Int'l applicant advise needed from an Wesleyan Admissions insider

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wesleyan University
1

<p>Hello,
I am from Nepal and am pondering whether or not to apply to W. Before starting on anything, I want to make it clear that I can't afford W unless I'm offered a full ride.
Recently, I emailed the university asking what was the financial aid situation for int'ls, how many int'ls normally receive full rides each year and all, but I haven't got any response yet. Hence, I'm depending on CC to have my queries answered.
-A lot many people tell me that the university rarely, if ever, offers full rides to int'ls. Is it true?</p>

<p>-I know the "Chance Me"s and other stat-based evaluations are pretty idiotic, but as I'm an int'l, and the university's website says admittance and financial aid to int'ls are pretty much based on stats, I am stating my stats so that you, as an Wesleyan admissions insider, can provide me an accurate insight. My SAT is 2180 (all sections above 700) and will probably retake it on Jan. SAT 2s are Math2 800 and Physics 780. GPA, according to WES evaluation, is equivalent to A's in all subjects. Top ranked student of the class. Do you think these stats are good enough to be considered for full ride?</p>

<p>-Most students from Nepal accepted to American universities are ones who have taken A-levels. A-levels are extremely expensive for the middle class here, and the general consensus is that A-levels are meant only for the well-to-do's. (to give a picture, my household income is around US $ 1700, while A-levels at a good school cost around US$ 3K to 4K a year.) But as I've stated earlier, American universities have shown a general tendency to accept Nepali students only if they have A-levels. So, will this put me in disadvantage? (I didn't do A-levels.)</p>

<p>-Considering all the stuffs I've mentioned, do you suggest I bother applying to W?</p>

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<p>I am not aware of particularities of Nepal but I will tell you that colleges will not hold the title of your board exams against you. In other words, you are not at a disadvantage against a student who completed A Levels. “American universities have shown a general tendency” maybe you’re going about this all wrong. Perhaps it is that students who complete A Levels have done a better job with their applications?</p>

<p>“how many int’ls normally receive full rides each year” Your aid will be based on need, like that of everyone else, so I hardly think the admissions officer will be able to give you a concrete answer on that. If you need a full ride, and if the college deems you worthy of admission, they will give you that full ride. It’s not that they have set aside a number of full rides to give out to students. That said, you should check the website to realize that Wesleyan does offer international student financial aid and promises to meet the full need of every student.</p>

<p>“the university’s website says admittance and financial aid to int’ls are pretty much based on stats” Where does the college’s website say that? They say it’s tough to get in because so many qualified applicants apply that it not possible to offer admission and aid to everybody. </p>

<p>Apply to Wes if you like the school. That’s all. I do not attend Wesleyan, but I do have friends who attend the school. They are internationals and are on financial aid.</p>

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<p>First of all, thanks for replying, Int’l95. actually, I wanted insights from someone within Wesleyan AdCom, but your advise is really appreciated.
You asked, “Where does the college’s website say that?”
It’s in line two of this page. ([International</a> Financial Aid, Admission - Wesleyan University](<a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/international_students/expenses.html]International”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/international_students/expenses.html))
(im quoting the website below)
“Financial aid for international students, however, is extremely limited and is awarded on the basis of both EXCEPTIONAL QUALIFICATIONS and demonstrated need.”
Assuming that exceptional qualifications mean one’s academic profile, the University has indeed stated that you have to have excellent academic profile (i.e. “stats” in the CollegeConfidential vernacular) to be eligible for aid. The other factor, that is financial need, shouldn’t be a problem (ironic, isn’t it?) as I’ve already stated about my family’s impecuniousness. So I’m guessing every other objective component (i.e. excluding essays, ECs) does boil down to my academic profile.</p>

<p>you said, “Perhaps it is that students who complete A Levels have done a better job with their applications?”. No, it doesn’t seem so. over the years, a lot many underqualified a-levels students have been accepted by many American Unis which claim to provide aid solely on the basis of “need”. As I mentioned earlier, in Nepal, you’ve to be either drug smuggler, animal poacher, or from other forms of well-to-do background to send your kids to a-levels, because clearly, an year’s a-levels fees is 6 times the national per capita income. Hence, how american universities find more "need"iness in these under-qualified (most of them are) prep kids than in kids (with high SATs and academics) whose family’s combined income is less than the cost of a laptop in US is beyond my understanding.</p>

<p>you said, “I am not aware of particularities of Nepal.” yes, you certainly aren’t. Nepal’s GDP is less than the endowment of Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford.</p>

<p>you said, “Your aid will be based on need, like that of everyone else, so I hardly think the admissions officer will be able to give you a concrete answer on that. If you need a full ride, and if the college deems you worthy of admission, they will give you that full ride.” I will have to disagree with you once again, because in my understanding, each college has certain fixed amount allocated for funding int’l applicants. with that, they can at least give me the range (if not the exact number) of the number of int’ls they intend to provide fin assistance to. For example, Tufts has a policy of providing 5 full rides each year to int’ls. Furthermore, even if Wes doesn’t have such policy of predetermining number of full rides, it can at least give me the number of int’ls that have been awarded full rides in the past few years.</p>

<p>you said, “you should check the website to realize that Wesleyan does offer international student financial aid and promises to meet the full need of every student.” Again, I think anyone who read my query (line 11) would think it was pretty clear that I have indeed checked Wes’ website, and have even emailed Wes.</p>

<p>once again, thanks for your response.</p>

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<p>I do not know if I unintentionally disparaged you or whatever but you ought to monitor your tone because this isn’t a cat-fight. However,</p>

<p>1) I do not believe Wesleyan’s adcom is very active on CC, and I have reason to believe that most of those who are interested in Wesleyan, and are active on this forum, aren’t very familiar with the specifics of international student admission.</p>

<p>2) “exceptional qualifications” is hardly just about academic profiles (strong academic qualifications are a prerequisite whether you need aid or not.) Qualifications go beyond the classroom and EC’s aren’t “subjective”, if that’s what you’re trying to imply.</p>

<p>3) I am not even going to bother responding to your bitterness towards “prep kids” because obviously you feel indignant and have your own biased views on the subject. It’s okay to feel bitter but you should understand that even if one may be considered “rich” in Nepal, one probably would not be labelled such in the United States and therefore one can be found to have financial need.</p>

<p>4) I did not express ignorance in Nepal’s economic situation. I expressed my lack of understanding of how the Nepalese education system works. Due to friends I met in international forums, however, I am very familiar with the Indian education system (not to mention the prevalence of IB and A Levels in India and worldwide) and if Nepal’s system is similar to India’s then it is unlikely that exam boards have anything to do with differences in who gets into a good school. </p>

<p>5) “Furthermore, even if Wes doesn’t have such policy of predetermining number of full rides, it can at least give me the number of int’ls that have been awarded full rides in the past few years.” The thing is, whether or not the college keeps tally of such numbers is obviously a matter of individual college policy. There was this time when I inquired to Williams about the distribution of financial aid amongst admitted international students. They said that they do not have such statistics due to the significant fluctuations every year. (I very much doubt that Wesleyan keeps such tallies.)</p>

<p>6) If you have done research on Wesleyan’s financial aid policies, then why are you soliciting statistics already on the website? </p>

<p>‘with that, they can at least give me the range (if not the exact number) of the number of int’ls they intend to provide fin assistance to.’</p>

<p>Answer, from the link you gave to me: “we expect to provide financial assistance to approximately 15 international students from a pool of over 400 such applicants”.</p>