Take a chance on me, please

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
1

<p>Hi Guys</p>

<p>I am an international student (caucasian) looking to apply to Tufts ED but I am also asking for substantial financial aid (near full), which I know roughly translates to a fiercely competitive field. Now I am considering whether it would be the right school as I believe it is a great fit for me, but getting in ED would be binding, and well, I am not even sure to get in ED, of course (given the competition in this particular field). What do you guys think my chances would be?
Btw, I am a Questbridge applicant, but I was not chosen as a finalist sadly :(</p>

<p>Objective:
• ACT: 32
• SAT II: 690 French, 710 Math II
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A , Did the IB
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank, but around top 5-10%
• AP (place score in parenthesis): Not Offered
• IB (place score in parenthesis): Predicted 40/45. English (6), Maths HL (6), Economics HL (7), Business SL (7), French (7), Physics (6)
• Senior Year Course Load: Full IB Diploma
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Duke of Edinburgh, School French Award, Open Water Diving Certification, IGCSE Distinction Award, IB Distinction Award (No major awards)
Subjective:
• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate (Harvard MUN), Young Investor’s Award, Rajiv Gandhi Science Competition, Open Water Diving, Created own web design business (Innolounge), School Prefect (2005-2006 and again in 2010-2011), Guitar for 3 years, Gymnastics for 2 years, Duke of Edinburgh award programme, school fashion show, started own website for young south Africans looking to study abroad.
• Job/Work Experience: Working for my father’s company for two years, now working full-time as trainee accountant at an accounting firm.
• Volunteer/Community service: volunteered at local government school (painting & repair), cleaning beaches and rivers, teaching younger students with learning difficulties (peer-mentoring), participated in school charity walk
• Summer Activities: Working for my dad, managing my online business
• Essays: Not sure; I thought that they were engaging and personal
• Teacher Recommendation: Very good
• Counselor Rec: Didn’t read… probably generic
• Additional Rec: Okay/ Generic</p>

<p>Other
• State (if domestic applicant):
• Country (if international applicant): South Africa
• School Type: (Small private school of around 700 students)
• Ethnicity: Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Income Bracket: < $60,000
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM International (not sure about this), first-generation</p>

<p>Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks for your time!!!</p>

2

<p>I could be completely wrong about this but I thought when it comes to international students US schools are not need blind. In other words if you need financial aid they won’t take you. I think I heard it on admission tour somewhere. Also I thought you need to be a US permanent resident to receive any kind of financial aid. But please don’t take my word for it and check with admissions.
In terms of your ACT and other activities it seems fine.</p>

3

<p>International students don’t benefit from need-blind admissions (so ability to pay tuition and fees is factored into admissions decisions) , but they do receive need-based aid. Granted, applying for aid will affect your chances of being accepted but if your stats and essays are good then you should be fine. I attended a college fair yesterday (I’m from Jamaica) where I spoke to a representative from Tufts and that’s what he told me. Hope this was helpful :)</p>

4

<p>I know plenty of international kids who attended tufts on partial and full scholarships. Don’t lose hope, and definitely apply despite your financial need!</p>

<p>That said, I probably wouldn’t apply early if I were you. You have a reasonable enough chance in the Regular Decision pool, and finances can be a bit precarious with international students, so it would probably serve you best to apply here and other places regular. Your numbers look solid, and your subjective part looks really good too!</p>