<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I’ll be applying to BC class of '18. These are my stats, and I’d like to be chanced</p>
<ol>
<li>SAT Reasoning- 2320</li>
<li><p>SAT Subject tests:
World History- 730
Biology(Molecular)- 790
AP Psych- 5
(AP exams in India are too expensive, almost $150 each. No waivers available either. I could only take AP Psych)</p></li>
<li><p>The most important factor is that I am a homeschooler. I have homeschooled myself in the last two years of high school due to personal reasons I will be talking about in my essays. I have created for myself, a very unique curriculum that incorporates learning, research, standardised testing, work and community service. Will being an international homeschooler have an adverse impact on my application? 3. I have taken many courses on Udacity, Coursera and edX. I will also be appearing for exams from the National Institute of Open Schooling(NIOS), a government-organisation in India for homeschoolers. My GPA has always been a constant 4.0(No mommy evaluated courses. All external examination bodies)</p></li>
<li><p>Lots and lots of extra-curriculars. Might seem too much so I might not mention everything </p></li>
</ol>
<p>*Winner, Intel IRIS(The Indian science fair that selects students who will represent the country at Intel ISEF). My research project was the best in the country in the 'behavioral sciences category. I narrowly missed out on going to ISEF(Out of the 9 National winners from different categories, 6 made the final cut. I didn’t. But I still ended up best in my category).
*Founder editor of my high school newspaper(This was during the first two years of high school. I am a homeschooler now)
*Won lots of quizzes, debates and other related stuff. I’ve also competed independently at several university-level debates and quizzes and won many.
*2-month internship with a cancer surgeon. Improvised on existing methods to create a new low-cost detection kit for colorectal cancer for use in developing countries. Will be submitting it to Google Science Fair '14. Founded a cancer awareness charity
*I am ranked 681 in the world in Scrabble(Rated by WESPA, the body that governs competitive scrabble across the world)
*I am a freelance journalist and have published articles in some of the most popular mainstream publications of India including The Bangalore Mirror, The Hindu and others.
*Endurance running- 10ks and Half-Marathons. Will have run my first marathon before I apply
*Play the guitar, sing and write. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Total family income- $3000. I’m a first generation college student</p></li>
<li><p>I hope to major in psychology or biology. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I probably could stand a chance at the ivies but Berea is my first choice because it is just the kind of school I’m looking for.</p>
<p>Please give me your honest opinion on whether I can get into Berea or not.</p>
<p>Also, does anybody know how many Indians apply every year?</p>
<p>Hello Nichilravi,
When you say “I’ll be applying to BC class of '18. These are my stats, and I’d like to be chanced”. Are you referring to the graduating class or the matriculation class of 2018? </p>
<p>The graduating class of 2018 deadline for International students already passed. </p>
<p>Also your stats are great, however for the IVIES, your income shows you will need 110% financial need and that will put you at the bottom of their list as most other schools do.</p>
<p>The case is different for Berea College. Based on your household income and Stats, you are qualified for Berea application pool, and you will only have to worry about making sure you tell your story on your essay and share why Berea is your first choice and your plans after Berea. The only issue might be your competitors “OTHER APPLICANTS FROM INDIA”. At this point it will be hard to know that exact number, and I doubt Berea admissions would share that information with you now even if you call, since the are still evaluating International applications.
Whatever the case is… BEST OF LUCK.</p>
<p>Thank you for responding.
I’m sorry, I meant the Class of '19 ( the graduating class)
From what I know, I understand that the Ivies are a long shot for me, especially with my need. But just to clarify, don’t some of the Ivies (HYP) meet complete demonstrated need including room, board and living expenses? If I’m wrong, please correct me.</p>
<p>Thank you for replying, again.</p>
<pre><code>The IVY’s are A LONG SHOT for even the MOST WELL ROUNDED AMERICANS…let alone International students. The most closely predictable hooks to IVY’s admission guarantees are LEGACIES and SUPER DONORS. The rest of the applicants fall into the same category and it becomes just a process that “NO ONE” has any expectation of. With a 5 to 7% acceptance rate…that is just hard to tell. Regardless of what their website says. Try searching for % of pell grant recipients data for colleges released last year… that’s how you can evaluate if a school self selects rich students and ignores poor students. IVY’s did not do well on that list with healthy numbers. We are in the real world and sometimes not everyone plays by the same rules… so you just have to find your way to get to your destination. On the other hand, I have read that IVY’s become a reach to many students at graduate level applications compared to undergraduate admissions. Just something to keep in mind… if IVY is your destination.
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<p>Berea’s acceptance rates has declined for the past 2 years I have heard that this is due to higher increase in applicants pool, and many students are declining TOP rank LACS and IVY’S to attend Berea due to the aid package, so they are admitting just about the same numbers from the pool, but with more applicants in the pool to choose from.
When it was time to apply, I was fully aware of these dynamics, and was not going in with any delusions that it will be different for me.
One advice “apply early” start putting your application materials together now, so that it will be in excellent condition as soon as the application cycle is open, which will be sometime after summer. For the meantime, find a job, volunteer, and do something that is helping you and others become better citizens of the world.
GOOD LUCK.</p>
<pre><code> @ “But just to clarify, don’t some of the Ivies (HYP) meet complete demonstrated need including room, board and living expenses?”
Yes IVY's do meet 100% of admitted student financial needs. However, most people do not realize that "NEED BLIND ADMISSION" is a very loose term. Just the fact that you checked the box for "FINANCIAL AID or MERIT SCHOLARSHIP" on your common application automatically is self selecting. I like to see this as a way a college can put all the poor applicants in one box only to work on later, so to make their admitting class more diverse.The issue here is that they meet 100% of "DEMONSTRATED NEED" to all admitted students. Also, understand that if there are 20 applicants with the same stats (GPA, TEST, Extracurricular, recommendations, geographical region, gender, race, potentials, etc. All other things being equal, the applicant with less financial need among that group, will most likely be selected.
This is quite the opposite @ Berea. Berea is likely to select the applicant with the most financial need in the example given above. I always think of Berea as the WORLD’s IVY with no close runner-up. The school is “JUST THAT DISTINCT”, and that is just the facts.
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<p>That makes a lot of sense. Thank you! </p>
<p>Berea will be my first-choice college. I just hope I am good enough.</p>
<p>In addition, meeting 100% of students financial needs at some IVY’s includes loans as-well. But International student’s financial package @ Berea does not include LOANS.
Well, you are doing your research, so that’s a good think. Just apply before the deadline to be considered, and let NATURE do the rest for you.</p>
<p>I will not be applying to any of the ivies except Harvard and Brown because I personally know people from my home country with similar stats and sometimes even slightly lower than me get in with 100% aid covering tuition, room, boards and living expenses. I know its a longshot but I will be giving it a try. </p>
<p>I will also be applying to some of the LACs that are known to have offered full financial aid to int’l students in the past like Skidmore, Trinity, Bates, Colby and other. I know some of them are just as hard to get in as the ivies but I’ll apply.</p>
<p>But whichever colleges I might end up applying to, Berea will be my first choice. </p>
<p>@ccco2018 - Are you an international applicant too, or are you a domestic applicant?</p>
<pre><code> I would say as an international applicant with full financial need you have to apply broadly, especially if you want to do this just one-time and start school next year. Apply to at-least 8 schools(5 reaches and 3 safeties).
As you stated, your reaches as Berea, Harvard, Brown and I would say add, Grinnell, and Armrest, or Oberlin, or Trinity etc.
Safeties should include one school in your country that you can be guaranteed admission and can afford, and say a public school in the US that offers full tuition to internationals… I think its either Alabama or Mississippi, not sure which…you can research that,
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<p>And maybe other countries like… JACOBS in Germany, YALE-NUS, etc.
Good luck.</p>
<p>I am domestic, but out of region… which the acceptance for out of region is just as competitive as Internationals @ Berea.</p>
<p>@Nichilravi, “LACs that are known to have offered full financial aid to int’l students in the past like Skidmore, Trinity, Bates, Colby and other.”</p>
<p>Just something to think about. When you are considering list of schools that claim to meet 100% of students demonstrated need. Take a look at their endowment and equate that with the total student population. That is how you can estimate if a school has enough to spend on the students. Remember colleges are like businesses, they can only spent what they have, least they run out of funds.
When you get the data, compare them to your list of choices and you will be surprised at your findings, which might help you tweak some of the list you have going on there…LOL<br>
I spent a lot of time researching these issues.</p>