Public HS (part of the handful of ‘gifted/academically specialised’ HS)
Intended Major(s)
Politics, Philosophy, Economics (PPE)
Media studies
Marketing (leaning towards advertising/graphic design)
Business Analytics
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.87
(I’m not quite sure about the conversion for this, since we have a 10-point system with my cumulative GPA being 9.5; if anyone could shed some light on this I’d be most grateful ^^)
Class Rank: Our school does not provide rankings, but I was consistently first in my class during my 10th and 11th year.
SAT Scores: 1560, no APs (couldn’t afford it)
Coursework
*AP/IBs/etc.: Our school doesn’t provide either, but we do have an advanced curriculum and a ‘gifted’ subject; mine were Math and Vietnamese literature (advanced) and English (gifted).
Awards
(trying to preserve anonymity, since I know my friends are frequent C/C lurkers):
2 Runner’s up in National contest (part of a nationwide academic competition and big deal here among the ‘gifted’ schools)
First place in citywide competition (also part of the official state academic contests)
Extracurriculars
(Personally think I’m lacking a bit since my interests are varied and not too focused)
Clubs and contributions:
Pitched and led a successful citywide charity project for underprivileged pupils in remote areas
(As student rep) worked with and invited foreign admissions officers to set up visits and interviews at my HS
Leader/head of Translations and Content dept. for a student-run project focused on Economics
Organiser and guest speaker for a talk show
Joined and received some awards in MUN
Co-founded and volunteered at a nightschool in my neighborhood for children
Co-authored an educational book; developed and teach an online course based on said book with ~100 currently enrolled
Received an innovation award for an app focused on mental health and received sponsorship to develop the project into a viable product (though most likely will have to be after uni).
Outside work experience:
Chief designer and advertiser for a ‘mini’ student-run startup focused on local and organic health products
Content Writer and Marketing Intern at a midsized firm (paid work, though I don’t know if that’s considered illegal with US laws)
Co-owner of a virtual club (no, it’s not in the Metaverse), managing revenue/accounting work/hiring decisions
Freelance work:
Graphic designer, photo editor, and 3D artist (I have a portfolio as well, though still debating whether to submit it due to the…risque nature of some projects)
Writer (mostly for a fantasy RP forum and zines).
Essays/LORs/Other
Have had my PS read (including teachers and some admissions officers from the schools I’m gunning for) and most of them responded quite positively, though I have no idea if this can translate into the actual decisions…not to mention the supplementals.
I have 4 teachers willing to give me LORs aside from my counselor; considering my relationship with them it could be 90% positive (on that note, do schools care if your LOR was given by a faculty member or someone in a managerial position like the Vice-Principal?)
Cost Constraints / Budget
I know it’s wishful thinking to hope for finaid as an INTL student but as of right now we are able to afford ~20k… so fingers crossed I get a decent chunk
Schools
As is the case with INTL kids in need of finaid I don’t quite consider any schools ‘safeties’. I do, however, have my sights and heart set on LACs, since I know many alumni and feel like the environment they described is where I could thrive best. That being said, I’m still very open to any suggestions since I might have missed out on some gems.
My current ‘wishlist’ (a.k.a EDs/EA) includes:
Claremont Mckenna (though they don’t have much aid I adore the research work from its faculty)
Pomona (close connection with alumni and the campus just speaks to me, even through a virtual tour)
Williams
Wellesley
My RDs:
Amherst
Swarthmore
Boston University (not a LAC but an admissions officer convinced me, plus I’m in love with Questrom)
UMich
Villanova
Vanderbilt
I hope to hear your opinions/suggestions! A big thank you in advance to anyone reading and wish you all a great day
For this interest, you may want to consider colleges with an available major in public policy, which relies on the fields of political science, economics and philosophy for its foundation.
You are very impressive applicant. If you were a US citizen you would do very well. Unfortunately as an International applicant with high financial need - you need to focus on schools that potential give lots of merit scholarships for High achieving international students ( and it’s a competitive pool so this will not be easy). I am not an expert in this area but Your list sounds to reachy in this respect. Do more research on the financial side for international applicants Good luck!
I would remove Michigan. It doesn’t fit size wise and you can’t afford it.
What is your safety school ? Or will you stay home if you get into none of these?
In addition to being international, no AP will be a concern as it sounds like they were offered.
In addition to W&L due to its Johnson Scholar mentioned by @cinnamon1212 , you should look at Franklin & Marshall who will meet need if accepted.
Of course what you think need is may not be what the school says it is. Normally I’d say to look at NPC but people on this website who know better say they’re not accurate for international.
Thank you so much for the suggestions!
I have considered Grinnell, but something just…didn’t click, I guess. Though as an INTL my chances are indeed limited, so I’ll try to figure something out ^^
Thank you for the suggestions!
I’m aiming for some Australian schools as well, and since they give merit scholarships based on GPA I have a (tiny) bit more faith in them ^^ but if a college I love accepts me and gives financial aid that’s just a bit more (~30k) I’ll do it.
And yes, I have considered W&L, but it’s one of the few schools where I have no connections (alumni/professors/admissions officers) and so I have virtually 0 concrete ideas about the school…so it’s a bit nervewracking to ED there.
Thank you for your kind words ^^
I considered Pomona because I read that they have “need-blind admissions and meeting the full demonstrated financial need of all students who enroll”, so even if it’s incredibly competitive I’ll give it a try anyways, just so I can look back without regrets.
Williams also has “one of the most generous and comprehensive financial aid programs in the U.S”; though I don’t know if that applies to INTL I’ll still try CSS. And yes I’ll probably rule out UMich as @tsbna44 suggested, but fingers crossed anyhow
I’d add U of Richmond to your list. They have a PPEL major (PPE+law), and an undergrad business major with marketing and business analytics concentrations. They are need-aware for internationals but will meet your demonstrated need if they admit you. They also have visual arts merit scholarships. If you like the school and the projected cost is affordable, applying ED2 could help your chances.
Denison U is another possibility. Like Richmond, they’re need-aware for internationals but meet need if they admit you. They have a PPE major, a Global Commerce major, and a Data Analytics major, among others. ED2 would be an option here as well.
Since you like CMC and Pomona, it could be worth applying to Scripps as well - you can access most of the same majors and programs from there. They don’t guarantee that they’ll meet your demonstrated need, but whatever they do award you is guaranteed for all 4 years, so it’s worth seeing whether they get down to your price point.
Pomona is need aware for international students, but does meet full need for them.
Admission for international applicants is need-aware, but Pomona does offer financial aid to approximately half of the admitted international students each year. Also, we meet the full need of admitted international students.
Only HYP, MIT, Dartmouth, Amherst, and Bowdoin are need blind and meet full need for international students.
There’s not one answer that will cover all situations.
NPCs can work for international students, but it can be difficult for families to fill things out accurately and with proper currency exchange rates (which can fluctuate obviously, sometimes dramatically).
Some schools might do a financial aid pre-read, others won’t. All one can is ask.
I don’t have data, but I am under the impression that most international students who attend US colleges (who didn’t go to HS here) are full pay because most schools don’t come close to meeting full need for most applicants.
I expect many international students receive acceptances that they can’t afford, especially when layering in travel and health insurance costs, plus onerous visa requirements.
Some of the schools on your list are quite generous, but Amherst is the only one that is need blind for admissions and meets full need for international students. Is there a reason you are not considering it for ED?
If you like LACs, Bowdoin also has a need blind/full need policy for international students.
I wanted Pomona because I heard the Econ program was really good, while Williams is attractive since it has the Tutorials program and has Oxford connections (coincidentally my dream school before Brexit screwed things up).
It’s a bit embarrassing but the main reason is I don’t yet feel confident enough in my application to submit by the Amherst ED date (Nov 1). There’s also the issue of ‘fit’: for some reason I didn’t click with Amherst, plus the fact that my cousin (alumni) reported really heavy work schedules that led her to almost drop out, so that’s a bit of a scary first impression I suppose ^^ And as far as Bowdoin goes, I’m also checking them out but the virtual tour I had last year didn’t leave much of a deep impression…
