Where would I stand if Bowdoin is Need Aware for International Students?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bowdoin College
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<p>Hi! I am an International Junior from Latin America and even though I am aware it is very hard to get into a good College when you can’t afford to pay 100% of your tuition, I hope to be a good candidate for Scholarships/Grants or Financial Aid because of an outstanding academic record, community service, sports etc…</p>

<p>I wish to study Creative Writing in English, and this is simply not an option in my country’s Colleges because all of the Majors & Careers are taught in Spanish, which is why I have been researching Liberal Arts Colleges in the United States, and Bowdoin caught my attention because it appears to be a wonderful institution. </p>

<p>My Parents have given me a budget of around $ 15,000 a year (plus travel expenses) which may sound little but with my country’s struggling economy and lousy exchange rate, it is a lot of money for us at this time. My question is basically: </p>

<p>Do you think it is worth applying under this scenario? </p>

<p>I mean, I understand that the school is Need Aware for Internationals, but I honestly don’t understand what this actually means. If I apply, and say, I am accepted, would I be offered a scholarship or grant? Or would I be turned town and not taken into consideration due to my situation? </p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

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<p>What it means when a school is need aware for admissions is that your ability to pay is taken into account when the school is deciding whether to take you or not. Most schools are need blind in this country but also don’t tend to meet need. THey accept students, offer what they want to in each case, and it’s up to the student to come up with the rest. They gap. There are a number of schools that do meet need or most of it for their students, and in this group some are need aware because they don’t want to make offers when the chances the student can come are small since they can’t afford it. For internatonals, this is particularly the case, because they CANNOT come without showing that they can pay. I believe the school fills out a portion of the student visa and there is information required on the form showing how the student is going to pay for his education and stay in the US. If the numbers are not going to work out, why bother to accept the student. So they just reject him.</p>

<p>So international with need at such schools have to have a profile that the school wants badly enough to meet the need, or in most cases, the applicant will be denied. </p>

<p>“Worth applying” is up to you. IF you are way up there in your stats, test scores, grades, then give it a go. If you are not, it’s probably a waste of time, especially coming from countries taht send a lot of kids to the US. That can be a factor too, as schools do tend to like diversity. </p>

<p>So for Bowdoin, if it is need aware for internationals, you’d either just be turned down, no explanation given, or accepted with a financial aid package based on the formulas Bowdoin uses to determine what your family should pay, not what they want to pay. You can accept or decline if you are in that stuation, and can also try to negotiate more money, one reason why schools prefer to flat out reject in these cases for internationals if the money clearly isn’t there.</p>

<p>I recommend running your numbers through Bowdoin’s NPC which is pretty accurate unless you have a family business or some other odd thing that is not reflected in the questions asked of that calculator. If it appears as though Bowdoin will calculate your family’s contribution to be more than the $15K budgeted, it is an additional strike against applying there, because there is not even an agreement on what the school and you define as affordable. They aren’t likely to budge, so if your parents truly cannot come up with what the school deems what you should be paying, yes, it 's a waste of time. Whether the school is even going to accept you and offer what they feel is the adequate award is even a small shot, but at least the possibility is there.</p>

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<p>Much of what cptofthehouse is applicable also to “need blind” schools in that they might admit you but won’t award you the amount of financial aid your parents expect them to provide. US colleges tend to be formula-based when determining need-based financial aid. They’ll run info about your parents’ assets and income through a formula and decide how much they should be contributing to your education. If the cost of the school is $60,000/year and the school’s formula says that your parents can contribute $30,000/year, then your aid will be limited to $30,000 and you or your parents will be expected to come up with another $15,000 regardless of your parents’ wishes.</p>

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<p>@cptofthehouse: I appreciate your honesty.</p>

<p>Frankly I had not comprehended entirely how “need aware” really worked until now, but it makes sense, thank you. The first College Counselor I talked to suggested I only apply to schools where there was a chance for Merit Scholarships for International Students. I understand that they are very limited and highly competitive, but I hope that my scores are good enough to make me a contender in some of the places that I like. </p>

<p>I would guess my country is highly underrepresented. The entire population is about 15 million people, out of which only about 88,000 go to college each year. We have a very high illiteracy rate, and most people only finish elementary school. I am quite fortunate that my parents have been able to send me to one of the best private schools, and this has given me the opportunity to receive a very good education, with American standards. We are however, what you’d consider a Middle Class Family and with our struggling economy, the budget for an education abroad is what it is, I don’t think my Parents can go much higher than what they have told me. I would consider studying here if there was a college that offered Creative Writing & English, but if I stay here, I’d have to settle for careers as Engineering, Medicine or Architecture, and I frankly can’t picture myself doing that. Around 16 to 20 % of the students from my school end up studying abroad (my school is the largest private school in my country so the majority of students that go abroad come from my school, out of all the rest maybe 2 to 5 students of other 6 private schools study abroad every year. Most of this people, CAN afford full tuition at prestigious colleges (the majority of my classmates are what you’d consider extremely affluent, even up to american standards), however that’s not my case. If I had to guess, I’d say that if you summed up all of the students graduating from private schools in my country every year, you couldn’t reach 100 freshman that end up studying abroad, I’d bet that the number is closer to 50.</p>

<p>I don’t have the exact data (I have done some research, however, the figures are not quite accurate or up to date), but as far as I have been able to find out, my country has around 1000 - 1500 students studying in the USA (undergrad & grad level) So I am guessing this is not a high number? Another thing that I hope my come to my advantage is that most of the students want to study either Business or Engineering, so I kind of expect a very low number of students to pursue a career in Liberal Arts, and I hope that those who are, are in fact NOT looking for a scholarship, and if they are, I hope that I come up as the best candidate. </p>

<p>Compared to my peers (whom I’d be competing against for a potential spot in a college) I rank very well. I am in the top 10% of my class, A+ average, several APs, at least 200 hours of community service, very much involved in sports and leadership activities, and I am working hard to score well on my SATs (my goal is to score above 2000). I have also being told that being the first in my family to go to college + being an under-represented minority + coming from a third world country might at least catch the eye from an admissions officer. I honestly hope it’s true.</p>

<p>That said, I understand perfectly well that colleges are not out there just to hand out money, they can’t afford just to accept anyone who wants to enroll without receiving money in return, which is why I am looking into colleges that either directly state there are scholarship opportunities for International Students or can offer another type of aid. As a matter of fact, I would not mind at all working part time to help pay for my tuition! I also hope that being able to contribute at least something, instead of expecting everything to be payed for, might also help. I know it is not much, but I hope this might also come to my advantage, the thing is I have no idea how and when to include this information in the admission papers. I am still learning how things work.</p>

<p>I am quite ambitious and don’t give up very easily, but I can’t afford to send out an application if I don’t have the chance of at least being considered as a possible contender, I’d rather apply somewhere else. Some of the colleges of my list are either Need Blind or offer scholarships, but others are not that clear on how things work (at least to someone like me, unfamiliar with admission procedures). </p>

<p>When I checked out Bowdoin College on College Board, I found out that they state that:</p>

<p>“Number of enrolled international undergraduate students received aid: 28
Total amount awarded: $ 1,134,934” Which would average around $40,000 per-student.</p>

<p>However, I have no idea if that “aid” is given out in scholarships, grants or financial aid, and if that is the total amount they have been awarded per-year or if it is divided in 4 years. I only read that " International students, if admitted to Bowdoin, are considered for Bowdoin institutional financial aid. International applicants should be advised, however, that competition for funding is intense as it is limited." This for me, is a little ambiguous, not as straight forward as I’d like because other colleges give out specific details about Scholarships. I also read that “Your financial aid award from Bowdoin will reflect the prevailing exchange rate when awards are determined. The PROFILE form will request you to convert your currency to U.S. dollars. Bowdoin does not adjust financial aid awards during the year for fluctuations in exchange rates… Like state scholarships in the U.S., provincial scholarships become part of your financial aid award and reduce eligibility for Bowdoin Grant funds.Unless you have dual citizenship, international applicants are not eligible for U.S. federal assistance. Therefore, families of international students do not need to submit the FAFSA.” </p>

<p>And if I go to the link for International Students it takes me to a page where they mention aid for First Year Students (in general) that says: “First Year Student Awards
About 200 entering students receive financial aid offers from the College each year to help them meet expenses. Recently these awards have ranged from $3,000 to $56,000. Normally, financial aid recipients receive an aid decision with their letter of Admission to the College. Final grant amounts are contingent upon receipt of requested documents and final approval of costs by the Board of Trustees.” But then again, it does not state the number of Internationals (out of the 200 mentioned) are given “awards” so my guess is that it would be the 28 mentioned or College Board? If that’s true, it is a higher number than I expected.</p>

<p>… So in my mind, there is a chance (however small) I just want to make sure I am understanding things correctly or if I should just cross Bowdoin out of my list and look somewhere else. Still, I have to be skeptic, so I wonder if the 28 international students mentioned in College Board, are not all freshman? … So still, there is no way for me to know how many international freshman are admitted on average or what their “stats” are, to see if I stand a chance. I have thought about writing directly to the admissions office, but I need to understand as much as I can before just writing a bunch of dumb questions, which is why I asked for help in this forum.</p>

<p>If you have the time, please let me know if I am interpreting things the right way, or if in your experience you think it is still too far fetched for me to keep it among my options.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot!</p>

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<p>@ torasee:</p>

<p>Thank you for your input. I have tried out the Financial Calculator in another college but got confused with some of the terms, which is why I am trying to learn and familiarize myself with all of the Financial Terms which I had no idea what they meant until I started reading in this forums. People like you & cptofthehouse have helped me understand better how things work, and learn to know what to expect, so I really appreciate your help!</p>

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<p>As mentioned, Bowdoin is “need aware” for international students, which means they can reject you simply because you require financial assistance. However, Bowdoin will meet 100% of the demonstrated need for all ACCEPTED students, including international students. Loans are not a part of the financial aid package at Bowdoin, so all of your aid would be in the form of grants and student employment. Bowdoin, along with most other NESCAC schools (Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, etc.) does not offer merit awards–all aid is based entirely on demonstrated need. Now this doesn’t mean that if you’re accepted, you’ll get a full ride. Bowdoin will meet your full “demonstrated” need. What you (or your family) think you can afford and what Bowdoin determines you can afford might be different, in which case you’d need to make up the difference. The award amounts you mention (up to $56K) are per year. </p>

<p>Your stats need to be extremely competitive as an international student requesting significant aid.</p>

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<p>Thank you arcadia for your input!</p>

<p>My School is a member and is fully accredited by NEASC and it is also affiliated with several prestigious international associations so I imagine that my scores can be competitive with schools in the USA. </p>

<p>I guess what had confused me most is how Financial Need was calculated, I think that I now understand how it works. What I still don’t have clear is if I should apply for Financial Aid or if that is determined by a College once I submit my application with my scores and personal information. I mean, if all of the schools you mention do not offer merit awards, but are based on demonstrated need how does it work out in the application process? I understand I have to fill out the CSS Financial Aid Profile, but I don’t know if that is required on every application? </p>

<p>I know Amherst is need blind, still I imagine that the ability to pay is in fact taken into account at some point, and I do understand that given the choice between a full paying american student and an international student that needs aid with similar profiles, they would not choose me, still, there is a small chance which gives me some hope.</p>

<p>I am not sure at what point during the admission process the financial scenario is taken into account by the other colleges. You think that even with a good profile I have a high chance of being rejected due to my inability to pay full tuition? Or will my stats be reviewed and then taken the financial situation into account? </p>

<p>I am making assumptions based on the ideal scenario that I would be Accepted in at leas a couple of colleges, but I understand that with my situation its like swimming against the tide. Still I have to give it a try!</p>

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<p>You are not so much compared with the students of your school when you are considered for admissions and aid at a school like Bowdoin as you are compared with all of the kids applying the same time you are. It goes without saying that you have to be an excellent student, but kids coming from private schools where there has already been a preselection are not as scrutinized as to their rank. So, yes, your grades have to be way up there and the courses taken have to be considered rigorous (if you are going to a school that is so known, that is pretty much a given). But your competiion is whoever else is applying from every and anywhere, especially the international crowd. </p>

<p>Yes, Amherst is need blind, so it does not have the extra constraint of being cut for the money, but because international students know that,the competition for a spot there is more intense. You survive being cut for need, but you are up against more applicants. Amherst is more selective than Bowdoin overall, and for internationals since it is known that it is need blind for them, one of the very few schools that are. </p>

<p>According to an older book written by a former Dartmouth admissions officer, Michele Hernandez, it is very competitive for international students, and yes, many very qualified international students are rejected because of their financial need. Had they been US with their resume, they would have been very likely to be accepted but the funds limit admissions at that school. And I believe Dartmouth, though also still need aware for international applicants, has more available for them than Bowdoin. So it is a tough situation for you. </p>

<p>Ironically, the less need your family comes up with in the process, the better your chances. In many schools, they would rather take two kids each with $15K of need that are highly qualified than 1 who needs $30K. So it is also possible to be accepted and Bowdoin or other such school deems your family makes to much to get any aid, and the decision then is your family’s hands. Do run the NPCs and see what they come up with. If you come up with a $70K expected contribution, unless there is really something big missing from the financial situation (and it’s not a sad story, but something concrete), you aren’t getting any aid. Doesn’t matter if your parents can show a budget that they cannot possibly pay more than $X. US students run into this all of the time. You have an income of $Y and assets of $Z, then you are expected to pay $A regardless of your personal financial commitments, debts and situation. Too bad. Sell the family property, mortgage the house, take out a loan.</p>

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<p>offf2college – you apply for financial aid at the same time as you submit your application for admission. [Here’s</a> the schedule for the submission of financial aid applications to Bowdoin](<a href=“Student Aid | Bowdoin College”>Student Aid | Bowdoin College). The schedule is likely similar for most of the elite schools.</p>

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<p>Thank you both for such helpful information. I am getting a better picture as you help me understand how everything works.</p>

<p>I am curious about another thing though:</p>

<p>My school’s College Counselor is an American that has worked as Counselor abroad in different areas of the world. He told me that during the application process usually you are initially compared among other contenders in your area: there is a separate “file” for domestic students, Asian students, African students & Latin American Students. Once the top candidates in each pile are chosen, then you are compared among the highest contenders. Does that seem right or not?</p>

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<p>^^^I’m not sure there’s a standard for selection. It varies from school to school. When dealing with small liberal arts colleges, every students needs to contribute something to the class. A smaller school with 1,800 students needs just as many football players as a school with 4,000 students. Same goes for violinists in the college orchestra, actors for college productions, artists for art shows, etc. I’m sure that schools of Bowdoin’s size begin assembling a class with an eye toward what they envision the end result to be. If they don’t have many well qualified domestic Hispanic applicants, they may seek that diversity from the greater international pool. Colleges like to say that they have diverse and international student bodies, so that’s a plus for you. But there are MANY international applicants who are extremely well qualified AND can pay full fare. You need to demonstrate, through your application and essay, why they should choose you over hundreds (and in some instances thousands) of other international applicants.</p>

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<p>Thanks arcadia!</p>

<p>Every single thing that I learn here is helping me prepare for what I will soon be facing. I understand that all of you who have kindly answered my questions want me to understand that I face a tough challenge, and even though I know for certain I am very well qualified to measure myself against other applicants, there will always be someone better than me or someone with a similar profile but without the financial handicap I have.</p>

<p>I hope to do well in my essays, and I also hope to be what some school is looking for the moment they read my application.</p>

<p>I am willing to give it a try, I just have to carefully select the schools that I apply to, because I have been told that it is recommended to apply to no less than 6 but no more than 10 colleges, that is why I am trying to get as much information as possible about the colleges that I find interesting.</p>

<p>Any other suggestion will be very much appreciated!</p>

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<p>Look at Middlebury as well. It has a higher percentage of international students than most other liberal arts colleges. It’s also extremely strong in your intended major.</p>

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<p>Thanks arcadia, I like Middlebury a lot. I actually have a friend that goes there, and I know they have a very strong writing program. My friend did not need financial aid of any kind however, so she can´t give me any advice on that matter. :S</p>