<p>I think you might be referring to Cornell, and yes Cornell is sort of shady. They are needblind in the sense that if you deserve to be accepted you will be, however, the aid package they offer may not be sufficient for your needs.</p>
<p>I received the following email from Columbia:</p>
<p>Hello,
When you applied for Admission to Columbia you were informed that “Columbia has funding for foreign students applying either as first-years or transfers, but candidates for this funding should be aware that their applications are read in a more selective process than are other candidates’. Students must indicate their request for financial aid on Part 1 of their application and cannot change their request after submitting their application.” </p>
<p>In the meantime, we have received materials in support of a financial aid application in your name in the form of a CSS Financial Aid Profile or a copy of a foreign tax return. We will take no action on your financial aid application, and if you are offered admission by Columbia you will not be able to change your financial aid application status. The only acceptable reason for a change in your financial aid application status is in the case of a catastrophic change in circumstances: death/debilitating illness of a parent or natural disaster, OR by acquiring Green Card. If one of these conditions has taken place, please be in touch with our office.
Thank you,
Office of Financial Aid</p>
<p>Did you state you were international or Canadian? That email places an umbrella on foreign students and Columbia is need aware to internationals (but not Canadians). </p>
<p>"How does applying for financial aid affect an international applicant?</p>
<p>All applicants who are citizens of the United States, Mexico or Canada, permanent residents of the United States or students granted refugee visas by the United States are read in a need-blind manner, no matter where they attend school or where they reside. The term “need-blind” means financial need has no bearing on the admissions decision.</p>
<p>All other applicants are evaluated in a need-sensitive manner, which means that the admissions committee takes into consideration how much financial aid a student requires when rendering an admissions decision. Although financial aid is available for foreign students, candidates should be aware that their applications are read in a more selective process than are other candidates’. Columbia admits a large number of foreign students who receive a substantial amount of financial aid."</p>
<p>When I read that letter from Columbia, it almost sounds like you did not check the box advising the school that you wish to be considered for FA…why do they say that they are going to take no action on your FA app?</p>
<p>I guess.
I wonder if it’s too late to apply for FA after your freshman year for soph year? hmm…
my parents can still afford it, theoretically. It would be a sacrifice…
but i doubt i’m ever actually getting in, so why worry?</p>
<p>what do you guys think the ideal SAT score would be for us Canadians to have a legit chance at a top school? Would 2200 be too low, considering we are internationals and have to be that much more competitive?</p>
<p>I don’t even think there’s an ideal score. </p>
<p>Competition is only among canadians so it’s not more than what the US has. Scores’ value depend on the college your applying to and the applicant pool of the year. Also, too many factors are taken into consideration that it’s just impossible to set an ideal score. In my opinion, get the highest you can get within 3 (max 5) tries and you should be fine. Aiming for 2400 will get you better results than aiming for a 2200 :)</p>
<p>lol, yea. but i was using 2200 as a score that is achievable for me. I am aiming for 2400, which i think everyone should, and hopefully I’ll end up in the 2250-2320 range or so. </p>
<p>Do all Ivys and top schools superscore btw?</p>
<p>all ivies superscore sats (NOT ACT). i’m not sure which other top schools superscore sat.
i think canadians should get at least over 2250 to have a legit chance, over 2300 to be safe for ivies.
what happens is, when they read ur profile, they sort ur sat and gpa scores into different categories. e.g. over 2250 is like tier 1, 2100-2250 is tier 2, etc…
my school has had numerous graduates who go to ivies (harvard, princeton, cornell, penn). They have ALL had like 2300s. </p>
<p>Yes and remember that not everything hinges on the SAT. There are other integral parts of your application that can make or break it (ie. ECs, GPA, references, essays etc).</p>
<p>@Kelloggss: ru sure about that? I know at least a few who have gotten into ivies (albeit lower ivies) with 2100s and such… I think the 2250 is really an over-generalization… while i’m not saying a mere 2000-2100 is sufficient for the top schools, i think its unfair to say you wouldn’t have a “legit chance” with anything sub-2250…</p>
<p>Again, there are too many factors to deny the scores lower than 2100…
At a certain degree, as long as you show them that you can pass their curriculum and that you have the kind of personality they want, you’ll have a chance of getting in</p>
<p>ah kk. btw can you write subject tests after you apply? then send them the results after? since they superscore, i figure i’ll write may and june this year, then, if needed really badly, first proctored SAT next year. (my senior year). but, if i do that, i;ll need to write the subject tests a little later on. is this fine? </p>
<p>I would think that applying really early would be to the benefit of yourself, getting your app. viewed early. but, is there a certain time i should have ALL subject tests done by?</p>
<p>And how much does it take to prep for those? If you get >95s in sci and math, do you need a lot of prep if you haven’t taken gr.12 science/math courses?</p>
<p>You still have Oct and Nov to write subject tests. You’ll need prep if you aren’t doing advanced (ie. AP or IB) science. You don’t cover a lot of stuff in normal courses that appear on SATs (i.e. for chemistry you’ll only have electrochem, hybridization, VESPR, balancing redox, etc in gr 12). </p>
<p>That being said, any study guide should be fine to study from. You won’t need a class.</p>