College selection for international student doing the IB

College Search & Selection
1

Hi, I would really like some help in formulating a college list because I have gotten so confused and unsure of the schools I previously liked . I am a rising senior doing the IB.

Unweighted G.P.A - 3.6 (I am taking the hardest classes available at my school and all IB classes)
Standardised tests - taking them in October
Intended Major- I’m not sure yet but Economics/ pre-med
Extracurriculars - Pretty strong/balanced
Location - East Coast/Midwest/South East
Religious affiliation- don’t care
Social scene - would prefer that the Greek scene is not major/no pressure to join

Thank you !

2

For international students, the financial side is often paramount. Will you be full pay? If not, approximately how much will you and your family be able to pay per year, for four years? Schools are very expensive, and financial aid is limited for international students.

If you are full pay, there are very many that might work for you. Some that offer excellent economics programs and strong pre-med programs, and are not hyper-competitive, like a Harvard or Stanford, but still excellent and very competitive, with incredible students, might include the College of William and Mary, the College of the Holy Cross, Dickinson College, University of Richmond, Lafayette College, and others. Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Wellesley are women’s schools (if that applies) that you might want to research. Also, some of the NESCAC colleges, though some are very extremely competitive. You might look at Hamilton in particular. Beautiful school too. Of course, different people have different preferences, and some schools are better fits than others, but all of these, I think, are, in general, nice places to live and learn.

https://www.nescac.com/about/members

If you need significant financial aid,

You can google US colleges that offer financial aid to international students. The lists will include lots of schools that are hyper-competitive. Two you might want to research are Skidmore College and Trinity College (in Hartford, CT). Both have seen significantly increased applications in recent years but are not as competitive as the Ivies.

One other option, and I’m not sure if you’d get enough aid, but maybe worth a shot, would be some of the very fine midwestern LACs like the College of Wooster and Kalamazoo College and Beloit College, which have great academics, small classes, and where you might stand out as a strong international applicant. You could also look through a group of schools marketed together as “Colleges That Change Lives.” Some of these might work in the same way.

https://ctcl.org

Good luck!

3

Thank you so much for your comment! It was very useful and I’ll check out some of the schools suggested.
I don’t need a significant amount of aid as my parents are willing/happy to cover the full costs however it will still be appreciated to receive some sort of aid.

4

If you’re leaning towards economics as a major, these analyses can help you sort through some of the excellent choices available:

https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html

https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.usecondept.html

5

You’re welcome! How do you feel about an urban campus v. a college town v. a more rural or isolated spot? There is a pretty big range among the schools I suggested.

William and Mary has approximately 6000 undergrads in a historic town with a very nice historic/tourist district adjacent, with several restaurants, coffee shops, sandwich shops, etc.

University of Richmond is a about half that size, with a beautiful campus in a nice suburban area near downtown Richmond, the state capital and an up-and-coming city.

Holy Cross is similar in size to Richmond. It’s in an industrial city that is undergoing a renaissance. Campus is very nice, area around is only so so, but things to do in Worcester and Boston is one hour or so away by commuter rail.

Dickinson and Hamilton have about 2000 students are in very small, pretty isolated towns. They have very beautiful campuses, and less to do nearby.

Wellesley has a stunning campus in a suburban town not far from downtown Boston. Lots of resources and students do a lot socially with Harvard and MIT, and, I believe, students can take some classes at MIT. Smith and Mount Holyoke are out in western MA. They are part of the Five College Consortium (with Amherst, Hampshire, and University of Massachusetts at Amherst). They are small liberal arts schools. Smith is a very liberal school in a pretty neat college town (Northampton), if that’s a plus or minus.

All of these schools would be great for an econ major, possible pre-med.

You might have a preference, among these different types of places, all nice, some just a better fit for others.

6

If you really don’t need financial aid then don’t apply for it. Only a handful of colleges are need-blind for internationals; most are need-aware meaning that your financial is a factor in admissions. At many schools your chance of admission is better if you don’t apply for financial aid.

Consider this issue carefully, though. If you actually do need financial aid, then apply for it as a first year. In most cases, internationals will not be eligible for aid in later years if they don’t apply for it as first years.

7

Urban/College Town, nothing isolated or too small
Thanks again!

8

High quality academics, exclusive undergraduate liberal arts focus, small but not too small size, New England location, tight alumni network, socially/politically centrist atmosphere, no Greek system and friendly “good kid” vibe are what attracted me to Holy Cross. Worcester isn’t Boston (though it’s not far away), but it’s coming into its own these days. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/realestate/commercial/long-a-college-town-worcester-now-looks-the-part.html

9

Thank you! I’ll definitely look into it

10

Check on https://educationusa.state.gov/ for an advising center for your country to get info on applying to US colleges.

11

Based on your updated info, definitely check out William and Mary (W&M), Holy Cross, and Lafayette. All top-notch academics. I think W&M is a bit of a hidden gem for international students. It’s a mid-size national university, second oldest US university (to Harvard). Retains “College” in the name for historical purposes but a public university ranked with Michigan, UNC, Cal-Berkeley, etc. in public university rankings, but not nearly so many international applicants. Big thumbs up from me on Holy Cross too.

And Wellesley and Smith (smaller but neat town) if female. It sounds like Dickinson and Hamilton would be a little too isolated. Richmond might be too Greek, and maybe too southern preppy.

Some other ideas,

University of Vermont–smaller state flagship, more of a mid-size university with something of a LAC vibe; extremely cold but great for outdoors activities (hiking, skiing, mountains); adjacent to Burlington, a great town, with Church Street, a pedestrian nightlife area, right on Lake Champlain (a very large lake), with beautiful sunsets over the NY Adirondack Mountains to the west.

University of Cincinnati–a bigger school, good urban option, in a nice city.

University of Pittsburgh–a bigger school, good economics and a med school, in a city with lots to do, and very near Carnegie Mellon University

Good luck!

12

Thank you again!
I will definitely check out the schools you recommended.