That’s what I’m thinking of doing, locking down my safety first. Tuition won’t be a problem for Arizona State and U Arizona, although I’m still trying to convince my parents that Tempe and Tucson are as good of cities as Seattle. They have some sort of unexplained apprehension towards the entire state of Arizona but I think I could get them to reconsider if I pulled up some stats.
I’ve also read that students from each campus can take courses at the other two, is that information accurate? If so I think it’s interesting how much more competitive UW Seattle is compared to Bothell and Tacoma.
You listed ASU on your initial - and mentioned it a few times.
Some here have apprehension to Seattle 
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Yes but that would be inconvenient. Tacoma is 30-45 minutes away with no traffic. Bothell is only a little closer.
Demographics
- US citizen living abroad (Taiwan)
- Taiwanese public high school
- Asian female
Intended Major(s)
- Biochemistry/ Cell and Molecular Biology (aiming for a forensic biology career)
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
- Unweighted HS GPA: 3.5
- No weighted GPA
- No ranking
- ACT/SAT Scores: 35 (E33, R36, M36, S36)/ 1540 (760RW, 790M)
Coursework
Non-US curriculum; no AP, IB, or honors courses offered. My school assigns courses directly to students based on their desired field. Mine is the science concentration with biology focus, which meant I took 15+ subjects per semester at maximum rigor.
Awards
- Multiple first- and second-place accolades in English speech, writing, and spelling competitions on varying levels
- Nationwide independent research fair finalist
- Nationwide creative engineering competitions, three-time finalist and one-time third place winner
- Graduated from junior high school (9th grade) with Mayor’s Award (the highest honor awarded during the ceremony)
Extracurriculars
- Academic and Head of Press, Model UN Club; chaired, hosted, and delegated at over ten conferences
- Independent research at local universities; cancer research paper co-author
- Class Representative re-elected five consecutive times; active member of student council
- Entirely self-taught electric guitarist; once invited to perform with a local school metal band
- Creator and moderator of a 2000+ participant Tumblr tournament blog
- Self-publishing online writer with several poems and novels pulling in over 40,000 total views
- Licensed peer counselling volunteer for struggling freshmen at my school; 15+ hours per semester
- Competitive engineering participant; experienced in woodworking, circuit assembly, programming, 3D printing, and laser cutting
Essays/LORs/Other
- My main essay is about how pouring a bowl of pudding down a kindergarten bathroom sink made me realize I wanted to be a forensic scientist. It’s a long story but it’s true and I’m quite proud of it.
- I have a great LOR from my counselor who knows me well, but no others because no other adults in my life can write in English.
- Circumstances (long paragraph ahead): I was born in the US and am a native English speaker, but moved to my parents’ home country (Taiwan) at the age of five and spent the next twelve years of my life there. Due to my not being able to speak Chinese, I attended bilingual schools from K through 9th grade and was able to do well academically (perfect GPA, graduated top of the class, etc.) because of the English-language resources I had access to.
However, I decided to enroll at my county’s flagship public school for 10th grade and onwards because I felt I wasn’t being challenged enough at my old school; naturally, with 1) the sole language of instruction being Chinese 2) it being a very competitive and prestigious institute on top of 3) the Taiwanese curriculum already being ridiculously rigorous and 4) me choosing the most notoriously difficult concentration (science with a focus on biology), the next couple years obviously didn’t go as smoothly and my GPA went down pretty fast. Essentially I went from a 4.0 to a 3.5 to a 3.0 (although I always do better in the second semester compared to the first). I actually did okay in most subjects but the C in Chinese and D in Physics really ruins everything.
I can actually speak Chinese fairly fluently on a conversational level, but it’s a whole other story academically. I’ve never had trouble with learning the same materials in English (on YouTube, Khan Academy, etc.) but I simply can’t handle school exams (which account for most of my subject grades). Most people have told me my situation justifies my grades and that a 3.5 is already impressive for someone studying in such a situation, but I still genuinely don’t know how I fare compared to other applicants. - I will be explaining the above circumstances
Cost Constraints / Budget
Preferably under 35,000 after aid, best if scholarships are available.
Schools (I’m not sure how accurate these classifications are)
- Reach: UW Seattle
- Target: WSU, SeattleU, SPU, WWU, PLU, UW Bothell, UW Tacoma
- Safety: EWU, CWU
(EA for every school except the UWs, EWU, and CWU, who don’t have that option.)
I’m looking for schools in Washington State, the closer to Seattle the better (most convenient for direct flights to and from Taiwan). My ultimate goal is to get into the biochemistry direct major at UW Seattle, but I’m not confident that I’ll be accepted to UW at all so I’m trying to organize my other options beforehand.
SeattleU sounds great so far, especially the fact that they have plenty of forensic science-related programs, but it’s the costliest out of the bunch. The two other UW campuses are also high on my list but I’d still like a chance to transfer to the Seattle location, which I’ve heard is practically impossible from the satellite campuses. Of the rest of the schools, I like WWU’s location the best. I’m also considering a transfer from CC.
At this point, though, I don’t know anything about my chances for any of these schools, and I’m hoping for some insight or advice on whether I’m doing it right so far. Mainly, do I have a chance at UW Seattle or should I just give up on that? And which of the other schools would be the best fit for me?
I’m open to any suggestions and will provide additional information if needed! Thank you all in advance!
(Also, if anything about this seems oddly familiar, it’s probably because I’ve posted about it here and on Reddit some time ago but wanted to ask again now that I’ve updated some of my info.)
Love your essay. You say it’s a long story. Make sure it fits in the word count.
A few things:
-
Since you’re not a resident of a state, budget will be tough - ie you are out of state.
-
Your gpa is tough - in the context of the school - we don’t know. Does anyone go to the US from there ? If so your counselor might have better intel than I can give you.
I think all are safeties except UW which is a reach, in part because they won’t use your wonderful test score.
I don’t understand WSU - it’s not near Seattle. It’s a big state and doesn’t work for flights. Also you won’t fly home often and you can get to airports.
The other thing is money - even if you get into UW, it’s $61k. Then what ? Wash State is $46k. Could be a chance of merit. For the privates, you need to run NPCs to see if you qualify for aid but Seattle U is $73k so unless they say you have need aid - it won’t work. The Bothell campus won’t give you a true college experience and is on quarters. It’ll cost too much.
Very near Wash St is U Idaho - COA is less. $28k tuition plus housing so maybe $40k. W wash is $50k b4 merit.
Many schools can assure under $35k. U of Alabama - other side of the country - so fly from Atlanta or Birmingham but if you have a 3.5 (not 3.49), you’d be about $20k all in. Schools like Mississippi State, Truman State, Wyoming, U Montana (East of Wash State) would be in budget. Maybe some SUNYs too. Portland State in Oregon might get close.
One final and maybe good for travel ? U of Alaska Anchorage is offering in state tuition if you live on campus and would make budget.
Good luck.
UW is $60K+ per year for non-residents of the state, as per their website:
“As a non-resident student, your financial aid award will primarily consist of federal financial aid. We realize that for many non-resident students, federal loans may make up most or all of their financial aid offer from UW so, we encourage students and their families to take that into consideration in their decision to attend the university, particularly if finances are a factor in their selection of a college. We are unable to offer state, or university grants to non-resident applicants.”
Washington state is $50K for non-residents.
Eastern Washington is about $45k for non-residents.
You’ve chosen a number of public universities that receive their funding from the State of Washington and the taxpayers of Washington. Scholarships are going to be prioritized for Washington residents because the state publics usually don’t have the funds to provide scholarships for people who don’t pay the taxes of their state.
Because you are a US citizen, you will be eligible for federal loans and, if you qualify, a grant from the government, but these are a drop in the bucket. Assume, $6K per year.
Look at the total cost of attendance, and assume that you won’t be competitive with Washington State residents for their funding. The best funding comes from the universities themselves. Seeking funding from a limited State budget probably is not going to bring the dollars that you hope to get to pay your bill.
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Any chance you are a National Merit Finalist? If you are, Washington State University offers a full-tuition scholarship. There are also other academic scholarships available to international students at WSU.
That may make it the most affordable in Washington, but it is a significant distance from Seattle.
You may get more aid from private institutions that aim to diversify their incoming class. I am curious as to why you listed PLU but not University of Puget Sound, unless I missed it. Both are in Tacoma, near Seattle, and Puget Sound offers an automatic $2000 scholarship to international students in addition to any other aid you might receive.
I think you are likely to be admitted everywhere but UW. I think UW is a reach and will not offer aid if you are admitted.
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Hi and thank you for the answer!
After reading the replies here I think I’ll bring up the question of tuition with my parents again and see what they think about these schools in other states. The 35k budget was a number they gave me before we decided on WA as my primary destination, but seeing as all the schools there are so pricey, I think that’ll have to be rediscussed. Although my parents have mentioned they’re willing to pay extra if I get into UW (to what extent, I don’t know), it’s great to know I have so many cheaper options outside of Washington.
Regarding WSU, it’s mostly just on my list because it got lumped in with all the other Washington schools when I was researching the ones in Seattle. EWU and CWU too. I think I might end up swapping those for schools in other states, considering the cost and location.
I’m definitely not a National Merit Finalist, I just looked up entry requirements and one of them is to have attended high school in the United States, unfortunately.
About Puget Sound, it was actually on my list up until very recently when I discovered its application requires at least one non-counselor teacher to write a LOR; I mentioned that apart from my counselor, I don’t have a single teacher who can write in fluent English, so I had to give up on that one. I’m not applying as an international either, so I wouldn’t get the 2k scholarship anyway.
@peacese11s, you have already received many suggestions on your original thread…
Yeah, I posted again because certain parts of my application plans have changed since a month ago. For one, I initially assumed my GPA to be below 3.0 because my counselor gave me a different calculation method from the one used on my transcript; it’s now a 3.5 so I have many more options. I’ve organized my ECs and settled on an essay as well. Additionally, I’ve discussed location and tuition with my family so I have a better sense of what sort of school I’m looking for.
So I was curious about whether the general consensus would be different following these changes. I know some of the suggestions still apply, but I assumed there would be new opportunities now that my GPA has gone up quite a bit.
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I combined your two threads and updated the title as this will be more helpful for posters trying to help you rather than starting a separate thread.
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Is it a 3.5 - or 3.49 or 3.495, etc. ?
3.5 is a hurdle for some schools - without rounding.
Just over 3.5-- something around 3.503.
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I would check with schools and see if it’s okay if the letter is written in Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese?) and then a Google Translate version is attached, or similar. Alternatively, see if they will waive the requirement. Smaller schools like Puget Sound are also more likely to take this into account and be more understanding. Additionally, it will drive home the fact that you’re an American in a school that is NOT bilingual…Chinese all the way, which can be very impressive.
When comparing the cost of schools, I’d recommend looking at tuition, room & board and not cost-of-attendance (COA), because schools vary in how generous they are in judging how much extra money is needed…there is no universal calculation.
Additionally, private schools, especially those whose acceptance rate is higher than 50%, tend to be much more generous with merit aid than most public schools. Some of them will include a merit estimate on their Net Price Calculators (if the NPC asks for GPA and test scores, you’ll get a minimum merit aid estimate). So although a private school might cost significantly more according to its sticker price, in reality the price might come down significantly more than a public school’s will.
I understand that right now, being near Seattle is the priority. If you need to make a compromise between a residential feel (and more of a “traditional” view of college life by many upper and upper middle class Americans) or proximity to Seattle, which one is more important to you?
Additionally, with respect to U. of Washington-Seattle, biology and biochemistry are both capacity-constrained majors, so even if you get into UW-Seattle, there’s no guarantee that you could get into those majors: http://www.washington.edu/uaa/advising/degree-overview/majors/list-of-undergraduate-majors/.
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Thank you for the advice on the LOR, that makes sense! I’ll check with Puget Sound if they’re okay with a Chinese recommendation, if so then I’d be more than happy to apply, especially with the whole point of private schools being generous with financial aid. There are a lot more places I could apply if translated LORs are accepted!
I think I’d value proximity to Seattle over residential feel, I don’t have a particular preference for a traditional “college experience” (if by that you mean dorm life, parties, school spirit etc.)
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You would likely need to get that LOR professionally translated.
Or the school can do so so that the student wouldn’t see it.
Many/most schools have Chinese programs.
An LOR should come from someone who knows you so if they can only provide in Chinese, then so be it.
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