hopefully will see your query about McGill, and give info about other Canadian universities. @DadTwoGirls is that you?
What can you do? Get your best possible grades. Get a great SAT or ACT score (some of these colleges require test score submission).
And make a well rounded and varied list when the time comes to apply for college. This needs to include a couple of affordable sure things for admission…that you like. Find these colleges first and build your list UP from there.
Thanks for the help! I get that they are highly competitive and that I might not stand a chance, even if I’d get straight A’s. Thank you also for mentioning Notre Dame, I’m currently looking into it along with more affordable options here in the EU and making a small list for options.
That’s great - but also do find out what you can afford from a budget POV - and then we can get you some “assured” places to apply so that you definitely have a home - unless it’s big, prestigious name or bust (i.e. you’ll stay in your home country).
Thanks for the help again. I don’t know my budget yet sadly because my parents are asleep currently, but I think the most I’ll be able to do is around 20k if I continue to work.
As an international student in the U.S., your hours of work will be very limited and are usually on campus jobs. It is highly unlikely you will be able to earn $20,000 a year here once you start college.
Up to 20 hours maximum per week, and yes they are on campus jobs that typically pay minimum wage or $15-20 an hour.
@S1amkatze will also need to show proof of finances in advance to qualify for a student visa. Hopes of future employment do not count.
Yes. I grew up in Montreal, have lived in the US for many decades, and have dual US/Canada citizenship. My daughters also have dual citizenship.
Some universities in Canada will ask about Extra-Curricular activities (ECs), and some will not. Grades, and particularly grades in your most recent two years of high school, will be by far the most important thing for admissions at universities in Canada. Most students I know got accepted to universities in Canada based on their grades in the sophomore and junior years of high school. I think that in these cases admissions was contingent on maintaining high grades for their senior year, but none of the students who I happen to have known had any trouble with this. I have known a few students who had weak freshman and sophomore years of high school but a very strong junior year, and who got admitted to universities in Canada based on very good grades during their junior and senior year of high school. This did in a few cases result in their admissions showing up somewhat later than American students would be used to.
I applied to McGill many decades ago. One daughter applied to McGill roughly 12 years ago if I am remembering correctly. Neither of us were asked anything at all about ECs. We both got our acceptances early based on our grades sophomore and junior year of high school.
I would expect universities in Canada to be familiar with the grading scales used in universities in pretty much all of Europe, including Austria.
I do not think that this will be a problem at all. The same was true in my high school, and this was not a problem for me.
Yes, volunteering and charity work are very good ECs. This is also true for universities in the US as well. Pretty much anything that is productive and is done outside of school is an EC. A job is a good EC. Doing charity work is a good EC. Tutoring other students is a good EC.
The most famous universities in the US (such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and so on) are very difficult for admissions and very hard to predict. They are reaches for nearly everyone. If you have straight A’s, and in addition have literally won a Nobel Prize or have a parent who is the head of state of a medium sized country, admissions might be likely, but otherwise admissions at the most famous schools is a long shot for pretty much every student. There are however a very large number of universities in the US, and if you can afford to pay (a very big “if”) then any strong student should be able to get in somewhere. There are also quite a few very good smaller schools that we refer to as “liberal arts colleges”. For a bachelor’s degree the best of these are on a par with the very best universities.
There are a few universities in Canada which are famous (McGill, Toronto, UBC, and if you are specifically majoring in CS then Waterloo). However, the university system in Canada is consistently very good, and there are quite a few other very good universities to consider (and Waterloo is good for a lot more than just CS). Canada also has a few smaller and less well known universities which they refer to as “small primarily undergraduate universities” which are quite similar to what in the US we would call a liberal arts college. One daughter attended one of these small primarily undergraduate universities, majored in biology, got a great education, and is currently studying for a PhD at a very good university in the US.
The University of Toronto and McGill are both somewhat famous for grade deflation. It is very hard to string together a long run of A’s at these schools. This is not necessarily helpful for someone who has a major that is likely to lead to graduate school (such as biology). Also, the most famous universities in Canada are expensive for international students (the exception being students from France attending McGill or other universities in Quebec due to a tuition agreement between France and Quebec). Other universities in Canada might in some cases be somewhat more affordable for international students.
Paying for university for an international student studying in the US or Canada is a HUGE issue. Also, the cost of attendance can vary enormously depending upon where you go. However which universities are more affordable for one student might not be the same as which university is most affordable for a different student. I think that the cost of attendance is an issue that will impact which universities are worth applying to. As such “can I get accepted” and “what can I afford” are questions that need to be tied together.
For a biology major some sort of graduate school is relatively common. What you intend to do with a degree in biology is something to think about.
And a budget of $20,000 per year will significantly limit which universities in North America might be affordable.
Especially since you won’t be able to earn this amount while you are in college, most likely.
Thank you all for the help here! I’m working as a waitress plus internships and summer jobs, that’s where I can hopefully save up somewhat. After talking to my parents, I sadly won’t get any financial help from them, so I need to get at least a scholarship to cover the university cost. This is why I’m currently looking into blind universities and scholarships, as well as doing my bachelor in a university in Austria and then coming for a higher degree abroad so I can save up some more.
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You need to look at schools that are need blind (meaning they don’t consider your need when looking at admissions) AND guarantee to meet full need for all. Simply looking at need blind schools won’t help. You need the money also.
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If you receive need based aid….and you continue to work as you are now your need based aid will be less. Your income IS considered when financial aid calculations are made. And any money you have in the back is an asset that is also considered. Your income will be used from the prior prior year (so for the 2025-2026 academic year, your income from 2023 will be used). BUT your assets are reported as of the day you file the financial aid forms.
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As noted above, you will need to complete a certificate of finances to get a student visa to study here. This can include already saved money and already awarded financial aid from your college. It can NOT include future earnings.
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It’s good that you are looking at options in your home country for undergrad…hoping these are affordable for your family.
Also, just because your parents won’t contribute does not mean the school will judge you to have need.
Is their choice not to contribute because they have no ability. Or by choice - like many they simply refuse to pay ?
Their finances will determine if you have need.
What I’d hate is for you to apply somewhere, get told it’s $50,000 and then you can’t come.
So you should look further into that. Perhaps you can set a zoom cell with you, your parents and a financial aid office at a college of interest.
It’s not really common where I live for parents to save up or pay for their kids education, partially because all of my ancestors didn’t graduate high school and went straight into work, so there was never a need to save up unlike in the US. Yearly income is around roughly 50k, so they don’t have the ability to pay.
I’d just really love to experience college or uni in another part of the world, that’s why I was looking into different universities, but it seems kinda hopeless in the near future.
Thanks for the tip of the financial aid office!
I don’t know if it is - reach out and ask - but the good news is you are open. You mentioned McGill and there’s many parts of the world and I don’t know what they cost.
Perhaps you will qualify for need - many schools meet need (their calculation, not yours) - and some are need blind but some are aware. So Franklin & Marshall is a great school and will meet 100% of need but are need aware.
If you need a full ride (as they calculate it), they likely would not accept you for that reason alone. Rochester could be another.
Do your homework - all isn’t lost - but you need to understand some rules before you start so you can see the angles to come from.
Best of luck.
This is what I was going to suggest. You have excellent, very low cost universities in Europe, and depending what you do for grad school you may find it easier to get funding.