<p>Hihi, I'm an international girl from Singapore. I'm looking for schools to apply. My requests are:
- Rigorous Science curriculum (key! most important)
- Culture of community service (that's why I'm looking at LACs)
- Preferably humanities core
- Possibly extensive exchange / study abroad program ^^
- Good FA for intels (but if you can't find that out it's ok :) )</p>
<p>My stats are:
- 2360 SAT I, 1600 CR + M
- 800 SAT II (Math IIC, Chemistry, Physics)
- ~300 hours comm service (zoo, tutoring)
- International Chemistry Olympiad Bronze
- Model UN and Journalism</p>
<p>My current college list:
- Harvey Mudd
- Pomona
- Reed
- Caltech
- Stanford
- MIT</p>
<p>You have a good list, although I question the quality and quantity of the humanities at Caltech and to a lesser extent MIT (they have some very good departments). At MIT, you could take any humanities courses they lack at Wellesley, given cross-registration. (Of course, at Wellesley, you could take science courses at MIT and Olin also.)</p>
<p>On the FA issue, IIRC Olin is "free" to all who get in. I don't know what their policy is regarding international students. </p>
<p>It would seem that Stanford and Harvey Mudd (with access to the rest of the Claremont colleges) would probably fit the bill best.</p>
<p>You might want to look at Tufts, Columbia, and possibly the University of Chicago also.</p>
<p>Very strong and well regarded programs in the sciences and math (especially the physical sciences) and a leading producer of PhDs. Carleton also has a much larger percentage of the student body pursuing majors in these fields compared with peer institutions. Very bonded, tight-knit student body. Heavy involvement in community service activities. Scholarship opportunites for internationals (actively recruited).</p>
<p>? Why Stanford's inclusion in your list ? Wonderful school but certainly not a "small college" in either numbers or feel.</p>
<p>pointoforder... just as a point of clarification... Wesleyan also has labs working with stem cells if I'm not mistaken, as well as NIH funding... but, yes, haverford has great sciences</p>
<p>Consolation: Yes, thank you for mentioning Olin. It's on my list too but I forgot to put it on ;P However, I think it may not be worth it to apply, as the admissions office said categorically "no FA for intels" :(</p>
<p>I will definitely consider Wesleyan and Carleton. They weren't on my radar previously. Haverford sounds like a good bet too.</p>
<p>I've heard about Smith, they apparently offer a BSc (Eng) which I've enquired about. However, I've heard that the college is not so academically-focused - partying culture? - and the all-female environment is not too attractive.</p>
<p>Ohio Wesleyan University. Rigorous sciences. And the school is quite fond of international students. If I am not mistaken, a sizable number of the minority undergraduate students at OWU are internationals.</p>
<p>The most important criteria is rigorous sciences. I definitely want someplace that can challenge me academically ^^ I have 7 Science/Math APs with all 5s.</p>
<p>I checked out OWU's website and it does seem a good fit, but I'm afraid it doesn't seem all that intense/deep. I want to 'drink from the firehose' (as MIT students would say-ok, I'm a geek... sorry :( )</p>
<p>- Culture of community service (that's why I'm looking at LACs)
Due to Reed's high academic demands, it might be below average for LACs</p>
<p>*- Preferably humanities core *
Yes, starting with Hum 110 for all freshmen and transfers</p>
<p>- Possibly extensive exchange / study abroad program ^^
Yes, but more average for an LAC (semester or year in many world cities) rather than extensive</p>
<p>- Good FA for intels (but if you can't find that out it's ok )
Full need is met if you are accepted, but your chances of acceptance are probably higher if you don't need FA</p>
<p>You'd be mistaken to claim that Ohio Wesleyan University's science offerings aren't thorough. I've heard that more than a few OWU science majors do their core science courses during the summer at other schools because stuff like Organic Chemistry is real tough at OWU.</p>
<p>I definitely love Reed. ^^;; I feel like, I should totally go there... But HMC appeals more because of its Engineering and Clinic (engineering ops) experiences while Reed is like, all around loving, haha.</p>
<p>LakeWashington: Well, I'm not sure if I want to live in Appalachia :/ Not to discredit the programmes, which I'm sure are comprehensive. Thanks for your input ^^</p>
<p>"I've heard about Smith, they apparently offer a BSc (Eng) which I've enquired about. However, I've heard that the college is not so academically-focused - partying culture?"</p>
<p>fiona, I'm an American that lives in Indonesia. Many of my son's friends from the region attended small liberal arts colleges. I would mention a few considerations:</p>
<ol>
<li>Small LACs especially those located in the Midwest or in rural areas use internationals to increase their diversity percentages. Thus for colleges like Macalester or Hamilton (just for example) an ethnic Chinese or Malay or Indian from Singapore would have an advantage.</li>
</ol>
<p>The opposite is true of urban or Westcoast schools that have more Asian applicants than they know what to do with. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Financial aid is related to how much they want you. Williams and Amherst claim to be needblind for internationals, which means that they admit first then look at your financial needs. This may not be totally valid, but what is certain is that if they admit you (i.e. want you) they will help you pay. Other schools that are generous for internationals are Wesleyan, Macalester and Smith.</p></li>
<li><p>All of the top LACs have good sciences. I would give special attention to Williams and Hamilton, but many of the others excel as well. If engineering is important to you then that's a different list. </p></li>
<li><p>I'm not sure what you mean by "humanities core." Technically a "core" is a curriculum that everyone takes. If you just mean a solid offering in the humanities, then I would say this is an LAC mainstay.</p></li>
<li><p>Study abroad is fairly common at all colleges, but you need to inquire about how they handle financial aid when you're away.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I agree with Mini. Smith is known for academic excellence and small classes. Students are provided with terrific advising and mentoring and available, committed professors. And it’s not a party school at all!</p>
<p>Smith’s Picker Engineering Program is superb and has an innovative approach to teaching engineering. Smith students learn not only the essential principles of engineering; they focus also on decision-making, critical thinking, and the social, political, economic, and environmental impact of their work. Smith engineering students with a 3.5 GPA are guaranteed, should they wish, admission to the graduate engineering schools at Princeton, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Notre Dame, and University of Michigan. </p>
<p>Smith is also part of the 5-college consortium (with Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke and Univ Mass). You can take classes at any, and there is a free shuttle bus to get to classes and activities at the other campuses. </p>