What to prepare for international studentsAnswered
I’m currently in 10th grade right now, and I want to try to apply for the university of Washington later after I graduate high school. Problem is I’m from Indonesia and we don’t have GPA or things like that, I already checked the website and it says that I need English tests, but what about score requirements? Do I need to go for SAT and ACT, or can I use my a levels test that I’m about to take in 12th grade. I just want to prepare the best I can.
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2 answers
Hi,
As someone who has just finished 11th grade and just moved from a different country, I understand it can feel overwhelming. But no worries! everything works out eventually. GPA is basically your grades and the closer your GPA is to 4.0, the higher your grades are. So the higher your GPA is you are more likely to get accepted to the school you applied to. SAT and ACT are tests used in the college application process, they are not needed for high school itself. You basically take tests and send your scores to colleges you are applying to and the higher your scores are the better. As of right now, most colleges are test optional, this means that it's up to you to choose if you want to apply with test scores or none at all. However, having high test scores really help with getting into the college you have applied to, especially if it is a competitive school. If you choose to take the test, you can take it multiple times until you have a score that you're happy with. Only one kind of test (either the SAT or ACT) is needed, you don't have to take both.
I hope I was able to answer your questions clearly.
Wish you tons of good luck and success on your college journey!
I am also an international student doing A Lvls. We also don't have GPAs but our school says this won't be a big issue since GPAs end up being pretty subjective based on the school anyways. If you're sending off school transcripts like most colleges require then you shouldn't really need a GPA.
For English tests, most unis won't even require them if you're at a school that teaches in English, so I won't even need the TOEFL etc, might apply to you too.
Most people here do go for SAT tests, simply because it provides a set of scores that is standardised with every other application they have. Applying test optional is possible but a good SAT score can help your application, and in our school its recommended to any student applying to the US. A levels aren't really equivalent to SATs or ACTs though, so while you would submit them for grades/transcripts, its not a substitute for SAT/ACT.
I think you should go for it with the SAT/ACT, especially if you can study hard for them and get good scores that would boost your application. This also helps if you don't take English or Maths for A Levels, since they would want to see you are proficient enough in those areas.
Hope this helps!
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