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@francis.
0 answers, 1 vote
 • 4 years ago •
Admissions Advice

I want to study in the States.
Answered

Hey guys!

I'm a Ugandan kid. And I'm kind of figuring everything out on my own. No school counsellors. No experienced friends. Nothing. We don't even have a crummy GPA scale. We do everything in terms of averages. I do well in school but I just really want to help my friends and I know what we need to cut it in more developed educational countries. The states for me. Any ideas?

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@Melokenzie
137 answers, 302 votes
 • 4 years ago

Good on you for trying to learn not only for yourself but also to help your friends. Since you didn't ask a specific question I'll try to write out the basics to the best of my ability.

1. It is okay if your school doesn't have AP, honors classes, or a GPA. Colleges understand that different countries schools don't run the way western ones do.

2. Universities have different requirements for international students, most will require an English proficiency test if it is not the primary language of you school.

3. Fee waivers are usually offered for the applications themselves or other things like standardized tests so you don't need to worry to much about money.

4. Write a list of schools you think are interesting that offer lots of majors in areas of study you like. You said you do well so do you want to aim for an Ivy school, state school, etc. How selective would you like the school to be?

a. Narrow the search down by location. Do you want to go to the California or Texas where it is hot or Washington where it is rainy and has cold Winters and hot Summers?

b. How big do you want the school to be? small where learning is more personal or a big university where they offer more programs like sports and Greek life.

c. Extras you would like that isn't a deal breaker, does it offer study abroad or cool clubs?

d. Do the schools offer lots of financial aid and scholarships?

5. Extra curriculars? Schools like to see what your interests are outside of what school requires. Are you in an art club? Do you play a instrument? Do you volunteer, have a job, or family responsibilities?

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[🎤 AUTHOR]@francis.4 years ago [edited]

Thank you for this. Generally the education in Uganda is so bad we'd take just about any opportunity available, but our country doesn't do SATs or anything like that so I genuinely don't know how far or near I am to any goal at all. I think that's what I need help with

@Melokenzie4 years ago

I know that right now a lot of schools are test optional because of covid for the class the class of 2022. I don't know about later. But again if the SAT isn't offered in your country as an international student they should take into account that you can't take it. You can google any American university to see the requirements for international students to get an idea of what they want. The more selective the school the more they will usually require (such as more essays).

@Melokenzie4 years ago

That should give you an idea of where to start. A popular stem university in my state is OSU, it is considered a good university and isn't to hard to get into.

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