<p>@LayraSparks Thanks for the help.
Whether I’ll apply for financial aid…is still being debated. Technically, I’m eligible for aid, but I wouldn’t get much anyway, so I’m thinking about taking those loans out in my home country.
I didn’t mention it on this thread before, but this is actually my second round of applying. I applied for fin aid this year, and unsurprisingly didn’t get into many places.
So since I could manage without aid from colleges, I might not apply for it.
The only problem with Grinnell is that it doesn’t offer my major (Film), so I could only do my second choice major.
:)</p>
<p>Oh don’t worry about it, then. Just apply for aid. 5-6k is nothing for Grinnell. Even $10k or so is nothing to them. It’s not applying for financial aid that hurts your chances at colleges that offer aid to international students–it’s having very high need, which you don’t seem to. Cornell, Penn are huge reaches for everybody. If you can afford to pay $50k or so there is really no difference between asking for aid and not doing so.</p>
<p>Check out Wesleyan. Amazing film program. I’ve heard great things about Sarah Lawrence’s film program too.</p>
<p>@International95 Doesn’t applying for aid put you into a completely different applicant pool, though? I know it does at Penn, not sure about the LACs. I’d be eligible for about $5-10k in aid, maybe a little more depending on the inflation, so I don’t know if it’s worth the risk.</p>
<p>I’ve checked out Wesleyan before, I don’t really know why it’s not on my list. It would probably be a better fit than Grinnell. Most of the LACs are new additions to my list this year, since I prefer larger universities, but I really shouldn’t be picky. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for all your help! (Yes, I am thanking every single comment.)</p>
<p>Except for Pomona, I don’t think any liberal arts college would categorize applications that way (Williams used to do so but not anymore). After speaking to about 30+ international admissions officers, I’m fairly certain that how much you need is definitely a factor for admissions. So the point is that even if you get categorized into a different pool, being able to pay most of your tuition puts you in a strong position in comparison to many needy international kids, particularly because colleges want to admit as many intl kids as possible with their limited aid budgets for them (so giving out $10k is not really a problem but when they have to give out $50k in aid to a student, that’s something they will think about.) Don’t know much about Penn, though. In any case, it’s really not a risk. If you’re not convinced, do contact admission officers. Different college, different policy.</p>
<p>Wesleyan is pretty large for an LAC with 3000-ish students.</p>
<p>@International95 Thanks, I didn’t really do much research on financial aid in LACs until now & my experiences are limited to three colleges. I applied to Amherst last year, which is need-blind (rejected), to Emerson, which has a COA of 50k and no aid for internationals (accepted), and Occidental, which admitted me but couldn’t give me aid.</p>
<p>Also, I’ll look into Wesleyan. I actually even know someone who goes there.</p>
<p>@International95
Certainly, you do have your experience build from being an international applicant, Its a whole different application pool. In addition some schools are need-blind while others are need-aware when it comes to admission.
On a site note, Wesleyan is known to be NOT generous at all financially. the school has been struggling with their finances and it is reflected in their endowment. 'can’t really blame them, because a school can only give what they have…else they go bankrupt.
This is a list that every applicant should take a look at before applying to any school if they are in any for considering the COA,where they finally decided to enroll. It does show a correlation between schools that are doing well financially and giving more aids to student, thus allowing accepted students to enroll in masses, and turning down other top ranked school. It does provide a list for a good mix of choices, including safeties with good financial offers. It speaks volume.</p>
<p><a href=“Colleges with Need-Blind Admission for U.S. Students”>Colleges with Need-Blind Admission for U.S. Students;
<p>and</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/01/30/national-universities-where-accepted-students-usually-enroll”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/01/30/national-universities-where-accepted-students-usually-enroll</a></p>
<p>and</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/01/30/top-liberal-arts-colleges-where-accepted-students-usually-enroll”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/01/30/top-liberal-arts-colleges-where-accepted-students-usually-enroll</a></p>
<p>If you want to study film, why not NYU or USC? A 2150 is just fine for these two…</p>
<p>@Catria USC is my first choice, but the film school accepts 4%. I’d love to apply to NYU, because their Dramatic Writing program is exactly what I’m looking for, but it’s way too expensive. COA at Tisch is 71k, and there is no financial aid. Even USC is cheaper than that, and I’ve also got friends & family in LA who could help with finances.</p>
<p>@ccco2018 Thank you for those links! I’ve actually read somewhere that Wesleyan gives financial aid to very few internationals… Also, some of the schools from the first list you’ve posted are only full-need to domestic students. Cornell, for example, is need-blind for internationals, but not full-need, like it says there.</p>
<p>Actually, NYU does offer financial aid to international students. It does not promise to meet need but there is aid available. Worth applying to. Wesleyan has limited aid dollars for internationals, yes. But let’s put this into perspective: it accepts about 30 aid-seeking intls out of a pool of 600, giving a rate of around 5%. Very competitive, yes, but pretty much in the same selectivity level as Vassar, Amherst, Grinnell etc. But to note is that a lot of those applicants need close to full rides. By asking for about $5k-$10k you are SO much better off.</p>
<p>You should also consider the worth of your education. Although all these schools offer top notch education, they are also very expensive. It would be nice to look into schools that offer merit aid AND a decent film program. Sarah Lawrence, for one, has recently begun to offer merit aid. I’m suggesting this course of action because it would be inordinately difficult to get a visa to work in the US, wherein alums of your reach/match schools are concentrated (and the industry), and you could potentially have to take your film career elsewhere (back home).</p>
<p>@International95 Thanks for all the input!</p>
<p>NYU is well-known for being awful with financial aid, even when it comes to domestic students. And since it’s so expensive, my need would be more than just 10k. I’ve considered applying there last year too, I really wanted to, but after thinking it over again and again, I decided not to apply. I’ll re-think it this year, but I really don’t want to take out that much in loans, considering I’d also like to attend grad school (and when thinking about grad school, NYU IS a top choice).</p>
<p>Also, I have been looking into merit aid, I’ve even mentioned that in my first post. A lot of the schools I’m applying to offer it (Occidental, USC, Emerson, JHU, Duke) but then again, my SAT is low for that (except maybe for USC SCA, they only look at your portfolio).</p>
<p>As on the visa, like I said, I’d like to go to grad school, which makes getting one slightly easier, and I’ve also got family there, who’d be willing to employ me & sponsor me for a H1B visa if necessary.</p>
<p>What do you mean by full-need and not need-blind? All the IVYs do meet full demonstrated need of students that are accepted. They might be need-aware for internationals, but if admitted will provide a packet that meets 100% of the admitted international student. </p>
<pre><code>On the other hand, Duke is the only school on that list that might fit your situation. the rest are far reaches… even for US citizens… not because of your scores but your situation as an international student… with full pay or not. The competition is quite tough on those departments as freshman applicants. Maybe what you need to start doing is to use your face book account and start communicating from other international from theses schools to see it from their perspective.
Almost 90% of colleges and universities in US have theater department, which in perspective is a combination of acting/production/design. So zeroing in on one of the 3 options for specific school choices might not be your best route especially as an international student. That list applies to all students, internationals or not.
It seems like you have gone through this before, and I would say you must have learn quite a bit from that experience. Therefore in going forward your strategy must change completely. Ranking should be a factor, but less important this time around. Your focus should be on schools that have the resources to provide you with an excellent 4 years of education, culture and career track for the next four years, and unfortunately that usually translates to their affordability and the schools Endowment- thus the amount of money they give to its admitted student. There is absolutely no sense in taking out loan as an undergraduate when you plan on going to graduate school, except the loans are for the IVY's which might help you gain a seat during your graduate school application. The rest is fair game.
</code></pre>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>Actually, Cornell and Georgetown are two “top” schools that are need-blind while evaluating international applications but do not promise to meet need of those internationals admitted. It’s a stupid policy.</p>
<p>Yes, NYU is indeed awful with financial aid generally. But it’s really worth applying to because they do give as much as you need if they really like you (esp since your need is probably around ~20k). This girl from India actually got a full ride at NYU last year. They really wanted her!</p>
<p>@ccco2018 Nope, like @International95 said, Cornell is not full-need for internationals. </p>
<p>The colleges I’ve mentioned here are not all I’m applying to, there are some other, less selective ones as well, I just didn’t list them on this thread because my SAT score is fine for those.</p>
<p>@International95 I’ve also seen a post in the International Students section about an international getting a huge grant, but I don’t think they’d want me that much. 
I’ll think about it though.</p>
<p>Thank you both for all the input!!</p>