International Student: Going to College in the US

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi! I am a Romanian student starting junior year this fall. I am determined to go to college in the US, however my parents cannot afford the costs,therefore I am looking for colleges that are need-based and/or need-blind.

New SAT(not yet taken, but registered for this October): expecting 750 or more on English-Based Reading and Writing and almost 800 on Math.
Class Rank: First in my class
GPA: 10/10

Extracurricular activities:
National Physics Olympiad-9th and 10th grade, Honorable Mention both times
National Linguistics Olympiad-8th,9th and 10th grade, Third Prize in the 8th grade
National English Olympiad-9th grade qualified(first in my region), but chose Physics since they were at the same time
*planning to go to Physics and Linguistics Olympiads this year as well
Regional Excellence Center: Physics-10th grade
Regional Physics Contest “Cygnus”- 2nd Prize

My town does not really offer that many volunteering opportunities.
International Volare Music Festival for Young Talents-last summer, Diploma in International Volunteering, I was a translator and group coordinator for the foreign competitors, but I also helped with the organizing and time management of the event.
*attending this summer as well

This school year I am planning to start either a Robotics or Physics Club in my school (if possible) and take over our school’s physics blog. I may take part in a robotics competition at ESA or NASA this year through a school partnership.

As you probably have guessed, I intend to study Physics. However, I am not sure-considering my need for financial aid-which schools I have a chance to. I searched online for colleges that offer financial aid for international students and made the following list of colleges I may want to attend:

  1. Harvard University
  2. Yale University
  3. Princeton University
  4. MIT
  5. Stanford University
  6. Brown University
  7. Amherst College
  8. University of Pennsylvania
  9. Colgate University
  10. Bryn Mawr College
  11. Denison University
  12. Illinois Institute of Technology
  13. Smith College
  14. University of Rochester
  15. University of Richmond
  16. Yeshiva University
  17. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
  18. Trinity College

I really want to study in the US, therefore it does not matter to me that much which college I go to. Of course I would prefer going to an Ivy League College, but I am aware that my chances are low. However, out of all the colleges that I have picked, could you tell me which ones are reaches and which ones are safeties? Also, if you know any other colleges you think may be a better fit for me, please let me know.

2

You’re missing some of the best physics schools that meet full need. You can find them at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need-blind_admission under “full need.”

You can get a reach/match/safety idea (often a better idea than given opinions) from your various choices’ Common Data Set section C9 for test scores and C11 for GPA of the last admitted freshman class. Compare yourself to the 25th and 75th percentiles for approximate reach/match/safety categories. Google finds the Common Data Set.

3

Thank you!