<p>Ok, the deadline for application is looming and i'm having trouble deciding what to put for financial papers. </p>
<p>I'm from Canada and planning to apply to about 5-6 great universities in the states</p>
<p>I'm applying to Cornell ED, Dartmouth, and maybe Columbia (the three ivies) and since they are need-blind to Canadians i'll just request FA.</p>
<p>But... i'm also applying to UC Berkeley, UChicago, and Duke. Now these schools aren't need-blind for Canadians. My family is not wealthy by any means. My parents make under 60k a year. But we do have an extra condo that we will probably sell to cover the cost of my tuition. However, i prefer not to do that. So how do i convey that i prefer that the colleges to give me some FA but i can still pay full if i have to. I don't want my ability to pay to be a deciding factor. And should i just apply saying that i don't need any FA? I know i probably have to do that for Berkeley, but what about UChicage and Duke?</p>
<p>There is no way to do both. These schools meet need other than Berkeley, which won’t give you any aid. They are also supposed to be need blind. While I have my doubts because they all come up with the same percentage of full pay students each year, these are all generous aid schools I wouldn’t worry about.</p>
<p>At Duke and Chicago you’ll decrease your chances at admission (since you’re an international applicant) if you need FA. You’ll be put into a more competitive pool.</p>
<p>I just got that info second hand though, I might be could wrong (but I doubt it, the guy who told me is a Canadian at Wharton).</p>
<p>Yes, sorry, I missed the international part. Even at supposedly need blind schools there’s so little money for internationals, especially those from certain Countries, that I’d hesitate to apply for aid if I could pay. </p>
<p>Merit aid for internationals? That’s a tough one–suggest you take the question to the international board.</p>
<p>The guy who went to Wharton (Penn) from Canada also applied to Columbia, Dartmouth, and Harvard (among others) but did NOT apply to UChicago or Stanford because he knew that he would not make it out of the hyper competitive pool of internationals seeking FA.</p>
<p>Given that you have McGill, U of T, UBC, and a whole bunch of other more than decent places to study in Canada, why on earth do you feel the need to ask: "…do you know any less prestigious school where i can be competitive for merit money as an international applicant? " What exactly is it that you think you absolutely must come South for that you can’t get at home?</p>
<p>i just feel like that there’s more opportunities for growth in the States. And where an American university degree, a good one that is, its easier to find employment in Asia and Europe and the rest of the globe. If i stay in Canada, i’ll be struck in a bank like TD or BMO for the rest of my life, something i don’t want. </p>
<p>Is there any school near Vanderbilt level that i’m competitive for merit aid?</p>