3 gap years, intl, college list

<p>International. Need full aid.
Female. Come from Eastern Europe.</p>

<p>SAT I: 2050 (730 cr, 670 math, 650 w)</p>

<p>GPA's are tricky. Back in '09 graduated from two HS simultaneously. In different countries, though. Coursework in the foreign one completed in half a year. GPA's are 8.81 (10), and 4.35 (5). </p>

<p>EC's in school:
Screeplay writer for school game (last year of HS). That game was major at my school and we all loved it. School spirit and all that.
Bunch of self-taught languages.
Underground political movement. Will put it on the app, yet don't really want to make it public.</p>

<p>No EC's after school. But. I continued working on the Movement. Found out it's fruitless for I needed more data. Went on to gather it in real world. So far have been to three countries establishing offices all over the place. Built over 200 workplaces in Eastern Europe over three countries. Have various titles, including a Senior Associate with a Law Office. Not a major one, though.</p>

<p>I have a list of schools that is 54 lines long. I'm afraid I will not be able to decide where to apply. So far top choices are Carleton and Grinnell. Please, suggest some safeties and/or more reaches.
Thank you!</p>

<p>Post this on the parents’ forum - they will be able to help you more. </p>

<p>But first, you need to tell us what you’re looking for. A small liberal arts college? Many are out in the country - would you like to go to school in the middle of nowhere? I assume you’re interested in politics - do you want a school that is liberal or more conservative? Needing full aid may be a problem, the only schools that are need-blind are the Ivy Leagues. They’re highly, highly competitive. Many other schools will accept you, but may not offer you 100% aid. Unfortunately that is the reality of higher education in the U.S.</p>

<p>That said, based on what you wrote, I suggest you look into Brown University (an Ivy with a unique no-requirements program) Georgetown University & American University both are strong in the political sciences; Reed College, a liberal arts college for “quirky” (unusual) students; Smith College and Bryn Mawr, women’s-only liberal arts colleges. </p>

<p>Have you checked out the International Students thread? Search it for a list of schools with generous financial aid for internationals. But hurry: application deadlines are approaching quickly.</p>

<p>So I wrote you a very long PM message. And then decided against sending it. It was a little bit too emotional and probably boring to a person who is on the other end of the world :)</p>

<p>I started that message with pure and simple ‘thank you’. Thank you! The idea of reposting it is brilliant! The advice to expand and detail the ‘request’ I’m sure is going to prove vital. Thank you so much.</p>

<p>Adversa,</p>

<p>For an international applicant who needs full financial aid, there are no safeties or matches in the US. Every place that you apply to will be a reach. It really is that simple. There just is not a lot of money to go around for international students. Your safety and match institutions are in your own country and/or countries that have admissions and tuition agreements with your country.</p>

<p>That said, if you have not taken a long hard look at the women’s colleges, please do so. Some have excellent aid for students who qualify. Start with the top five (Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Wellesley) and then investigate a few others. Here is the full list: [The</a> Women’s College Coalition](<a href=“http://womenscolleges.org/]The”>http://womenscolleges.org/)</p>

<p>Depending on the exact nature of the political movement that you have been working with, you may find a Quaker institution compatible. Here is the list for those institutions: [Quaker-originated</a> Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://www.quaker.org/colleges.html]Quaker-originated”>Quaker-originated Colleges and Universities)</p>

<p>It’s possible I do not completely comprehend the ‘safety’ concept. I understand you can consider a school a safety if your scores are above the 75% of accepted students. Am I wrong?</p>

<p>I looked into women’s colleges and most likely will apply to Barnard and Bryn Mawr. I absolutely love the idea!</p>

<p>To be honest, I no longer want to be involved in politics. I’ve done work towards tolerance, let’s put it this way. Helping people out feels nice, yet I’d prefer not to be involved into politics-politics anymore.
That being said, the Quaker list (which I had no idea about; thank you!) ovelaps with three schools on my long list. Not sure what to make out of it, though :(</p>

<p>Wrong. You’re an international needing aid. There are no safeties for you.</p>

<p>Alright. Then I’ll look into local schools. Thank you.</p>

<p>Quakers are big on tolerance, and many of the Quaker-related schools are highly rated. They also tend to have student bodies who are committed to social reform. Even if you are tired of politics at the present, these schools might like you. Read up a bit on the kind of work that they are involved in at [American</a> Friends Service Committee | Quaker values in action](<a href=“http://afsc.org/]American”>http://afsc.org/)</p>

<p>Good luck with everything!</p>

<p>Thank you! I was actually looking into several Quaker colleges :)</p>