<p>So I always hear how difficult it is to get in a university abroad and get a full ride ... but for the people who made it ... how did you get in ? What were your Ec's , scores and so on ?
I'd love to hear how you succeeded in getting accepted ;)</p>
<p>Thx :)</p>
<p>Try the threads on individual schools where people posts their stats and ec’s… many of them are international students</p>
<p>[Colleges</a> and Universities - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/colleges-universities/]Colleges”>Colleges and Universities A-Z - College Confidential Forums)
[Ivy</a> League - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ivy-league/]Ivy”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ivy-league/)</p>
<p>@Penny95 It is not easy for any International student to get in with a full ride( especially not for a student like me) but still i made it. I can say its 70%+ luck and 30% your profile. I know many guys from my high school with much higher test scores and grades than me got wait-listed or rejected from all of their universities. Just make sure you do your 30% part and rest leave to God. Give your SATs and try to get 2100+ also your high school transcript should be excellent (It doesn’t means you give few easy course and get all As but it does mean you challenge yourself by taking the most rigorous courses and get As in it). Recommendations are a vital part of college admission so make sure you ask your teachers to write it for you. ECs counts alot (I still remember on my Acceptance letter there was only mentioned about what particular EC of mine impressed them). Also make your College list a superb one and research individual college before you start writing their supplements or giving Interviews (Especially Why X college? supplement essay). Google some schools which give 100% aid to International sudents and start early.
Thats it. Good luck</p>
<p>@Ahtesham. Useful and detail explanation for future applicants. Thank you very much and hope that you will have a very good 4 years time in your Uni.
However. if you don’t mind, please spell out regarding your impressive particular EC, so that high school seniors can have an idea and comparison regarding their ECs.
Thanks again.</p>
<p>I got an almost-full-ride at a great college (to me, the best college in the history of ever :P). When they said they met 100% need, they meant it. I can’t know for sure why I got in, but I can tell you that it probably wasn’t my SAT score. It wasn’t bad, just not great either (totally blew the math section, hahaha). I had a great GPA, but I don’t think a bad-by-the-crazy-CC-standards GPA will hurt you as long as you’re in the top 10% or close of your class. Colleges look at applications in context, especially for international students. Many worry because they don’t have APs, Honors or IB courses because their school didn’t offer them, but that’s ok, the admissions officers know those courses aren’t offered at every school around the world. </p>
<p>One thing I think helped me were my ECs. On paper, they probably sound terrible: Guitar, piano, and learning Japanese, but my school doesn’t teach any of those and I can’t afford lessons, so I learned on my own. Of course, I could’ve probably gotten an internship or something else on my own, as well, but those are my passions, and I think I managed to show that through my app. </p>
<p>I also had community service and a few (and I really do mean the “few” part) awards, but nothing too important. </p>
<p>In my essay, I talked about a guitar player I admire. It was probably not the best-written essay ever, but it must’ve done a good job at showing who I am. I think that’s very important. Colleges accept people, and when they get a lot of international students with similarly great stats and awards, they will start going by other factors, and that’s when character and personal qualities come in. The problem is that many students, especially internationals who aren’t used to the college application process, don’t manage to show their best qualities, the qualities that would’ve set them apart from the other applicants.</p>
<p>Now, the advice I can give you depends on the school. In general, you do want to score 2100+ on the SAT, but some schools aren’t as concerned with it as you might think. This is mostly true for SAT-optional schools. Although remember that even when test scores are considered important at a certain school, they won’t help if you’re lacking in all the other areas. Then, some schools only go by stats, and these are mostly the ones that offer huge merit scholarships to internationals as well, although they are only a few.</p>
<p>As for letters of recommendation, I suggest you show this to your teachers:
[Letters</a> of Recommendation | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/apply/freshman/recommendations]Letters”>Letters of recommendation | MIT Admissions)
In many countries, letters of recommendation are mostly generic, and they only mention that the student is excellent, responsible, and blablablabla. If this is the case in your country, it’d be good for you to show this to your teachers and guidance counselor, so they know what to say about you.</p>
<p>Also, remember that needing FA makes admissions much, much harder, so don’t be discouraged if you get rejections or waitlists and just do your best. Even if it doesn’t work, you will have gained a lot from the process, so it’s not a waste of time.
And don’t forget to look at whether the school you want offers good aid. If you don’t know any, this is a good list to begin with:
[Top</a> 25 Financial Aid Colleges in US for International Students (Need-aware) - Desperate Guide: Undergraduate College Financial Aid, Scholarship](<a href=“http://www.desperateguide.com/us/top-25-financial-aid-colleges-in-us-for-international-students-need-aware]Top”>http://www.desperateguide.com/us/top-25-financial-aid-colleges-in-us-for-international-students-need-aware)</p>
<p>If you aren’t an english native speaker I would highly recommend aiming high for the math sections. Also, if you are listing awards, make sure to have certificates, and the higher reputation of the spondors the better.</p>
<p>I am an international student who got almost full ride from a great liberal arts college in northeast Ohio. My SAT doesn’t even go to 1800. My TOEFL iBT does not even go to 100. My grades in high school are not spectacular (I might be in top 25%).
However, I play basketball for my province and won a couple of national championship (but this is not athletic scholarship, coaches had never even seen me play before I came), and I was involved in student government, and a little bit of volunteer projects. I was also an exchange student when i was a junior high school. But What impresses them the most I think is my initiative to ask for interview. So, among others, I think you should definitely do that to all colleges that you apply to. Good luck and let me know if you have questions.</p>
<p>I was an international applicant aiming for the most selective universities in the U.S. I am really happy with the outcome of my process, here is an overview: SAT: 2100+, SAT II’s: 750+, top 5% of class, most selective course load in my whole class (10+AP’s), summer school at an Ivy league, good recommendations (though nothing out of the normal), involved in family business, a couple of good EC’s, GREAT essays. So, as you can see, i aimed very high with these stats. However, I needed close to full ride, so this made the process very difficult. I applied ED to a non-needblind Ivy, was deferred and later rejected. I was also rejected by the other Ivys I applied to. However, I got accepted by Amherst College, with 75% aid, which works perfect with me. International students should definitely apply to all colleges they want to (specially the need blind) and hope for the best. A friend of mine was accepted with full ride to Upenn even though it is not need blind for internationals, the process is kind of random.</p>