I want to study abroad, but will I be good enough?

Question

I live in South Africa and I go to a small private school. I’m in gr.11. My grades are not so good but they are stable. I failed math last term but I am really trying my best to get my grade up, really, really. At this moment I am kind of feeling hopeless. I really want to study psychology abroad in the U.S. But I’m scared b/c of my grades is not good enough. I don’t have a lot of extra curricular activities, I am learning to play the guitar currently and I do photography and art on my own. I don’t even know if that counts. A couple of years ago we moved around a lot and we lived in the U.S for a while. Whilst in the U.S I got all A’s and was extremely smart.

We then lived in Indonesia, my dad worked for the University of Hawaii. I used to teach English classes at the local village where we lived. I was 13. I was home schooled. Then I went to the very small international school there and didn’t really get good grades there but I learned to speak French and Indonesian. Then my dad died and we had to come back to South Africa and I had to live with my aunt for a while b/c my mother had a breakdown. After that we moved again and my mother couldn’t find a job for two years. I couldn’t deal with everything in a big school so I got put in the private school.

Since my dad died it has quite traumatized me the whole ordeal, but I’m dealing, and dealing with being a teenager. My dad was a well known international man. He did a lot of good work and has a lot of contacts over seas. He was a good man, who worked hard. He was very well known at the University of Hawaii. I wish to continue his legacy there. I have been reading up about getting into universities and stuff and I don’t know. I’m feeling hopeless at this very moment. Like I don’t have a chance. I try really hard, I do. And I am determined to prove myself. I know I should take the SAT’s and stuff. Will they accept me? Will I be good enough? I need advice. I know that I will prove myself as a good psychologist and will do well. After all I am my father’s daughter. But I don’t know if anyone will give me a chance. Any advice.

Answer 1

Are you good enough? that you need to answer for yourself. Will they accept you? How determined are you? Are you willing to keep at it until you are accepted?

Many international students attend US universities.

It maybe easier for you to get into the University of Hawaii because of the connection with your father.

If you have any particular universities in mind, contact them (e-mail, etc) to find out their admission requirements- including scores on the SAT or ACT. Some schools require the ACT instead of the SAT and others may want both. This information may be available on line- check the school's website.

If you need to contact a school directly, explain that you are an international student that will have a high school diploma from _____ school who is interested in possibly attending their school. All that matters is that you receive your diploma, not that you were home schooled for part of your education or moved around.

You can order preparation materials for SAT- should be able to for ACT also. I know you can take SAT preparation courses online.

If you don't do well on the test, you have the option of retaking it.

If your high school grades combined with the score you achieve on the test is not high enough to attend the university of your choice- you can attend community college first. Community colleges do not require SAT or ACT- they give their own assessment tests. Take general education classes that are required by your chosen major and transferable to the university you want to attend (keep good to excellent grades in your classes). After you have taken the required number of units, reapply to the university as a transfer student. Transfer students do not take the SAT or ACT. They have proven that they are capable of college/university level studies.