<p>i'm an international student hoping to go to college in the united states. i'm specifically looking at good liberal arts colleges on the east or west coast. </p>
<p>the thing is, of course i want to go to a very good school, but i'm not sure where i stand in the eligibilty department. </p>
<p>my SAT scores are 670 math, 670 writing, and 710 CR. I'm chief editor of the school paper, i play the guitar, do karate, and have done a little bit of community service. I've been to the United States on a high school exchange programme. I'm aware that i dont have spectacular stats or EC's. however, being an international student, i'm hoping my english language skills might give me an advantage over other international applicants. I'm also a pretty good artist, but i'm not sure that counts unless i'm applying to art school. </p>
<p>Some of the colleges i'm interested in include BC, BU, maybe northeastern as a safety. I'm also looking at Cornell, Amherst, Georgetown and Brown. I have a feeling i'm looking at colleges way over my league, but then again, i'm trying to be vey optimistic here. Let me get to the point though. Do you think i have a chance at these colleges? And does anyone have suggestions for colleges that would fit me? I would prefer colleges in or close to a big city. Anyone's thoughts, suggestions, opinions are welcome. Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>spunky, US colleges evaluate a lot more than scores when they make admissions decisions. Your grades, your courses, your rank, your extracurriculars, your talents (including art), your essays, your recommendations and your ethnic and/or national background are all factors. </p>
<p>The first question that you need to answer is will you need financial aid? If no, your options open up considerably. If yes, then you need to put together a list specifically suited to colleges that are generous with aid to internationals.</p>
<p>A word about art: even if you have no intention of majoring in art, you might consider putting together an art portfolio as this is considered a desireable talent at many schools. (Colleges need artists just as they need footballplayers and musicians.) If you look at the colleges' websites you will find instructions for submitting slides under "supplementary materials."</p>
<p>The major advantage that international kids have in applying to U.S. colleges is their life experience. When you write your essays you should concentrate on what you, as a person from another culture, can contribute to the campus community.</p>
<p>I would say cost is a moderate concern.
I'm from India.
My courses include world history, political science, math, english literature, environmental education and fine art.
My grades would look pretty bad on my transcript, but they are relatively very good. for instance i'm at the top of my class for four of my courses but my average would only add up to around 76%. this has to do with the way our work is graded.
i will be putting together an art portfolio as soon as possible.
thanks for the great advice momrath!</p>
<p>Spunkypundit, you say that you want to go to a Liberal Arts College but then you mention Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern University, none of which are Liberal Arts Colleges.</p>
<p>spunky, I know you said you want a college in or near a city but since art is one of your strengths I'm going to recommend a few more schools: Williams, Kenyon, Hamilton, Conn College, Skidmore, Wesleyan and if you are female Smith. Williams and Wesleyan are particularly generous with need based aid to internationals. </p>
<p>Another college that you should take a look at is Macalester. It is in a midwestern city and is very friendly to internationals.</p>
<p>All of these are EXCELLENT, academically rigorous colleges. Williams and Wesleyan are in the same category as Amherst. The others are just a lttle less pretigious, but still very good scools. </p>
<p>The urban colleges like BU and BC and the ivy league get zillions of South Asian applicants and they choose the tip-top students. The schools in more rural parts of America really need Asians to achieve their diversity goals. It helps to go against the grain.</p>
<p>You'll need to get someone from your school to explain your grading system. Have many kids from your school gone to U.S. colleges?</p>
<p>The great Maine LACs (Bates, Bowdoin and Colby) are also great, as is Grinnell. </p>
<p>Spunkybandit, LACs are usually not located in big cities. In fact, most good LACs are rural. Some exceptions are:</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna College (LA)
Haverford College (Philadelphia)
Macalester College (Minneapolis)
Pomona College (LA)
Reed College (Portland)
Swarthmore College (Philadelphia)</p>
<p>yes i am female. not many students from my high school have gone to the US for college, and those that have mostly get their graduate degrees abroad.</p>
<p>For each of the schools mentioned here (and any others you come up with), find the Common Data Set (or Profile if CDS is not there). The CDS includes the 25th to 75th percentile range of SAT scores. This will give you a first approximation of appropriateness. E.g., if your scores are way above the 75th, you might not be well challenged; if your scores are way below the 25th, your chances of admission are lower. Your scores appear well within the range of many good LACs. The CDS also shows you the importance of various factors the school considers for admittance. E.g., some don't care much about SAT numbers (a few schools don't ask for them), some care a lot about your essays; each school is different. This will give you a feel for reaches, matches and safeties. But this is just a start.</p>
<p>There are some good publications which will give you an idea of which schools you might like and could be a good fit for your interests: Barron's, the Fiske Guide to Colleges, Peterson's, Colleges that Change Lives, Newsweek's College Guide, and the College Board's College Handbook. You can also read as much as you can stand at each college's web site. Wikipedia also has good articles on many schools.</p>
<p>If you end up with a clear favorite, you can apply ED which will often increase your chances of admission. Finances are also often an issue which can influence your choices.</p>
<p>Many colleges value cultural diversity, so you'll have a hook at some.</p>