Hi guys,
I am an international student. I am really confused about where to apply ED Colgate VS W&L.
Both of these schools if accepted would give me a full-ride scholarship but W&L gives better financial aid. W&L also offers free insurance for international students as well. For Colgate, the university probably gives me work-study opportunities but I might have to pay 3000$ extra ( it is a huge difference when I convert it to rupees).
I am planning on going to major in CS. I heard the W&L CS department is not that good compare to Colgate University.
Colgate University has partnerships with other schools which would really help me find a job/ internship after graduation as an international student.
If I compare the locations, I would choose NY over Virginia as I have a lot of family members. And also I am really scared to attend W&L as I have heard southern people don’t like international students as much.
Please share your honest opinion
Your post has many, many pieces to it. I have a freshman at W&L. I can at least reassure you about international students there. You can research the numbers, but anecdotally, the boy my son is closest to is from Estonia. I met another boy who grew up in El Salvador. Another friend’s roommate is from Tanzania.
Besides researching percentages of international kids, follow the schools on social media. For instance W&L has a video titled “Welcome Class of 2025” and you will see a number of international freshmen.
Colgate has more than three times the amount of international students and better overall diversity than W & L. Both are great schools but it is reasonable to state that an international student would be more comfortable at Colgate. Just be ready for a cold snowy winter if you chose Colgate.
Colgate appears to be one of the earlier colleges in the U.S. to have established an independent computer science program: The 10 Most Wired Colleges In The Country: Unigo Ranking | HuffPost College.
I am probably going to apply to Colgate University. Do you have any tips on standing out as an applicant? Any chance on boosting my application? I am in their middle percentile. I have only taken 7 aps as well. Due to my circumstances I was not able to take any of the ap exams
Appling ED1 will increase your chances of acceptance. Can you please share your GPA and SAT or acted score? If you do, not only can I help with suggesting a list of schools beyond Colgate or WL. Also based on your stats, whether applying ED to Colgate is the best choice There’s ED2 and Regular Decision to think about beyond Colgate.
I would start looking at the Colgate application right away. You will have supplemental essay questions. They are going to probably want to know why you are looking at Colgate specifically. So do your research on the school and identify what makes you want to attend, also what you can contribute.
Here are a couple of links that will help you with the Colgate application process.
How to Write the Colgate Supplemental Essay | College Essay Guy
https://admission-essays.org/category/colgate-university/
Will look forward to hearing back from you.
Hey, I have a GPA of 3.71. I have taken :
AP Calc AB, Ap Phy 1, AP Lang, Ap Phy 2, AP Calc BC, AP Chem. AP CS. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take any ap exams. I got above 90 on all of these classes except AP PHY2 and AP Calc which was an 86 and 87.
The best part of my application is my unique diversity. Keep in mind that I am really broke and need a full ride
Thank you
Have you taken the SAT or ACT?
Nope, I booked for Sat but it got canceled. So I am going with test-optional. By the way, what are my chances?
Colgate is a very competitive school and would be considered a reach for most students applying. However, give it a try and put your best effort forward in your application
It is essential to have a list of schools that range from more competitive to less competitive or safety, match, or reach schools. Also, needing 100% financial aid as an international student, you need to check the policies of each college’s websites for international student aid. Based on your preference for small liberal arts colleges, here is a suggested list of additional schools to consider, from more competitive to less competitive. Also, they are in areas where you should be very comfortable as an international student
Macalester
Lafayette
Occidental
Franklin and Marshall
Dickinson
Lewis and Clark
Drew
Here are some mid-size schools to also consider
Denver
University of San Diego
Clark
Ithaca College
Marist
Good luck with Colgate ED and let me know if I can be of further help.
hi,
If you don’t mind me telling are you an admissions counselor or something ? anyway thank you so much
I am not an admission counselor. However, I have experience with my kids and an interest in the whole college admission process. Let me know what schools that I suggested you are putting on your list. Focus on the Colgate application now.
Is the 3.71 GPA unweighted, core courses only?
Do you have at least one affordable safety school on your list, either in your home country, or elsewhere?
It’s quite possible that you end up with no affordable acceptances in the US. What non-US schools are on your list?
That’s excellent advice. Having a super-safe fallback option in terms of budget and acceptance is essential.
Is it possible for an international student who needs full financial aid to have a super safe fallback option (at least in the US)?
That is a difficult question to answer. I think the best practice is to have a non-US option that can hopefully offer both acceptance and affordability. Once you have this, put your best foot forward in terms of your applications. Do your research in building a good overall list of schools to apply to in the US. Here is a link to a resource that may be of more help.
hi,
can you provide me with more liberal arts school? These schools don’t give out aid that generously
Hi,
Yes. Here are two links. One is the US News and World Report list of National Liberal Arts Colleges. The other is a link to a list of Public LACs. Generally speaking, the better your stats compared to other applicants, the better your chance at aid. You may want to look at schools with higher Acceptance Rates. As an International Student, you will probably need to do more research on individual schools’ websites and contact the schools directly regarding aid. CS is a very competitive major.
https://premium.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges
I got rejected sadly
Rejected by Colgate University ?