<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.
Japanese language club and study group - president.
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. Took all the time in my first gap year. Found out it's fruitless without certain data. Went on to gather it in real world. So far have 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. This took the second gap year (naturally, it's not academic years), and now I'm moving in into the second year (3rd gap) of this. On my part, this work is non-profit.</p>
<p>I am sure I want to keep out of politics. Unless my country ever needs me again, I'm washing my hands out of it. Right now I'm looking into some sort of psychology major with minors in history? I'd like to continue researching what I've started. Although I have certain background in Law (both sides of FDCPA), I'm afraid, this is as far as I am able to go. At some point I just have to start thinking about myself. I'd very much like to have an opportunity to dedicate certain amount of time to studying physics. I simply cannot give up on my everlasting questions.
I am not sure what to ask for in terms of location and the size of the college. I've studied at a highly competitive school in Moscow, at as competitive a school in a small post-sovietic country, and a tiny 'homey' school. At all three I adapted just fine. Though, I found the tiny 'homey' one not to be stimulating at all. Cut-throat Moscow produced the best results.</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>Include your list here for more help - since you have done the International FA legwork, you will get better input on pruning list and finding targets if contributors know that the schools are already vetted for appropriate FA availability.</p>
<p>Harvard
Grinnell College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Princeton
Brown
College of Wooster
Dartmouth
Middlebury College
Oberlin
Smith
Stanford
Yale
Beloit College
Brandeis Univ
Bryn Mawr College
Colby
Columbia Univ
Cornell Univ
Franklin & Marshall
Ithaca
Lewis and Clark
Kent State
Trinity College
Washington College
Washington Univ
Wesleyan Univ
Amherst College
Bates Colleg
Bennington College
Colgate Univ
Davidson College
Gettysburg Colleg
Hamilton College
Johns Hopkins
Kalamazoo College
Kenyon College
Lafayette College
Occidental College
Swarthmore College
Univ. of Chicago
sewanee.edu Univ. of the South
Vassar College
Wellesley College
Carleton
Oberlin
Northwestern (Chicago)
Vanderbilt (Nashville)
Reed
Macalester
Middlebury</p>
<p>A number of the schools on your list give need based financial aid only. Do you need financial aid? If so, these schools will expect information about your parents’ income/assets to determine your financial need.</p>
<p>In addition, some of the schools on your list are NOT need blind for admissions which means that your financial need WILL be considered when your application for admission is considered.</p>
<p>Some of your schools do NOT meet full financial need for all accepted students.</p>
<p>Your list is very “diverse” from state universities like Kent (a smaller public university in Ohio) to places like Harvard. You have all of the Ivies on there. What is the common thread?</p>
<p>I would think a school like Kent State would be a safety school for you…with ease. BUT you will not likely get financial aid to assist you with the full costs as an out of state student.</p>
<p>Oh dear me. I compiled this list in May '11. Just looked up Kent State - it should be off the list.</p>
<p>Yes, I do need financial aid. The common trait of the schools on the is the ability to provide that. Or so it was back in May. </p>
<p>Almost all of those schools are need-sensitive. I understand the risk. I also understand that I’m not cut out to apply to need-blind schools. These and Ivies are on the list just because it was compiled before I had my scores. Too low SAT scores (650 w, 670 m, 730 cr). That being said, I would like to maximize the chances of getting into a school in the US. There is no problem to get a education in my home country, yet I am sick of nonchalancy and cheating I encouter here. </p>
<p>Could you please advise me on which schools are most likely to accept me? I understand there is some sort of ‘feel’ of a school. And you either fit in, and admission officers somehow see it, or you don’t, and there’s no reason in applying in the first place. I can figure out the score-based chances on my own, sure.</p>
<p>I’m also wondering if I have to be anywhere within the range or I should apply solely to schools whose 75% is below my scores? In any case, my score is very inconsistent, and I am not sure what to do. This is why I asked for advice.</p>
<p>If you are looking for MERIT aid, you want your stats to be in the tippy top of the accepted student range. Tippy top. </p>
<p>If the Ivies are no longer on your list, what other schools are you taking off of that list?</p>
<p>You have a somewhat unique student profile as you have written it here. It might not be bad to apply to a couple of reach schools. BUT not 54 schools…way too many.</p>
<p>Exactly! 54 - is ridiculous! I would like 10 schools. 15 - tops. </p>
<p>The problem is, I am not sure what are reaches. Just now I was told there are no safeties considering I’m international in need. Sounds like everything is a reach, to be honest.</p>
<p>I’m definitely taking Lafayette off the list. There is already one student from Moldova going there. For the next 3 to four years it’s off limits for kids from my country. We’ve already seen that with another post-sovietic country at Carleton.</p>
<p>Yes, they will all be reaches as it’s very tough to get much aid as an international. So getting an acceptance with an aid package that works may or may not happen. Have a back up plan at home!</p>
<p>What you want to focus on is schools known to give aid to internationals where your grades and scores are high. Do you have strong grades for your schools and will your schools recommend you highly? How will your political activism play? Were your causes good and did you accomplish anything?</p>
<p>I think you should add several of the woman’s colleges: Smith, Mt. holyoak, Bryn Mawr. They give significant aid to internationals and your scores are a fit at these. I could also see Colgate, Carleton, Bates, Kenyon and others in that range as realistic possibilities.</p>
<p>I think the women’s colleges are a good suggestion. Also they have a good % of older students I understand. Another way to save money might be to seek out employment at a business which subsidizes education. Not as common in recent economy but might be worth checking out as would be military service if that is an interest.</p>
<p>i have to run now. will be back after dec SAT’s. taking biology. I’ll try to check the forums from my smartphone, yet not sure there will be any coverage. </p>
<p>thank you so much for helping me out. i cannot stress enough how grateful i am!</p>
<p>as for backup schools, i have such in my country. if nothing else works, i’m going to go to medschool in my country. my aunt graduated from in back in USSR. now she does some research and it’s amazing. among everything she gets to ‘grow’ babies in pietry dishes. i’d absolutely love to help women become moms <3 Yet I rrrrreally have to think of smth that will feed me. Medicine just doesn’t pay. I’d love to be a doctor, yet that’d be a complete suicide salary-wise
I’ll figure it out, though. I always do :)</p>
<p>/Do you have strong grades for your schools and will your schools recommend you highly? How will your political activism play? Were your causes good and did you accomplish anything?/</p>
<p>I graduated valedictorian. My professors love me as much as I do them. I was studying at a very small school so attention was immense. We had much fun! With my education in two countries I’ve seen many interesting things. For example, in Russia literature is studied strictly as an analytical subject. In Moldova they teach you not to know theory but to appreciate literature itself. History in Russia is very precise and memory-oriented, in Moldva they teach you broad facts and encourage analysis. Mathematics in Moldova is not entirely a precise science. They pay more attention to concepts than getting the answer right. Weird, when you think about it. Students’ attitude is different also. I don’t want to bore you with all this, though.
Anyway, the GPA’s are as follow - in Moldova 8.81 out of 10 (passing grade is 5), in Russia 4.35 out of 5 (passing grade 3). Mind you that I’ve completed work in 17 subjects in less than half a year. At a rigorous prestigious public school in Moscow. And over here public is good, it’s private that’s for slackers.
Note: Never let your kid do anything of the sort - I almost killed myself.
Political activism was absolutely underground. Situation over here is such that does not allow to bring anything public. Everything is done in hush-hush tones. I’m not sure if it’s the sovietic heredity or actual threat from government. I still have to investigate this. I had quite a pleasant experience with this, although I would not recommend anyone less connected to engage in anything of the sort. The respect my grandfather earned saved me and my movement at least twice. In the long run, yes, we accomplished quite a lot. I retired from the movement, yet I put much time into training my successor. And did well. We still communicate and I am always ready to jump in.
The idea was to give tolerance a chance in the society. What we did - we talked. To the right kids, to smart kids somewhere around our age - those that would understand that ethnical discrimination does not make sense in progressive society. There was a lot more, yet it’s details and I believe they’re not relevant yet.</p>
That might explain why students from Moldova excel in pure mathematics. After the US, Moldova is the most-represented country in my math PhD program at Stanford.</p>
<p>I hate to say this, but you are going to have a major problem getting an education in the US. Your SATs do not make you admissible to many schools, neither do your 4’s in the Moscow school, your financial need make you not admissible for many others. The ones you will possibly be able to gain admission/full financial aid to, you will probably not like. Mainly because of your statements of not liking the nonchalance and cheating in universities in your country. You have done quiet a lot of things in your life. You will find US students will be a lot less mature and worldly than you will expect, especially if you are already 3 yrs older than them. Especially in colleges where your scores are the top 25%. I think you may want to take a harder look at womens colleges, or decide to accelerate your studies in Moldova and apply to the US for Graduate school.</p>
<p>Accelerated studies are out of option in Moldova, unfortunately. This simply does not exist. </p>
<p>I was thinking to retake the SAT this December date. November was not a lucky day for me, definitely. Yet this will be a fourth time I would take the test, so I’m wary. I’m pretty sure I can raise my scores a little bit - specifically Writing section. I scored an 8, and it absolutely killed me. The fourth time, though. </p>
<p>I’m looking into Bryn Mawr and Mount Holyoke. I love the idea of women’s colleges No idea how does it give an edge, though, because the scores at these colleges are pretty high. Also I’m looking into Occidental.</p>
No idea how does it give an edge, though, because the scores at these colleges are pretty high. Also I’m looking into Occidental.</p>