<p>hi! My name is Peter and I am an international student from eastern Europe.
I have some difficulty determine the perfect Un/college for me to apply under ED.
I want to study s.t. in the field of computer sciences and information technologies but
I also need substantial financial aid which as I have understood i quiet limited when it comes to international students.
So here are some colleges/un among which I hope to find perfect match for me under ED. Lafayette C, Lake Forest C, Lehigh U, Swarthmore C, Vassar C, Knox C,Ithaca C.</p>
<p>I have SAT 1 (the old one) 600verbal 780 math<br>
SAT 2 writting 600
maths 1c 700
world history 670
physics 800</p>
<p>TOEFL computer based 278 out of 300 </p>
<p>GPA - 6 (the maximum possible)
class rank 1 weighted out of 180 students
s. school record - the most rigorous courses in my school </p>
<p>EC</p>
<p>-most important for me
Painting and Photography
Basketball - Captain of the School Team
member of National Red Cross voluntary organization
Snowboarding
computer programing</p>
<p>-less important
habitat for humanity
guitar playing
whole bunch of other sports - soccer, volleyball, swimming etc.</p>
<p>Awards and scholastic distinctions
- 2 time first prize winner in Regional information technologies contest
- 2 times first prize winner in Regional physics contest and 1 time second prize winner
- Won the Basketball championship of elite schools in my city last year (captain of the team)
- Several awards for drawings and photographs from different art contest</p>
<p>Work Experience
- Computer maintenance at Computer club
- Lifeguard ( have a license for that certified by the international water saving organization)</p>
<p>Essay - useless to say my opinion about it but a I've put a lot work in it and tryed to do my best.
Quite good according to different friends currently studding in US whom I used as proofreaders.</p>
<p>well, that's more or less. I Hope someone can give me a advice whether I have a good chance at any of the colleges listed above.
Which is best for me to apply ED? What about some other college. What About my EC? Is there a need for me to list them all or just the ones that I am most interested in?
Btw I'm sorry for posting the same thread in two separate parts of the forum but I think it applies to both.
Tnx in advance to anyone who can help me to choose my ED college/un.</p>
<p>well since you are asking about ED, first piece of information I would like to see is what you think of each of the school you listed. ED is about applying to one school that you know for certain if you got in you would not regret not being able to apply to other schools so choosing a school for ED really has little to do with your stats.</p>
<p>with that said, I think you have a good chance whatever your choice end up being, but choose wisely and be sure you know what you are getting into for ED.</p>
<p>I understand that choosing a college to which to apply under ED plan is quite difficult and bounding and that is precisely why i seek help. From those colleges I've allready listed I would not regret being admited under ED in any of the best of - Lafayette C, Swarthmore C, Vassar C. I like those for similar reasons - high academical standarts, small classes, study abroad programs, their situation ( in the northeastern states near big cities) and also the very important part - financial aid for intenational students. </p>
<p>So what I need is an advise as a like them all to which I have best chances to be admited ED with the stats I listed above. I will also be grateful If s.b. can recommand me some other similar college in which I will have a good chance to be admited under ED with financial aid.</p>
<p>Btw If any internation student has applied to Lafayette C, Swarthmore C, Vassar C under ED and been admited I will be grateful if he/she writes me her/his stats.</p>
<p>The general consensus is that you should not apply early decision if you need substantial financial aid. The reason? You cut off the chance to compare financial aid and merit scholarship offers from other schools and you give up the ability to negotiate with different schools for better offers based on the offers of other schools. </p>
<p>Another consideration specifically for international students is that financial aid and merit scholarships available for international students are usually very limited at many schools. What little money is available, often goes disproportionally to the most qualified candidates. Therefore, by applying ED to a school where you are not at the top of the international candidates you may be limiting your options even further.</p>
<p>The only school on your list that guarantees to meet full demonstrated need for all accepted international students is Swarthmore. In other words, it is the only school where you can be sure that, if admitted, you will get financial aid. However, two things to keep in mind. Swarthmore is NOT need blind in admissions for internationals (that means your need will be considered when they look at your application and they will turn away less qualified applicants with need in preference to better qualified applicants with need). Second, while Swarthmore guarantees to meet demonstrated financial need, their definition of what you need may be very different from yours. They may offer you a smaller grant than you expect or larger work study/loans than you might get at another school. They also do not offer merit scholarships. They will also not pay for your travel expenses, books, incidentals, etc.</p>
<p>Which brings us back to the other schools on your list - none of them are need blind for international students either, nor do they promise to meet demonstrated need. This is an important thing to keep in mind: just offering financial aid for internationals (as Vassar and Lafayette do) is not the same as guaranteeing to meet full financial need as Swarthmore does. A few of the schools on your list also have limits on the amount of financial aid they will give to accepted international students. Some of them, however, do offer some nice merit scholarships to international students. Additionally, some of the schools on your list are less expensive to begin with than others.</p>
<p>I also wanted to point out that Lake Forest offers a non-binding early action option in addition to ED. You might consider going that route there as you will get the same sort of boost from it as you would from applying ED.</p>
<p>Good luck ------ these are all factors only you can weigh. I would suggest you contact the international admissions representative at each school via email and discuss the implications of applying early decision (or EA where available) on your chances for financial aid and merit money at each school in order to get a clearer sense of whether ED is right for you. Ask specifically for details about the average financial aid packages and merit scholarships offered to international students in the past few years. Also specifically ask "Do you guarantee to meet full financial need for accepted international students?" But again, bear in mind that even a financial aid package that meets full need by the school's standards may not be to your liking. Yet, under the terms of early decision, you will be bound to take it and attend.</p>
<p>One other thing. Vassar offers both an ED I option with a deadline of Nov. 15 and an ED II option with a deadine in January. You could conceivably apply EDI to Swarthmore and if you don't get in apply EDII to Vassar. Double check on the exact dates of notification, however.</p>
<p>i think vassar aims to meet the full demonstrated need of every student who gets admitted... so while it isn't need-blind for internationals, if it takes you, it will pay for you. but yeah, your "need" might not be the same as the "need" their analysts may calculate... but i wonder HOW different can the two of them be....</p>
<p>The problem is applying ED at a school that does not meet 100% of your demonstrated need , as Carolyn stated, you are basically cutting your own self off.</p>
<p>If a school allows you to back out of your ED agreement, it is usually to attend your local univeristy, as an international student, you may end up with no school in the U.S. to fall back on or you will not be able to obtain an visa unless you can prove that you have the funds to pay for the education. Remember as an international student, you are not even eligible for the type of aid yo would get as a citizen or permanent resident (no federal loans, you cannot work off campus).</p>
<p>I think that those are a lot of variables to go into blindly. Unless you are at the top of the applicant pool, you are not going to be in for any big money. Lehigh states;</p>
<p>Last year, only 15 students were offered financial aid packages out of the more than 300 admissible applicants requesting financial aid. You are strongly encouraged to explore other sources of scholarship and financial aid.</p>
<p>Does Ithaca offer financial aid to international students? </p>
<p>Ithaca College financial assistance for students who are not U.S. citizens is limited. International students should expect to be responsible for the full costs of attendance--tuition, room, board, personal expenses (including transportation)--throughout the entire period of study. The College does recognize outstanding academic achievement and demonstrated talent and considers all applicants for merit-based aid. </p>
<p>My suggestion would be to apply RD and see what kind of money you are going to get.</p>
<p>I understood that applying ED at a school that does not meet 100% of my demonstrated need, as Carolyn stated, I am basically cutting my own self off. That is why I am simply not going to do that. I just want to correct her saying that the only college in my list that guarantees to meet full demonstrated need for all accepted international students is Swarthmore. Luckily for me this is not true. Lafayette C guarantees to meet the need of all students they admit, whether ED or regular, whether international or American. Vassar even though does not officially state this also covers pretty much the full financial need of admitted international students.</p>
<p>So now I only have to choose one of those 3 in which to apply ED. This will be probably Vassar as I believe I have greatest chances for admission with financial aid there.</p>
<p>Also, the environment at the 3 schools is very different. Statisically, Swarthmore is certainly the most difficult to get into of those 3, and I think Lafayette the least. Lafayette social life is big on Frats, and the feel of the campus is certainly much more right-wing than that of either Vassar or Swarthmore. I think you'd probably have the best shot at Lafayette, but your college experience at Lafayette and Vassar will be veryyyyyy different, which is something to consider.</p>