Hey everyone,
just recently stumbled upon your little forum. Thank you for reading and commenting.
My name is Shani, im a 21 year old female living in Tel Aviv, Israel - thinking about moving to the US for college, and i would like to get your opinion on wether or not i stand a chance
A bit about me - im 21, female, currently serving in the israeli air force as a flight simulator instructor (meaning i teach pilots how to fly plains.). in israel we do not have the culture for saving up for college, meaning although we’re middle classed in my family, i dont think im elegible for any financial aid (i am an us citizen also). the only way for me to go to a us college is by getting a scholarship or aid of some sort. i’d like you to share your opinion on wether or not i stand a chance and should start the process of applying, or maybe i should give up :).
GPA - i dont really know, i need to translate it from the israeli GPA, but my avarage is 97/100, which is somewhere near 3.9 i think.i majored in mathmathics, physics and french.
SAT - 2100
SAT Subject test - i havent take it yet.
a little bit more about myslef -
simulator instucture in the IAF - teaching pilots, navigators and flight controlers in 3 different simulators for the past 3 years. one of the projects i handled was founding a new simulator for a new plane. (2 years of army are obligatory. i did 3 so thats a year of volunteering)
volunteering at dog shelters for 2 years
volunteering at elderly facilities - mostly in commemerating holocaust survivals story.
volunteering in an non-profitable organization developing leadership among jewish and arabs all around israel with low social-economical status.
tutoring in math and physics throguh highschool
volunteering in an LGBT organization that helps gays around israel cope.
part of a LGBT girl-empowering program for a year and a half
in the future - volunteering in third world countries for half a year (going to do this in half a year)
part of a robotics team in junior high
i cant think of other things that mattars.
again, thank you for your time. i know its a long post, but thats really important for me to understand wether or not should i go for it
You be considered a US citizen but out of state, so as an OOS applicant, the California UC’s give little to no financial/merit aid. You will be looking at a price tag of $55K/year. Establishing residency for tuition purposes is very difficult so expect to pay this amount for at least 2-4 years. You do look like a competitive applicant for the UC’s, but you would need to bump up your SAT scores a bit for a good chance at an acceptance.
You should look into LACs and universities that either meet need for all admitted students (if your family makes less than 125K/year and especially if they make less than 65K/year) or that offer substantial merit scholarships.
Your grades, scores, IAF experience, and EC’s all make you competitive.
If your CR+M =1400+, you have lots of possibilities in terms of merit scholarships (competitive or automatic).
Obviously you should look into the women’s colleges - Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Smith, Scripps, Agnes Scott.
Brandeis has some special scholarships for Israeli Americans I believe.
so what colleges do you think would give me full scholarships? unfortunately i have no means to pay 55k/y. @MYOS1634 - whats unique about those colleges except for the fact those are women-only colleges? why do you even have those? (we dont have those in israel… its hard for me to understand its purpose)
i did hear about the brandeis program - but its only 1 scholarship available so the competition is hard. is it a good school?
and what did you mean by “you have lots of possibilities in terms of merit scholarships”? in what universities?
Women’s colleges are dedicated to empowering ambitious women. So, that sounds right up your alley. In addition, because some of them have been tied to the American elite for a lot of its history, they’ve got a powerful network of alumnae and a large endowment, which makes them a great choice for an international woman who needs scholarships. In addition, they have some older students (24+) through a special program, so it wouldn’t be the same as being only with 18-22 year olds just out of high school - working for 3 years in the army changes a person and you may relate better to the seniors and nontraditional students than to the freshmen.
Competition is hard everywhere when you’re an international who needs scholarships.
Brandeis is an excellent school.
