Today’s email comes from an international student who is currently in Singapore:
Hi, I am [name removed] and currently studying at a US community college in Singapore. However, I wish to take the SATs as I intend to transfer in a year’s time. However, if I only have average scores(mostly Bs and a few As) for my O levels, would it be enough for the admission’s office to weigh my O level scores less if I had good SATs scores? I have also done lots of art and participated in international exhibitions and community work(exceeds 300hrs). Do I also need A levels of a HS diploma/GED?
Thank you.
Regards,
[Name removed]
And here’s my response
Thanks for your email!
Just a few comments here - I’ll start with the role of community service and volunteer work.
As buyers of my admissions guide (and most consistent readers of this sight) know, I always talk about the role of spikes in your admissions story. While I won’t spill all the beans here, what I will say is that service hours can be HIGHLY overrated - it’s the one area that most high school students think about the MOST, which actually matters the LEAST to Admissions officers at Ivy League schools. Instead of focusing on quantity of hours - focus on the TYPES of work that you’re doing, and how that fits into the overall picture that you’re trying to paint of yourself.
For international students, the SAT score matters just as much, and sometimes can matter more, as it does for students in the U.S. It depends on a lot of factors, including:
-How recognizable your international school is (most people have heard of Raffles…very few have heard of Singaporean community colleges)
-Whether you did an IB (International Baccalaureate) program
-How impressive your grades were
I would say that in general, yes, a good SAT score will help compensate for bad O level scores. However, that alone won’t be enough - and unless you have a really strong arts background with clear demonstrated achievements, you’re facing an uphill battle to get noticed by Top 25 universities.
Hope that helps! For more on how international students can get into Harvard, click here!
No related posts.
Comments on this entry are closed.