Expert: Susie Watts - 7/27/2007

Question
QUESTION: hello there

i'm an international student applying to several US colleges starting fall (2007-2008). I graduated from a Canadian high school in June 2006 but I am back in Singapore now serving the army as part of national service.

1) How does the postsecondary application process differ?
2) I do have trouble procuring my teacher evaluations and school reports. Do I have alternatives to these? For example, getting my employer or an instructor in the military academy to write the evaluations?

ANSWER: If you have never attended colleges, you would submit your application as a freshman undergraduate student.  Most colleges will require your Canadian high school transcript because they need to know what your grades were and that you actually graduated.  You can contact the school you attended and they should be willing to send this information to the colleges.  If you have an instructor in the military academy who can write a good recommendation, that would probably be fine.  Sometimes a college wants two recommendations.  If you had a high school recommendation, that would be good also.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your answers. They are truly informative.

I have a few more:
1) For me, I have been educated in Singapore from Grades 1 to Grade 9. Then I spent the last two years of my high school in Canada. (I did not do my grade 12 as I completed all my courses and all my credits in grade 11) Based on this, do i have to take the TOEFL exam?

Also, based on the fact that I've already graduated and that I have already served the army for a year, do I still have to have my counselor in Canada fill up the mid-yr report forms?

2) Also, do you know the general acceptance rates (for both early decision/action and regular decision) for international students in selective colleges ranging from Cornell to Harvard?

thanks!  

Answer
Most international students need to take the TOEFL exam in order to show their capabilities in English.  I don't think you need to have the mid-year report forms filled out by anyone if you graduated from high school.  Colleges, however, will need to see proof of your graduation.  Many colleges like Harvard and Cornell are not as interested in students applying early decision as they used to be and for this reason, the number of students accepted early is much closer to the number who actually apply regular decision.