Looking for Advice on College Search

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi everyone!
Im new to CC and im looking for advice on my college search.
Im currently in year 12 studying British A Levels (We have 13 years of school so id be in the 'junior year' i think)
International student, based in the Middle East, of Indian origin.
Im looking for good colleges for Economics</p>

<p>Here's the vital stats:</p>

<p>SAT I: 800V 780 M 660W (Hoping to bump this up ~ 720 in my second sitting)
2240 net atm</p>

<p>A* for all 9 subjects at GCSE (Yr 11) A for Additional Maths (Optional course for strong maths students) (I think this gives me the highest possible GPA, or almost that, but im not 100% sure on that)</p>

<p>Currently Studying Maths, Further Maths, English Lit, Physics, Economics at A Level. (This is one course more than most A Level students, and FM is the hardest course at A Level. I'm expecting A's for all of them)</p>

<p>EC's are decent, but not outstanding</p>

<p>Duke of Edinburgh Bronze, Silver Award, in process of completing Gold Award
Model United Nations
Toastmasters Gavel Club President, Vice President
Captain of School Under 13, 15 and Club under 19 cricket team (bah useless in america)
Student Council Representative
Deputy Head Boy
Co-Founded the Sixth Form Business Enterprise Committee at school
~75 hours of community service at the moment. Hopefully i can bump that up to ~120-150 by the time i apply.
Martial Arts Blackbelt
Play golf atrociously off a handicap of 28 (I think ill keep this quiet actually)
Im a decent runner (run for school team), but i do it for fun, and my times would certainly be crap in the eyes of the college.
I dont play any instrument
I dont have exceptional computer skills or anything</p>

<p>I'm most interested im studying economics</p>

<p>Im probably going to apply blindly to Harvard and Princeton (Long shot, but i really like the info on Princeton and its worth a try. Plus they offer international students scholarships, if i get in)</p>

<p>Im also applying probably to LSE in the UK and perhaps a couple in canada</p>

<p>I need a few reasonable schools that i have a decent chance to get in to. So far ive identified Chicago, (i have a few friends that have gone and loved it)</p>

<p>I am also looking for a couple of safeties. Perhaps those that may offer me a decent merit scholarship and a good education.</p>

<p>Location is irrelevant, and while id prefer a "non-party" school, its not really a big deal. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>You are in great shape. You can pretty much apply anywhere and stand a chance. </p>

<p>Chicago, Harvard and Princeton are three of the top 5 Econ departments in the US. MIT and Stanford are amazing too. </p>

<p>Other excellent departments:</p>

<p>Columbia University
Northwestern University
University of California-Berkeley
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Pennsylvania
Yale University</p>

<p>All in all, that's 11 top ranked Econ departments. I would break them up as follws in terms of chances:</p>

<p>REACHES (apply to just 3 or 4 of those schools):
Harvard
MIT
Princeton
Stanford
Yale</p>

<p>MATCHES (also apply to just 3 or 4 of those schools):
Chicago
Columbia
Northwestern
University of California-Berkeley
University of Pennsylvania</p>

<p>SAFETIES:
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</p>

<p>The main problem is that most of those schools do not give merit scholarships to international students.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the advice alexandre!
Wow from dubai. Thats not far from me ( im in bahrain). </p>

<p>If anyone else has some ideas for matches and safeties, i'd really appreciate the info. I'm reasonably early in the research process, and a few hints in the right direction could help out enormously.</p>

<p>If you enrolled in a school that might be a good match for someone like me, please tell me about your experience there. It would really be helpful!</p>

4

<p>Anyone else got any advice?</p>

<p>bump... (sorry)</p>

5

<p>If you really like Princeton, I highly suggest applying ED.</p>