Can an international student from the middle east enter an ivy league university?
High school GPA 4.0
High school Average : 99.175 %
IGCSE “O” Levels in six subjects with the following scores :
(A) Physics
(A) Chemistry
(A) Biology
(B) English as a second language
(B) Mathematics
(B) Arabic as a first language
SAT: Critical Reading: 500
Mathematics: 540
Writing: 520
TOEFL (iBT) : 104/120
TOEFL (cBT): 259/300
I am 17 years of age, i speak two languages and am working on the third one =P. i also have secured a company to sponsor my education abroad financially, i also have some extracurricular activities, such as volunteering and a bit of work placement in total ( 331 hours of both ) , i got three great recommendation letters from teachers and my supervisors at work..
please keep in mind i am not an american citizen, and the american curriculum is foreign to me, as one would expect from such subpar SAT scores..
Thank you for your time, patience and any help rendered =)
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The problem is to get the F1 visa and not the admission. Middle east countries are in the hot list now following recent blasts in UK.
However people from Middle East countries are making in to US. So it’s not impossible but is a bit more difficult. However i assure you, you won’t face any difficulty at any US university because of your geogrphical origin.
I hope I replied your question to your satisfaction. However in case of any doubt pls feel free to get back.
However, your SAT scores are an issue. While I wouldn’t dissuade you from applying to the Ivys you’re interested in, you should also look at other schools, looking beyond the Ivys. The US has a truly excellent university system – and this goes well beyond the Ivy League.
I don’t dissuade you from applying to the Ivys because, other than your SAT scores, I think you are a strong student. But in addition to the Ivys, also consider the following strong, well reputed, schools, if they are of interest to you:
– Bates College
– Bennington College
– Bowdoin College
– Holy Cross
– Connecticut College
– Drew University
– Hamilton College (New York)
– Hampshire College
– Hobart and William Smith
– Middlebury College
– Mount Holyoke College
– Providence College
– Sarah Lawrence
– Texas A&M
– University of Texas
– California State University
– Utica College of Syracuse University
– Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Some of these schools are quite prestigious. All are highly reputable. Many don’t accept the SAT, and some others only take it if the basic GPA and other requirements aren’t quite high enough.
If you can, and one is available to you, you may also want to take an SAT preparation class, and then re-take the SATs. In addition, take a look at the ACT test. Most schools will accept the ACT instead of the SAT, and because they are different tests, some students find the ACT fits them better.
1)Your high school GPA is great!!!
2)your IGCSE’s are difficult, but you managed to get A’s and B’s… (NOTE: a B in IGCSE is an A- in the American system, enter www.cie.org.uk and search for GPA for IGCSE students to know more)
3)Your TOEFL is good.. Yale expects over 250/300 in the CBT so your are good there…
4)good recs and ec’s
However, your SAT’s are a disaster for the Ivies… don’t worry, I’m an intl student too and i couldn’t get more than a 1700 on my SAT practice tests.. and i end up getting 2100 (with a tutor)… As from my view.. take it again and expect more than a 1950 for the lower Ivies and a score of 2000+ for the Higher ivies…
I’m probably applying to the Ivies next year (I’m also 17) (from Latin America) … so maybe I’ll see you there…
GOOD LUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You seem to have pretty good scores on the academics side except for the SAT. Personally my score was nowhere near perfect (2010) but found in my school that most kids had near-2400 scores. SATs are important, but you may raise your chances by flaunting whatever you are good at–whether it is an EC, an incredibly high GPA, lots of AP courses, whatever. You do have a chance–good luck.
