<p>Actually, Dr. Avrah, in the International Supplement they ask what you intend to do with your Harvard education. One can only assume they're looking to see what your plans are. </p>
<p>THAT SAID, Harvard is a private school, they don't really care if you're using your education to Make America a Better Place to Live. If you wrote on your application that you long term goal was to become a doctor, return to your native Nigeria and work with malaria patients, I don't think they'd say, "Oh well they don't want to be a doctor for Americans, so we don't want them!"</p>
<p>It's quite clear that Harvard's admission committee is just as happy to admit students who want to make Nigeria or any other country of the world better, not just the United States.</p>
<p>In contrast to H and many other US schools, Oxford Cambridge et al, discriminate against US applicants. US residents are not eligible for financial and to make matters worse they are subjected to a US differential that increases the tuition and fees by close to $25,000 over what is charged UK and EU students and arent eligible for work permits. I would like to see HYP etc exert pressure to encourage reciprocity. They could for example threaten to withhold finaid to all applicants from the EU unless US residents receive comparable treatment in EU schools. That would encourage a true world view.</p>
<p>Well, many of our American schools are not need-blind for international students, Stanford comes to mind immediately. They must treat other EU citizens as domestic because of an EU mandate.</p>
<p>Goens, You live in America, but you are not an American Citizen. Have you applied for citizenship? Do you pay taxes (both state and federal)? Do your parents? Why shoud an American University provide funds to educate you? If I were to go to your country, would your top schools pay for me to attend? I doubt it very much.</p>
<p>from memory stanford said it provides finaid to internationals and is working on putting them on exactly the same footing as US applicants. They certainly do not impose a surcharge to discourage admission like oxbridge</p>
<p>@JustJoe49: Oh my god... And I'm actually the one who should have problems understanding written English. Please read the post again, this time try to concentrate and you will see what I meant. About why they should provide funds to educate me - How much of the amout that they would provide you have YOU personally paid (not your parents)? How much have your parents. You are still winning money, because if you pay more than $50k yearly on taxes, I highly doubt that you need aid. They fund your studies because they belive you are intelligent, that you can contribute positively to the world, it is not an obligation to which they are commited because of the received fundings, those are private institutions, and to your probable surprise, most funds do not come from the U.S. Government, but from private donors. I do not demand them to fund my studies, I just think it is somewhat unfair to be disadvantaged (although I comprehend their reasons and accept the fact it is so). Moreover, this tread was originally addressed to whether being an international harms your chances of admission or not, it had nothing to do with funding or financial aid.</p>
<p>you guys bring up some good pts but I was wondering this: </p>
<p>I don't have a greencard, but I have been living and going to school for the past 8 years. I am completely fluent in english (show through SAT, AP english, essays). On my application I had to mark "international," just because I don't pysically hold a greencard. How do you think that will factor in terms of international? Because I could be in that pool, but my schooling has all been with the American system...</p>
<p>oh and for stanford, I remember from hearing from a Stanford admission officer who visted my school that Stanford only accepts a set number of International students asking for financial aid. And that number is usually in the 20s.</p>
<p>The "international" pool just means that you went to a school that was not in the United States. That's it. There are plenty of US citizens who are abroad who go to international schools. </p>
<p>It does not matter for you at all. Remember, Harvard is generous enough to be able to be need-blind for EVERYONE -- in fact, almost all the international students that we get are on signficant financial aid just because the cost of living in the United States is just so much higher than other parts of the world.</p>