<p>Deference,</p>
<p>You're better off having options than not. Besides, I've had some international friends get nice deals at UCs.</p>
<p>For $120, if you can afford it, having a couple UC apps in the bag doesn't hurt.</p>
<p>I think that you also should apply to European universities because you're more likely to get into a university that you can afford. </p>
<p>I am not an expert on comparing the quality of European universities to American ones. I don't understand how going to an American university would be a big advantage if one wanted to study chinese culture or live in Europe. It just seems logical to me that the best way to learn about Chinese culture would be in China.</p>
<p>I also have not seen American universities except for perhaps places like Harvard, Yale, Princeton get an enormous amount of respect in Europe. The Europeans whom I've met seemed to rate very highly various universities in Europe that were in addition to LSE, Cambridge and Oxford.</p>
<p>As it is now...
I think I will do an Economics or Political Science major and Chinese or Asian Culture as minor...</p>
<p>And I think that US college will offer me better opportunities to pursue both than here. At US college, I'll be able to explore and get to know myself better and then to be able to make the definite choice</p>
<p>Also the college life and the enormous diversity at US colleges really attracts me.</p>
<p>and btw... I am almost certain of acceptance to Dutch college... 99.9
I just need to fill in some forms... So I think I don't need any safties...
US college is what I dreamt for 6 years.. I think I will thrive in a such learning engaging and diverse enviroment... and that's one of most important reasons I apply there</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
I was rejected at cambridge..
I need a lot of aid and the fact that I am intel also counts..
I live in the Netherlands and I also hold the dutch nationality
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>I think the financial aid situation is your buiggest problem. You have chosen lots of expensive US schools. You need to think about exactly how much aid you will need and how much you can afford. Will you be happy attending a Dutch school? Is your main aim to
1)Attend a US college
2)to get the best education if a specific subject area
3)Get a college degree</p>
<p>I totally understand why US safeties are not that appealing. Those of you from the US, think about it. If you went to a no-name school abroad, however well it was regarded in that country, it could be difficult to get a job in the US if no-one had heard of your school. It's the same in reverse. Lots of intels don't apply to any US safeties. If your main aim is (1) above and you have fallen in love with the US/US education then you must get some safeties soon!</p>
<p>Which other UK schools have you applied to? As an EU citizen you will be treated like a UK applicant so you're not competing with the internationals there, plus low fees (but still higher than the Netherlands I imagine) will help you out.</p>
<p>I wouldn't exactly call Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, and Stanford no-names...</p>
<p>Maybe I'm crazy, however.</p>
<p>LSE, UCL, Yorka and Warwick</p>
<p>Right now... I am not yet thinking of attending a Dutch University...
Deadline for Dutch University is May 15th... so it's long after I have received the decisions from the US and UK... I believe you're right cupcake.. I don't want to go to US College because it only offer me US education, I want do it because it is more well regarded and offer better education. If it is the same level as here... I will not move thousands of miles for it.</p>
<p>Have you also considered Georgetown? Good school, great location, good reputation.</p>
<p>LSE is one of the schools I applied to for my master's (MSc, to be exact.) Good luck to both of us!</p>
<p>good luck to you too..</p>
<p>What do you all think I should retake in January?</p>
<p>Did you mean oxford? I have never heard of oxbridge. Where is it?</p>
<p>don't worry deference, you'll definitely get in somewhere. you have good sat scores, decent ecs...why on earth would all the colleges you applied to reject you?</p>
<p>Oxbridge is means oxford and cambridge...
Thnx for support strelca17</p>
<p>anyone on what SAT to retake in january?</p>
<p>Every school on your original list, with the exceptions of Bowdoin and Colgate, are very big stretches for you, given your SATs. If you really feel the need to apply to a name American school just for the hell of it, apply to one of them, because you will almost certainly be rejected. You would do better to apply to a range of good schools that are less selective. Here's a list of LACs and Universities that haven't been mentioned already that you might want to consider (Including one Ivy): </p>
<p>Cornell
Carleton
Carnegie Mellon
Tufts
Emory
Vanderbilt
Haverford
Macalester
Davidson
Colby
University of Southern California
Brandeis
William and Mary</p>
<p>None of these are easy to get into, but they're all a good deal less difficult than the schools on your original list. Also, don't go by name alone. Make sure the school has what you want. No use applying to any school, no matter what its reputation, if it doesn't offer a major or minor in your area of interest, doesn't have the ECs in which you want to participate, and doesn't have a student body in which you will feel comfortable.</p>
<p>I have absolutely no idea what your chances are at any school. However, let me say the following. Only two schools are need-blind for international applicants: Harvard and Williams (If there's a third I honestly forgot). I don't know if you'll be rejected everywhere, but as I see it, you have a fair shot at Williams. Your verbal score is right at the 25% but your math is above the 75%. You're extra curriculars are fine, from what I can tell. It is imperative that you explain why it is that you work so much and what you do with the money you earn, thus explaining your short (albeit fine) list of EC's. Focus on the unique details of your application, and from what I can see, you have quite a few things.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
I wouldn't exactly call Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, and Stanford no-names...
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>I had never heard of the first three of these until I started looking at grad schools. And I lived in the US till I was 12. (and I first heard of UCLA because Michelle Kwan goes there.....) I bet you haven't heard of York (where I did a masters) and Warwick which are top 10 UK schools where Deference has applied. Obviously it depends on the career and companies applied to, but going to a foreign school often means zero. In my opinion I would only spend all those $$$s if the American school would give me a big boost (in other words, I'm not swopping free Oxford for any high cost school!). If employers in my field/country hadn't heard of it, it wouldn't be worth it to me. But it depends if the student wants a US college for a particular subject, college name or for the experience of American life, like I said above. I wasn't meaning to bash UCLA!</p>
<p>I understand what you mean. However, compared to some of Deference's other choices (Colgate, Bowdoin), Michigan and Berkeley in particular are stars. </p>
<p>And remember cupcake, you might not have known, but employers might. </p>
<p>By the way, I know York and Warwick. But I happen to know pretty much all of the top 10 in the UK.</p>
<p>if I were you I would try to get these two Sat IIs above 750+...maybe you could substitute WH...chem? phys?
i'm also an intel and my writing and CR scores are pretty similar to yours...I retook and there wasn't much of an improvement:( but if you really, really feel that you could get your writing score up...then go for it. your CR+M is really decent.</p>
<p>I already registred for Chemistry in January...
I am just afraid with such low Sat1 scores that they will auto-reject me</p>
<p>I doubt that. You're just going to find yourself less competitive at some of them. If anything, you're still probably in the 25th percentile for most of them.</p>
<p>So you also think I can better take a new SATII than retake the SAT 1 for the fourth time</p>
<p>If you think you can do better on an SAT II, yes. </p>
<p>The truth is, your fourth time on the SAT I is unlikely to yield much.</p>