do i have any chances?

[sdcr]

Hello everybody,
i am from hamburg/germany and i am planning to study in the us. my dream is to be admitted to a very good college. but i have no orientation in the djungle of test results, extracurricular achievements and the admission requirements. my major worry is: am i good enough?
i am currently doing my german Abitur, in the 12th of 13 years, and my majors are mathematics and chemistry. i got As in math, chem, phys, bio, sport. Bs in english, politics, history and a C in german. I tried the sample sat test and got 780 math and 560 verbal. (i dont have a sample toefl test yet). in math, i get assistance for gifted pupils from the university hamburg. Furthermore i have attended series of lectures on math of the 1st engineering-semester at the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg and passed the final exam (which is taken by all real engineering students). Within the context of my chemistry teaching i wrote a dissertation about electrophil substitution (not published) in cooperation with the faculty of chemistry of the university hamburg.

It is my dream to study in berkeley, columbia, caltech, stanford?, etc. but i always hear about people getting 1500+ at sat and not being admitted. what do you think: am i good enough for this league?
maybe you were admitted to a top college and can estimate my chances.

thanks sdcr

[sdcr]

oh, before i forget: i am half portuguese and i attended a (native language) portuguese school 2 afternoons a week for 9 years. i finished it with a degree. i also won a cash price in a stock trading competition.

[reactor]

Originally Posted by sdcr

i also won a cash price in a stock trading competition.

That sounds very interesting and impressive !!!

[Vaya]

Hello!

A lot depends on how you present yourself. The best Universities are not looking only for gifted people, they are looking for leaders. That means that you must be excellent in your school work and excellent outside school.

Now, a lot depends on your attitude. If you think, ah, I am not good enough, but I will still try, you know, in case I am lucky... you will get nowhere. But if you think, I am good and I will prove it to you, then we are talking.

I think the most important thing to show is passion. There is a will there is a way.

So, good luck! And believe in yourself. That's one thing that really matters.

Renata

[tans]

i second vaya

[redbullguy]

Also remember that the big established universities generally don't give much financial aid to foreign students. There are exception, but your chances will take a significant hit if you can't pay at least 50% of the cost.

Otherwise your academics seem pretty good and I don't think you'll have much trouble based on merit alone. I recommend looking at smaller schools which have an emphasis on undergrad education. You'll probably learn more and have a better experience overall. But thats just my opinion.

[mystereys]

sdcr, you have a pretty good profile. Do you have an idea of what field you might want to go into? Something science/math/engineering, I'm assuming, since you're focusing on that.

From your profile, I think you'd have a good chance of getting in. I would try to up the SAT verbal to over 600, but 560 is good for a non-native english speaker. As far as your record goes, you can address your deficiencies in your application essay, and focus on how well you've done in science/math courses. It might also help to identify which field you want to major in as an undergrad.

The other thing to think about (as redbullguy stated) is funding. If Europe, it's common for students not to pay very much to go to college. In the US, students pay a lot to go to college, and many/most wind up in debt for a long time because of it. For example, schools like Stanford or Johns Hopkins, both private research universities, will cost maybe around $40k/year to attend. That can mean graduating with a good $120,000 of debt. Most schools offer some sort of financial aid, but you should look into scholarships or fellowships that your home country might be able to provide for you to study abroad. You should look into good public colleges, like UC Berkeley or U Mich, since their tuitions are often much less than their better-known private counterparts.

Good luck, and follow your dreams!

[bond]

well if you add ur SAT score it is 1440.It is good & considering u get a same or better score in Real SAT you have a good chance.But if u can't get into MIT,Stabford or Berkeley, don't be disspointed u will surely make it to Cornell,CMU,Michigan,Georgia Tech & UIUC.(but if u get 1450 or above).By the way U Mich costs $ 36,000 a year.
The cheapest is Georgia Tech-$27,000 a year.u said u were from Germany & u got a C in German(just joking don't take it seriously)

[sdcr]

Thank you very much for your replies.
hi bond. in case i can't get into stanford etc., what would in your opinion be the decisive point for being rejected. or other way around: what can i still do to be admitted.
I know that the C in german sounds strange, but in lesson we are only discussing about peotry and so on. And thats pretty boring.

[bond]

I assume u will apply for fall 2006 & aren't enrolled in any University otherwise u will become transfer student.First of all,ur SAT score will decide ur Universities if u get more than 2200 than u have Stanford,MIT,Berkley.If between 2000-2200 than CMU,Cornell,UIUC,U Michigan,Georgia Tech,Purdue,etc.Remember that u should take 3 schools safe schools(easy admission),3 as 50-50ones(50-50 chance) & 4 top schools.u should practise from the official guide to NEW SAT available from College Board site.first of all book a date for the test.How about ur chances?u can click the link below & compare ur profile with this student & see what are ur chances.
www.collegeconfidential.com/
there will be OOPS page(there is some problem)
Then search IVY League in the search bar(scroll the page) & click on the first link,then there will be 3 cases studies, see all the cases
The universities rate these in decreasing order of importance
GPA>SAT Score>SOP>Reco>extra-curricullar activities>resume
the key to get admission to stanford or MIT or Berkley is an excellent SAT score.
Also Remember that new SAT has a writing section also.start practising th NEW SAT.
Also financialy these universities cost around $30,000-$40,000 a year so u have to have financial arrangement as aid is not given to international students in undergrad(except of course ivy league universities like Cornell)
I hope these answers many of ur questions.If u have still any questions left pls. ask me.
(BTW search the sites of universities to see their admission procedures & search College Board to see the average SAT score of an University.)