<p>I’d say the determining factor is not geographic diversity but rather racial/ethnic/religious diversity. Many small LACs have difficulty recruiting and matriculating non-White students, especially schools in rural locations or in the Midwest. These schools use non-White internationals to increase their diversity percentages.</p>
<p>So among the schools that the OP mentioned, (assuming the OP is non-White), s/he may get a boost at Amherst, Williams, Middlebury. Also Carleton, Kenyon, Bowdoin, Hamilton, Grinnell. Less so at Pomona.</p>
<p>The other boost that some internationals can claim – I wouldn’t go so far as to call it hook – is for cultural diversity. Again, this depends on the kind of diversity of perspective the applicant can offer to the campus community. Being from an Islamic country or a hotspot country that’s “in the news” can be a positive at some colleges that don’t get a lot of applicants from countries with cultures that are different from America’s. I don’t know that the Caribbean would qualify in this regard, but there may be special circumstances.</p>