Ohh… Your advice is really good… But if I’m applying to a college which doesn’t provide need-based aid, wouldn’t I be required to submit proof that I’ll be able to pay full cost for 4 years in case I don’t recieve any aid?? Cuz I really can’t do that…
I’m not very well versed in all the rules for Int’l students at all the universities in America. But that should be part of your research. You are driving this college search, so you should dig deep and learn about the rules at the schools that interest you.
Or, if it’s the case that the US Gov’t requires you to have proof of affordability, maybe my idea won’t be as useful for you as for a domestic applicant.
All I simply said was that the student, in my opinion, should not apply Early Decision - that’s it. I don’t disagree with the comment you made otherwise.
We are talking about one school - because that’s all you can apply Early Decision to…well and ED2 afterward. The reason I state this is - every college looks at “demonstrated need” differently and those who show income tables - such as the Rice Investment - all have little disclaimers for them to escape as they wish (by formula of course). And the CC is littered with kids who are “crushed” because they assumed they were getting X and they got X minus a lot of dollars.
Beyond that, there is no risk applying to whatever schools quantity wise a student desires - because early action and regular decision require no risk, just time and money.
I think yeah that’s true. Unless you’re applying for need-based aid, you have to submit proof that you’ll be able to afford all the cost required. (At least for international students)
I still don’t understand though why I shouldn’t apply ED. I mean I know the raised acceptance rates are just cuz of athletes and other factors… But still what’s the harm in applying ED? If I get accepted, I won’t have to waste time and money on so many other applications…
Econ pop was just saying that many schools, even though they don’t meet full need for all students, DO meet full need for some students who they really want. So you could include some schools like that in your list.
But, your list is already much too long…you do need to pare it down, because you will not be able to submit your best application for 20-30 schools.
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You’ve got this wrong. Need BLIND guarantees to meet 100% of demonstrated need for all students they admit. Need AWARE schools consider your FA need when making their decisions, though for many students, they will meet 100% of demonstrated need. Typically, need aware colleges have a limited number of students they can afford to give 100% of need to, and then they may offer less FA to others, or admit student based on ability to pay.
And DEMONSTRATED need doesn’t guarantee you’re going to get every single Penny you think you will. Demonstrated means different things to different schools. You need to look at your list and see which of those colleges will meet full FA need. And some of the schools on your very long list are unlikely to give you a penny. For example, NYU, which is notorious for being stingy.
Again, you need a dose of realism. Your list is actually very short, because you are going to literally waste money by applying to NYU and Colgate, who states clearly: Colgate is committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of all admitted students, but the admission process is not need -blind .
You can ONLY apply to the colleges which are need blind for international students. Most of those colleges are extreme high reaches.
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Generally, applicants can run each school’s NPC, and if it looks affordable it is 100% acceptable to apply ED. If the FA offer doesn’t match the NPC results, making the school unaffordable, the ED agreement can be broken. I am not going to address each of the comments made in the post above, but suffice it to say that the Amherst situation isn’t happening anymore due to the ongoing DOJ investigation.
The rub for OP is that NPCs often aren’t accurate for international students…there’s currency conversion issues, tax law/definition issues, and more. With that said, OP could try to run the NPCs by converting currency and making their best judgement as to what their family’s corresponding AGI is. If OP’s parents are divorced, they need to include all income and assets of both parents (and new spouses, as appropriate). If NPCs don’t work for OP, it is still acceptable that they apply ED.
IMO OP’s larger issue is a relatively low GPA (many students who have faced significant challenges don’t see such a dramatic GPA drop) and high level of need, as all but five US schools are need aware for internationals.
Actually almost all the colleges in my list are need-aware. But that’s not a pretty good reason to not apply. Cuz then that list would basically be empty. Also, yes I know I’ll get aid only if I get admitted, I know what need-aware means. What I meant was that the college that I’m applying to for ED, that is Dartmouth, that will meet a 100% demonstrated need IF I get in. If you’re asking for a proof as to how I know my demonstrated need will be 100% of the cost, I can’t give you that. But I know it is.
Yeah… My counsellor will mention it in her recommendation letter. Other than that, I can only hope that my somewhat good scores in tests might cushion the blow a little bit.
Right, many meet full need colleges are need aware for internationals (all but 5), yet those need aware colleges meet full need for all accepted students.
OP, my last bit of advice to you would be to get off CC, focus on finishing junior year strong, and start researching schools. You need to have a high level of understanding of each school and an ability to demonstrate fit in your application (even though each school is the final arbiter of fit). For example, Dartmouth is different than Penn, and Columbia different than Brown…and you need to understand how.
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Right!! Thanks a lot for the advice!! Will definitely do that.
B.t.w. I’m in my senior year.
NEED AWARE MEANS THEY CONSIDER YOUR NEED WHEN DECIDING TO ADMIT YOU. As in, if you need too much, they are not as likely to admit you.
You need what essentially amounts to a full ride, like $70,000 a year. I’m very sorry, but based on what you’ve told us here, you simply are not very likely to get that at ANY need AWARE school.
And no, your test scores are not going to make up for GPA, especially when more and more colleges are going to still not require test scores for the coming cycle.
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Yes I hear you. Again, I know what need aware means.
“not very likely”-- that means there still might be 0.0001% chance I might get in. I’m ready to take that chance.
Well then all I can do is hope the college will understand my position and not judge only from a single grade. But then again, it’s not in my hands. Can’t do anything about it.
Generally yes - but as we all know, many NPCs don’t calculate properly or many students input the wrong data and disaster happens.
Again, one can break ED but the question is - is it right to break a binding contract.
Obviously I disagree with the OP and what you are saying - but again, you can read countless stories on the CC and more of people who were misled or flat out erred in determining their aid.
All I’m saying. The schools all want you to apply ED - it’s in their best interest. In general, it’s not in the student’s best interest if money is an issue.
Schools are required to have functional, accurate NPCs on their websites. If they don’t, that’s on them.
Students absolutely should use their ED chit if the school looks affordable per the NPC. Your argument continues the fallacy/advice of low SES students not using ED, which in turn keeps lower SES families from applying in an advantaged admission round. Low SES students should be encouraged to use these advantages, just like high SES students have been.
Bottom line, if inadequate financial aid is ultimately provided (or there’s a changed financial situation) that’s reason for an applicant to back out of the legally unenforceable ED agreement…no questions asked.
No college wants a student to attend who doesn’t want to be there and/or doesn’t find it affordable. The ED police are not coming. Colleges are not blackballing GCs or HSs of students who back out of ED agreements.
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I really hope your counselors LoR is super specific and detailed about what you had to go through. Ask if you can see it before they send it.
They will. Since I’m the only student needing recommendation letter… They’re basically gonna pay all the attention to my applications only.
I’m risk averse - the ED thing time and time again has burned kids. Plus they end up not even having a chance to compare to other schools and it costs them more in the long run - not to mention there’s countless examples of colleges finding aid for RD that do not find it for ED.
Anyway, we can disagree - thanks
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Good luck and listen to all the advice you have been given to the very experienced CC-ers who have posted! (They aren’t being rude, but are being realistic.)
I don’t know much about how it works for international students, but what you are seeking and the schools you are seeking it from is a difficult task for US students.
Good luck and keep us posted!
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