<p>List of need-blind colleges:</p>
<p>Harvard
MIT
Yale
Princeton
Dartmouth
Amherst</p>
<p>Needless to say, they are insanely difficult to get into. But, even if you think your credentials may not be good enough, I suggest at least apply to one of them (not more since the application fees are also there to consider), the one which you love the most. Reason? Something about your application might just click with the adcom. </p>
<p>One last thing, make sure you utilise your gap year well. Any college you apply to will want to know why you took a gap year and if you did something substantial with the time you had.</p>
<p>Ignore what I wrote about BYU above. I confused it with BJU. Sorry. Everything I wrote about BYU is wrong.</p>
<p>You can always apply to ivies but understand that it is ridiculously competitive to get into one of these.</p>
<p>Univs like Uchicago, JHU, Rice, Northwestern are very stingy in international aid. Getting into them will be very difficult as well.</p>
<p>I personally think that LAC’s are your best bet. Choose the ones that are not very competitive are generous with aid. Do some serious research and I am sure you will find such colleges. It will still be difficult to get aid but those will be your best options.</p>
<p>Will it help, to any extent, if i get my SAT 2 scores up?</p>
<p>Of course it will help. You should retake and try to get 750+ .</p>
<p>Sammy we are being over-critical about your scores! You have a good shot at some of the schools in your list but the real problem is your need for financial aid.</p>
<p>Among the ivies:
You have a good shot at Cornell and a decent one at Dartmouth! In fact I strongly recommend applying to both. If you want you can apply to other too but the chances there are not high (to say the least).</p>
<p>Among the need blind:
Dartmouth…it is a reach but the chances are still there.</p>
<p>Among the schools in your list:
Cornell(Already discussed), UChicago and UMich (UVa too maybe)(they are stringent with International aid but are state colleges and hence their fees are comparatively low) and LACs (including the only-girls college like Smith Mt. H,etc) are worth trying for.</p>
<p>Schools you should avoid:
ALL the schools in your list are all good schools but the schools I am gonna list are amazingly stringent when it comes to International aid and if you apply then don’t expect that you’d get any financial help:
Northwestern, JHU, Emory and Rice!</p>
<p>You are a girl and if you apply for engineering that would further your chances more but I don’t think you are interested in engineering much, looking at your college list!</p>
<p>So according to me your college list should be:</p>
<p>Cornell (Good shot, and being a girl helps)
Dartmouth (OK not strong shot if you plan to apply at ivies then better shot than others)
Smith<br>
Mt. Holyoke
BYU
Bryn Mawr
Indian Uni (I support your crazy notion and you should apply to another easy school like this)
UChicago
UMich
UVa
and I think you should add a few(1-2) safety colleges too.</p>
<p>Why this list? PM me I’ll discuss it there! This reply is getting ridiculously long! :P</p>
<p>“UChicago and UMich (UVa too maybe)(they are stringent with International aid but are state colleges and hence their fees are comparatively low)”</p>
<p>Yea, if 50k is low.</p>
<p>@MajorQuest: Rice does give a LOT of financial aid to internationals!</p>
<p>In fact, I know a bunch of people who have got a full-ride at Rice. They aren’t extraordinary.</p>
<p>@bluebox:
Seriously? I thought it was around 35k! Damn then I guess I stand corrected! I should have checked out their fee structure considering that I am applying at both of them!:P</p>
<p>@aniruddhc</p>
<p>I know nobody who got into aid, any info I have about Rice is hearsay mostly from my counselor so I wouldn’t fight you on that!</p>
<p>Oh and btw even Wanderer seems to think Rice is stringent…I have no idea because I am not even considering to apply to Rice! :)</p>
<p>Sammy, apply to College Of Wooster. They give aid and they’re not very difficult to get into.</p>
<p>yeah Rice really doesn’t give much money to internationals =(</p>