Business or Economics with Merit Based Aid

Abetterlife · 08-21-2009, 02:59 AM

I am an Indian Citizen who lived in Singapore for 10 years and have shifted to Houston, TX last year. I am now a senior, am looking at my options, and have decided that I will most likely double major in Business and Economics. My Class Rank is weak, due to transfer of credits from a different system, and my ECs are weak for my Junior year due to the shift.

Indian Citizen,Male, Greencard holder, Texas resident, lived in Singapore From 1997-2007

Academics
GPA: 3.89/4.0 (UW)
: 6.32/6.5 (W)
Large, fairly competitive high school (top 7% have perfect GPAs)
Ranked 15% (74/469)

SAT Scores: Composite: 2130
• Critical Reading: 730
• Math: 760
• Writing: 640

ECs
• Cricket Team in Singapore, National Champions
• Member of the Executive Council in the Drama Club in Singapore
• Wrote/Acted/Directed two award winning plays "Wannabe Terrorists" and "13 minutes on the subway"
• National Honors Society
• Filmaking Society

TALENTS
• Odyssey of the Mind World champion and Silver medalist (represented Singapore)
• Writer-Director of short film “Denouement”

VOLUNTEER WORK
• Performed in a play for local orphanage
• Volunteered as Videographer for local Church (I am not Christian) 4hrs/week for a year
• Filmed Public Service announcements in Singapore
• Replanted Rain forests and cleaned out Old Folks Home in Sarawak, Malaysia

HONORS
• Invited to University of Texas- Austin’s “Honors Colloquium” as one of the top students in the state
• Recommended by Principal for Introduction to Microeconomics in Houston Community College (course not offered in High School).
• Bilingual: Fluent in Hindi (‘A’ in Cambridge “O” level Examinations) & English

Essay
Humorous and hopefully unique

I need some advice on schools with strong Business and/or Econs programs (priority to business) that will give me some merit based aid. (maybe $10K/y?)

So far, i have learnt of Rochester and Wake Forest.

Anyone has more insight?

bayvcroberts · 08-21-2009, 04:51 AM

chicago and mit

Abetterlife · 08-21-2009, 11:13 AM

Will I really qualify for merit aid in those schools? Always though i should aim lower, so that colleges may sweeten the pot for me.

vinnyli · 08-21-2009, 11:27 AM

UT-Austin and Texas A&M are your best bet. You really can't beat UT-Austin in terms of business. However, that rank may severely hurt your chances of getting in.
USC also gives decent merit aid.

vbball90 · 08-21-2009, 12:00 PM

Try Washington University in St Louis. They offer merit scholarships, and have highly rated undergrad business program. The Economics department is very strong and faculty members readily encourage undergrads to do research (60% of undergrads are involved in it).

The business and econ programs have a high percentage of international students. Every single PhD candidate in economics for the past couple of years has been international. I don't know if that appeals to you at all, but I think it's very interesting.

Your test scores are in Wash u's middle 50% test score range. I would work on improving your class rank. Your EC's sound pretty good.

lynxinsider · 08-21-2009, 12:35 PM

Test scores are near the top 1/4 for Rhodes, and HS GPA is good. We've got a growing international student body, more of our students come from TX than any other state after TN, and we have a business and economics bridge major. The business/econ department is I think the biggest academic department on campus.

Abetterlife · 08-21-2009, 02:40 PM

My rank is what will hurt me in UT Austin, because of the top 10% rule. I think i am a little under qualified for WASHU, because if I don't get merit aid, i can't afford it. USC sounds promising, and Rhodes gave me a chance to apply without paying the application fees, so that might be interesting.

M's Mom · 08-22-2009, 03:57 PM

Check out Grinnell, a LAC in rural Iowa. Generous merit aid and Economics (but no business).

slik nik · 08-22-2009, 06:28 PM

A good place to look at is right in your current city: RICE! They give generous merit aid, but it is still very hard to get merit aid. They do have merit scholarships just for international students though.

hmom5 · 08-22-2009, 06:41 PM

You are correct in your strategy of aiming lower for more merit aid. Unless HYPS are fighting over you, the top schools are unlikely to give you much. I'd look at Santa Clara, USD, Fordham, BU level schools. You want to be at the top of the pool.

diontechristmas · 08-22-2009, 06:56 PM

Undergraduate Programs - Fox School of Business | Temple University

bosoxxrwd · 08-23-2009, 08:33 PM

Babson or Bentley def.

lynxinsider · 08-23-2009, 10:13 PM

What scares me about Babson and Bentley is that if you end up deciding that econ/business isn't for you, then you've just got to transfer. Even worse, you won't really have a ton of opportunities to find out if another major is for you. Obviously it works for some people, but I can't imagine having done it myself.

Abetterlife · 10-14-2009, 10:46 AM

Thanks for all the replies.
Babson and bentely restrict options too early IMO. Anyway, i have come up with a list, could you critique it/ chance me. Is it too top heavy?

Harvard- I know i have no chance, but mom wants me to do it.
Rice
Cornell
Emory
UT Austin
Texas A&M
University of Rochester
USC
NYU

maxellis · 10-14-2009, 01:42 PM

You will get an automatic 9k/year at Indiana, with the possibility of getting more after freshman/sophomore/junior year.