PLEASE HELP: Safety school suggestions for international student

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'de be really happy if someone could suggest a few SAFETY schools for me to apply to. Thank you so much!!</p>

<p>About me:
I was born in India, and I am of Indian origin. In every single city I've lived in, I've attended good international schools that followed the American curriculum.
I've lived in India (kindergarden-3rd grade), Argentina (3rd-7th grade), Italy (8-9th grade), Ethiopia (10th grade) and India again (11th -12th grade)</p>

<p>GAP YEAR:
I just graduated and I'm applying to colleges in my gap year. During my gap year I'm teaching English part-time at a small school in India for children below the poverty line and also taking advanced courses at a language school in Spanish and Hindi (both of which I am reasonably fluent in)</p>

<p>Scores/ grades:
SAT (superscore): 2310 (800m, 760 r, 750w)
SAT subjects: Math 2-780
Physics- 760
Chemistry- 720</p>

<p>GPA: 3.89, unweighted (I don’t know my weighted GPA, but I've taken a 8 AP exams + 1 IB course over the last 2 years). </p>

<p>Community service:
I've done extensive volunteer work in both Ethiopia and India. I've organized slum clean-ups and celebrations of local festivals for slum children. I've fundraised to provide educational supplies for slum children. I headed the habitat for humanity chapter in my school in India. Altogether, around 300 hours</p>

<p>Summer Programs:
Oxford Advanced Studies Program (Oxford University)
Summer volunteer job at an NGO for abused women (2 months)
Internship at a leading national newspaper office in India (1 month)</p>

<p>Additional:
Participated in MUN conferences in different parts of the world, won 2 best delegate awards
Written a monthly column profiling various NGOs in the city for a local (not very prestigious) newspaper in India</p>

<p>About the schools:
I'd like some schools that aren't in the middle of nowhere. I'm used to the international school atmosphere, so a school with a significant minority population (around 20% non-white) will be fabulous. I'd really love if it was a small school with study abroad options, but I'm flexible on that. Again, thank you!!</p>

2

<p>What is your likely major?</p>

<p>What is your budget (how much will your family spend each year?) </p>

<p>If your parents can’t pay much then there aren’t many financial safeties for an int’l student (because most won’t give you financial aid). However, some might give you a good scholarship for your stats.</p>

3

<p>You need to sort out the money issue first because there is no such thing as a “Safety” in the US for an international student who needs financial aid. Financial Safeties are in your own country.</p>

<p>Once you know your budget, sit down with the [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.state.gov/]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.state.gov/) website to bone up on the admission process in general. Make an appointment with the counselors at the advising center closest to where you live (there are several in India), and find out which of them have worked with students like you in the past. If there isn’t anyone in their office, they can put you in touch with a colleague in another office. Don’t forget to visit the guidance counselors and/or college placement advisors at the international school that you have just graduated from to ask about which colleges/universities in the US students with your profile have been admitted to in recent years. Often those counselors are very skilled at placing their graduates.</p>

<p>In addition to looking at institutions in the US, you should consider some in Canada. The cost usually is less than that at US colleges/universities and most are in urban environments.</p>

4

<p>with your grades and if finances is an issue, look at university of dallas</p>

5

<p>A safety, if such a thing exists for an international student in need of financial aid, is a school in a rural area, seeking to increase the diversity of it’s student body and attract highly talented applicants that might not otherwise notice them because they are not internationally known. This is why they offer scholarships. If that doesn’t interest you, then perhaps your safety needs to be elsewhere.</p>

6

<p>These are not exactly “safeties” for anyone but with your scores and grades it seems like you would have a good chance for Johns Hopkins or Tufts. If you weren’t concerned about middle of nowhere I would suggest Middlebury!</p>

7

<p>Thank you so much everybody. But I do NOT require any financial aid, perhaps I should have clarified that :slight_smile:
Can anyone please suggest some safety school options, keeping that in mind? Thank you.</p>

8

<p>With that info, UNC Chapel Hill, UIUC, Vanderbilt U, Boston U, UT Austin would all be good.</p>

9

<p>Thank you so much. But surely Vandebilt and UT Austin cannot be considered as safeties? I was thinking of BU as well, because they have a 58% admit rate and the average SAT scores are quite a bit lower than mine</p>

10

<p>Armaan,</p>

<p>Please tell us how much your family will pay. We can’t recommend schools that might work as safeties for you without knowing whether you can pay, since most safeties do not give aid and many don’t give merit to int’ls. </p>

<p>And what is your likely major and career? That will also help us.</p>

<p>(and, no Vandy and UT-A are not safeties.)</p>

11

<p>If money truly is not an issue, your lists of Academic Reaches, Matches, and Safeties would be similar to those of a US student with your SAT and GPA. You can use any of the college matching search engines including the new one here at CC: [College</a> Search - College Confidential](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/]College”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/)</p>

<p>Another favorite is [College</a> MatchMaker - Type of School](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)</p>

<p>Not knowing what your family’s budget limits are (is USD 55k a year OK, or is it more like USD 30k a year), or what your probable major field is, we can’t be as much help to you as the search engines are at this point.</p>

12

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<p>You have excellent stats, an interesting background, and apparently the ability to pay full fare. I think you have a good shot at any college in the U.S., but since you ask for safeties:</p>

<p>Macalester College would be perfect for you. Match if not safety. St. Paul is a big city. </p>

<p>[Macalester</a> College: Private Liberal Arts College](<a href=“http://www.macalester.edu/]Macalester”>http://www.macalester.edu/)</p>

<p>Occidental College in Los Angeles. Very diverse urban area. </p>

<p>[Occidental</a> College :: Liberal Arts College in Los Angeles, California](<a href=“http://www.oxy.edu/]Occidental”>http://www.oxy.edu/)</p>

<p>Also: Rice University in Houston. Not a safety for anyone, but a definite match for you, I think. </p>

<p>If you go to this website: [College</a> Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics](<a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/]College”>College Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics)</p>

<p>Type in the name of the college you’re interested in and you can click on “enrollment” to see what the minority and international percentages are.</p>

13

<p>oops, I missed where he posts that money isn’t an issue. Sorry. :)</p>

<p>Am I missing where he’s listed his intended major and intended career? That will make a big difference for safeties.</p>

<p>BU would probably be a safety. NYU would be a match/safety (they probably would love a full pay). </p>

<p>UDel, UConn, UMaryland…</p>

<p>Are any of the Jesuit schools a problem for you? They aren’t very “religious”</p>

14

<p>Wow, this is really helpful. Thank you so much. I intend to major in business/ economics and I dont need any financial aid. I just used a couple of the college ‘matchmakers’ and I would really like to know what anybody thinks about these universities/colleges for safeties? Do you think they are too selective to be considered safeties?</p>

<p>Washington University Seattle
UC SantaCruz
Penn State University Park (This is the best Penn state campus, yes?)
Bentley university (Wikipedia says its excellent for business majors)
University of San Francisco</p>

<p>Again, thank you. This was really helpful. I just looked up occidental college and I absolutely loved it :-)</p>

15

<p>U San Francisco would be a safety for you and they will accept you.</p>

<p>Penn State UP is the best Penn St campus…it is mega huge</p>

<p>University of Washington will accept you.</p>

<p>UC Santa Cruz will likely accept you - but it’s a UC, so who knows! LOL</p>

16

<p>nice choices, you can add Gonzaga U, Boston College, Loyola Marymount</p>

17

<p>Check out Rutgers University - New Brunswick</p>

18

<p>OP, have you looked into Emory? It would be a match/ high match. A full pay international with great stats… a good position to be in. Emory is 13% or so international so it is extremely diverse… also, I was a pull pay international will good stats (not as high SATs as yours… I had 2200… but my GPA was the same and full IB) and I got in and am attending next year. Make sure that if you’re interested in attending, show interest in the university… Emory cares a lot about that. Good luck!</p>