Hi, I am a junior who is going to apply to college next year. I know that most US Universities define international students as students who do not have a green card and have to study with a student visa. I have a quite complicated background. Both of my parents are Chinese. I received some Chinese education when I was really young. But I moved to England after I finished grade four in China and studied there for three years. Then I moved to Canada and studied there for about two years. After that I went to a boarding school in California for high school and started with grade 10. I know that when you apply to college, the college admission officers will place you either in the domestic pool or international pool depending on your status. I certainly do not have a green card and will be considered an international student. But since I have studied in the US for high school, does that mean I am going to compete with the American domestic students instead of my own racial group?
Also, will my diverse background help me in college apps? If it does, how?
Colleges differentiate between US citizens and international citizens. You will not be competing against your own racial group. You will be competing against a pool of all noncitizen applicants.
Almost all schools will consider you as an int. applicant. Only school that considers you as a domestic applicant would be Pomona College, which states that int. students who complete 4 years of US high school education are considered domestic.
No one competes in college admissions in the U.S. only against their “own racial group.” The closest thing to that would be scholarship programs aimed at underrepresented minorities, which does not include Chinese, and which would still be a mix of races in the applicant pool. Whether you are considered international or domestic, there will be other applicants of every race competing against you. “American domestic students” are not one race, nor are international students.
Although I would anticipate that you will be considered an international applicant at all U.S. universities, the reality is that each university here handles admissions and residency a little differently, so you should verify with each university you apply to which category you are in and what forms you should use for admissions. You might find out that there is actually a national policy that declares you an international applicant everywhere, but I am not an expert on this so ask an admissions officer to find out.
Everyone’s background can be helpful for admissions when presented in a positive manner. Yes, your diverse background can certainly help. It gives you a unique perspective. It shows maturity that you have been away from your parents. You have developed language and cultural skills. I’m sure you have plenty of experiences to draw upon when thinking about what you will discuss in your essays. Everyone has their own unique story, so don’t be afraid to embrace yours and share how it has shaped you as a person.
@KKmama @paul2752 If I am competing against other internationals, do I gain any advantage of having studied in the US instead of applying from a foreign high school?
@mommyrocks Well, from what you said, it seemed that everyone who applied to college would be on the same line. . But from what I’ve heard, you will have disadvantages if you come from an over represented race. Do colleges care about your race?
I do think you’d have an advantage against other Chinese applicants because you would, most likely given the time you’ve spent in English speaking countries, blow many of your peers out of the water in terms of English proficiency/test scores. I can’t say you’d officially have an advantage having completed high school in the US, but subjectively I think you would–while you’d be competing against an international pool in terms of getting spots, you’d have an application that would look very similar to domestic applicants in terms of classes, ECs, etc. And I imagine all your experiences learning abroad will make for interesting essays.
Public universities in California do not consider race at all in admissions from what I’ve read, while some top-ranked private universities have been accused of putting a cap on the percentage of Asians they will admit – there is ongoing litigation about this. The allegations are also that it takes Asians a higher test score to get admitted to those top-ranked universities than non-Asians. I believe the lawsuits are filed by Asian Americans, not international students, but you will have to research that yourself if it interests you. Admissions are competitive for everyone, so just do your best, and apply to a range of universities, not just the reaches that everyone else is trying to get into.
Thanks guys for answering my question.
Actually, the academic side (admissions) = you’ll be compared to US high school students; for financial aid, you’ll b compared to internationals.
Asians are considered URM on many Midwestern campuses.
If Pomona considers 4 years of US high school domestic then OP does not qualify as domestic by Pomona’s lenient standards either:
^ thats for financial aid. Op will be international for financial aid everywhere.
However students are always compared to others from the same educational system, irrespective of nationality. It wouldn’t make sense to compare someone who prepared A Levels with someone who prepared Abitur just because they have German citizenship.