<p>Hi i just got my SAT score. I got 2010. 610 for critical reading, 630 for writing and 770 for math. I am kind of disappointed as i got a 7/12 for my essay and i really could have done much better.
What are the chances of me getting a scholarship ? I am interested in University of Michigan Ann-Arbor and TUFTS. Is a scholarship out of reach ? I haven't received my A level scores yet. Should i retake my SAT 1 or should i just focus on my SAT 2s ? Please help i'm really confused and kinda sad lol. My parents won't pay for my college in the US so I have to get a scholarship.
I don't want to get into an ivy league school too badly but I dont want to attend a very average college either.
Please help me.
Thanks in advance</p>
<p>You said your parents won’t pay for your college education in the US. The reality is, only a handful of colleges will offer generous scholarships/aid to international students and these schools are super competitive.
[10</a> Colleges That Give the Most International Student Financial Aid - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2012/10/16/10-colleges-that-give-the-most-international-student-financial-aid]10”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2012/10/16/10-colleges-that-give-the-most-international-student-financial-aid)</p>
<p>You should try to improve your SAT I and take SAT II. Many top colleges require 2-3 SAT II tests. Many students take SAT I more than once and many colleges count only the best scores you have got. </p>
<p>Your current SAT scores are not bad, just not good enough because of the competition for scholarships among the international students. A lot of international students have high financial needs like you. Most of them aim at the well-know schools like the ivies and the like. If you are willing to look into some liberal arts colleges (which may not be well-known in Asia since they do not offer graduate degrees), you may have chances to get admission and a scholarship but do not expect the money will cover all your expenses. It will be generous enough to cover most of the tuition. You do need your parents’ support to present some kind of financial statement and to fill out the financial form required for international students.</p>
<p>BTW, it is unlikely that public schools will offer any money for the international students in undergraduate studies.</p>
<p>If you cannot get money from college and parents, you should consider the alternative: finish your undergraduate education in your home country and attend the graduate school in the US, which may increase your chance to get scholarships, but it also depends on your major.</p>
<p>Does Umich give aid to international students? </p>
<p>Tufts gives need based aid so any aid from Tufts would be based on your family income and assets. I do not know Tufts policies on aid to international students, but you should be able to find that on their website.</p>
<p>Also, what is your GPA? Many schools that award scholarships do so on the basis of SAT or ACT score AND GPA.</p>
<p>I’m hoping you are a junior. To be competitive for scholarships, you need to raise that SAT score. </p>
<p>University of Alabama has generous merit aid for international students, but I believe you CR/Math SAT isn’t high enough. Also, their awards do not cover all of housing, meals and transportation. How do you plan to pay for THOSE things?</p>
<p>i got 1700 on my first try 
anyway il take my SAT 2s. I don’t need to cover all the expenses, just some of it would be fine as my parents wouldn’t mind paying part of it, or even slightly more than half of the total fees. What are the chances of me receiving such a subsidy if i take my SAT 2 and get decent score ? like say above 700 for all 3 subjects ? what are some good sub-ivy league schools ? will they subsidise my expenses ? honestly i don’t really come from a needy family it’s just that my parents don’t wana pay my whole college fees.
thanks so much for your wonderful and insightful answer</p>
<p>i think umich does and thanks il go check out their website :D</p>
<p>as mentioned earlier my parents do not mind paying for part of my education. my school doesn’t use the GPA system i think, we only have alphabetic grades in our report cards. the GCE A levels i took are under the UK system (cambridge) il go check out university of Alabama 
thanks</p>
<p>You have good chances in many colleges as long as you can afford part of the cost.</p>
<p>Do you want to try taking ACT? Is it available in Singapore? Many students perform better on ACT than SAT.</p>
<p>Just as thumper1 pointed out, standard test scores are just part of the criteria fro admission and scholarship. Your grades and the rigor of the your high school courses count a lot, too. Extra curricular activities that show your abilities can give you a boost.</p>
<p>You may want to look at the info here: (Choose the state you are interestede in)
[Schools</a> Awarding International Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.internationalstudent.com/schools_awarding_aid/]Schools”>Schools Awarding International Financial Aid)</p>
<p>Go to the school website to get update info.</p>
<p>If you are not to major in engineering or business, you can consider Colgate University (New York), DePauw University, Earlham College, Grinnell College (Iowa), Hamilton College (New York), Lawrence University (Wisconsin), and Macalester College (Minnesota). University of Richmond (Virginia) offers very good business programs. </p>
<p>For a list of colleges that offer quality eduction without extreme competition in admission:
[Colleges</a> That Change Lives | Changing Lives. One Student at a Time.](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/]Colleges”>http://www.ctcl.org/)</p>
<p>Of course, CC offers a wealth of information for international students:
[International</a> Students - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/]International”>International Students - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Check this post:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/1442056-less-competetive-colleges-great-fin-aid.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/1442056-less-competetive-colleges-great-fin-aid.html</a></p>
<p>Vik…merit awards are based on your SAT scores NOT SAT 2 scores. To be competitive for scholarships, you need to improve your total SAT CR/Math total. Yes, take the SAT 2 if required by colleges you are applying to, but if you are on the hunt for really good merit aid, you need to retake and improve that SAT score…not the SAT 2.</p>
<p>look at Colgate University</p>
<p>I don’t think UMich offers aid to int’ls. If so, the amounts would likely be too small. Certainly not the $50k+ per year that it costs to attend.</p>
<p>Meloria : I think i’ll stick to the SATs i don’t want to go into the ACTs although i think it is available here. In your first line you say many colleges will subsidise my Tuition with this kind of SAT score ? cause i’m really against taking it for the 3rd time. I guess i’ll only retake it if the chances of me getting subsidised tuition depends on it. I do engage in a lot of extra-curricular activities and am a sportsman so maybe that will help with a the subsidy ?
so i really need to know if I am to retake my SAT 1 or whether i should focus on my SAT 2s cause i have a lot of time on my hand. I’m on holiday till may</p>
<p>thumper : so i should retake it ? even if there is no guarantee i’ll do better than what i did previously ? will no schools offer me financial aid with my current sat score ? I will take the SAT 2s either way. Please advice. thanks again. I’m on holiday till may so i do have time to take my exams.</p>
<p>I know of someone who got into Michigan with an SAT score of 2060, but she was an American citizen and I do not know if she received financial help. </p>
<p>I know for sure, however, that Michigan does not offer merit scholarship to international students. I went to a summer program there where we had to attend a recruitment session, and the adcoms made it explicit.</p>
<p>Your SAT would be good enough for you to get admission to many colleges except the Ivy tier but do not make you a strong candidate for scholarships. To get scholarships, you’d better raise your SAT scores or aim at the colleges that are less competitive for international students. </p>
<p>SAT II tests are only required by the most selective colleges. Some students may use them to make up for their subpar GPAs. It is not clear how much weight they have in the decision of scholarships. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence, service, leadership, and special ability. If I were you I would choose to take SAT I one more time. It may help to make you more competitive. There are quite a few students from China and India with high SAT scores. They are applying to the Ivies as well as the second and third tier colleges as their safeties. You may be competing with them.</p>
<p>U of Michigan is very expensive for out-of-state and international students. It seems that it does not offer money to international undergraduates. Tufts can be a reach for you.</p>
<p>With your current stats, I would suggest you to consider the following colleges where you have better chances to get discounts of the cost through scholarships: Grinnell College (IA), Knox College (IL), Illinois Wesleyan University, Earlham College (IN), DePauw University (IN), Albion College (MI), Calvin College (MI), Hope College (MI), Macalester College (MN), St. Olaf College (MN), Colgate University (NY), Hamilton College (NY), Skidmore College (NY), Kenyon College (OH), Denison College (OH), The College of Wooster (OH), Lawrence University (WI). Some may be more competitive than the others (like Colgate, Grinnell, Kenyon, and Hamilton).</p>
<p>Contact the colleges for information and show your interest in them. Look at the common data set of the college you are interested in to have a better understanding of their admission criteria and financial aspect. (For example, <a href=“http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/institutionalresearch/CDS[/url]”>http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/institutionalresearch/CDS</a>)</p>
<p>2010 is not average.</p>
<p>lol…if you’re from Singapore it is. 
That’s usually a “just getting warmed up” score.</p>
<p>Okay i guess University of Michigan is definitely out. I’ll retake my SAT 1 and I have already signed up for my SAT 2. Thanks all of you for your help. I’m now quite clear about what to do already. Especially Meliora, I cant thank you enough. All the invaluable information you gave me was amazing. I’ll do more service too to make myself more competitive.
Thanks again everyone :D</p>