<p>Okay, so we all know how the admissions rates are usually MUCH lower for international students applying to US schools, and how by being an International you are in a much more competitive pool of applicants, but just out of curiosity, are there any cases where being International can give you an advantage in admissions (<em>gasp</em>) :)
does anybody have any stories of people managing to turn their international status into a hook or something?</p>
<p>and if not: are there any real ways (other than the obvious, like doing better in school, etc.) to improve your chances as an international student?</p>
<p>Thanks so much in advance for any replies :)</p>
<p>have to agree with the answers…unusual country like maybe Bhutan or Palau or whatever plus you can pay and will NOT be asking for financial aid…that would be a great combination.</p>
<p>Park University
Southern Arkansas University
University of New Orleans</p>
<p>Unfortunately, most scholarships covering tuition, room and board are not available to international students (they might be restricted to National Merit Finalists or in-state students or require a FAFSA submission, for example). On the other hand, it is pretty easy to find full-tuition scholarships. I remember coming across quite a few of them during my college search (I didn’t keep track of them though because they would have not been enough for me).</p>
<p>Hey barium! If you don’t mind me asking, how did you go about finding the full-tuition scholarships? I’m looking around + looking at schools and that feels like a handful at the moment :(</p>
<p>Some of the information there is outdated due to the recent changes in some colleges’ financial policies, but nevertheless these lists are a decent guide. You can check the websites of the listed colleges to check the specifics of aid (if any) they offer.</p>
<p>I’ve been looking at the tuition costs for lots of colleges, some state the cost of tuition as an international student while some don’t. For those that don’t, is it safe to use the Out-of-State cost as an estimate instead? I vaguely remember reading somewhere that International students are also considered Out-of-State students, just wanted to double check :)</p>
<p>Of course, International students could hardly be considered as “In-state” students…
However, I think that there is much more international students on the private schools that have the same tution for all students (excluding FA, o/c).</p>
<p>You are welcome, generally yes, that is the case. But keep in mind that some state universities treat in-state internationals (even on visa) as in-state students, and allow them to pay the in-state tuition.</p>
<p>A friend of mine got accepted into MIT last year with (what I assume) is around a 3.8 and 2000 SAT’s. Top 15% of the class or something. He interviewed and wrote outstanding essays. Personally, I believe that the combination of uniqueness, interest in the college, and “less-represented” country helped him. I don’t think MIT gets many applicants of that sort and they saw that his achievements would be adequate for him to succeed, and that he adds to campus diversity. Personally, I’m banking on this explanation, because I plan on applying to MIT in around a half a year and I share many of his qualifications (higher on the SATs though) and will in fact do an interview and take the time to write some excellent essays. Hopefully, I don’t need to be as qualified (in my grades and ECs and whatnot) as say, Asians, so in this case, I think that the country of origin (being one with less applicants than others) was helpful.</p>
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