<p>When applying to top US schools will selecting, as an international student, that I need no financial aid work in my favor significantly? </p>
<p>Cheers,</p>
<p>It will definitely help your chances.</p>
<p>I was talking with a few admissions officers from Duke and that’s what they said too.</p>
<p>…It just can be confusing, as I’m sure so many Canadian residents can relate too, when searching the various top business school sites and seeing that your financial aid needs doesn’t matter (referring to US students) and then seeing that financial aid is very limited internationally or is non-existent (which you’d assume would harm those that needed it).</p>
<p>What would be chances at Harvard, Wharton, Duke and University of Texas Austin be with low nineties taking the hardest courses available to myself, SAT critical reading of 740, SAT math of 730, SAT writing 750, very few EC actives (my school has almost none), heavy political experience at provincial and federal level, and running a business that does $50,000/mo and should tip 1mil revenue in 2011.</p>
<p>Obviously everything in my essays, bios, etc is revolved around the business (since I am applying to the best undergrad business schools). The big cons are my school marks are not that great, mainly because I wasn’t challenged enough and didn’t like my courses, and I have very few EC activities. </p>
<p>BUT I would think the EC activities problem should be non-existent due to heavy political and business involvement (which gave me the traits they should be looking for in business undergrad prospects) coupled with the lack of programs at my small school.</p>
<p>Cheers,</p>
<p>EDIT: Some of my references will be the premier of my province and a federal minister with a high-up cabinet position. I assume that would help as well.</p>
<p>If you’re serious about all those accomplishments I’d say your in at any school.</p>
<p>You can even apply to need aware schools and probably get in with lots of aid.</p>
<p>Thanks, Viggy.</p>
<p>Talked to some people at NYU (I haven’t called them “people” since I got off the phone with them) and they basically told me I wasn’t “academically inclined” enough to enter into NYU although I was “welcome to try and apply”.</p>
<p>My marks aren’t great (88 or 89% in 11th grade) but this year they’re mid-nineties and the SAT scores show my “ability to learn”.</p>
<p>Harvard, out of everyone, has been the most receptive and that’s really encouraging. I love NYC, and would live there in a heart-beat, but NYU could beg for me to go with them, free of charge, and I’d tell them to do some less than desirable things to themselves.</p>
<p>Also, @Viggy and whoever else wants to answer, will those references help any? I could pull in one or two similar ones, if needed, but wouldn’t want to bug them too much.</p>
<p>he is definitely not “in” at any of those schools. He has a very good chance at Duke which is not need blind for Canadians, but Wharton and Harvard which are need blind for internationals are reaches for everyone, and high reaches for everyone with no hook. I’d say the business comes close to being a hook but not quite. I’m a a student at Duke now from Canada and absolutely loving it so if you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask.</p>
<p>I’ll send you a PM in awhile for sure.</p>
<p>What do you think makes a great hook? Just wondering the elements that could take what I have now to the next level. There’s a lot more to the story than what I wrote in a few posts obviously. :-)</p>
<p>Cheers,</p>
<p>Also for anyone wanting to chance me feel free to check out the more detailed thread here:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1018913-chance-canadian.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1018913-chance-canadian.html</a></p>
<p>Well the 4 hard hooks are being a member of an underrepresented minority, a recruited athlete, a legacy or being a “developmental” admit, aka your parents have an awful lot of money and aren’t shy about their willingness to donate. At Duke and most other top schools close to or over half of the student body have one of those attributes. There’re also hooks such as “curing cancer” aka international math olympiad champ, discovered new way to treat autism (both those I’ve heard of) etc. So unfortunately if you don’t have a hook by now its too late :(.</p>