<p>How do all these things factor in to my admission chances at schools like HYPS? Does being an international even matter at all at ivy leagues?</p>
<p>bump???? .....................</p>
<p>those 3 things are CERTAINLY not going to help you, but it isn't impossible! :)</p>
<p>how does financial aid work at Harvard ?? can you ask for financial aid AFTER u get accepted, or do you have to say that you need fin. aid when you apply?</p>
<p>As he said, it's not helping you, but it's not like it's a SIGNIFICANT damage. If you have the grades/scores/ECs/etc then yeah.</p>
<p>powerbomb, you must request for financial aid when you apply</p>
<p>i thought that being international was a GOOD thing?</p>
<p>Definitely not when you are asking for aid, no. I don't know about Harvard but that's the case for most other universities that are not need-blind.</p>
<p>I know Harvard is need-blind for Americans, and I would assume it would be the same for internationals. It's not as if they are low on money and need to save!
I would just call admissions and ask directly, "is admissions need-blind to internationals?"
I've also heard that being an international is a disadvantage, but I don't think I agree. My Harvard interviewer told me that 2 or so kids get in every year from my country, out of 20 to 25 applicants. That gave me about an 8 to 10% shot at being accepted, right? Which is better than if you are applying from the states. Although, I suppose it varies from country to country as well as state to state.
Asian doesn't really hurt you, it just doesn't help you. Say what you will about backlash from AA, I'm convinced that if you are a good candidate you will get a fair look no matter what your race is. You just may get a longer look if you are a URM. But, tons of Asians get in every year, so don't worry, that doesn't knock you out of the running at all!
Basically, these things won't work in your favor, but it's not going to keep you out of Harvard. The worst thing you could do is not apply.</p>
<p>Harvard is need-blind to internationals.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice,</p>
<p>I'm only a rising junior, but I can comfortably say that I've been doing very well with very rigorous courseload. I have good ECs, recognitions and whatnot, but I just feel that I am going to need things like INTEL, IMO, RSI and all that super duper prestigious stuff to equalize my candidacy with American applicants...</p>
<p>That is not the case, is it?</p>
<p>And also, Don't some Ivy league schools offer benefits for Canadian internationals?? I heard UPenn, Columbia, and Cornell do this...but those 3 aren't my top choices anyways.</p>
<p>If all else fails, I will probably attend McGill.</p>
<p>At HYPSM admission rates for internationals is typically half or less the rate of domestic applicants, ranging from 3 to 5%, so it is clearly a disadvantage. </p>
<p>Canada, together with India and China have the largest pools of international applicants so the competition may be even more fierce as colleges want a diverse student and will not admit a large percentage of students from just a few countries. This could therefore play against you as well.</p>
<p>FA is not an issue with these schools but it definitely is at the next tier of Ivies and selective colleges where most internationals pay full freight.</p>
<p>As far as IMO, RSI and Intel, these awards are more prized by MIT or Caltech where where the applicant pool is self-selecting with strong backgrounds and ECs in math and science. Most internationals at MIT have won science awards in the their respective countries. They even ask for your MC/AIME score on the application. In contrast, at Yale for instance only about 20% are math/science majors, so if you don't have these awards that will count less against you. You will still have to stand out somehow! </p>
<p>You should really broaden your list of colleges to have a realistic chance. Quite a few will offer you a college experience equal or better than McGill, so don't give up before even starting.</p>
<p>
[quote]
And also, Don't some Ivy league schools offer benefits for Canadian internationals?? I heard UPenn, Columbia, and Cornell do this...but those 3 aren't my top choices anyways.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>They do. All but Brown does from the Ivy League, I believe. Some LACs such as Williams and Amherst also provide need-blind aid to Canadians. There's also MIT. I believe there's a thread somewhere on the Int'l Students board that describes which US institutions offers full need-blind aid.</p>
<p>Yes, INTEL, IMO, RSI will probably help, but it's not like you'll be an auto-reject from Harvard, etc. if you don't get into them. Also, I'd watch your attitude towards UPenn, Columbia, and Cornell. Someday you might be attending one of them (or receive rejection letters from them).</p>
<p>Upenn, Columbia, Cornell and Brown are NOT need blind for internationals.<br>
Only 8 schools are: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, Amherst, Williams and Middlebury.
Schools</a> Awarding International Financial Aid</p>
<p>My son was on the same case with international, FA and Asian.
He has Canadian citizenship.</p>
<p>He was accepted to Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Cornell and Johns Hopkins.
Admission rate for international to MIT is only 3.9% compared to 11.6%
for American. Withould international awards, it's hard to get into MIT.
(not always, but most of previous Canadian applicants had international
olympiad medals)</p>
<p>The FA we got was much more than what we expected, almost full-ride.
So pls just do your best to increase your chance and you don't have to
too much worry about FA except Stanford, if you are not that much rich family.
Especially H, M, P are also need-blind for international.
Stanford is the worst and worst case for international asking for FA.
After my son was rejected from Stanford, I asked too many applicants
here and there all the way to see the reason and almost everybody
who was accepted to Stanford either in EA or regular pool didn't ask for FA.
To my regret, I heard from only one applicant's friend, not from the applicant
saying his freind was accepted to Stanford with FA, international.
So it looks you're almost 99% rejected, if asking for FA. </p>
<p>My son was a goldmedalist of international olympiad with bunch of awards
and excellent extra activities and good scores.
That's why he was accepted to most big schools except Stanford.
So I really want you and all not to spend time applying for Stanford
unless you have a kind of novel prize.
Rather try other schools, if asking for FA.</p>
<p>good luck to you this year !!!</p>
<p>wow. this is very discouraging.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Upenn, Columbia, Cornell and Brown are NOT need blind for internationals.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, but UPenn, Columbia, and Cornell are need-blind for Canadians, which was what powerbomb was asking, right? (I just wanted to clear that up so you didn't get confused.)</p>
<p>And please don't get discouraged! I don't think it's easy getting into Ivy League schools, to be sure, but I don't think it's as difficult as kotopia made it sound like (congratulations to your son, by the way, kotopia). I'm an int'l student as well, and I am certainly not some crazily amazing person who's a Nobel Laureate, etc. In fact, I think I'm merely a reasonably remarkable person, and I daresay I got into some good schools (though Cornell, at least, doesn't seem to be very high on your list). ;)</p>
<p>srry bout the dumb question, but what does need blind mean?</p>
<p>It means the university does not consider whether you're applying for financial aid when you apply. For example, if a university is not need blind, someone with slightly inferior stats who is not asking for any aid would get in over someone with slightly superior stats who is asking for aid. The latter would have a much better chance at a need blind university.</p>
<p>I have hypothetical a question - if you're a US citizen but currently residing in a foreign country, are you considered an international or domestic applicant?</p>