Hello, I’m an international student from Spain who wants to study in America. However, I’m not very familiar with how American colleges work, since everything about them, from campus life to applying processes, is extremely different than those of Spanish colleges. So, I’d like some help choosing what colleges to apply to. From a list of 8 colleges, I can only apply to 4 or 5 because of financial reasons. The colleges I’m looking into are:
MIT
Stanford
Harvard
U Chicago
Princeton
Cornell
Columbia
Yale
If you have any other suggestions, I’d appreciate them a lot.
One thing to take into consideration is the fact that I’m Spanish and we don’t have any AP or honor classes or anything like that, it’s just one course per subject, and high school here is harder than in America. My junior year score is 8.7/10. I expect to raise that by senior year. Also, I am studying online to get the American high school diploma at the same time I study for the Spanish high school diploma, which means I’m taking courses such as American History or English Literature, since my school doesn’t have those classes. So far I’ve been in the honor roll all three years of high school, with A’s in all of my classes so I guess my GPA is pretty high (we don’t have anything like GPA in Spain). I have a perfect score in the TOEFL and 1590 in the SAT, which I plan to retake and I’m aiming for a perfect score. I will need financial aid, since I am around the $50,000 area.
My intended major is Physics. I LOVE anything science-related. I’d like to have lots of research opportunities in STEM fields. I don’t care about which area the college is in, I’ll be far from home anyway. I also don’t care about the size although smaller classes are always more appreciated.
If you need any more information, please let me know. Thank you!
Well you pretty much hit the top 10 so it seems your interested in just tippy top schools. Physics at Princeton is amoung the hardest anywhere. I’ll assume your family income is $50K/yr which would mean a full FA package from any of those schools. You should now that Harvard Yale and Princeton are the only need blind for internationals and the competition for those schools is the most intense for internationals. You should look at LAC’s for a better shot then HYP.
@CU123 That’s because college in the US is waaay more expensive than college in Spain. If I don’t get accepted into any of those schools I’ll just study here, it’s what makes the most sense to me. Anyway, what are LAC’s? Sorry, like I said, I’m not very familiar with the American system.
LAC’s are Liberal Arts Colleges. These are small colleges that are not contained within research universities. They often have smaller, more intimate classes than universities and professors who are completely focused on undergraduate teaching rather than on their own research, which can be good things. The top 5 or so LAC’s (Amherst, Swarthmore, Williams, etc.) are considered by many to be on par with some Ivy League schools (maybe not HYP, but they’re still pretty good). Hope this helps.
There are only 5 schools that are need blind for international students
HYP MIT and Amherst, so, you should start with those. Otoh, you could apply for application fee waiver so you done have to pay for an application.
There is no need to retake SAT because a 10 points from perfect. US elite schools do not accept students totally on scores, they look into other things like ECs, LORs and essays.
Serious advice: if you truly have no idea how US colleges work, from campus life to applying, what an LAC is, you need to stop now.
None on your list is just about being you and applying blind. Why haven’t you looked into more info? Each of those colleges will expect kids to have that drive, think on that level. You need to know about US colleges, more than their names on some ranking. You need to know what specific top schools look for, in applicants and once they’re students. How do you expect to put forth a good application?
Only chance is to stop now and learn more, on your own. If you’re serious.
“There are only 5 schools that are need blind for international students”
I think this should have said “There are only 5 schools that are need blind and meet full need for international students.” Most US schools are need-blind for all applicants, but that fact is usually irrelevant; affordability and getting admitted are the important factors.
@lookingforward I never said I had no idea, of course I’ve researched, I have pages written about all of the schools mentioned above and also others that I chose not to apply to. Maybe my wording was not adequate, what I meant by “I’m not very familiar with how American colleges work” was what each college means when they say they want people who are “passionate”, for example, because where I’m from colleges only look at grades and test scores (literally, that’s all you have to send). I’m pretty sure it’s different for every place. And I have no one to guide me, the internet is not enough. That’s why I’m asking here, to people who are American or who have already gone through the process of applying, where they think I fit in the most. I am serious about this and I am informed, I just need guidance.
Each of those will have many applications from Spain. You say all A grades, but also the 8.7/10. If that shows on your transcript, adcoms may know it’s an A, but see it as low (or lower than another Spanish applicant.) You need aid, but as others noted, only 5 colleges are need blind for internationals and offer to meet full need (as they calculate that.)
You haven’t told us any ECs (activities in and out of school,) so we don’t know. But these will be important to US top colleges. Very. Other
applicants may have more (or more that are significant, to those colleges.)
And passionate isn’t really it. It’s not about loving physics but what you’ve done with that interest, beyond classes or some self study.
Because these targets are ridiculously competitive, you need to know what each values and look for. When a kid presents only stats, I do think they’ve missed the rest of what matters, and I do suggest they need to dig deeper.
Some of those targets will also ask a Why Us? question (or look for this sense of why you want them and think they’ll want you.)
Saying you need aid (to us) isn’t enough. Saying you love science, want to research, don’t care about area or size also doesn’t suggest you know “Why” those colleges.
Please understand, it’s not where we think you “fit the most.” Nor what you want or need. It’s where the colleges themselves think you’re a super fit. That comes from your application and any supplement they ask for. You have to know how to present what they want to see. That means learning more about each.
@Vincent1997 FA is available for international students at private colleges, since it is the university (a private entity) that is giving out the assistance.
@megabix004 so as @lookingforward says read up on holistic admissions, GPA and scores are important but many applicants have done extraordinary things outside the classroom. So you’ll need to show what you have done outside the classroom, GPA/scores tell the college what you have done inside the classroom, also some of the LACs will fully meet your financial need. Look at threads about admitted applicants to see what others have done outside the classroom.
@PurpleTitan I have, I intend to apply to a few UK unis as well, although my mom (and myself) is a bit scared because of the whole Brexit thing, since it’s probably going to happen in the middle of my studies, around sophomore or junior year I think. Not even colleges seem to know how that would affect EU citizens already studying there.