Hi guys, I am currently in my gap year and is reapplying to colleges around this time.
I’ve already started on my common app, but I really need some good suggestions on colleges that you guys know could suit someone like me. I don’t wanna be like last year (applied to six colleges I barely knew and got rejected from most).
Here is my stats:
Took New SAT twice; Highest score is 1500
Took ACT twice; Highest score is 29
Took 9 APs (four 5s and two 4s; three 3s)
SAT US History 720
Unweighted GPA is 3.9
Great Recs
Extracurricular
Published essay and poetry on an international culture magazine
In the process of self-publishing a novel
During the gap year taught ESL in secondary school (there exists a chance that I could get a teacher’s certificate soon) while working part-time in a store
Selected for a government and politics program in my city
Might be going to Japan for business internship soon
A few other small ones
Disadvantages:
Gap year (don’t know that’s gonna make things more competitive)
Asian
International
So please give me some suggestions on colleges I should look at and possibly apply. I am open to any as long as it is a good suggestion. Thanks!
I am an extrovert and love talking to others. I intend to major in international relations, business, education, or prelaw. I cannot say a particular major is my favorite because I am still exploring my options.
After graduation, I am thinking about heading to grad school or get a job in the business, law, government, or education field.
In high school, I found out I am a humanities guys who is really into languages and history. I am not into physics and math too much, so I definitely want to go to a college that is either very well rounded or humanities based.
By the way, I already have in mind what colleges I want to apply for my safety, but I welcome suggestions. However, I would prefer for everyone to give me options for my fit and reach schools.
International makes safety, match, reach difficult to assess. You will be put in an international pool and competing against other international students. The admit stats you see online don’t speak to data of international students, but rather the entire admit class. That aside, are you looking for big / medium / small, city/suburban / rural, etc.
Based on your interests, it appears the LACs would be great. Tons of them on the east coast. Also, if business is a driver, schools like WIlliam & Mary, Richmond, BC, Wake Forest are very liberal arts based (core curriculum) with outstanding business schools. Likely all of the “Catholic” schools are like that too (BC being one of them). You can google the list of schools that pertains to.
Does the name of the college matter when applying for jobs in your home country? If not, maybe you can give us an idea what sort of climate you prefer since costs don’t matter much (according to your other thread). It’s ~30 degrees and snowing in New England right now, but warm and sunny in the Southeast. Which appeals to you more? Does school size matter? What about location? Do you want a college in a city?
@gearmom As long as the total cost of the college is below $65,000 it would not be too difficult on our family. If it is above that price, I will have to see if the school offers loans or financial aid or other support financially.
@austinmshauri Speaking honestly names of colleges do matter for me because I want to work in different places around the world after college. Places in other parts of the world will recognize mostly only colleges that are quite renowned for something.
I can handle cold weather, and it is fine if I go to college in a cold place. However, I do not want to go to places where there is very extreme and dangerous whether like tornadoes happening. Also, I would prefer a place where it does not rain too much in the year.
Macalester - great for IR, emphasizes internationalism and global citizenship, varied study abroad programs. With your stats, you might be eligible for merit scholarships (they have some specifically for international students). In St. Paul, close to an international airport. Winters are COLD, but not overly gray.
Clark U in Worcester, MA, is a safer admit, also very international in its vibe, and offers merit based scholarships.
If you want internationally recognized name schools with good I/R programs in urban/suburban locations, there are lot of choices but many of them are going to be reaches or low matches. I’d recommend Berkeley and Michigan for public universities with good global reputations and good I/R programs, both in suburban cities. If you want private universities with urban locations, then maybe Georgetown, Chicago, NYU, Columbia, Penn, JHU, Northwestern (actually suburban).
BU is well known throughout the world and draws quite well internationally. And of course there’s Boston which is a major draw for culture and employment (international). For state schools with global reach, I would add UVA and UNC CH. However, they are very selective for non-state residents (like UC).
@theloniusmonk Yeah, I know those are competitive. But at least my stats are okay for high school and I did some stuff in my gap year, so I will give those a try. Thanks a lot!
