Will solely good SATs get you into a decent college

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi I’m an international student and I’m interested in completing my undergraduate studies in America, however I’m literally bombarded with my school exams:</p>

<p>I’m sitting for an exam in January (preparing for it now), and then I’ve got another one in June (will engage after my Jan exams), and then there’s the SAT.</p>

<p>I don’t even plan on doing SAT II because I really have no time, so if I try my best, I could possibly end up with a good SAT I score e.g. 1900-2000. So here are my questions:</p>

<p>(1) I really have no time at all for extra-curriculars, do you think I’ll still be able to make it into say UCLA or UC Davies only with my good SAT scores?</p>

<p>(2) I checked out many ‘decisions’ threads and I see that U.S. students really got tons of ECs, will international student admission profiles be treated the same way as American students. In other words “Can I explain to the admissions officer why I have no time for ECs”</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I go to a private kind of learning centre from 10am until 7pm, from Monday to Saturday, and then during my free time I’ve got to deal with the SAT, so literally, I really have no time for ECs, please share your opinion on my situation, should I just give up the SAT and go to Canada instead…</p>

3

<p>honestly that SAT isnt too great to begin with and I wouldn’t want to rely on it for any good school
and the fact you are international makes it only MORE selective</p>

4

<p>Believe it or not, there are actually more than 2 colleges in the US to consider. There are many, many schools in the US that would welcome a fullpay int’l student. </p>

<p>FYI
<a href=“The China Conundrum - The New York Times”>The China Conundrum - The New York Times;

5

<p>Thanks for replying, what if say I pulled a 2300, would that SAT score alone make say UCLA a realistic reach?</p>

6

<p>The problem is I only have time for the SAT but not ECs.</p>

7

<p>2200+ and 3.85+/4.2+ GPA would make you competitive for UCLA. Remember, UCLA gets the most applicants out of all the UC’s. they have room to be REALLY picky. No EC’s will only hurt you. Solely SAT won’t be enough either. </p>

<p>Try an easier school too.</p>

8

<p>Widen your net - look for more colleges. Yes you can get into some public universities solely on SAT scores, but for these 2100 or 2300 won’t make a difference. 1900 vs 2100 will though. And this is assuming your parents can pay for the full cost of attendance.
What are you interested in? </p>

9

<p>Well you can give the UCs a try, since there is only one application and you just pay a fee for each college you can pick a few to apply to. The international admit rate is 10 pct at Berkeley, 17 pct at UCLA and I don’t know at Davis.</p>

10

<p>You don’t get to pick your SAT score like that - it’s not a matter of saying “I will work harder and therefore go from 1900 to 2300.” It just doesn’t work that way. Concentrate on schools that accept scores you have achieved, not want to achieve. If you get to a higher score, you can add more schools later.</p>

11

<p>SAT scores are an abnormally large factor in certain schools, notably Caltech and USC (SoCal)</p>