College Search & Selection Advice Needed

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hello Everyone,</p>

<p>Well i'll be applying to the U.S next year as an international applicant, I need college advice, which type of colleges to look at, which colleges to look at, which level of colleges to look at ... based on my grades etc.</p>

<p>Academics:</p>

<p>IB Diploma Programme</p>

<p>Subjects: HL- Physics, Economics, Chemistry SL- Spanish, English, Maths</p>

<p>1st Grade Card: 38/42 (6,6,6,7,6,7) and 39/42 (7,6,7,7,6,6)
SAT: M 770 CR 640 W 680 Total 2090
Will be giving SATs again.
Will be giving SAT IIs Math II and Physics</p>

<p>Intended Majors/ Main interests: Physics, Economics (as pure subjects)
Will be applying: undecided</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars
I don't have much that I have certificates for, but I have done alot which I can talk about.
Leader of the Environmental Group of the school, Part of the Advertising Club, Will be (hopefully) achieveing the IAYP (aka Duke of Edinburough's) Silver Award (only sport related thing). Have attended a MUN as a delegate, have done some social work in a village. Will be participating in another school (THIMUN affiliated) MUN - hopefully as Admin Head (in charge of some of the logistics). Will be doing a summer (unpaid) internship, and am currently collaborating with an Environmentalist on some reasearch ect - I can write well so application essay won't be bad, also some teachers like me so i'll be able to get atleast decent recos.</p>

<p>Will not be applying for aid/scholarship.</p>

<p>Well that's it. Actually, i've already created a rough list of universities for myself, but I want to see what others see me as, and see which type of colleges schools could possible accept me atleast to what you guys think. Your opinions really matter. Please post whatever thoughts come to mind, any advice suggestions, or questions. Thanks so much, I need all the help I can get here :D Thanks.</p>

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<p>BUMP Please Help :D</p>

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<p>University of Michigan. It seems like a fit for you.</p>

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<p>Hmm Thanks. I am considering it, do you think I could be a likely applicant for one of the top Liberal Arts colleges ? Amherst, Swarthmore … Williams.</p>

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<p>BUMP ? Guys, come one :S</p>

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<p>Wow, you stats and mine seem very similar. I had a 40 IB predicted(out of 45 though). and I had 2200 SATs superscored but I got a 2090 on my first attempt. I am also an international student who applied without asking for scholarships/aid. I can tell you that I got into Emory, Notre Dame, NYU and others. Definitely look into Emory… we love international students, especially those who do not need aid. If you don’t know much about the school, feel free to ask me questions. I would also suggest USC, which is another school that loves international students.</p>

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<p>Oh, YAY :smiley: someone like me. Emory - Hadnt considered it, now am. How liberal Arts-type is Emory ? I am really strongly looking at Liberal Arts. Economics, Physics - how are courses for these subjects in the school. Also, why din’t you go to NYU ? Lastly, which other colleges did you apply to, which you did not get into ? So that I can guage where i’ll be able to and not be able to get into approximately, considering we have such similar scores etc. Any other advice, please tell me. Really looking forward to your reply.</p>

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<p>Emory is very liberal-arts type. It is a medium sized university which has the research opportunities of a large university (the Center for Disease Control is located in Emory’s backyard) and the small, personalized feel of a liberal arts college. Emory has a 7:1 student to faculty ratio, average class sizes of less than 20, and amazing professors. In fact, Sir Salman Rushdie, The Dalai Lama, President Jimmy Carter, and Franz de Waal are all either professors or visiting professors/lecturers. One student said, “Its not unusual to see Sir Salman Rushdie walking on the Emory campus”. Emory also has a huge endowment of nearly 5 billion dollars, which is even bigger than the endowments of some Ivy League schools. Emory is located in Atlanta (so there is a large city nearby) but it is nicely surrounded by many trees so it has a suburban location. Its campus is extremely beautiful. Here are some pictures:</p>

<p><a href=“Web Login Service”>Web Login Service;

<p><a href=“http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Emory_Quad.jpg[/url]”>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Emory_Quad.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>As for its comparison to NYU, Emory is generally seen as being better academically than NYU. Better reputation, better resources, better undergraduate feel, more liberal-artsy etc. Emory is ranked in the top 20 in the US and NYU is ranked outside the top 30. If I were to name schools around Emory’s level, it would probably be Northwestern, Rice, Notre Dame and Cornell. Emory was a good fit for me and I loved it when I visited and so I decided to attend. In other words, Emory has great academics combined with other factors that appealed to me. If you want a liberal arts type undergraduate education, Emory will serve you better than NYU. </p>

<p>I also applied to Johns Hopkins, Northwestern and Vanderbilt but I withdrew my application when I got into Emory because I already knew it was my first choice. Admissions to Emory is competitive though. The entering average SAT is a bit higher than 2100 and the average GPA is a 3.84 so you do need to have great stats. Lastly, Emory is very internationally friendly. It has many international students especially from Canada, UK, India, China and South Korea. Also, Emory has been ranked the 2nd most diverse school in the nation and so if diversity is important to you, then Emory is the way to go. However, if you want to have a good chance of getting into Emory, you have to show an interest in the school. I have seen people this year with 2300 SAT, 4.0 GPA get waitlisted/rejected because the applicant did not demonstrate an interest in Emory. To show interest, you can order their video visit from their website, contact your regional admissions counselor, or actually visit the school. I think Emory would be a good fit for you so you should definitely look into it.</p>

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<p>Well thank you so much for all this information, it was really helpful. It’s great actually, because previously I wasnt even considering Emory - I’m from India and there are horribly wrong/misleading reputations of universities here - people would go like Emory what ? and OMG NYU ! (hopefully that explains my confusion of your choice). I’m going to the U.S in the summer, but Emory is a little off from most of my universities, which is a bit of a problem. I’ll try my best to put it in the schedule somehow… Wow, I din’t know Emory was so highly ranked, especially in your mind that you’d choose it over Northwestern, here, NW is considered amongst the Ivies - but it seems like your interested in Medical (John Hopkins) so I guess Emory made way more sense for you, for me NW would probably be a better option, since it’s quite known for Physics, Economics. In your opinion, do you think I stand a chance at the Top Liberal Arts ? (Amherst, Swarthmore, Williams). Also, where exactly does the interest bit show ? In teh Application Essay … or ? where ? (PS The campus is beautiful - I LOVE how people are just lying down, sitting in the lawn … reading, studying, chatting. :smiley: and the fact that it doesnt have tons and tons of people)</p>

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<p>Its not just Northwestern. Go to the Emory Subforum… One person is turning down Yale, a couple of people are turning down Duke, Northwestern, U. Chicago, Johns Hopkins, many turning down UCLA, UC Berkeley, NYU etc. All these universities are amazing though. Yes, do NOT go by reputation in India… people there don’t know any better. If I went by reputation in Canada, I would not have applied to Northwestern because most here don’t know about it. Yes, since NYU is located in New York, it gets a lot of attention (even international attention) but that means nothing. Amherst, Swarthmore and Williams will probably be difficult to get into unless you get your SAT scores higher. But you have a chance. All these schools are very competitive so apply to some less selective schools as well. Yes, on Emory’s application, they have 20 or so places you can checkmark about how you have kept in contact with Emory. I checked about 10 of these: visiting, ordering video, talking to professor, talking to admissions counselor, emailing, ordering brochure etc… You don’t have to do all of these but try to at least keep in contact 2 or 3 different ways. They say explicitly on their website that they care a lot about demonstrated interest. Emory is 13% international which is higher than most top universities. To increase your chances of getting in, you can also take advantage of the ED option (Early Decision). This is when you know a school is your first choice and if you get in, you HAVE to attend. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Note that money is often the reason for turning down top schools for Emory. It’s good, but I’d have to guess few would turn down Yale for it if money was not at issue.</p>

<p>I would try to raise the SAT for Amherst Williams and Swat. Being able to pay will help a lot as an intnl.</p>

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<p>^Redroses, Emory IS a top school(I think being in the 99.6 percentile of US schools counts as top) and is able to hold its own against some of the lower Ivies in many aspects. But I do agree with your point that most would not turn down Yale if money were not an issue… but that can be said with EVERY university other than HPSM.</p>

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<p>I could not see turning down any ivy or top LAC for Emory if money were not an issue. The poster is intnl, let’s be honest, Emory is a good solid school but does not have the respect very top schools get in the US. It’s strength with employers is still very regional.</p>

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<p>^yes, YOU could not see turning down an Ivy. Many could, including me. I did not apply to an Ivy but I turned down U. Chicago, which, by most standards, is Ivy-calibre. Once again, I am confused. What is your definition of “very top”? Is it top 5? Yes, then Emory is not a part of your very narrow list. If you mean top 20, then Emory is a part of the list. Other than HYPSM, very few schools have a national appeal. Emory will be most respected in the South. Similarly, Northwestern will be most respected in the Mid-west. Outside of Top 5, almost all schools don’t have incredible prestige across all 50 states… so what you are pointing out does not only apply to Emory. Yes, Emory is a relative newcomer to the national stage. But it is rising fast, while other so-called more respected schools (like Berkeley) are falling.</p>

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<p>How long have you been an employer in the States Alam? You sound like a proud future student, but many schools in the US have national appeal and Emory is not one of them.</p>

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<p>I’m sure all of them are amazing schools :smiley: Anyway, so if I say raiser my SAT score to 220s and got a best score of say, 2250 (which seems possible with ALOT of work), got 750+ in both my SAt subjects, and maintained a decent school report, I could get into one of the top LAC ? Okay also, no one has mentioned Extra currics yet … are they not that important or do I have enough ? Lastly, are there any other LACs that are known for their Economics and Physics courses ? Reed is good for Physics, someone just told me.</p>

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<p>Another Indian! :slight_smile: Which syllabus are you studying?</p>

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<p>I said before, IB :smiley: you ?</p>

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<p>Emory definitely has national, not regional, appeal. Some people overlook Emory because it does not have a football team, so it has a lower profile than some other schools. I’m from New England, the epicenter of the Ivies and the top LACs. I can assure you that Emory has the “wow” factor up here, but it does have a lower profile than other national universities. USNWR ranks it at 17 in the national universities rankings, but it has a LAC feel to it with lots of resources for an elite undergraduate education. Also, being 1100 miles to the south of my home base, Emory has the advantage of warmer weather.</p>

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<p>Your qualifications are strong enough to have a realistic shot at some excellent liberal arts colleges. Amherst, Williams and Swarthmore are extremely selective so they would be high reaches, as they are for most good students. Still, especially if you can raise your CR, I would not say they are completely out of reach. Williams and Swarthmore seem to be a little stronger than Amherst in Physics and other natural sciences.</p>

<p>LACS that are a slightly less selective include (ordering approximately from more to less selective):</p>

<p>Haverford…(admit Rate:27%, 75th% M+CR: 1490 )
Carleton…(admit rate: 27.5%, 75th% M+CR: 1490)
Wesleyan…(admit rate: 27.2%, 75th% M+CR: 1480)
Reed…(admit rate: 32.5%, 75th% M+CR: 1470)
Oberlin…(admit rate: 32.7%, 75th% M+CR: 1460)
Grinnell…(admit rate: 43%, 75th% M+CR: 1460)
Macalester…(admit Rate: 41.1, 75th% M+CR:1440)
Whitman…(admit Rate: 45.8%, 75th% M+CR: 1430)</p>

<p>All of the above are still among the 75 most selective schools (universities and LACs combined), out of >3000 institutions. All are within US News Magazine’s 40 most highly rated LACs (from Haverford at #10 to Whitman at #36), except for Reed which refuses to provide data to the magazine. Really, all these schools are very similar, with some differences in setting and atmosphere but essentially the same programs of instruction (small classes, faculty attention, etc.)</p>

<p>There are many other good LACs where you’d have a more or less realistic chance of admission, including others in the top 40 or 50 that I’ve not listed above. Examples: Claremont McKenna, Colorado College, Bates, Bucknell, Kenyon, Centre College. </p>

<p>Many of these schools would be very interested in an international student with an IB diploma.</p>