<p>I joined this forum today and came here to ask my question as I felt who would be better than in giving advice than the experienced parents.</p>
<p>Could you guys match colleges that are generous in financial aid,I have heard that privates give the most aid. Plus I have 0 EFC too! I've heard of Georgetown? any more? I am a US citizen but parents are not.I don't live in USA.</p>
<p>ACT =31 composite.
GPA = (82.3/100)
SAT 2= math 670(retake?) phy = 730, chem=690
AP = AP Calc(5), AP Phy C E&M +Mechanics + Chem = 4
I have average to good ECs... will be lot of typing but yes they don't stand out but I guess they aren't bad to hamper my chances.
But yes,I am working with some of my Dad's co-workers(solar;renewable energy resources) and I guess that'll shine out as an EC(good and big project).</p>
<p>What should I do during summers/free time to be well rounded?
Also, financial aid is very important..... VERY !
Sorry If I made mistakes :P</p>
<p>To have a decent chance at the schools with really excellent FA you probably need higher scores: ACT above 33, and SATIIs above 700. You should also look at the schools that give automatic merit $$ for specific GPAs and scores. Your GPA would be considered unacceptably low here for top schools and top merit programs, but that could be offset by a good class rank that would put your GPA in persspective.</p>
<p>Hey Consolation! My class rank - it is top 15-20% for sure. It is tough and real hard.
Yes… I know Reading section blew me ( got 24 in it ) I plan to retake it in September.</p>
<p>Wow,could you tell me schools that do that?
Thank you so much for your time.
Yes,I want to go to a competitive College :)</p>
<p>The ACT is not the problem – 16% of Princeton’s entering class last year had ACT composite scores somewhere between 24-29 (from the 2012-2013) common data set. Even if we assume that they all had 29, that’s still two points lower than your score. (The common data set breaks it down into 24-29, and 30-36, so I can’t give you more detail than that). But an ACT composite of 31 equates to 97th percentile rank, and that’s good enough for any college if accompanied by good grades.</p>
<p>In any case, don’t pay attention to what anyone on CC tells you about test scores. It’s definitely worth a retake for you to try to boost that Reading score, but your scores are very respectable. </p>
<p>However, your prospects for elite admissions are not so good with your class rank. The elite colleges are looking for students at or near the top of their classes – definitely to 10%. Are there factors that might make the college look at your grades in a different light? For example, are you attending a particularly competitive school? or a school being taught in a language that is not your native language? (you said you live outside the US but didn’t say where).</p>
<p>Are you male or female? (I’m asking because it can make a difference for admissions).</p>
<p>You should start by reading through the information at [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.state.gov%5DEducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.state.gov) with your parents. That will help them understand more about the whole application process. Some of the advice there won’t apply to you because you are a US citizen, but most of it will because you are in a foreign educational system. After reading through the general information, make an appointment with the counselors at the advising center closest to where you live. There are several in India: <a href=“https://www.educationusa.info/India[/url]”>https://www.educationusa.info/India</a> If no one in that office has worked with a US citizen lately, they certainly have colleagues in the other offices who have. There are many students like you in India!</p>
<p>As a citizen you have options that true international applicants don’t have. You can file the FAFSA and be considered for federal financial aid. You can get a job anywhere on or near your college campus, and you can work as much as you want or need to. Once you graduate, you can work anywhere in the US. If you choose, you can move to the US, get a job, and eventually qualify for in-state tuition and fees where you live - in some states if you pay for more than half of your own support, you can qualify within 12 months even if you are under the age of 24.</p>
<p>Since the cost of your education is important, you need to find out what your parents truly are ready, willing, and able to pay. A public university that has generous merit-based aid may end up being less expensive for you than a famous private university that has generous need-based aid. Some of the public universities have very low costs to begin with - even for out-of-state students. You should spend some time in the Financial Aid Forum here reading up on the various aid issues. </p>
<p>Heythere, you might consider applying to LAC’s that promise to meet full need and have a gender imbalance (more women than men) – they may be more forgiving of your GPA. Look at schools away from the coasts, such as in the midwest – they may be much more appreciative of the diversity that your bring to them, as someone who has been educated in India. So you might look at schools like Grinnell or Kenyon </p>
<p>You can use information on the College Board at [College</a> Admissions - SAT - University & College Search Tool](<a href=“http://www.collegeboard.org/]College”>http://www.collegeboard.org/) to find info about each college – including demographics and their financial aid policies. </p>
<p>Good luck! I think that there may be quite a few options for you, as long as you don’t get stuck on the idea that you have to go Ivy League. </p>
<p>(If you were female then I would have suggested applying to women’s colleges, but obviously that’s out. But you will be at a slightly advantageous position for admissions at any co-ed school that needs more men)</p>
<p>Curious- I wonder if you are a US citizen because your parents were living here when you were born and returned to India. Your class rank is not impressive, nor are some of your academic stats, even for state flagship U’s. Many HS students think their school is special- presume theirs and yours are not as special as you think. You are likely to have an English language HS education. Definitely do the research suggested above. Also consider why you want a US undergraduate degree. You need to have a reason to bother to come to the US- and strong essays showing why a school should admit you even before deciding you should get money. The best school for you will depend on the fields that interest you- some schools are great for engineering/science and others for social sciences/humanities.</p>
<p>Spend your summers being a kid. This means following some interest/passion of yours just for yourself, not to look good on your record. Do things you won’t be able to do as an adult. This is the time of your life to explore so many things.</p>
<p>Besides cost and financial aid, consider what subjects you might study. Many schools have particular strengths and weaknesses in their academic offerings, so you want to choose schools whose strengths match up with your most likely interests.</p>
<p>@Calmom-- I was aiming for the ivys but I guess I need to wake up.Anyhow,money is more of an issue here than prestige.So you’re correct. How does LAC differ from a general 4 year institution?</p>
<p>@Wiz75-- Thank you for that critical thought.Seriously, its cutoffs are the highest in my State soaring as high as 9.6 GPA out of a possible 10. Yes I may not be one of the better students so how do I improve my stats? I plan on studying Mechanical engineering.</p>
<p>@OldFort— My parents were green card holders before they gave it up and shifted back to India.</p>
<p>“16% of Princeton’s entering class had ACT scores in the 24-29 range.”</p>
<p>Really, really surprising to me. I imagine most of these were recruited athletes or children of very prominent/wealthy parents–or perhaps truly underrepresented minorities with stellar EC’s?</p>
<p>(More realistic picture: 2400 SAT, 4.0 GPA, valedictorian, many leadership roles in school including varsity sports captain, theater star, yearbook editor, awesome recs, EC’s, volunteer work, musical talent, etc. From Alaska = Waitlisted )</p>
<p>OP, don’t get your hopes up. Look at lower ranked schools that have fewer Indian students.</p>
<p>@atomom---- can you suggest some good univ that’ll be a match? + Letter of recommendations will be quite good considering I was greatly involved in school,if that helps.
Well I don’t think the bottom quarter would also be having 4.0 GPA and 2400 SAT.If it’s true,in that case,I truly have NO chance :(</p>
That’s a CC myth. More likely that many of those lower end SATs has a stellar GPA and class rank, as well as other personal assets attractive to Princeton.</p>
<p>That won’t help the OP – I just meant to point out that his 31 ACT score was not “too low” for anywhere. He doesn’t need to stress over the score unless he finds a school that guarantees a full tuition scholarship for a higher score. No harm in taking the test one time again in September as he plans, but if he had a 33 vs. a 31 with his GPA it probably wouldn’t make a difference in admissions anywhere.</p>
<p>Heythere, you couldn’t really study mechanical engineering at most LAC’s – LAC’s usually provide a liberal arts education. I don’t think you should give up your dreams – but I also don’t know many schools where you could study mechanical engineering and also get your full need met. </p>
<p>Does your GPA follow a pattern? Are you on an advanced mathematics track? If your GPA is lopsided with high grades in math/science classes, the situation might be a little better.</p>
<p>Look into Olin College of Engineering; Rice University. Those colleges are probably still reaches for you, but you might have a fighting chance there.</p>
<p>Your first post mentioned Georgetown, but Georgetown does NOT offer engineering. It does offer a combined 3/2 plan with Columbia where you can earn a dual degree, but I don’t know what the financial aid situation would be in that case and there’s no guarantee of being accepted. </p>
<p>You’d be surprised. A somewhat different picture emerges from talking to actual matriculated Ivy students. Ad coms focus on an array of smaller data points than GPA or combined SAT/ACT scores, so there are more students with lopsided stats than the CC-dogma would predict. </p>
<p>But it really doesn’t help the OP – this is something that can be discussed on another thread.</p>
<p>Atomom-- I din’t have 15 posts so posting here. Will I be considered ORM even if I am a US citizen? My counselor told me I’d be considered OOS but domestic when applying? Yes,I need to be more realistic.
What are my chances to an above average college,for instance, Umich?
and yes it’d be wonderful if you could help me add on colleges to my list.
(Reaches,Matches and Safeties) ?</p>
<p>@Calmom-- Thanks for the links It is so tough making a college list :(</p>
<p>You will be OOS everywhere, but you are domestic for financial aid. Your academic records may need to be read by someone from international admissions who is familiar with the type of high school you have been attending. Contact each of the places on your list, and ask how they want you to file your application. Do not be surprised if each place tells you something different. Just follow the instructions for applying to A when you apply to A, and the instructions for applying to B when you apply to B.</p>
<p>ORM is a term that means “over-represented minority” - in other words from a family that originated in India/Pakistan/China/Korea or another place where there are relatively more college applicants and college students than would be expected given the percentage of the general US population that has origins in one of those countries. True international applicants aren’t minorities. They are international applicants.</p>
<p>None of us can predict your chances at one of the “top” institutions. Those are all reaches for everyone. The most important places on your list are your safeties. You need to identify at least one where your grades and exam scores flat-out guarantee you admission, and that you know for dead-certain your family can pay for with nothing more than aid you will get after filing the FAFSA. In cases such as yours, sometimes the safety is in the country of residence rather than in the US.</p>
My class rank - it is top 15-20% for sure. It is tough and real hard.
) I plan to retake it in September.</p>