<p>Hi,
I applied to 20 US colleges for admission for class of 2017. Unfortunately I was accepted by 3 and rejected by the rest. I can not attend the universities which accepted me because they didn't gave be adequate financial aid.
Here are my stats:
2 A<em>, 3A, 3Bs in O-Level
4.0 GPA
3A</em> Predicted A-Level
27 in ACT
I think the main reason behind my rejections was my low ACT scores (1 month prep) and my essays (1 week).
I have a strong belief that I can work all summer on preparation for the SAT and improve my score and write better supplement essays as I would now have considerable more time than before. So do you think I should take a GAP year or should I apply to universities in Pakistan and continue my education in Pakistan although I don't want to due to low quality of undergraduate education as compared to US.</p>
<p>It seems to me that your biggest problem is the lack of financial aid. Improving your essays and ACT scores isn’t necessarily likely to result in dramatic improvement in your financial aid offers. Moving from the rejected pile at a school to the pile of international applicants who are accepted with substantial amounts of aid is a very tough feat. Better essays and stronger test scores can be helpful. But, even if those do manage to yield more positive admissions decisions for you, unless your family’s financial circumstances change, you might get similar financial aid offers next year. If you do take a gap year, you need to also have a solid back up plan to take effect if US colleges give you similar decisions next year.</p>
<p>yes I have a back up plan if the same thing happens next year. I will take admission in any good Engineering Uni in my Pakistan.</p>
<p>there are tons of factors at play here…
what’s your planned major? engineering I guess?which one?
how much aid do you need?
btw…in the British system there’s no gpa…even if u get all A<em>'s… so u shouldn’t have mentioned the 4.0
right now concentrate on getting the 3A</em>s in A levels… thts the most important thing…
ull get into a fine college if u plan rightly…
also, try appealing the aid to the unis u have got in this year…</p>
<p>There are a very small number of institutions in the US that offer guaranteed merit based aid to international students - basically if you have the GPA and the ACT or SAT score you are in, and you get that money. Read through this thread, and through the threads that are linked inside of it, and check out the policies of the various universities to find out if the money is available to international students. If you can get that ACT above 30, you should have some options.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=bobwallace[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=bobwallace</a></p>
<p>Remember that these scholarships can change from one year to the next, so you will also have to do a bit of research on your own. If you like these options, don’t enroll anywhere for the fall so that you don’t lose your freshman status when you apply. There are lots of things that you can do in a Gap Year. Just look around your town or city, and think about the possibilities. You don’t need to save the world, you just need to do something reasonably productive.</p>
<p>What are the 3 colleges that you got into?</p>