<p>Replace Colgate, Colby, Hamilton with Carleton, Davidson, Grinnell which will consider you as a domestic applicant.</p>
<p>Yes being from a rural area will be taken into account but mostly you’re helped by the fact you’re Questbridge international and will NOT be considered international by the schools above.</p>
<p>If you do NOT get into any of these schools but your permanent resident papers are being processed, wait out the year and apply once you’re received it.</p>
<p>You are an international student at these schools for admissions and aid purposes. Which means, yes, in most cases, you are at a disadvantage for admissions and financial aid, because a lot of schools that are need blind for admissions do not include international students in that category. That does not mean you CAN’T get admitted. It means the chances are smaller for you, as a general rule. </p>
<p>As for DACA, you need to look at your specific state’s rules about that, along with how each of the schools on your list regard your status. Some states are including documented internationals as well as undocumented for their provisions, and schools can do as they please with their own money and how they look at a situation. You have only private schools on your list, I notice. Had you included, say a SUNY school, and if you have lived in NY for 3 years, you get instate tuition at the SUNYs, including the land grant schools of Cornell. </p>
<p>So you have to ask EACH school how they would look at your status for admissions purpose, and also how they would treat you financial aid wise. It can vary widely. You are NOT entitled to federal aid, unless you fall into certain special classications, as paul indicates.</p>
<p>And another thing, you can’t keep claiming that you are still from a poor part of India because your family has been here in the states for more than a decade. Things change.</p>
<p>Poor part of India? Not sure what you’re talking about. Maybe I wrote something incorrectly. </p>
<p>I’ve grown up in poor, rural parts of America. My parents have had to spend a lot of money on immigration costs so we don’t have much saved for college. Not sure what you’re talking about @"aunt bea" </p>
<p>Also, I listed privates because my State Schools won’t give me any aid. Out of state schools will probably be cheaper for me because of my test scores, actually. </p>
<p>Whether a college is need blind or need aware isn’t the determining factor. What you need are colleges that either guarantee to meet full need to internationals or that are at least generous in their need based aid to internationals.</p>
<p>You have a good profile that will be of interest to many colleges, especially those that hard time recruiting and retaining high achieving Asians. </p>
<p>Personally, I think Vanderbilt is within reach for you, but I’m not familiar with their financial aid policy toward internationals. </p>
<p>I would definitely think about how you are going to present your extracurriculars. Math Club – no matter how devoted you are – isn’t enough in itself for these selective colleges. Life experience (e.g., being a low income South Asian in rural America) can become a defacto “EC” if presented evocatively in essays and recommendations. Colleges like the ones on your list will want to know who you are, what makes you tick, what you do during the time you’re not in class. You don’t have to be class president or captain of the football team, but you do have to demonstrate a sustained and deep interest in one or two activities.</p>
<p>I would definitely add Williams to the list. They don’t guarantee full aid for international, but they are receptive to high achieving Asians and have excellent math and physics, better, I would say, than any of the other LACs on your list. Some other LACs that I’d look at would be Rhodes, Grinnell, Carleton. Smith and Holyoke if you are female. All have excellent math/sciences and would consider South Asians URMs.</p>
<p>PS, How your family fell through the cracks of the immigration system and how the experience impacted you personally would make a great – and pertinent – essay. </p>
<p>@momrath Do you think I have a good chance at Amherst? I’m applying there early, and I really like the school. They’re also need blind to everyone.</p>
<p>Amherst is so competitive it’s a crapshoot - totally unpredictable. You’re not out of range, that’s for sure, but after that, your odds as an international are 1 in 20. So, 19 out of 20, you’re not in, even if you’re qualified…</p>
<p>@Rathination, Difficult to predict your chance at Amherst. You have a lot of positives, but your weak ECs may work against you there. Ironically, your family’s low income may be a plus for you at Amherst. In the context of QuestBridge and other economic indicators, admissions will take your economic status into account in a positive way.</p>
<p>Amherst is a wonderful school, but I wouldn’t consider it a destination for math and physics. </p>
<p>@momrath It is, but I’m applying to Amherst ED because they’re need-blind for everyone. I thought I would have a better chance because of that. </p>
<p>I have a question about the whole E.C. thing @momrath. I’m from a really small town, as I said, so I didn’t really have opportunities for internships and stuff like that. Are they still not great even if you consider my location?</p>
<p>Also, My school has never had anyone even apply there. Do you guys think that’s an advantage?</p>
<p>If your school’s new and they’ve never had anyone apply there, I hope your GC mentioned it; but yes, it’s a small advantage. It’s more of an advantage if it’s a rural school, or a school in a State/area from which they have few applicants (that is, if there are 10 high schools in your areas and all but yours send students to Amherst, it’s not the same boost as if none of them have had Amherst applicants in the past 5-10 years.)</p>
<p>Well, I’ll describe the situation in more detail. My school has never had anyone apply to LACs like Amherst in all of its existence, according to a teacher that has been here ever since the school’s been open. We don’t have many kids that go to good schools. I also doubt schools in my county send kids to Amherst. I also think my state is relatively underrepresented (Arizona). I hope that clarifies my question.</p>
<p>@Rathination, Amherst’s decision is out of your hands now. I think you need to put it to the side and concentrate on your other applications. </p>
<p>“Need blind” is a bit of red herring. Admissions directors are professionals and can read your family’s economic status between the lines of your application (e.g., QuestBridge, your zipcode, your high school profile). I think, really, being from a low income family and from a high school that doesn’t often send students to selective colleges will be a plus for you, but whether you are granted one of the few international slots depends entirely on the competition. Again, this is out of your control.</p>
<p>Because international admissions are highly competitive and because aid for internationals is unpredictable you have to cast a wide net. I wouldn’t focus on whether a school is need blind or need aware, but rather on their reputation for generosity to internationals and the strength of their math/physics department. You’ve received several good suggestions here; now you need to do the financial aid research one by one.</p>
<p>I think you have a lot of positives and will be a person of interest to a lot of academically strong schools, especially those that want to recruit high achieving Asians. Your task now will be to present yourself well in your application through compelling essays and recommendations. </p>
<p>The point is not what you’ve NOT done. The point is what you have accomplished with limited resources. Math club is good, tutoring is good. If you’ve had summer jobs, let the college know. Basically, they see your grades and scores; now they want to know who you are and what you will contribute to the campus community.</p>
