Mr Gizmo (ignoring the fact that it does not have a gizmo anywhere)

"causing discomfort" is crazy, that was bordering on hate crime

So there's no way of knowing if my grades make me a competitive applicant?

maybe you can reach out to students on other platforms? and please don't let a poorly managed subreddit influence your opinion about the school, if Reddit's not an option then try Instagram, Facebook, PM current students, watch YT vids from students, there's even some random forums you could probably find.

what did it say?

no, the website says first years don't get singles unless they have a specific condition or they're in some situation that would make them unable to have a roomate

my country doesn't have any, can I do that online? Also what about self studying for APs? Although I'm not sure I'd be able to take more than 1 exam bc of the price

i'm thinking of an internship (related to my major), writing and publishing my own magazine, doing something related to one of my passions (i wrote about it in my ECs but there really wasnt anything tangible). retaking the SAT to get a 1500+ and some volunteer project still in the brainstorming phase. Also maybe getting a job, self studying some APs (idk if I could take the exams though,they seem rlly expensive), online classes or certificates. That's what I've come up with so far.

honestly if i'm shifting to a DR inspired from a piece of media, i only script about changes to the "og" storyline and maybe two or three events I want to see happen. Otherwise, I just let it flow, it's life, there isn't a point in writing my whole future, it sounds like I'd get bored of it pretty quickly cuz I always know everything that's gonna go down

I got rejected but I think it was because of a) my lack of extraccuriculars and b) my SAT score, I'm considering a gap year (it'll also allow me to do stuff other than reapply) but I'm worried it'll look bad on my app if I take a gap year without curing cancer. But it would show a lot of improvement compared to my first application. Is it really a bad idea?

true, but wouldn'y people would have to go through their list even more thoroughly about their list if they only have a few options?

I don't think it would make a difference on your application. If you did retract it and got in, you wouldn't be able to reapply for it. And if you're applying for fin aid, it means you can't afford it and you'd have to take a loan to attend, please don't put yourself in debt for that.

how do people shower, thats what I don't get. Like do you take you caddy IN the tiny stall, do people just walk to their rooms in their towel? Like whats the general rule of thumb?

it's literally the norm in my country, you'll find a bidet in every house, every store bathroom, every hotel, or at least a bucket of water with a pot. going without it sounds kinda crazy to me

I don't think they do auto-reject if the holistic review thing really isn't all talk; They would have looked at the other stuff but they really couldn't get past the GPA.

If you got a great SAT score and decided to submit it then you might have gotten a slightly better shot (and I say might because i'm just some random high schooler, take it with a grain of salt).

I heard SAT scores are often used as benchmarks bc every school and teacher grades differently and but the SAT is a standardized test so it's the same for everyone. From the AO's point of view it probably looks like this: "great achievements but we can only asses their academic level with their GPA and it's not really looking good. I don't know if they can handle our school.

And sure you might be a great student and had a bad time or you have awful teachers but the AOs can't go in your head to assess how ready you are for their school academically, they have to make do with the info you gave.

don't really want to say for privacy reasons but it's a country in West Africa, on the lower end in terms of development.

RemindMe! -1 day

First off, what do you want to study? What schools do you want to go for and what are you looking for in a university? Start by making a list of what you want and what you don't want in a uni.
Then start finding schools you're interested in, you could search based on what you want to study, maybe the areas they're located in, or the College Board search tool. Dig deep but check the Cost of Attendance first (since it takes into account expenses other than tuition) before digging too deep, you don't want to get attached to a school you can't afford. Check if they have scholarships or financial aid for international students.

Most schools that give financial aid to internationals are need aware so applying for financial aid will put you at a disadvantage but your chances aren't zero if you really want to try.

Make sure your list of schools is balanced so don't place you bets on a bunch of competitive schools that are need aware. Always have more than one "safety" school you can afford. Maybe apply in your home country too just in case.

That's just the easy part though, getting accepted is the hardest part. You have to be a competitive applicant: great grades, great ECs and great essays. You're really gonna need these if you want to go for some big super selective schools or need aware schools.

Make sure you write down all the costs for both applications and the COA and that it fits in your budget. This includes the application fee and financial aid application if you can't get a fee waiver.

If you haven't taken the SAT, definetly start preparing for it, try to reach for 1500+ and you'll probably have to take an english proficiency test and try to get the highest score you can.

The amount of money you'll need depends entirely on where you choose to go. Some schools, like state schools have tuition fees around $18k while Ivies are $65k+.

Either way you'll need an F-1 student visa to attend.

so no?