International student needs advice

Applying to College
1

Hi,

First of all sorry for any wrong expression, spelling or grammar. I’m not a native speaker :slight_smile:
I’m from Hungary and still not feeling 100% familiar with Common App and the whole college application system.

Attending an american college has been my dream for years now but my parents earn only around 70,000 usd so I need to find a college that offers financial aid for int. students and if possible is also need-blind. Another criteria is a Political Science or International Relations major and a sailing club :). So far I have 6 colleges on my list: Amherst, Colby, UChicago, Yale, Wellesley and Harvard. I’m thinking about changing Harvard to Georgetown and maybe adding Princeton to the list. I always say to myself: the worst that could happen is not getting in. Now I’m not sure about Harvard. I’ve read several threads about the quality of undergrad. education at Harvard and saw that many students here chose another college like Princeton instead at the end.

Do you think it’s worth a try? I am in the top 10% in my class and I think I’m well prepared in terms of extra-curriculars, work and volunteering. I’ve just taken TOEFL and I will take the SAT and 2 Subject Tests this fall. I’ve heared that Princeton has smaller classes and professors pay more attention to the individual. This would definitely be a plus as I come from an extremly small school (K-12 only 400 students).

Another question: In Europe knowledge is the most important thing if you want to get into a college. So they only focus on grades and do not look at extracurriculars. Apart from telling the truth about myself in a college essay what should I focus on? How should I present myself? I don’t know that much about the let’s call it “american way of thinking” :). What would an admissions officer impress in an intl. application?

Oh I almost forgot: I intend to study Politics or if possible International Relations. I know that these might change but so far that’s my plan. I would also appreciate any other advice you can give me.

2

Well, if there’s any challenges that could’ve stood in the way of your academic/personal success, but you overcame them, then write an essay about that!- it not only shows character to have survived rough storms, but also displays devotion and potentially, a greater self-awareness than your typical applicant.

Alternatively, if there is anything that makes you in ANY way more unique/interesting than the ‘rest of the pack’, then write about that.

And remember that over 80% of all applicants essays will be written from the perspective of a “american way of thinking”, as you call it, so it could definitely do you well too set yourself apart from everybody with your own special take on things.
Just make sure that you a) have a consistent topic and you don’t drift about. b) you make use of good vocabulary. C) the essays open up more about you(you obviously believe there’s something special about you-or else you’d never even imagine being accepted at the schools you list above-so mention this special thing you see in you and show it to the admissions officers in your way of viewing things). d) while also trying to display how worldly you are, and how much you’ve learnt through your life experiences(ultimately, once its confirmed that you smart, the next question for the admissions officer will be too determine whether you’ll be able to make the most of the incredible learning experience offered by their respective schools-so they looking for someone whose able to learn from people around them and experiences, and also able to touch those around them in effective and memorable ways)

Hope this helped, Good luck!