<p>I am a Canadian student (grade 11) and I am looking to apply to American universities before the end of this year, for the Fall 2010 entry. Thing is, there is no way I'll be able to afford an American education unless it's fully paid for. I heard that a lot of people (even internationals) have received full scholarships to certain colleges. How can I ensure that I will get a free ride if I decide to go to an American university?</p>
<p>My stats (if it matters):</p>
<p>-only took a practice SAT test and got 2030
-95% average
-a TON of ec's (President of four councils, captain of three sports teams, writing a book for charity, etc.)
-many awards and an amazing internship (grade 11)</p>
<p>I am going to in October. I don’t necessarily need to take subject tests because not all universities require them, including Stanford, Notre Dame, NYU, Vanderbilt, etc.</p>
<p>Aside from that, any suggestions on how I can get a full ride to college?</p>
<p>Not required =/= they won’t be taken into account. You have until December to apply and before that you definitely want to do very well on SAT Reasoning and subject tests (in case you apply to unis which require them, and in any case good marks can only help). Write good essays and make sure you have good relationships with your teachers to write nice recommendations. Apply to the full-ride colleges or be willing to dip lower in the rankings as they may want you to boost their profile.</p>
<p>Are you poor enough to qualify for needs-based aid? If so, your stats would stand you in good stead for competitive admissions to good colleges which would meet your need.</p>
<p>Otherwise, you’ll be competing for merit-based aid, which means you’ll be looking further down the rankings.</p>
<p>My dad is home (injured) and my mom is a high school secretary. My dad is only making ~55% of his previous wages and my mom’s making <$20 (Canadian)/hour</p>
<p>Guessing that your SAT is 2120, some LACs you might want to consider that offer need-based aid to international students:
Lafayette
Bates
Grinnell
Macalester
Colby</p>
<p>The schools where aid is need based, which is most top schools, will look at your overall income, assets and most look at equity in your home. They will come up with an estimated family contribution. Many families believe the number the school comes up with is not affordable. Run some calculators to see if your family is comfortable with your EFC at different schools. </p>
<p>A total free ride is hard to get unless you are quite poor or you go to a merit aid school where your stats put you at the very top of the applicant pool. This often means a top student going to a third tier state school.</p>