Help With ED School Selection

College Search & Selection
1

I am an international student who needs a lot of aid (contri ability is $15-20k / maximum 25k) (income bracket <30k)
Here’s my stats:

  • SAT: 1520
  • Math 2:800, Physics: taking it this october
  • Have some major awards at English (national, municipal, regional…)

School preferences:

  • NU
  • Location: preferably suburban or urban
  • Finaid: A lot
  • Major: Econ
  • Weather: not too cold
  • safe neighborhood and campus
  • not too competitive in academics

Thanks for your help!

2

NU?

3

National Universities

4

“National Universities”

This doesn’t mean anything in North America. Are you intending to apply ED somewhere outside of North America?

5

We don’t have “National Universities” here. We have state universities (most won’t give much if any financial aid to foreign students – they mostly give it to students who are residents of their states and whose parents are taxpayers in the state). And private colleges. Lots of those. They vary widely in terms of size, selectivity, and financial aid available. Aid is often very limited for foreign students. The schools that give good aid to foreign students have very competitive admissions.

6

I have some universities to choose from (suggestions from counselor): Rice, Vanderbilt, Tufts, or highest would be Cornell.
I’m not sure if I can get accepted into Vanderbilt since the people who were accepted last year (class of 2021) from my school had really great stats (2360 and 2400 SAT respectively + other sat subjects).
so I’m choosing either Rice or Cornell? Are there any other universities you would like to suggest? Thanks!

7

Further information:
GPA: 3.84
APs: None

ECs: volunteering + raise fund for donations + internship + filmmaking + open art classes for disabled children + summer camps

8

Look at a map…and then google the average temperatures in Ithaca NY which is where Cornell is located. They have VERY cold…and snowy winters. If you don’t want particularly cold…then this should,not be a choice…at all.

Your 3.8 GPA is going to be on the low side for admission to the schools younhave listed…as an international student.

9

I think by NU the OP means universities on the US News “national universities” list… vs. the liberal arts college or regional lists. Am I correct?

10

Yeah that’s what I’m talking about

11

If your family makes less than 30k how can they afford 25k each year?

12

You have “not too competitive in academics” on your list of wants… Vanderbilt, Rice, Tufts, and Cornell are not in that category.

Agree with the suggestion from another of your threads – U of Alabama. It hits everything on your wanted list. There are a lot of top students there but you wouldn’t be completely surrounded by competition the way you would at a place like Cornell.