<p>Do you have to be active in a sport or club to get into an Ivy League ?
I live in Sweden and here it cost to be a member of a sports team and my parents can't afford that
because none of them work and they don't have any car so i don't have anyone that can drive me everywhere.
I really need to get into Harvard or Yale because those schools offer financial aid.
I've got the grades and i have high SAT scores and I do have interests that I'm passionated about its just that my parents really need me home. I take care of my siblings very often and I'm wondering
if that counts as an extracurricular activity ?
My both parents really want the best for me but they just can't afford everything i need
and i believe that a good education is the key to success i really need to get into an Ivy thats my only chance :(</p>
<p>I don’t have an answer for you, but I am curious about what happens to students after high school in Sweeden. Do students like yourself have to leave the country if they want to go to college?</p>
<p>No they don’t but the swedish schools aren’t the best
and as i said a very good education is the only thing that can save me
and if i get into a swedish school you have to pay for your own room
because the swedish universities don’t have dorms. You have to hire an apartment </p>
<p>
No, but you do need have passions outside of the classroom.
While schools do have varying degrees of how they handle internationals, these are not the only two that offer aid to internationals.
You 100% do not need to attend an ivy league school or even a top school to be successful.</p>
<p>On your application, you’re going to want to explain any extenuating circumstances. The admissions people might not know that those things cost money and that you couldn’t afford it.
Taking care of siblings is absolutely an extracurricular. It’s basically a job, whether it is for family or not.
The admins will take into consideration the resources available to you and how you utilize them. For example, a student from a family in poverty or a student in a school with no AP’s will not be at a disadvantage simply based on their situation.
Is it imperative that you go to an Ivy or even go to the US? There are fantastic schools in the UK that might be in your range, as well. Just a thought.
Admissions to Ivy league schools is often referred to as a crapshoot, so even with fantastic scores, you might still be rejected. Even as an international student, you should still apply to safety schools, within or outside the US.
<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2013/09/19/colleges-that-give-international-students-the-most-financial-aid”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2013/09/19/colleges-that-give-international-students-the-most-financial-aid</a>
Check out this list for schools that are the top givers of int’l financial aid
Best of luck <3</p>
<p>thank you so much louie412 you really made my day (:
I agree the schools in UK are as good as the ones in the US </p>
<p>If you are really concerning about financial issues, you may also consider small liberal art schools as well as ivy league school. LACs such as Vassar, Middlebury and Swarthmore are need-blind and meet 100% demonstrated need for all U.S applicants. </p>
<p>On the subject of schools in the UK, do be aware that as an EU citizen you’d be eligible for a loan from the UK government for tuition fees (low interest, and only pay back 9% of anything you earn over £21,000 per year after you graduate, for a maximum of 30 years) but you / your parents would need to fund all of your living expenses. For living expenses, you should budget ~£7500 per year, or substantially more in London. </p>
<p>May i ask what’s so negative about Swedish universities, or is it that you want to come to the U.S for the country itself (Make lots of money)?</p>
<p>No thats not the reason its just that Swedish universities don’t offer any rooms and i have to hire
an apartment and there are more students than there are apartments and another reason is that
i can’t afford to live miles away from my family and where am i suppose to get the money from ?
i’ve never been abroad and i want to come outside Sweden and explore the world.
There’s nothing wrong with the Swedish Universities its just not for me, they have no social life at all
I want to have fun too and actually live while I’m young
I don’t care about the big bucks i just want enough money to live a healthy life</p>
<p>Look at the Top 25 list above - there are 6 schools that are both need-blind and meet need, but plenty of others that are need aware yet meet full need for international students they admit.</p>
<p>You could get a full ride scholarship somewhere, especially if you can attend a lesser-known school. Some are automatic for GPA + SAT or ACT score, so you’d need to really practice with number2.com until you get practically every question correct.
Here’s a link to the automatic scholarships:
<a href=“Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;
Here’s a link to the competitive scholarships:
<a href=“Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;
<p>Taking care of siblings (cooking, ironing, taking them to and from school, supervising homework, etc) does count as an EC. It’s the same if you work for many hours every week in order to help your family (ie., you can mention working regardless, but it’s less impressive if you work to buy yourself new phone gadgets than if you work to help pay for your siblings’ school clothes and shoes or help pay rent.)</p>
<p>However to be competitive for the top 10 LACs and universities, you need to be someone extraordinary. You can’t just be the best student in your class, you have to be the best student in the school, and for top 10 schools likely among the top students in the country. You need to have something that really stands out.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice <3 (:</p>
<p>Try to look at Berea College, it’s at top 3 liberal arts college (I guess). All the students get need based aid. I applied to Berea college for this fall, waiting for my results…</p>
<p>I guess with good SAT scores and with your passion for studies, you might get in! Write about your current situation in your essay and the struggles you faced etc. And who knows your dream may come true.
I’m a international student by the way.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>The give you two recent examples, Clinton and Obama were poor but smart too.
To the best of my knowledge, all American colleges and universities offer financial aid to their students and not just Harvard and Yale.
Extra curricular activities help you get into Ivy League school, however there are no guarantees.
Living with your parents and helping them out is not going to brighten your credentials however if you were the sole breadwinner who was fighting against the odds, then it might be looked upon differently.
I say you research more and think beyond Ivy Leagues as well. </p>
<p>’“To the best of my knowledge, all American colleges and universities offer financial aid to their students and not just Harvard and Yale.”</p>
<p>To the best of my knowledge, the OP is an int’l, so…</p>
<p>Yes, only a few US colleges meet full need for internationals. Some universities, especially public Us, offer no fin aid to internationals. U Michigan-AA is one example of this. I’d suggest the OP take a look at this. <a href=“Financial Aid for International Students - eduPASS”>http://www.edupass.org/finaid/</a></p>
<p>Thanks guys</p>