<p>I don't have any counselor or anybody I know who goes to an American college, so I really need some help choosing some schools. </p>
<p>I won't write too much to bore you, just some necessary credentials without a long list of bs.</p>
<p>Korean/m</p>
<p>No GPA (I quit school and graduated a year early)</p>
<p>SATI
Math 770 Writing 700 Critical Reading 740
SATII
Math LvII 780 Eng Lit 750 Biology 750 World History 770
AP
World History 5 Biology 5 Eng Language and Composition 4</p>
<p>iBT TOEFL
117/120</p>
<p>-Amnesty International Korea w/ coordinating experience (group leader)</p>
<p>I want to major in Creative Writing, English Literature or maybe History...</p>
<p>Here's the list I've compiled so far:
Brown
Pomona
Johns Hopkins
Vassar
Bowdoin
Bard College
Colgate
Skidmore
University of Rochester
Williams
Amherst
Brandeis
Reed College
Tufts
Wesleyan University
Lewis and Clark College </p>
<p>I prefer urban to rural, and would like to stay on either the east or west coast. </p>
<p>Do you need financial aid? If so, are you classified as an international for said aid? What was your GPA before you graduated high school? (Convert to 4.0 scale, please.)</p>
<p>Assuming you are full-pay: I’m extremely skeptical of a list that includes both Bard and Colgate. Go on the CC individual forums and research college atmosphere.</p>
<p>Solely on urban>rural, you should eliminate Colgate and Williams.</p>
<p>(Aside: what is it with people constantly misspelling “safeties”?)</p>
<p>Find the Common Data Set on each school’s web site. Check sections C9 to C12 for how you compare to the last matriculating class in order to estimate your chances.</p>
<p>Your credentials are great. I agree that Colgate does not sound right for you. I also agree that you need to be sure that you can afford these places, or else do some really serious research on schools that offer aid to internationals. This list is good- you have a good range of schools. Williams is in a town, a very charming town, so you may like it. Shops and restaurants are next to the campus. I do not believe that Bowdoin is near any city. Occidental College is worth looking at- in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>Williamstown is charming, but also TINY and definitely rural. The only ethnic restaurant within walking distance is an expensive Thai-Japanese place (and not particularly tasty, IMHO).</p>
<p>Another Oregon college to consider is Willamette University in Salem. They seem to really like international students. I believe they are ranked above Lewis and Clark. Reed College is a great school for your interests, and having graduated high school early likely isn’t an issue there. The atmosphere at Reed is unique, probably unlike any other school on your list. I hope you visit your top choices before enrolling</p>
<p>I do prefer an urban setting, but as an international student who needs financial aid, I found my choices reduced to only a few colleges that give FA to internationals. Colgate is admittedly in a rural setting, but it is also in New York State, which would compensate slightly (?) for its direct surroundings. I guess the direct setting is less important than the presence of any big cities nearby–this is mainly because I want to be involved in the nightlife/music scene there. </p>
<p>Honestly, I’m not a situation to be picky, and knowing this, I’m probably going to compromise my own tastes for a lot of other factors. In fact, all the UCs were eliminated because they didn’t offer FA for internationals (minus San Diego and LA)</p>
<p>With what you’ve given us which is basically just SATs, no one here can tell you what your chances are. As a Korean international, you’re in about the most competitive possible pool in a year where schools will be cutting back aid to internationals. Only one of your schools is need blind to internationals. If you need a lot of aid, who knows?</p>
<p>Colgate is nowhere near a big city. Nightlife off campus? Not happening at most of these colleges.</p>
<p>^^^
I added Colgate because they’re one of the schools that are still relatively generous to internationals. Plus, they look at the highest scores of each section in the SAT instead of just one sitting, which brings my SAT scores up to 770M 760R 720W, although this isn’t hugely helpful, as this boosts other applicants’ scores as well. </p>
<p>The only thing I left out is my GPA. I’m sure it’s possible (with my SAT, SATII, AP and iBT TOEFL scores–hardly basically just SATs) to assess roughly of whether the list is on the right track, although I will have to find a substitute for my lack of a GPA (appyling as a “homeschooler” for example), when I’m finished deciding where to apply to. My definition–if it does indeed happen to differ from everyone else’s-- of ‘nightlife’ doesn’t
mean I want to frequent massive big city clubs and bars every day of the week. Maybe a trip to a nearby city via train or car on the weekends, small local bars, modest music scene etc are all welcome.</p>
<p>I suppose a school like Reed would be ideal.</p>
<p>Most schools will look at highest scores. And GPA is very, very important. If you can’t figure it out, post your transcript (courses taken, rigor of those courses, grades achieved w/ context).</p>
<p>Colgate is still nowhere like Reed in setting (or atmosphere or anything else for that matter), but yes, you need to look for need-aware schools that are known for being generous and apply widely. You need almost full FA, I assume?</p>
<p>The competition for financial aids is very intense for international students. You should add SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Binghamton to your list. SUNY might not give your aids but it is still cheaper than many private schools after financial aids.</p>