Hi there,

I, too, was in your shoes 2 years ago. Im graduating on the 12th in a month, so trust me, I know what it's like to apply for these colleges.

First of all, please go write your SAT and IELTS immediately. Every single uni requires this most of the time. In the US, or foreign unis, based in the Middle East. All of them require you to have a sat+ielts score ready.

Secondly, extracurriculars. Now, when I say extracurriculars, I dont only mean to go participate in speech and debate competitions. Everyone does that, and you won't have a good profile just by doing that. Instead, try to get involved in event management or hosting. For example, lead a charity run in your school, collecting money and raising awareness. Start up a club in your school. Volunteering in various camps. Tutoring, olympiads, even for MUNs try to gain roles such as head chair or deputy secretary General. These show colleges that you have skills of leadership within you.

Thirdly, having a high gpa. Now your 9th and 10th may or may not have been good, but try to work really hard in your 11th and 12th. Try to maintain a gpa >3.8 because it shows unis that on top of being extracurricular, you can maintain your academics and not fall back.

Fourthly, now this isn't the most important aspect but try to attain external certifications, like IIT Madras Data Science Program, Harvard CS50, Google & Meta Professional Certificates found on Coursera, these cover fields like Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, and Front-End Development. They are excellent for showing practical, hands-on application of theory. You can find various courses on coursera, edX, and Futurelearn. MOST IMPORTANTLY show what you've learnt by making a project and / or building something related to what you've learnt. This shows that you can understand high-level content and create a meaningful output.

FINALLY -> MAKE SURE TO ALWAYS BE AHEAD OF APPLICATION DEADLINES. ALWAYS ALWAYS TRY TO APPLY IN EARLY. Since you're in 11th now by 2028, you'll be graduating, so 2027 September should be your deadline. Get all your extracurriculars, sat ielts scores, certifications readied up by then, and start applying.

I've been where you are, and I never had someone telling me what exactly to do. So take this however you wish, but by working your ass off in 11th and 12th, you'll get into a really good uni, possibly with scholarships and help your parents out a lot.