Should I apply to Skidmore the 2nd time?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Skidmore College
1

My name is Aktan, I’m an international student. I applied to skidmore as an ED II and got rejected. I had 4,8 GPA / 5
SAT 1200/1600 (620 reading, 580 math, I know it’s really bad), TOEFL 105, and strong ECA’s. I’m only 16 years old so I decided to take a gap year, increase my SAT score to 1400 or above so I’ll have strong application and can’t decide if I should apply to Skidmore again as an ED I. So,
I have choice between applying to Skidmore, Franklin & Marshall college, Lafayette, and Colgate University. These are my top 4 universities. Also consider that my family can only pay 2k dollars for my education since I’m from very poor background.
Question is: Should I apply to Skidmore as an ED I next autumn or should I try for other universities?

P.S. I want to study computer science and if you know, could you please tell me which school has the best CS programme?

2

If there are any international students who got in, could you please share your stats?

3

Consider applying to Brandeis or Skidmore, or both. They both have good CS programs and will give you enough aid if accepted. Skidmore will know you are applying a second time (because of course you’ll tick the question that asks if you’ve applied before on your CommonApp), this means they will be looking for ‘okay what else has this guy done since the last time he applied?’, and I think significantly increasing your SAT score will be a very good thing for you to do. Also, try as much as possible to take any interview if a school offers it, even if it’s optional. It’s just in case.

Good luck for the second time, Aktan!

4

in this case, try some colleges that offer international students lots of aid. if your parents can only provide 2k, you will probably need a full-ride. I believe the average aid at Skidmore is somewhere around 30k which means you still have to pay 20k

5

@jackpetros His financial aid package at Skidmore will be based fully on his family’s demonstrated need. Skidmore meets the full need of all admitted international students. So if he gets in, he’d pay about what he can afford.

6

skidmore is not need-blind towards international students. that’s why I suggested him applying to generous colleges(apply to colleges that are need-blind to international students). He basically needs a full-ride and that will dramatically reduce his chance getting in. If he applies ED to a need-blind college, he will have a much better chance. In his case, he should not waste his ED again on Skidmore. It should not be like this, but

7

Yeah that’s true. An ED need-blind college would be more beneficial for you @atonitaku47

8

jackpetros and Aktan; Good luck getting into a US college that is need blind for International students. They are few and far between, and practically impossible to get into.

These days, more and more colleges are moving from need blind, to need aware, and that goes not just for International students, but for American students too.

There are currently only seven U.S. higher learning institutions that are need-blind and meet full demonstrated need for all applicants, including international students. These are:
Amherst College
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Princeton University
Yale University
Soka University of America
Minerva Schools at KG

Take a close look at the below Wiki article link, and consider from top to bottom all schools that you feel fit your course requirements, and that you might be able to get into. Generally speaking, the sooner a college is listed in this article, the better your chances are for full need being met. YMMV

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need-blind_admission#U.S._institutions_that_are_need-blind_and_meet_full_demonstrated_need_for_both_U.S._and_international_students

Based on this article, of the schools you mentioned considering, Colgate, F&M, and Skidmore all look to be better financial aid bets than Lafayette. Again YMMV

You may also want to consider Union, Grinnell, Hamilton, and U of Richmond, all of which offer very generous financial aid, and are roughly equivalent to Skidmore when it comes to admission requirements. Union in particular may be a good fit, as it is only 30 minutes down the road from Skidmore, and one of the more STEM focused liberal arts colleges.

Good Luck

9

@JaxBlueman : The schools you mentioned (#8) as being roughly equivalent to Skidmore by admission requirements span over 100 places when considered by student profile:

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-50-smartest-colleges-in-america-2016-10

http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/college-profiles-new-sat/

10

merc81; With 5000+ colleges to choose from, 100 places is within a 2% range. So, like I said…roughly equal.

And I have it on good authority, that Skidmore’s numbers for this year’s class of 2021 have jumped considerably. By the time next year’s application period rolls around for Akton, that span is likely to be in the 20-40 range.

If Akton’s gap year strategy works, and he’s able to improve his test scores, all of the schools that I mentioned would be well in play.

So, which one did you attend?

11

In a steep part of the distribution curve, this math would decidedly not apply, and would be the equivalent of comparing, by student profile, UC-Berkeley to Transylvania University (links, #9).

The interesting, selective Skidmore will continue to do fine, however, and has not been my direct focus here.

12

You guys have solid points.

13

Skidmore is not need blind period. Unless a candidate has something the school feels it would benefit from, a student with significant need will probably not be admitted. By something to benefit from, I mean scores that will improve the profile of the incoming class or a skill that will put Skidmore on the map, so to speak. There are state schools that might be more welcoming of your application. It appears that you have good credentials but not ones that will bowl over Skidmore. But, you do have something some public schools want-but I don’t mean the well known ones like Michigan or UVA. Some of the lessor known state schools have a hard time attracting applicants outside their region. They often promote themselves as having excellent reputations but nobody outside their state has heard of them. It is those schools that might find an application from you to offer them something they want-a way to show the academic world that they do attract applicants outside their region. And, although counterintuitive, some state schools will be more generous with financial aid. Directional state schools and some SUNYs are good places to start.