<p>I'm an international student from Malaysia. Here's what I'm looking for:
* Rural setting
* Not too warm climate (I'm fed up with the tropics)
* Not located in the Midwest
* Should have a bit of social life, but not too much; should lean a bit more to studying
* Good financial aid for international students</p>
<p>My reaches are Princeton, Dartmouth and Swarthmore (tentatively). Dartmouth supposedly doesn't give out much aid to internationals, though. I guess we'll see.</p>
<p>Academically, my SAT I score will be around 2300 or so, based on my practice tests (I'm taking the real thing this Saturday). No idea about my SAT IIs yet. My GPA could hurt me; it's around 3.5, but I'm looking to compensate for this with a brilliant essay and interview.</p>
<p>So, anybody know a few good safeties/matches for me? Thanks for all the help. :D</p>
<p>Oh, and I want to do something in the social studies for my major and minor. I'll probably major in political science and minor in economics (or the other way round).</p>
<p>Can you give some more information about what you want in a school? The size? LAC or university? Political atmosphere? What are you interested in studying?</p>
<p>Also, what kinds of ECs do you have? Class rank? It's hard to say matches when you don't know very much...</p>
<p>Size doesn't matter. I'm sort of leaning towards LAC, but I wouldn't mind a university atmosphere either. Political atmosphere doesn't really matter to me. And as I said, I'll probably be taking something in the social studies sphere.</p>
<p>My ECs are...varied. I'm an active Boy Scout (was assistant troop leader but had to step down due to traditional term limits in our troop). I'm an administrator at the Wikipedia online encyclopedia, and have contributed numerous featured (recognised as among the best Wikipedia has to offer) articles there. In addition, I run my own website with content management software I wrote myself. I'm also the Deputy Chairman of the committee in charge of my school's website.</p>
<p>In my year, I am constantly in the top 10%.</p>
<p>As for the midwest...well, I don't know, the midwest just freaks me out a little. It's sort of hard to explain. I think I'd fit in more at an East/West coast college.</p>
<p>Take a look at Johns Hopkins. Although people think of them mainly for sciences, they do have a very respectable political science program, and admissions are a little less competitive outside of the sciences. </p>
<p>My other suggestions would include: Solid matches: Dickinson, Lafayette, Bucknell, Muhlenberg, George Washington U, Boston U, Franklin & Marshall. Solid safeties: Goucher, Gettysburg, American U, Fordham and Wheaton College (Mass). Reachy because of your GPA but definitely within reach because of your test scores and rank: Colgate, Haverford, Brandeis, Wesleyan, Middlebury, Boston College, Tufts, Bowdoin, Hamilton, Bates and Colby. </p>
<p>I'd also strongly urge you to at least look at the University of Chicago. Yes, it's in the midwest but Chicago is hardly farmland and Chicago is excellent for political science and economics. They are also known to give people with less than stellar stats a good chance if all else looks OK.</p>
<p>Whoops, it's late at night and I totally missed the fact that you are an international in need of aid. In that case, I'd suggest focusing on Middlebury, Colgate, Wesleyan, Boston U, and Hamilton. Check on financial aid availability for the other schools I mentioned individually, some have it, some do not. However, you may very well qualify for some merit money even as an internation based on your test scores at some of these schools.</p>
<p>johnleemk, you probably don't need another super selective, but I couldn't help thinking you'd be a good candidate for Williams. Rural setting, cold climate, good international financial aid, excellent academics overall and specifically in PolySci and Economics and they love Boyscouts!</p>
<p>For matches, I'd get over your Midwest phobia and look at Macalester and Grinnell, both are international friendly. If you're determined to stay eastcoast, other posters have given you a good list. I'd add Skidmore, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence and Bard. You may have to drop down a tier if financial aid is a big factor. Cast a wide net.</p>
<p>The good news is that LACs -- especially the remote ones -- use internationals to balance their ethnic diversity. Even if you are not a Muslim, you should use the fact that you come from an Islamic country to your advantage. Exposure to Islam is a big draw on campus now.</p>
<p>Thanks, guys! It's been a real big help! I surfed over to the College Board site today to find out when my scores are due (June 20), and use their search engine to pair me up with good matches. Almost all the colleges you guys mentioned came up. One of the biggest surprises was that Dartmouth, one of my targeted reaches, did not appear! (I'm currently looking over their profile to see which of my criteria didn't check out with them.)</p>
<p>Okay, turns out Dartmouth only guarantees housing for first-year undergrads instead of for all undergrads.</p>
<p>Anyway, seems to me that I've gained more reaches than matches or safeties from this thread. Here's my current list of targets, soon to be pruned down:
Major reaches
- Swarthmore
- Dartmouth
- Princeton
- University of Chicago
- Wesleyan
- Williams</p>
<p>Slight reaches
- Middlebury</p>
<p>Matches
- Bucknell
- Grinnell
- Colgate</p>
<p>Safety
- Gettysburg</p>
<p>I definitely need to prune down my reaches, and perhaps add a safety. Any suggestions? I'm looking at throwing out Princeton, since I've heard it's nothing more than a hangout for the snobbish, but I think I'll need to cut a couple more schools. Suggestions?</p>
<p>I'd add Dickinson to your Safeties and Macalester (if you're already looking at Grinnell) and Kenyon to your matches. Also look at Carleton as a slight reach (yes, it's out in the boonies of Minnesota, but it's a wonderful school in and of itself, and its application doesn't require ANY supplements). Good luck!</p>
<p>Johnleekm, Since financial aid is going to be part of your decision, I would not recommend eliminating at this point, even though your list IS topheavy. Id suggest you see where you get in and who comes up with the money. Its impossible to predict so Id take a shotgun approach. (Since youve stated that you want rural or at least suburban U of C looks like the odd man out in your list. Maybe substitute Amherst instead?)</p>
<p>Some other matches for you would be Hamilton, Kenyon, Skidmore and Colby.</p>
<p>Id say, unfortunately, that an international who needs aid doesnt really have a US safety. As I mentioned earlier, Id play up your exposure to Islam in your essays and hope that they buy into the diversity ticket. Im guessing from your name that you are ethnic Chinese. The Adcom wont know the difference that so you dont need to make the differentiation. I know this sounds callous and mercenary but the fact is that smart Chinese are in over supply in admissions while people with firsthand experience with an Islamic culture are in demand. This is especially true in the insular rural campuses and most LACs, so youre going in a good direction there.</p>
<p>I'm also assuming from your name that you are male. If not, there's a whole world of women's colleges out there.</p>
<p>The safeties I'd suggest for you are, unfortunately, all in the midwest:
Lawrence U, Beloit, the College of Wooster, and Earlham. Earlham in particular seems like a solid choice for someone who is Muslim or even just from an Islamic country: they have just announced plans for an Islamic Studies Center and they have a surprisingly large number of international students from Islamic countries on campus, compared to many small rural LACs. Even if you are not Islamic, Earlham deserves a close look because, although you would be towards the top of their applicant pool (and therefore have a good shot at their international student scholarships), the academics are excellent. The other three schools fit into the same category: fairly high percentages of international students, financial aid for internationals, and academic quality that is not evident from their acceptance rates. In short, they are good "admissions values" for international students from anywhere.</p>
<p>Holy cow, Wooster looks like a perfect fit! Alas, the maximum financial aid available for internationals is 50% of the total cost! :( Earlham is out because they don't offer either political science or economics as majors. Macalester is another college that looks like a perfect fit, though.</p>
<p>I was thinking about removing U of Chicago from the list, but it seems like a pretty good place, especially since I'm into economics. Another factor was that it's in a park, so the atmosphere is not really city-ish, from what I can see, although I may be getting the wrong impression.</p>
<p>Argh, making a decision is going to be so hard! I hope my teachers can forgive me for all the work they'll have to do when I ask for recs. :(</p>
<p>Here's my list now:</p>
<p>Major reaches
- Swarthmore
- Dartmouth
- Princeton
- University of Chicago
- Williams</p>
<p>I would not describe U of Chicago as "in a park". It is pretty cityish, although the campus is very nice. It is definitely an urban school, though.</p>
<p>Hmmm...I guess I'll just mark it as a school to visit. I really love all the schools on my list, though, so it looks like making a choice, even if I'm accepted to only 1/3rd of them, is going to be really hard.</p>