<p>Although you will not be officially considered an "International Student," your school counselor should complete the Common Applications supplementary school report for international students. This is because you are attending a high school outside of the U.S. that follows the IGCSE system, and colleges will need to know this. (If you are applying to colleges that don't accept the Common App, look for similar forms for your counselor.)</p><p>As you select your target colleges, you should check out the section for International Students on the admissions Web site to see if there are any <em>other </em>requirements that might apply to you. Most of the special requirements for international applicants (e.g., certification of finances and TOEFL) will NOT apply to you.</p><p>American admission officials (especially those at the most sought-after colleges) realize that overseas high schools often do not offer students the same number and range of extracurricular offerings that domestic high schools provide. However, in order to strengthen your application, you should look for other ways to stand out in a crowd. These "Admissions Without Borders" blogs may help you to highlight your extracurricular undertakings and other strengths at application time, even if you haven't taken part in traditional American "EC's." See <a href="http://www.usaeducationguides.com/borders/?p=197" target="_blank">http://www.usaeducationguides.com/borders/?p=197</a> and then<a href="http://www.usaeducationguides.com/borders/?p=389"> http://www.usaeducationguides.com/borders/?p=389 </a></p><p>The vast majority of applicants to the most selective colleges will submit strong grades and test scores. Thus, if you can show off different talents, accomplishments, or unique interests and experiences, you will improve you acceptance odds, although at the hyper-competitive places, these odds will be daunting for<em> everyone</em>.</p><p>(posted 2/12/2012)</p>
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