Hello! My name is Ícaro, and I got into Williams College for the Class of 2029. Here’s how I did it:

My Background

I attended two different schools during high school, both located in Salvador, Bahia. Until the 11th grade, I studied at Colégio Análise, which followed the traditional Brazilian curriculum. However, in my final year, I decided to transfer to Colégio Leffler because they offered an international program that better aligned with my goals. The new school provided more support, especially as I had to travel frequently during high school. Even beyond the academic aspect, the school was very accommodating and understanding of my situation.

My Reason to Study Abroad

I decided to study abroad largely because of the strong support I received from my family when it came to education. Coming from a family made up mostly of teachers, education has always been deeply valued in my household. So when I realized that pursuing my field of interest would be better supported abroad, my family encouraged me and offered their full support. Additionally, it had always been a childhood dream of mine to travel and explore as many places as possible.

Aside from the United States, I also considered universities in the Middle East, such as Northwestern University in Qatar. However, I mainly focused on American institutions because they tend to offer more financial support for international students, which was essential for me as I needed a full scholarship.

Why Williams College?

I applied Early Decision to Williams College because I was completely sure about my choice. The first factor that drew me to Williams was their generous financial aid for international students, which was essential for me. The second reason was my desire to attend a school that is academically rigorous, and Williams definitely meets that standard.

In addition, I personally know some Brazilians who currently study there. One of them is involved in debate, just like I am. So through her, I had the chance to get to know Williams more closely. I was able to ask questions and learn more about the college, which helped me realize how much I identified with its environment and values.

I was also drawn to the small size of the school. At Williams, it’s rare to have large lecture halls with 100 students. Most classes, even introductory ones, have around 30 to 40 students. They also offer a unique class format called "tutorials," where it’s just you, another student, and a professor. This creates an incredible opportunity for deep learning and direct mentorship from highly qualified faculty.

Finally, I was interested in colleges located in the New England area. Williams, in Massachusetts, is in a remote but fascinating part of the U.S. It may be in the “middle of nowhere,” but that setting—combined with the strong academic community—was exactly what I was looking for.

Stats & Tips

I studied at two schools, one of which was very academically challenging, and I finished with a final GPA of 8.8 out of 10. I ranked 3rd out of 70 students in my school. My DET score was 150, and my SAT score was 1450.

I think my scores are fairly reasonable, not extremely high, but solid enough. What I want to highlight is that the math curriculum in Brazil is quite strong. In the first and second years of high school, we usually cover topics that are sometimes more complex than what American students see at the same stage. The challenge was more about solving math problems in English, especially on tests like the SAT.

Regarding the English section of the SAT, one thing that helped me was being used to reading books and texts in English. I think this made a big difference because the test requires good reading comprehension skills. Also, knowing the structure of the test helped a lot. Although the sections aren’t explicitly separated, you can notice that, for example, the first few questions cover one topic, the middle questions another, and the last few questions something else. Knowing this allowed me to develop a strategy, for instance, I would start answering the last four English questions first, then go back to the beginning. This approach made the test easier to handle.

My main advice is to know when to focus on each subject. If your school has exams every week, you need to prioritize accordingly. If you have exams spread out, you can organize your study cycles so you’re not overwhelmed by everything at once.

Extracurricular Activities

I had a spike application on extracurricular activities, especially in speech and debate, with four out of my ten main activities being in this area.

My first and favorite activity was participating in Model UN simulations. I started in 9th grade and instantly fell in love with it. This passion led me to found Iniciativa Lux, a project where we organized national simulation conferences that impacted over 400 people. Besides that, we offered training events with guest speakers covering topics like public speaking, negotiation, leadership, and preparation for international conferences. We also helped Brazilian delegates attend online international simulations such as Cornell MUN, Princeton MUN, and others.

I earned several accolades through my MUN experience: Best Delegate at Princeton MUN, making MoruMUN the first Brazilian institution to win this award; Outstanding Delegate at Harvard MUN; Best Delegate at HACIA; and a Verbal Commendation at Cornell MUN. I was also Assistant Director at Yale MUN LATAM.

I also served as the Academic Director of MoruMUN, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Brazilian students participate in international MUN simulations. Our logo, a bridge, symbolized our mission to be the bridge between students and their dreams. For many, attending simulations abroad was not only outside their country but outside their reality, and through MoruMUN, I helped make those dreams possible. At one point, we had over 90 mentees and provided financial aid mentorships, helping many raise funds to attend these events.

Beyond simulations, I was deeply involved in debate. I was selected as one of five representatives among 313 Brazilian participants to compete at the World Schools Debating Championship. I was Brazilian champion in the school debate category, semifinalist and quarterfinalist in other tournaments, and semifinalist in public speaking competitions, which is a related but distinct discipline from competitive debate.

Outside of competitions, I teach English online through a course I co-founded with my sister. Teaching English has been a significant part of my routine over the past few years, and I enjoy it a lot because I believe English opens many doors.

Additionally, I am part of Projeto Mindshift, an academic coaching initiative aimed at helping students improve their performance, whether in high school or college. I was a mentee in 2023, which was a major turning point for me. My achievements in simulations and debate helped me get into Mindshift. Out of gratitude, I became a mentor myself, guiding several students.

Regarding research, although I didn’t pursue highly advanced projects, my school had a research program with qualified teachers. I did a scientific initiation project focused on cinema and culture, researching the film “Terra Estrangeira” by Walter Salles. The film, which has gained recent attention due to “Ainda Estou Aqui,” portrays the economic policies during the Fernando Collor era in Brazil. My research analyzed how these policies affected the characters. This was very important for my college application because Williams College requests an academic paper as part of their application process (optional but recommended). I submitted this research as my academic paper, which was the only essay they reviewed besides my personal statement.

Financial Aid

Williams has a financial aid process in which international students apply for scholarships and financial aid only after being accepted. So, once I was admitted, I submitted all the required financial documents, including the CSS Profile and others. I was awarded a full-ride scholarship, which means Williams will cover all my expenses, including tuition, housing, meals, and even airfare to travel to campus.