Please help with our list of schools to visit

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>This forum was a great help when my older daughter was going through the admission process. Would appreciate help again. Our circumstances have changed considerably so any and all assistance appreciated. </p>

<p>Daughter 2 is graduating next year from an international school in shanghai china. We moved here when she was a sophomore. Our previous experience was not as an international student so it's sort of new! </p>

<p>These are her stats
SAT 740 reading/720 writing/640 math
SAT2 740 literature/650 word history/650 Spanish will take Chinese in October
Gpa 89 at tough IB school (international baccalaureate)</p>

<p>Extra curriculars strong on leadership (student council, model UN, leads in theater, formed lower school activity club)
Extensive travel. Writing great application essay on "bathrooms I have known". -- it's going to be hilarious to document the many things she's done--from Qatar with model UN to a tiny village in china where she learned to build rice paddies and plow with a water buffalo...I can't believe some of it...</p>

<p>Vast community service both in china and in us on breaks. Building wells in Cambodia as her senior IB project. </p>

<p>Wants to major in political science and Chinese with a hope for a career in law or Foreign service. Wants to stay in the northeast--but would consider Washington as an alternative. </p>

<p>We will only be in the states 6 weeks and 2 of them she s working at a residential camp, so our visit list must be formulated and planned carefully. </p>

<p>We will see Williams, Darthmouth, Yale, BU, BC, Trinity, Brown, Middlebury, Georgetown, Villanova, American, Holy Cross, University of Vermont, maybe Colgate and Cornell if I can get her to consider NY</p>

<p>Looking for other matches and a reality check for the ones above.</p>

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<p>Tufts and Johns Hopkins come to mind. Your list looks a bit reach-heavy, and could use some more match schools. GW seems missing from your list - any reason why? U. Maryland comes to mind - it has good access to DC. </p>

<p>Some of the schools on your list offer EA, so I would encourage taking advantage of it. An early acceptance is the best kind of safety, and some students rejigger their lists after EA acceptances or rejections, to aim higher or lower.</p>

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<p>I think you should take a look at Princeton on your way to Washington, DC, from the north. The Woodrow Wilson school would seem to be well suited to your daughter’s interests. Her math SAT is a bit low for Princeton, as is the world history SAT II, but she looks like a very interesting student, and her background would add a lot to a class–so it’s probably worth a try. </p>

<p>Also, just wanted to point out that many universities will not consider your daughter to be an “international student,” assuming that she is a US citizen or permanent resident. This is good news, because the admissions odds for those who are classified as international students tend to be much lower than for domestic students. The international experience is all a plus.</p>

4

<p>If she would consider NYC, I know she would love Barnard. Upstate NY is not that different from rural NE, so I don’t understand her reluctance. Since you want to limit your search to the NE, I strongly suggest some safeties. Bard is one that comes to mind. Vassar and Wesleyan do too, but not safeties.</p>

<p>Brandeis comes to mind as well. </p>

<p>With Dartmouth and Brown, Villanova and Yale, I can’t tell if there is a left/right political bias here, so my schools might lean too left.</p>

<p>If so, I think some other match/safeties are a must.</p>

<p>I’ve had a kid at Barnard and a kid at Williams, and if you want more info on those schools I’d be glad to help.</p>

<p>Perhaps Bryn Mawr if Philly is not too far, but definitely Smith and Mt. Holyoke, and while you’re there Amherst, though it might be a reach.</p>

<p>The women’s colleges will be much more forgiving of the 640 and are really good options with this resume IMO. Mt. Holyoke in particular has a huge international population and is known for that.</p>

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<p>Tufts and GW came to my mind when I read this. BU is another possibility.</p>

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<p>I’d also add Tufts and GW (unless she absolutely hates the lack of a campus). You might check out Brandeis too. As the parent of a boy, I’m not too familiar with the women’s colleges, but agree they should be considered. My son is at Tufts and doing IR and discovered he did not like the political science theory at all, but he’s finished with those requirements!</p>

<p>I love her essay topic.</p>

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<p>Quantmech, Depends on what school you are applying to. Three of my children graduated from schools overseas and were considered International by every school they applied to. Admissions generally uses the High School you are graduating from as an indicator of whether you are considered International from an Admissions standpoint. That being said, it didn’t hurt their chances.
Harvardmum, she sounds like a very interesting candidate and I would not discount any colleges! I love her essay topic as well! If you already have a child at Harvard and she is interested I would have her apply there as well, they seem to like siblings. Can she take SAT’s again for her Math? Not a game changer but it might help her other scores are great, also may want to try ACT’s. Good luck to her!</p>

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<p>Oh yeah, one more thing, make sure your guidance counselor and teachers understand how to write a good recommendation letter for an American University. In our school the majority of teachers were from UK or other commonwealth countries and the teachers recommendation letters were basically about the kids academic abilities and not about them.</p>

<p>I gave the teachers and the guidance counselor this very helpful link from MIT on writing recommendations [Writing</a> Recommendations | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/writingrecs]Writing”>How to write good letters of recommendation | MIT Admissions)</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

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<p>Hmm, interesting, EAO1227. Do you know the situation at schools where it is a distinct disadvantage to be an international student? Do they really mean foreign? Or would American citizens who complete high school abroad also be at a disadvantage?</p>

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<p>Consider Wellesley as well.</p>

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<p>The 1380 SAT may make Yale, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Williams, & Brown reaches-to-matches, but you’ve got alot of matches-to-safeties on your list.</p>

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<p>Hi. Thank you for all the replies. She will be considered an international student for good or bad, though we are not of Asian descent. My user name is reflective of our hometown ( harvard) and not the university. My older daughter is very happily at WPI. My younger daughter is biased toward new england because after 3 years in China, it’s time to go home. And that means within 2 hours of Harvard MA or Lincoln NH. I whole heartedly support that choice and it is my preference as well. We did not expect nor desire this international posting, but had to make it work for my husband’s career. Our rising senior is excelling here however, and for this reason, it makes the hardship of living here worth it. In fact my husband is transferring back to the US in December and daughter and I are staying on in China till graduation. Sigh.</p>

<p>The woman’s colleges are a no according to her…but maybe I’ll throw in a quick stop at Wellesley to show her.</p>

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<p>Almost forgot. Can’t take the ACTs in China. They are forbidden. Lots of weird things are here… And yes, the political slant does come into play here. Thought she is a true new england daughter, living abroad has caused her to develop very very conservative politics (opposite to us!) and that is definitely a consideration.</p>

<p>Any thoughts on the IB feature of her stats? Her HL courses are Bio, Lit and History.</p>

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<p>Since you’ll be in the Boston area, I agree with looking at Brandeis, Tufts, and Wellesley. My D didn’t start out looking for a women’s college, but it’s been a great environment for her.</p>

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<p>I would think your D’s status as an international student might conceivably affect financial aid, if you need it, since very few schools are need-blind for international students. I don’t know if it’s possible to be considered international for admissions and domestic for financial aid.</p>