<p>What chance do I have applying with this application? I'm an international student (Vietnam) looking for a full-ride.</p>
<p>GPA: 8/10 ~ about 3.4 or 3.5 on a 4.0 scale (and there's no weighted score in my country)
SAT: 2130 (CR 670; M 800; W 660) just got a few minutes ago :)
SAT Subjects: 800 Math II and Physics. Expecting 800 on Chemistry and >650 Biology, but they are too late for ED
I had TOEFL >100 so I am qualified. :D Higher score won't affect anything anyway.</p>
<p>Honors:
1. Second prize in Chemistry - Municipal Academic Competition.
Grade 9
Highest level of recognition School, State/Regional
2. District Chemistry Competition - First Prize
Grade 10
Highest level of recognition School, State/Regional
3. School Chemistry Competition - First Prize
Grade 11
Highest level of recognition School
4. District Physics Competition - Third Prize
Grade 12
Highest level of recognition School, State/Regional</p>
<p>ECAs:
- Translation team member: "Hermann Scheer - The Energy Imperative". I'm a member of the team
- Translator on Amara: 11 hours of video on Khan Academy (which is about 66 hours of working). Also translated videos from different science channels like TED.
- Badminton Club member: grade 10-11
- Chinese Chess Club member: grade 9-10</p>
<p>Essays: I'll take it as "normal". I think it's good, since my English teacher said it's "inspiring". Not sure, 'cause she doesn't have experience on college admission. </p>
<p>Recommendation: Not sure. Let's just think they are also decent</p>
<p>I'm going for ED/EA. The biggest thing is that I'm applying for a full-ride; thus, it could be extremely competitive for me.</p>
<p>What school do you guys think is the best match for me, even out of this list? Should I apply ED for best chance, or RD for morce choices?
Thanks a lot :D</p>
<p>You should apply RD for more choices. As a rule of thumb you should only ever apply ED if you have a clear first choice (which you don’t) AND if you don’t need to compare FA packages (which you do). I am not familiar with each school’s policy regarding need blind or need aware admissions for international students. I think most LACs are need aware for international students but that will vary from school to school. If you go ED and get in you are obligated to go and you can’t compare offers from other schools. So why would you set yourself up for that situation knowing ahead of time it could be a possibility? It isn’t worth it- use the Net Price Calculator to find out what schools are likely to give you the best FA if admitted (reaches, matches and safeties) and go from there.</p>
<p>@dokisame - you are in a bit of a bind when it comes to applying to US colleges. First, there are very few colleges in the US that are need blind and meet full need for internationals. These are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, MIT, and Amherst, and you have zero chance at any of them. The remaining colleges are either need-aware (factoring need into the admissions decision but giving aid to those they accept), or offer little or no aid to internationals.</p>
<p>Here are some relevant pages on schools on your list:</p>
<p>In short, some of these colleges will factor your financial need into the admissions decision and provide aid to international students they accept, while others will give little or no aid (and are unlikely to accept international students unless they know they can pay their own way).</p>
<p>Regarding ED/EA vs. RD: You can only apply to a single college ED. If you do this, you must be certain it is a college that will meet full need, or else you will be in a difficult situation if you are accepted.</p>
<p>I would say your best strategy would be to research financial aid policies for every college you are considering, then only apply to colleges that have a policy of meeting full need for internationals. To maximize your odds, don’t bother applying to colleges where your scores would not be in the top 25% of attending students, and apply to as many colleges that meet all of the above criteria as possible.</p>
<p>The reality is that international students who need aid must be exceptional candidates to get accepted. It doesn’t hurt to apply, but you need to be realistic about your chances. In my opinion, you are unlikely to get accepted to any selective college in the US because:
you are an international seeking financial aid
your grades are not great
your SAT score is only average for selective schools.
your SAT subject test scores are great, but are liable to be viewed with suspicion due to the current cheating scandal.
your ECs are rather weak</p>
<p>For your sake, I hope I am wrong, but I think you should go into this process with the understanding that the odds of success are low, thus you should pursue other more realistic alternatives at the same time.</p>
<p>@lr4550 @BldrDad It’s legal for me to reject ED if the school does not meed my required aid. Do you think that I should still apply ED? @BldrDad I think the cheating scandal only affect SAT 1 scores. They don’t recycle SAT Subject, so I don’t think they can cheat.
So were you an admission officer would you trust my scores?</p>
<p>I think you have to take a layered approach to your question because the admissions part- actually gaining a spot- and the financial aid part- being able to afford the spot- are separate issues for anyone, but especially for you as an international student since overall there is considerably less FA for international applicants. </p>
<p>First, be honest with yourself about your chances at each school on your list- how competitive are you within the context of your international peers with whom you will be directly competing for a spot? IF you aren’t one of the most compelling applicants from your “pool” I doubt the most selective schools on your list will consider you for ED admission knowing they will have a much larger applicant pool RD. You should be realistic about your chances at all the schools you have listed. Are there other schools you could consider applying to where your stats fall in the top 25% for admitted students- GPA and SAT1? Yes your SAT2s are excellent but from what I understand schools weigh the SAT1 more heavily especially with international applicants. I don’t think admissions will think you cheated on SAT scores especially since you are not from S Korea or China (the scandal is regional from what I have read).</p>
<p>Second, as you already know, each of the schools on your list has its own FA policy for international students. Some schools on your list do not meet full financial need of international students so why are they on your list? Skidmore sounds like FA for international students is very competitive and they outright say they don’t meet full need:
<a href=“http://www.skidmore.edu/financialaid/deadlines/1415-international-deadlines.php”>http://www.skidmore.edu/financialaid/deadlines/1415-international-deadlines.php</a>
So while Skidmore might be a great admissions fit for you there is 0% chance of getting the full ride you are seeking. And when you start looking at FA for even more selective schools like Middlebury and Wesleyan, your chances for a full ride are slim. Now if you were a full pay international applicant you would be in a different “pool” with better chances for admissions (overall) but you have indicated you are looking for maximum FA.</p>
<p>I guess my advice to you would be to apply to whatever dream schools entice you but also be realistic and look for schools where your stats land you in the top 25% of admitted students (GPA and SAT1). From there you can see if they meet full financial need for international applicants as you would be a strong applicant. </p>
<p>@dokisame - you shouldn’t be submitting RD applications to schools that aren’t going to give you the aid you need. If you are accepted and can’t afford the school, you can ask them to release you from your obligation - you cannot unilaterally decide to walk away from the RD offer. Do your homework (which likely involves talking with the college) prior to submitting any RD applications.</p>
<p>Good luck with your college quest @dokisame! You have exceptionally strong math/science stats and solid reading/writing stats (especially considering you are an international student). If you can bump that GPA just a little bit this fall /winter I can only imagine you would be an extremely compelling applicant for many of the top schools out there. </p>
<p>Just wanted to suggest another LAC for you to consider if you haven’t already- Colorado College. It is an exceptional school! The students, professors, facilities, location, weather, campus vibe- many students applying to the schools on your list also apply to CC. Some people are concerned about being a science major under the block plan (where you take one class at a time for 3.5 weeks) but I can tell you the educational experience at CC is second to none and that includes the sciences. Some of my best friends were physics, bio, geology, and chem majors. I went on to veterinary school after CC; many of them went right into interesting jobs in their respective industries or grad/professional school. CC has a non binding EA option that is due November 10 so do yourself a favor and take a look at what Colorado College has to offer if you haven’t done so already!!</p>
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