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i'm going to considered an international student, even though i've been living in the united states for over 10 years. is it harder for international students?

columbia is a far reach school for me.. with my very very low SAT scores.

SAT:
690v
710m
1370 total

SAT II:
700 biom
750 mathIC
580 writing

i took 6 out of 6 AP classes available at my school.. my school is a very bad school. i will be completeing 6 years of science courses in a 4 year span. i took 9 out of 10 honors available at my school also. but im taking a chemistry course right now at one of the most prestigous universities in colorado, and recieved an A and will get an A this upcoming semester.

5 ap bio
5 ap euro
3 ap language

i have a 3.97 unweighted GPA (one B freshman year) until my first semester senior year.. where i got another B, and they will see that in my mid score report, right?

my rank is VERY BAD, because nobody takes AP classes in my school.. so everyone has 4.0's. as of after junior year its, top 6.5%

good EC, leadership, community service.. all the good stuff, but i am not no superstar. didnt recieve any awards or anything.

any feedback would be awesome.. thanks

By Godis (Godis) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 08:07 pm: Edit

just write a really good essay. i mean something awesome. that will put you over the edge.

By Bebegirl (Bebegirl) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 08:27 pm: Edit

haha i highly doubt thats possible for me..

heres my essay.. i dont plan on writing a new one either.. arghh.. what do you guys think?

Unbutton left sleeve, check. Unbutton right sleeve, check. Insert tag into the button hole and put it in the light starch bin. This monotonous and repetitive process is how I have spent most of my free time for the past six years, helping my parents at their local dry cleaners. The small store has become a second home to me; its rows of steam-dried laundry are as familiar to me as my bedroom. Even line pen marks can be seen in one corner, where my brother and I kept track of our heights through the years.

I've come a long way since I first set foot on American soil. That day is forever locked in my memory, my hand-made dress shoes buckled around my feet and my expensive caramel coat, with its itchy fabric scratching my neck.
I remember not understanding why we had to leave our mansion, my cute white poodle, and my treasured piano in Korea, only to reside in a shabby two bedroom apartment in America while being forced to work in a dusty cleaner. At first, it was impossible to suppress my desires for pricy materialistic objects. I cried and pounded my feet in rage when my parents refused to buy me a five dollar meal at an American fast food restaurant. The adjustments and sacrifices I had to make were a challenge, but especially the culture shock and language barrier that separated me from my American classmates.

It wasn't until I was in high school that I was told the reasons for my family's departure from my homeland. In Korea, my parents' company was forced to file for bankruptcy when an associate had embezzled all of our savings. The government couldn't take any legal action when the associate had escaped to a foreign country. My parents knew that financial success would be easier to regain in Korea, but knowing the vast educational opportunities available in America, they left everything for the sake of my future. Driven by a feeling of debt to my parents for this sacrifice, I reluctantly but finally followed in their footsteps and began to work diligently, seizing every opportunity that came my way, from academia to service to others.

I was motivated to excel. I learned to balance my time working at the cleaners to help financially, while gaining other part-time jobs. Perseverance was what kept me going when I came home weary from a long day's work. It was also what upheld me from fatigue when I would wake up at 5:30 in the morning to do extra studying for my school exams. My superficiality diminished and I no longer saw the value in worldly objects, but in the value of a hard day's work. Even now, I feel as though I have become the voice of reason in my family. The other day, while shopping for a television set, I had found myself speaking these words: "Now Dad, don't you think that's a little too much for a big plastic picture box?"

My difficult past has changed my perspective on life and molded me into the person I am today. Looking back at those height marks on the corner wall of the cleaners, I feel as though each mark represents my steady growth towards success.

By Godis (Godis) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 08:40 pm: Edit

whoa, that was very good. not pretentious or anything like that, and it was interesting too. topnotch work.

By Bebegirl (Bebegirl) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 12:32 am: Edit

^thanks!!

that's what i was going for. i tried to let my voice come out of the essay. i also tried to reaffirm my work experiences.. because i worked 20 hours a week during my sophomore year.. 15 hours a week my junior year.. all this while working at my parents store.

By Itempest (Itempest) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 03:18 am: Edit

Hey, I really like your essay and am inclined to say you stand a good chance of standing out among the applicant pool with your essay.

College's like it when a student helps parents in need.

Good job and good luck!

By Bebegirl (Bebegirl) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 04:09 pm: Edit

thanks so much!

feedbacks anyone?? anything will help..

By Greendice (Greendice) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 05:21 pm: Edit

Very precise and well written.

P.S. Is your SAT score 1370 or 1400 (690+710)?

By Bebegirl (Bebegirl) on Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 07:17 pm: Edit

oh crap

its 1370 i meant 660v

so sorry!

By Drag0n (Drag0n) on Thursday, January 01, 2004 - 03:16 pm: Edit

hey guys.. im only a freshman
and Ive gotten a couple b's already, but i havent really concentrated and I feel I can get str8 a's for the rest of the whole 4 years. I got those b;s since Im in the IB program and thats like really hard compared to AP classes, so help me out, comfort me plz lolz do I still have a chance of getting 4.0=+?

By Daggerlee (Daggerlee) on Thursday, January 01, 2004 - 03:20 pm: Edit

Very good essay! Your standardized test scores don't reflect your skill in writing, however that is attributable to the fact that they emphasize grammar and vocabulary, which is always hard for a foreign student. I think you've got a good chance.

By Drag0n (Drag0n) on Thursday, January 01, 2004 - 03:26 pm: Edit

well on the sats I took in 7th grade I got 690 Verb and 750 Math
so I think I can reach nearly 1550 in Senior/Junior year.
Also I am going to join alot of clubs and sports, will that help?

By Bebegirl (Bebegirl) on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 03:50 pm: Edit

up

By Wwkd (Wwkd) on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 12:09 pm: Edit

Good Luck. You have a good chance

By Insntynonchalan (Insntynonchalan) on Thursday, January 29, 2004 - 12:40 pm: Edit

Dragon, you need to make sure to take AP's during junior and senior year, rather than letting your IB's get the best of you. IB is really hard..but AP is sometimes regarded as harder..also, most colleges recognize AP's more than IB's.

By Godis (Godis) on Thursday, January 29, 2004 - 06:30 pm: Edit

that's not true. colleges regard the two the same.

By Scarletgirl (Scarletgirl) on Thursday, January 29, 2004 - 07:23 pm: Edit

A girl at Columbia from BSO told me that her IB credits didn't really get her anywhere, but students withe AP credits got placement.