<p>I''m trying to help out a friend from Bangladesh who wants to apply to the US. </p>
<p>I need you guys to help suggest schools which give international students good financial aid(he doesn't have a father,money is the BIGGEST issue.)</p>
<p>i need colleges/options which range from selective to not so selective(but it should be worth studying in America for)</p>
<p>His grades are average/slightly above, SAT scores not great 16smth(he may not be able to retake because it costs so much to register),
He is a fabulous football player(soccer),which he wants to pursue in college,so something related would be good.Recommendations are good and essay will be GREAT... </p>
<p>I am really hoping you guys can help me out, because you guys seem to know your stuff.And i am a little unfamiliar with aid and sports stuff for internationals(im Bangladeshi citizen,but American permanent resident)</p>
<p>If you can tell me names of colleges with a spring semester, that would be great too...
thanks guys!</p>
<p>ok,i had a feeling this problem would arise< i dint want to address it unnecesarily. I know his essays will be good because he is smart,he has good ideas, he writes well, and i will help him(i will get him as much help as i can).</p>
<p>I know his recommendations are good,becuase the teachers love him,(he is a great person). and our school gives us our recommendations to post, so when we got them to send this year,i saw them(yes i know it is messed up,but it is a flawed system)</p>
<p>The reason i am trying so hard, is becuase he is a great person and a wonderful friend..and deserves a good future.Plus his mom called me this morning requesting me to help him out(which i have been doing already)...I think all of you international applicants would collectively have more information then i do and can get from pretty limited sources here.
esp regarding the football and financial aid.)</p>
<p>TETRISFAN- I am a little clueless about this entire ballgame(ehhe,couldnt resist) and dont know how good you need to be to play Division I.He is one of the best in our school and has been captain of the school team for a few years..Thank you</p>
<p>i don't want to discourage you but if you want to get recruited for sports you should have national recognition (playing in the national team or something like that)</p>
<p>How good is good, btw? It'd be a real pull if a coach from his dream school could vouch for him...so investigate into that, and how he can get in touch with the athletics dept. </p>
<p>well, the need-blind schools, obviously, plus the upper-tier LACs, like grinnell, colgate, vassar(which likes boy applicants), oberlin... </p>
<p>he should apply to as many schools as he can without watering down the quality of his applications. look up sports scholarships at lower-tier schools that are full rides. </p>
<p>by the way, williams really, really likes athletes. middlebury's really outdoorsy. both are among the most generous. </p>
<p>what do you mean by 16smth SATs? well there are sat-optional schools out there(middlebury is one). each college has its own focus in admitting students- some aim for grades, sats, some for ECs. loan him ur internet and research, research, research.</p>
<p>thanks jerushs.That was really helpful. You gave me the kind of suggestions I needed for him.
I got a list of the sat optional colleges that sounded good to me. do you think i should ask him to retake his SATs.Does it increase your chances of scholarship?</p>
<p>"look up sports scholarships at lower-tier schools that are full rides"
how do i do this? Do you know any website,link that might help?</p>
<p>On the other hand I could imagine that being recruited by UChicago and then applying for FA is different from being recruited from XYZ state university with a div 1 team and a coach who is happy to offer you a full ride...</p>
<p>Exactly. Based on his level, you can contact coaches. If he plays just on a school team or whatever, it's Divison III. District or national? Give Division I a shot. Just bear in mind, though, that a lot of coaches will ask for a video of him playing before committing to anything.</p>
<p>ok, so how would he find out which coaches at which universities he should contact.is there any way of finding the coaches first,or should he shortlist some universities first. is there any body here who has done this before? some specific information on contacting coaches etc would be great</p>
<p>OK then, it's most liberal arts colleges which play at the Division III level. Make a college list, see which colleges play Div III soccer, and contact the coaches there.</p>
<p>If you are using the Div III approach keep in mind that Div III colleges cannot award athletic scholarships. Your friend would still have to compete for financial aid against all other international applicants.</p>
<p>^ That depends on how good an athlete he is. If he's asking for FA, his chances won't improve greatly. On the other hand, we could have said that being recruited would've been a hook for him if he wasn't applying for FA.</p>
<p>Soccer is a revenue sport at some colleges. If he does his homework and gets recruited at a college where soccer is a big money sport, then I daresay that his chances would be much higher.</p>
<p>^ IMHO, we need to keep things in perspective when offering advice....lets face it, entry to US colleges is extremely competitive given the excellent education, potential full scholarships, and great employment/grad school prospects....even if u're gd, you only stand a chance, not a guaranteed entry</p>
<p>uncomfortable as it is, it would be more prudent to lay down the bare facts and confront the OP with the possibly high chances of rejection and working from there....rather than presenting him with false hopes and creating even greater disappointment</p>