u/randomguy_hehehe

I am an international student and am considering applying to either Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Commerce at UniMelb. For context, I have the equivalent of a 4.0 GPA with an accumulate average of 97.4%, and am predicted to achieve the equivalent of 8 A*s. I have several national awards and really good extracurricular activities.

I have a few questions regarding applying to UniMelb:

1. The tuition is affordable for my family, but combined with living expenses (including accommodation), it is a slight financial stretch. I was looking at several scholarships such as the Melbourne International Excellence Scholarship and residential college scholarships. Are these scholarships competitive? I think I am definitely among the top in terms of academic merit and I don't need as much so would I be more likely to receive a scholarship?
2. How does the residential college system work, and how is it different to other accommodation halls? Should I apply to a residential college, as they give some pretty generous financial support?
3. What is the general quality of academics and teaching like at UniMelb? How is UniMelb's prestige among Australian employers and internationally? How easy is it for graduates to find jobs?
4. I've heard that socializing can be hard for international students as there are already cliques formed. Is this true? How difficult would it be for an international student (mixed Asian and Western European) to make friends? What's the social life like? Is racism common in Melbourne?
5. Is it realistically possible to work part-time (~20 hours per week) to earn some extra income, and how much typically is earned per hour? Would this be enough to support general day-to-day expenses?
6. For international students at UniMelb, are you fully sponsored by parents, or how are you financially supporting yourself?

Considering that UniMelb is just within the limit of my family's financial reach, should I apply to UniMelb? How likely is it for me to receive funding (maximum A$25000 needed)? Is the university worth it for international students?

Thank you for your help!

Has anyone applied to and/or had success with applying to US universities from Ireland? I am currently preparing to apply to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and some other private universities and would love some advice from those who have been accepted.

hi! i am from ireland and am considering applying to universities in the us. i know my profile isnt as strong, due to the schooling system in ireland not giving time for extracurricular activities, but would still like to try for brown (probably ed), harvard, yale, princeton, dartmouth, uchicago, rice, upenn, vanderbilt, and duke. i need financial aid, and my family can contribute around ~$40k to 55k per year.

demographics: asian, male, private high school (competitive entry), middle income. recognized as academically gifted (center for talented youth, ireland - needs an entrance exam and sustained academic record).

intended major: environmental science/engineering and/or econ (where available, a bit undecided)

grades: studying 8 subjects at higher level (most study 6) - english, maths, french, chinese, economics, biology, computer science, and physics. achieving h1 (90%-100%) in all subjects, with a high school average of 97%.

sat: when i took it at 15 y/o, it was 1480 (740+740). im retaking it again this year at 16 y/o, currently averaging 1540-1570 on bluebook (30 higher than my average bluebooks last yr, so decent chance at 1500+).

essays: stellar essays, always been very good at writing.

recs: from very close math and biology teachers, so probably stellar letters too.

awards and honors: student of the year (~100 students) for three consecutive years, 3rd place at national lasallian competition (poetry), best project at university college dublin comp sci summer school (~160 students), medentry academic scholarship recipient, bstai award for business. also came 5th place at irish maths competition and senior applied maths competition, and 1st place in my school in round 1 of irish maths olympiad.

ecs (in no particular order): varsity badminton captain for four years, progressed to county quarter finals. varsity track for three years, 4th place in my county.

internship at a biomed firm, focusing on customer discovery and finance management. reached over 50 new clients and developed a new financial model for the company.

selected to attend the fxb climate advocate program, held jointly with the fxb center at harvard. received a certificate of achievement for fulfilling all program requirements (which included a community project).

developed an app allowing students to calculate their carbon emissions, currently used by 5 schools and over 500 students, in talks to expand further.

chairperson of my schools green schools committee, raised €2000 (considered decent in irish context) from the county council to upgrade roads and install a new biodiversity garden. also awarded my school's first green flag by foundation for environmental education.

student leader of a literacy program (expanded reading in my school and community) that was awarded the readers for life award by department of education.

member of my school's student council; initiatives included the introduction of yondr phone pouches, a modernized canteen system, and new school jackets. also selected to represent my area at the comhairle na nog (irish youth parliament).

community center volunteer (average ~3 hours per week, four years so far).

tutored refugee and new transfer kids in english in my previous high school, around 2 hours per week for 10 weeks.

attended selective ctyi (center for talented youth, ireland) courses in architecture. designed a flood resistant building system as part of the course.

also cold emailed some professors, might have a research opportunity soon in environmental enineering.

and some pretty generic ecs like captain of my school's debate team (no real progress though), head of science club in my school (had four projects submitted to a semi-selective science fair).

i know that this isnt the best profile, but because the irish education system mainly focuses on academics (of which i can confidently place myself upon the very top 1% through nationwide exams taken), i don't have as much time to develop my ecs. i also skipped a grade (academic reasons, recommended by guidance counselor because he said i was too advanced for my year), so i missed out on a year of high school and will be applying to college at 16 y/o.

would be grateful if i can get some advice! thank u! 🙏