University scholarships

[bleedingwords123]

Hello everyone!
How do I improve my chances of getting a scholarship in an American univeristy? Like, how good my application needs to be to DEFINITELY get me a scholarship? What will make my application STAND OUT in a heap of thousands of others? And if you know of some universities which are known for giving out generous scholarships/fin aid, please do tell.
I love writing. So it'd be a dream come true if I could get a scholarship for Notre Dame (College of Arts and Letters). But what concerns me is this, will it guarantee me a job upon my graduation? I don't want to spend 4 years away from home in a city I have no friend and end up unemployed.
Also, ideally what SAT score should I aim for? I get good grades but not THAT good. I think of myself as more of a mediocre student. I think I can only get around 1900 - 2000 on the SATs.
I had 6A*s and 2As back in O levels and have 4 subjects for now. I take part in ECAs whenever I can. Already have some certificates. I will also be heading my school's Literary Society in A2. What are my chances?

 

[arsiss]

Hello everyone!
How do I improve my chances of getting a scholarship in an American univeristy? Like, how good my application needs to be to DEFINITELY get me a scholarship? What will make my application STAND OUT in a heap of thousands of others? And if you know of some universities which are known for giving out generous scholarships/fin aid, please do tell.
I love writing. So it'd be a dream come true if I could get a scholarship for Notre Dame (College of Arts and Letters). But what concerns me is this, will it guarantee me a job upon my graduation? I don't want to spend 4 years away from home in a city I have no friend and end up unemployed.
Also, ideally what SAT score should I aim for? I get good grades but not THAT good. I think of myself as more of a mediocre student. I think I can only get around 1900 - 2000 on the SATs.
I had 6A*s and 2As back in O levels and have 4 subjects for now. I take part in ECAs whenever I can. Already have some certificates. I will also be heading my school's Literary Society in A2. What are my chances?

Hello
If you want your application to "stand out" there are a few things you need to do.
First, you have to make sure your personal essay is unique, and its best you start working on it a little ahead of time. Try to write about something that is really important to you and is important in defining you, and don't be afraid to be honest .You can get assistance on improving the essay if you contact advisers from USEFP as well, they are very helpful.
Another very important thing are your extra curricular activities, try to participate as much as you can (not compromising your studies of course) in sports events or MUNs and a lot of volunteering, you can join WWF or Red Crescent for these or even start your own little organizations with fund raisers and stuff.
Your O-levels grades are great but I think you need to aim a little higher on the SAT scores, I mean around 21-2200, you can start practicing from barron's books, they were helpful for me, or college boards SAT books, just do a little at a time and your scores will keep improving.
And try to give SAT 2 tests as well according to your subjects because they will improve your applications and for some colleges they are a requirement.
And do remember, your performance throughout the year is important because colleges ask for your school transcripts, I'm not saying an A* is a must on every test, but don't let your performance go bad.
About the scholarship part, most universities in US will give you partial scholarships but there are very very few which will be less then 60%.
If you do plan on going for undergrad to the states then either you have to be ready to bear your expenses, some if not all, or you need to meet the gap by the help of external organisation, which, again, is quite tough in Pakistan. I understand this might sound like a downer but ts the truth and you should know.
you can look for colleges that give good merit scholarships like ramapo college, vanderbilt, drexel or emory university. Their criteria might be high but its still less then the ivy leagues and its worth trying. Also, apply for financial aid and look for colleges that do provide one to international students, you can use the common-app account for that.
And lastly, I don't think you need to worry about getting admission in the US because most universities accept international students easily but you need to worry about the scholarships and you must have a plan B if you don't get one.
Good Luck!

 

[bleedingwords123]

^ Thank you. This was very helpful. I'll definitely look into these colleges and try my best on the SATs!

 

[princess sofia]

cn u tell me of any good 2-3 month courses after my o levels

 

[sharjeelmumtaz]

I am currently an O Levels student and honestly, I think your O Level grades are ASTOUNDING! I would be surprised if you didn't end up in a top uni

 

[amerfarooq]

The Ivy League uni's will give you a full scholarship with accommodation and every thing. You just need to secure admission in them.

 

[bleedingwords123]

I am currently an O Levels student and honestly, I think your O Level grades are ASTOUNDING! I would be surprised if you didn't end up in a top uni

Thank you! I used to think that my grades were pretty awesome too but then I got to know students who were crazy geniuses and had 11A*s and more. So, anyways, good luck with your O level. I hope you ace em!

The Ivy League uni's will give you a full scholarship with accommodation and every thing. You just need to secure admission in them.

Really? :O That would be great! Which Ivy League unis do you suggest I apply to? The ones that are more likely to accept me (considering my mediocre profile) and give me fin aid?