I’m an international applicant and have chosen Wesleyan, Trinity, and Brown (reach school). Maybe Hamilton too.
Now I have to choose between Union (NY), Skidmore (NY), and Dickinson (PA). I want a college in the Northeast, as you’ve probably seen from my choices, and this is the best I could narrow it down to (I had to consider a lot of factors). I am applying for financial aid and will need a full package or at least near to one.
My school is very well-regarded.
My SAT is 2140.
SAT French 800
SAT Literature - don’t know yet, I would say around 700.
My GPA is around 3.79.
I’m part of a pretty good number of clubs, with no apparent leadership positions (except for being an editor in the school newspaper, and president of a small club).
I am very passionate about learning across all fields and I consider myself somewhat artistic. I like to write and read - would be interested in Literature programs. I definitely want to study abroad. I want to be surrounded by people who would inspire and challenge me. I am looking for a liberal school.
I find it difficult to choose between the three schools because they are all not extremely popular and somehow that bugs me - do they have a good enough reputation, are they going to allow me to develop intellectually, but also place me in good position in the job market?
I have to choose one, because we won’t be able to afford more schools than that. (Yes, Union has no application fee, but still, there are other taxes and stuff like that)
It’s hard for me to get a good idea of what all the colleges I will be applying to will feel like, because I can only experience them through their websites. I began my college search looking at colleges near to New York City or Boston or Philadelphia, but I don’t know anymore - that limited my choices a lot and I don’t even now if I’ll have the time and resources to visit these cities often enough, even if I’m 1-2 hours away for it to be worth it.
Sorry for the disorganized text, I hope you get a sense of what kind of applicant I am.
And thank you in advance for any help you might offer me.
If you can’t visit and can only apply to one, then apply to Skidmore. Saratoga is beautiful. Academically these three are peers but Saratoga is extremely pleasant.
None of these schools are close enough to those major cities to count for much.
As I understand it, having visited none of them, but being from the general area, and surrounded by people who have, Skidmore prides itself on interdisciplinary studies, while Dickinson prides itself on international connections. Union is a good school, but doesn’t particularly stand out for either. (Its reputation isn’t particularly liberal either, but that’s second hand info.)
Are you hoping to stay in the US after graduation? Options for that are limited. I don’t think we have a shortage of qualified Eng/literature grads. Plan to find a school that would help you get employment in your home country.
