<p>Okay, I'm confused. I find writings in which people are saying how they will benefit for being for example Latvians but some people complain how the fact of being Indian will make their acceptance harder. Does it depend on the country? For example I'm Finnish. So is it a beneficial factor in a sense I think I'm one of the only ones in the whole country to apply to USA.</p>
<p>I found that Williams College said something in a way that it is a plus to have rich cultural background (or something like that). Is it same thing in all the universities or does it depend?</p>
<p>The simple answer is…no it doesn’t. Sure they like to have people from different areas and people with different cultures but only in a minority. Plus for State Colleges like Berkeley, UCLA, UT Austin UVa etc you have to pay OOS tuition which sucks. If you’re a resident of that state the tuition is around 7k$ i think.</p>
<p>Yeah, it does, coming from an under-represented country (especially if the university never had a student from it) helps quite a lot, especially if you emphasize that you are not ‘cultural dead weight’, but actually want to share the culture and traditions of your country with other students, and by doing so increase campus’ diversity. It matters for most of top-tier colleges, not so much for state schools in general, but it does for top state schools (Berkeley, UVA, UCLA, etc.)</p>
<p>Yes, coming from an underrepresented country helps (which is why the Latvian say they will benefit) and being from an overrepresented country hurts (which is why Indians are complaining). I’m not sure about Finland but if few Finns come to the US for uni then it is a benefit. It matters at most top schools (state or private) because there are only so many internationals they are going to take (even if lots of amazing internationals apply) and they want to be able to say “our students come from X countries” where X is a high number. </p>
<p>If one is a blithering idiot then clearly one is not going to get into Harvard no matter what, but if one is ‘good enough’ then being from a rare place helps. At the need-aware schools not wanting financial aid helps too, as a FYI.</p>
<p>It’s not a strict limit, but it’s still a limit. It does lower one’s chances of acceptance if Y compatriots have already been accepted. I see this in play everywhere, esp. with wait-listing candidates at LACs.</p>
<p>but when it comes to financial aidi heard one of the seniors said that it gets harder because the low economics.
i believe they’ll cut the financial aids for international students because they have their own students who need them also
but it won’t be a problem if you can afford it</p>
<p>Being an international applicant will always harm your chances when compared to domestic applicants. However, you will benefit in the sense of having it easier than other applicants from over represented countries like England, India and China. So I would say you have a better chance than a Indian but a harder time than an American.</p>
<p>I think they’d count you as a Finn assuming citizenship, so better than being from a popular Asian country. Most likely a good thing since (AFAIK) Finns tend to stay in the country for uni as it’s free/very cheap? In general lots of applicants from your country = ‘bad’ and vice versa.</p>
<p>I can’t read their minds; I wouldn’t think so…Since a Finland-raised person is a Finland-raised person and gives them the “we have a Finnish student” statistic anyway. Either way there’s nothing you can do about it and the Finn part helps. Good luck (:</p>
<p>lol at what agneisse said. i know what you mean, im the same as you.
not really, but im an asian with australian citizenship, and from what i hear, the citizenship pretty much determines your ‘background’…
so technically we’re already culturally diverse because we have TWO ethnic backgrounds…</p>
<p>Yes, they will care that you are Asian because like everything else, they have a quota for Asians. In their stats you will show up as both Asian and as a student from the country where you hold citizenship. The bright side is they would rather have an Asian from Australia or Finland than another one from NY or CA.</p>
<p>I’m from Maldives but have been studying and living in Australia since I was 6. Any advantages attached to the fact that i am of Maldivian background? or will i be put in the asian category?</p>