<p>I'm from Malaysia, and I'm planning on majoring in physics. The US would be my best choice, due to its diversity, excellence in science, yadda yadda.
But one thing that's really putting me off is how most of the schools seem to state that you HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR ALL FOUR YEARS, THEN ONLY WILL THEY ACCEPT YOU, except for a few 'need-blind' ones.
Is it that true for ALL colleges, except the 8 or so that are need-blind towards internationals? I have excellent grades and extra-curriculars, but THIS could very well be the obstacle that I can't get around. I'm hoping to get financial aid from the school itself, as well as a private sponsorship from my home country, but the chances are rather slim.</p>
<p>Many other colleges besides the IVY League provide really great financial aid for international students. Can you post you detailed info? Like, your grades in individual subjects, SAT score, TOEFL score, Extracurriculars you have taken part in, the amount of money you/your parents are willing to pay for your US education…</p>
<p>Colleges are legally required to verify your ability to pay before they may issue your visa documents. Luckily college-administered financial aid does count towards your resources.</p>
<p>Which schools have financial aid for internationals? The 8 or so need-blind universities you mentioned are only the tip of the iceberg. A greater number of schools admit and fund international students on a need-aware basis (meaning whether you apply for aid will affect your chances of admission). Most of the top 50 liberal arts colleges (by the US News ranking) have some financial aid for international students, for example. Lower-ranked colleges and universities often have merit-based academic scholarships. If you have been successful in sports, you could try to get recruited by a coach and receive an athletic scholarship.</p>
<p>Colleges are most interested in international students who have something valuable to contribute: academic talent, athletic ability or money, for instance. An “average” foreign student will have a hard time financing a US college education.</p>
<p>I don’t think I’ll be able to get a merit-based scholarship, as I’m more of an all-rounder.</p>
<p>So here are my ‘stats’:
Grades - We have a different system here, I take 11 subjects, among them the 3 sciences, 2 maths, English, Mandarin, Malay, history and Literature in English. I rank from 1-5 out of about 500 in the form, and I come from on of the most competitive schools in the country.
SAT - I haven’t taken it yet, but I’m expecting a score in the 2100’s. And I’ll also be taking the subject tests in Math Level 2 and Physics, my best two subjects.
TOEFL - Haven’t taken it, should be pretty easy for me, English is only my ‘second language’ on my certificate, because it’s the language I’m the most fluent in. Just because I come from Malaysia doesn’t mean that I can speak my ‘first language’, Malay, well.
Extra-curriculars - I’m pretty active in school, being the sports house captain, treasurer of the science club, the head of the school website amongst others. I used to do gymnastics, won a state level competition in that. I take part in Wushu now. I go for a lot of workshops and competitions, mostly revolving around science but not limited to that. I won the national science challenge and another national magazine-making competition, and am hoping to get something in the national math and physics olympiads this year.
Amount of money my parents can dish out - about 80,000 USD for all four years. And that’s exactly the problem.</p>
<p>So how do you think I’d fare, when it comes to getting financial aid?</p>
<p>I think your chances of getting admission with financial aid are extremely promising.You are well rounded and academically sound,which makes you an attractive candidate.What makes you even more appealing is that you can pay a decent amount on your education(20000/yr?)and the need aware colleges will be more willing to admit you over intl students who need more funding.You are in a good position-but the key to success is to do extensive research on US colleges.There are many many schools in the US other than Harvard,Yale,Stanford etc where you will get a great education.Start by exploring liberal arts colleges(like Amherst,Williams,Swathmore,Reed,Wesleyan,Hamilton,Macalester,Oberlin,Grinell,Colgate,Vassar,Colby,Bates,Bowdoin etc)and see if you like any(there are many others).You may end up really liking some of them.</p>