<p>OK. Im from England, and am interested in applying to the top US institutions only, because a trip over to the states, and the money involved going to a US uni is only worth it to me for the top places. </p>
<p>I got 7 A*s, 3 As and a B at GCSE, and i am predicted 4 As for my A level.
Basically, on paper im Oxford/Cambridge material (my brother goes to Oxford with the same grades as me), and i have been told to go for Oxford. I just took the SAT in December (for application next fall), just to have a go at them. its worth pointing out i need financial aid</p>
<p>my questions are:</p>
<p>a) due to the competitiveness of internationals (and my FA need), would Stanford be an appropriate choice (culturally) or would an east coast uni be more familiar (this is something ive been told)?</p>
<p>b) i noticed many internationals have been deferred, im going to apply to stanford anyway - but would it be more effective to chance my ED at Yale, because they are more equal in their treatment of internationals for aid?</p>
<p>c) heres a double: do us colleges expect the same SAT scores from internationals, even though they are less familiar for us? and, is there any advice for an international to stand out? (i have a strong interest in english - particularly poetry, and i am entering some competitions)</p>
<p>a) i) international admissions are as competitive for stanford as for the east coast universities. culturally speaking, i'm sure you'll be able to fit in at many universities. however, each university has its own quirks - dartmouth is more conservative, for example.</p>
<p>a) ii) international FA is immensely competitive. if you apply for FA from stanford, which is need sensitive, you stand a lower chance. btw, there are few need blind colleges (harvard, princeton, yale, williams, amherst, dartmouth, MIT)</p>
<p>b) i don't know. EA for stanford, as an international needing aid, may be difficult, as stanford can only sponsor a limited number of students. hence, you have a high chance of getting deferred.</p>
<p>c) you are in England. you are expected to get high SAT scores. if you lived in china, lower english scores might be acceptable. but since you're in England, AND an international candidate, for which the pool is more competitive, get at least 2250.</p>
<p>d) a level results, and paper qualifications, are absolutely NOT ENOUGH to get into the top US colleges. you also need outstanding extracurricular activities or major awards.</p>
<p>thanks. i know about the ECs, ive noticed passion is they key point, so im going to spend the next year taking measures to emphasize my passion for poetry and creative writing.</p>
<p>i will apply to need blinds as well, its just stanford sticks out to me</p>
<p>Haha, I am actually part of the Class of '14. I got admitted RD for the Class of '12 but had to defer for 2 years to complete my national service. Concur with most of fiona_'s points, but good luck anyway!</p>