Please, chance me for ED2

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

Good day! Thank you very much for opening this topic. As an international applicant who is mesmerized by Vassar, I would like to ask your opinion on whether I am a suitable candidate: in other words, do I have any chance to get accepted, applying for ED2 this year?

— Demographics
Female (both sex and gender)
Graduated in 2021. Had to work and earn money. Need a full aid
Do not have a father. Was raised by my mother. Coming from a low-income family
From Russia (Rostov-on-Don)
Nationality: Ukrainian & Russian. Yeah, I am white and European, this is a great flaw in terms of college admission. I am a redhead with freakles (and was bullied for this, and this color is considered rare here), my voice is high and cartoonish. Does it make me… diverse?..

— Academics

An ordinary Russian school without AP or honors. However, I was a part of an experimental class specialized in Russian Literature and Social Studies.

I graduated in 2021 (what a shaaameee), got into several Hungarian universities, was a finalist of Stipendium Hungaricum, but the quota was shortened, so I did not get the grant.

School GPA: 3,64/4 (what a shame)

Duolingo English Test (June 2022): 135/160

Have no SAT (cannot take it as I am from Russia), but I will attach my predicted scores for a national exam. I graduated «that Covid year» when national exams were optional. They were like 84/86/94 but I am ready to retake them to show a better score.

— Extracurriculars

  • Graphic and brand designer. An author of a graphic identity (and a website) of a successful vegan confectioner. Have created a graphic identity of an Egyptian festival in my city (it was provided with the help of the Egyptian embassy) |volunteer|. Has been a designer for a volunteer center. A designer for an online school |a part of this start up| . Have a profile on Behance (more than 3.000 views). Re-design for a project of Rostov touristic organization (merch: t-shirts with Anton Chekhov (he is from Rostov region), logo, guides).

  • Internship in Borderless. so

  • UI/UX design. Have taken a related course, master of advanced features of software. A part of the community led by a designer of one of the biggest IT corporations of Russia. Have created 270 diverse color palettes (for website builder), UI-elements, prototype animations, advertising materials for a Dubai-based start-up.

  • Writing. Wrote articles for a volunteer center, posts for my school’s social media, texts for our student council so that they can participate in journalist contests, was an editor of a school newspaper.

  • Volunteering. Media volunteering for a French cultural center, volunteering at handball games where I draw posters with kids, a hostess volunteer. A media volunteer of an all-Russian forum of architecture and art. Re-design for a project of Rostov touristic organization (merch, logo, guides).

  • A member of the International Youth Club. Was a part of the team of heads of International Culinary Championship provided with the assistance of the youth community of Dortmund. Helped with PR, advertising, design, meeting guests.

  • Freelance copywriting. Commercialy: posts for a coffee shop, and, when I was 17, I worked as a copywriter on ANY topics. Being 15, created content for a star magazine but it is closed now.

  • Job experience. 14 years old: a seller of air balloons in the circus. 16 — 17 years old: promoter (handing out leaflets, offering food), IKEA promo model, IKEA picker, promo model for a luxury store. 17 — 18 years old: barista, copywriter. Getting art orders since I was a child. 17 — now: freelance designer. I combined studying at school with in-person jobs.

  • Content making. An author of an early stage Telegram channel for designers who want to improve their English. Had an ecology project for a local accelerator, made content for it (it was a thing for learning so it does not exist anymore).

  • Drawing. Into art since I was 3 yo. Digital drawing since I was 8 yo. Have graduated from a federal art school with honors. Taking requests and orders. Can draw in any technique. An author of illustrations for postcards for a local opposition party. Had a collaboration with a German game-dev studio (not anymore because of the war). Had a start-up of customizing tote bags, sold 2 of 2 ready-made ones of my design and creation (closed because of COVID and my financial struggles). Created infographics and posters that decorated the walls of my school. The art I drew being a child was published in the collection of poems.

  • Freelance designer.

  • A participant of that all-Russian forum of architecture and art (I was on the track called Mediatechnology). A resident of a regional youth educative forum for talanted youth (we made a collective art piece and I was an author of both our name labels and concept of the piece). Got into both places after contests.

  • The Regional Academy of Youth Researches / Scientific Conference / Social Studies and Politics. The 3rd place for the research on the reflection of totalitarianism in Orwell’s works. It was a solid research accompanied by an illustration of my own. I was the only participant who decided to create a piece, not just a presentation.

It is not the way it is going to look as a part of CommonApp, I tried to make it comprehensible and cohesive so that you waste less of your time (I do appreciate your attention!) observing my profile. is not the way it is going to look as a part of CommonApp, I tried to make it comprehensible and cohesive so that you waste less of your time (I do appreciate your attention!) observing my profile

— Awards

  • The Diploma of Art School (with honors). Both basic and advanced.

  • The certificate that expresses gratitude to me for succeeding in the art school.

  • The Conference of Southern Federal University/ Social Philosophy. The 3rd place for the article on existentialism at the works of Haruki Murakami

  • Stipendium Hungaricum Finalist.

  • The graditude for helping the veterans.

  • The graditude for helping the school museum (the only museum of Rostov’s People’s Milita).

  • The certificate of a course on UX/UI

  • The Regional Academy of Youth Researches / Scientific Conference / Social Studies and Politics. The 3rd place for the research on the reflection of totalitarism in Orwell’s works

  • The diplomas and certificates for forums (read above).

— Recommendation Letter

One is from my customer (I do stuff like design and UX copywriting for him) from Dubai! It is a start-up thing. And another from my teacher of Social Studies with whom we made research.

— Personal Statement
reflects my perception of the world and my artistic spike

__

I feel very bad for my profile, but I do hope that I may be a fit to such a nice place.

Thank you very much for your time and attention. I do hope to get an honest evaluation in the terms of getting into Vassar College.

Have a great day!
I would appreciate every answer.

2

I don’t see it happening. You’re not remotely close to where you need to be. But you don’t know if you don’t try.

Good luck.

3

@MYOS1634 any words of wisdom for this student?

4

Vassar is need-aware for international applicants. If you were a wealthy, full-pay international applicant, it would still be a reach based on your stats. Getting accepted with full-ride aid as an international applicant with below-their-median stats is going to be very tough, I’m afraid. If you want to aim for this tier of school, consider Skidmore and Connecticut College as well. They’re slightly less competitive than Vassar but still meet need for at least some international applicants. Still unlikely admits, unfortunately, given the added competitiveness of international admissions.

Have you looked at Berea College? It accepts only low-income students, giving full funding to all via grants and an on-campus work program. They have a studio art major https://berea.smartcatalogiq.com/en/Current/Catalog/Departments-of-Study/Art/Art-Studio-B-A For Berea, your stats are in range, so a strong portfolio might tip things in the right direction.

There are plenty of US schools that you could get into; it’s getting full-ride financial aid that is the tough part.

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5

Congratulations on your obvious determination and resilience. As others have accurately stated Vassar me be a very tough reach based on your financial need, academic background and the reality that Vassar’s acceptance rates are much lower for women.

As a Vassar alum I would suggest taking a look at Sarah Lawrence. The schools have a variety of similarities and may work financially. Good luck!!

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I was thinking about Sarah Lawrence too, but that info page says that the amount of international student scholarships generally ranges from $10,000 – $25,000 per year. With a total cost of attendance of nearly 80K/year, that’s nowhere near enough.

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7

No…as you were told repeatedly on your other post!

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8

It sounds as if you have done some volunteer work with children. Have you considered coming to the US as an Au Pair, and taking community college classes locally, wherever you are placed?

(Of course, go ahead and apply to colleges that meet need, as well; I’m just thinking this could be a viable backup plan.)

9

If I am reading the post correctly, you have been working as a freelance designer for two years since graduating secondary school. I agree with other posters that there isn’t anything in your profile that would stand out for admission to a selective liberal arts college, and you’d have an extremely low chance of getting any financial support.

It is unclear what you hope to gain from Vassar, unless you are simply looking for an expensive, cozy place to spend time. It sounds like you are more into art design and web design. With those skills you should be able to pick up more work and academic training closer to home at less expense. Since you did not choose the college path before, it would be better for you to complete an academic certification where you are. Then you can apply to US and other schools based on the merits of your artistic talent for a graduate program (at a university, not a college). For a PhD program, you may even get funding.

10

Thank you very much for your kindness!

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11

It is very kind and polite of you. Thank you so much for your answer and advice. I will try!
Skidmore and Connecticut College sound awesome as well.
I do appreciate your help!

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12

Thank you so much for your kind words and attention!
Oh, I thought that Vassar is more friendly to women, I am surprised. Thank you very much for telling me!
Unfortunately, Sarah Lawrence does not offer financial aid. But I will look for more options. Thank you so much!

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13

Vassar is “friendly” to all people. As a historically women’s college (1969 co ed) they tend to get more female applicants which makes it more competitive for female applicants.

This is a bit dated but the dynamic persists…

Sarah Lawrence does offer financial aid and as the prior link I sent you indicates the “typical” range is 10-25k. They do however on occasion provide students with a more robust FA package. You should reach out to them directly but I am personally aware of students that have received generous FA packages.

From the college website…
“Sarah Lawrence College offers a combination of merit and need-based scholarships to international citizens. In any given year, anywhere between 30-50% of our international students are scholarship recipients.”

International FA is highly competitive and might not be adequate but where did your research indicate they don’t offer FA?

14

Thank you very much!
In communities of applicants from the post-Soviet space, we have lists of colleges that provide the most generous financial aid (proven and tested, these lists are really trustworthy), and I did not find this college there

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15

Please share that list here so that others can benefit.

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16

I am wishing you well, and I think you have gotten some good advice from the previous posters.

I just want to clarify, that when a college mentions diversity, they are looking for students who will bring diversity to their campuses, not for students who have experienced diversity in their own lives. That’s why people are telling you that being a person with red hair won’t count for diversity in college, even if it is unusual where you grew up.

Some students will write their personal essays about experiencing the type of diversity that you have experienced, but I think that the essay topics that you have already chosen sound like a much better essay topic.

I hope you find a college that works for you. Have you looked into colleges in Canada? Many of them are much less expensive than the ones in the US.

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Sure!

US UNIVERSITIES THAT MEET 100% OF THE DEMONSTRATED NEED

Schools with the most generous fin aid packets:

• Amherst College (Financial Aid & Costs | Admission & Financial Aid | Amherst College)
• Berea College (https://www.berea.edu/student-financial-aid/loans/)
• Bowdoin College (Cost of Attendance | Bowdoin College)
• Brown University (Financial Aid Basics | Financial Aid Undergradute | Brown University)
• Colby College (https://www.colby.edu/sfs/applying-for-financial-aid/)
• College of the Ozarks (Graduate Debt-Free | Hard Work U.)
• Columbia University (How Aid Works | Columbia Financial Aid and Educational Financing)
• Davidson College (Financial Aid)
• Grinnell College (https://www.grinnell.edu/news/no-loan-financial-aid)
• Harvard University (Financial Aid)
• Johns Hopkins (Financial Aid | Johns Hopkins University)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Making MIT affordable | MIT Student Financial Services)
• Pomona College (Financial Aid | Pomona College in Claremont, California - Pomona College)
• Princeton University (http://admission.princeton.edu/financialaid)
• Stanford University (Types of Aid : Stanford University)
• Swarthmore College (Financial Aid :: Swarthmore College)
• University of Chicago (Financial Support | College Admissions)
• University of Michigan—Ann Arbor (How Aid is Awarded | Financial Aid | University of Michigan)
• University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill (How do you determine financial need for my financial aid offer? - Office of Scholarships and Student Aid)
• University of Pennsylvania (http://www.sfs.upenn.edu/paying/paying-financial-aid-policies.htm)
• Vanderbilt University (Office of Financial Aid | Vanderbilt University)
• Washington and Lee University (The W&L Promise : Washington and Lee University)
• Yale University (Types of Aid and Other Financial Resources | Financial Aid)

Schools that meet 100% of the demonstrated need for low-income students:

• Colgate University (The Colgate Commitment | Colgate University)
• Cornell University (Types of Aid | Financial Aid)
• Dartmouth College (How Much Help Will I Get? | Financial Aid)
• Duke University (https://financialaid.duke.edu/undergraduate-applicants/how-does-it-work#loanlevel)
• Haverford College (http://www.haverford.edu/financialaid/)
• Lehigh University (Undergraduate Student Financial Aid | Lehigh University)
• Lafayette College (Apply for Aid · Admissions · Lafayette College)
• Rice University (https://financialaid.rice.edu/)
• Tufts University (Types of Aid | Tufts Admissions)
• Vassar College (https://studentfinancialservices.vassar.edu/)
• Washington University in St. Louis (Cost & Aid - Undergraduate Admissions | Washington University in St. Louis)
• Wellesley College (Wellesley College)
• Wesleyan University (https://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/affording/how.html)
• Williams College (https://finaid.williams.edu/how-it-works/financial-aid-packages/)
• Trinity College (Financial Aid - Admissions & Aid)
• Barnard College (Estimate Your Eligibility | Barnard College)
Credits: biomedjourney (Telegram)

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18

Thank you very much for your caring and polite reply. I do appreciate how kind and nice you are! I would not mention anything about my hair color but decided to mention here because… who knows… Maybe a college has a controversial story about its discrimination haha!
Yes, my personal essay tells about my perception of the world and how I reflect it in my art, and I find it a pretty good one. Most of the people who read it said that it appeared to be unique. I am proud of it.

Talking about Canada… they do not provide full-rides :frowning: and cover tuition fees only. Thank you for mentioning this option!

Now, I am interested in Trinity, Connecticut, Swarthmore. Still in doubt about which one of them could like me more…

And I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much for dedicating your attention!

19

@Ler_G

I hope you and your friends understand that the vast majority of the colleges on these lists you posted are need aware for international students…meaning your level of financial need can be considered when your application for admissions is reviewed.

There are only 7 colleges that are both need blind AND meet full need for all international students. They are:

  • Amherst College.
  • Bowdoin College.
  • Dartmouth College.
  • Harvard University.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Princeton University.
  • Yale University.

And these colleges are amongst THE most competitive for admissions in this country…as are most of the colleges on your list.

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20

Unfortunately this list has some inaccuracies, these are two I know of the top of my head, there may be more.

U Michigan only meets full need for Michigan residents (they do not meet full need for US residents of other states, or international students). Scholarship $ for international students is limited:

There is no federal financial aid and limited scholarship funding available to international students attending U-M, though a short-term university loan may be available in the case of emergencies (see information below). Any scholarship consideration requires no additional application. Student athletes should work through the U-M Athletic Department for potential scholarships in that area.

UNC does not provide much aid for international students either.

While we’ll automatically consider you for scholarships when you apply as a first-year student, and as an international student, you won’t be eligible to receive need-based financial aid and so you’ll want to be prepared to pay the full cost of attendance for non-resident students.

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