<p>Hey, I have a few colleges in mind, but was looking to see what you guys think! My current top interests are UChicago, UPenn and UC Berkeley, probably in that order. My stats / requirements are:</p>
<ul>
<li>International. SAT 2270 / Superscore 2290 lol, taking SAT II in Math II / Literature in January, ballparking around 750 for both</li>
</ul>
<p>Academics:
- Interested in particular in Economics, Literature and Japanese (in particular looking for schools with high level Japanese language courses - will be going in with at least a JLPT N3 pass - and Japanese Studies courses taught IN JAPANESE :) as well as quality study abroad in the top universities in Japan). Apart from the schools above, what do you guys think about Wesleyan Middlebury, UCLA, Brown and Tufts for these? </p>
<ul>
<li>Don't mind a common core, but want academic freedom to expand to take courses beyond my major</li>
</ul>
<p>Also, on location, is there any way to tell if I could "handle" (so to speak) life in a rural campus, apart from visiting?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>You’re probably going to get a lot more academic freedom, as well as great study abroad opportunities, at liberal arts schools. I would suggest checking out Williams College, Amherst, and Skidmore, as they are all top-ranked schools and give a lot of aid to international students. Liberal arts schools give students the freedom to semi-shape their own academic experiences to a certain extent. </p>
<p>As a safety school, I would recommend Macalester College, which also gives a lot to international students.</p>
<p>Thanks - I’m been looking at Williams, but I’m not sure about its rural location. Would it be a problem for seeking internships, considering how I’m interested possibly in business / finance</p>
<p>Macalester wouldn’t be a safety at all (it’s much more selective than Skidmore, even though Skidmore is very selective).
You will be able to eliminate schools based on the level of Japanese instruction.
Do keep Middlebury. Look at all colleges ranked in the top 50 (universities and LACs) and zero in on their Japanese/Japanese studies dept.
It’s likely that with such a high level of Japanese (which is often only reached by majors during/after study abroad, although at top colleges N2 would be expected for majors who study abroad), few LACs will offer what you need, but the universities that do offer it are unlikely to offer financial aid or will be “wild cards”, totally unpredictable due to insane selectivity. So your best way to cull your list is to look at the Japanese/Japanese studies program first.Then look at the financial aid/merit aid offered and whether you’d qualify.</p>