manialac

Hello int'l students of CC :ㅇ

I'm a South Korean looking to apply to US colleges this year!

I will be really thankful if you guys could point out some LACs that offers generous FA for internationals

(I want to know because for colleges that are not generous, applying for FA will dramatically drop my chances for acceptance..realistically)

Here are my stats that you can refer to

GPA: 3.9 / 4.0 UW (Class schedule is fixed in my school.. no honors APs or anything)
SAT I superscore: CR 740 / M 800 / W 780 (Essay:!2)
SAT II Math 2: 800
US History: 760
APs: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Calculus BC, Statistics, US History, Psychology
<<all 5s>>

ECs:.. they are the weakest part of my application.. I will not mention them specifically, but they are pretty much the average...
volunteering about 200 hours; school press (newspaper) ; varsity sport; class president; internships.. / some minor researching activities

Given my mostly academic-based ECs I think I could be applied as a typical studious Asian with good standardized scores.. but actually I'm very far from that stereotype and willing to show that through my essays..

Anyways! Any input would be appreciated~

(P.S. Do you guys know if I would be in a disadvantage if I apply as a first-year applicant even if I am currently a college student? I have a reasonable explanation for this though.. the admission officer of a college told me that I have to apply as a transfer; I have just finished the first semester of first year college at home)

aunt bea

You must be honest with your application no matter where you apply, which means that if you have taken college coursework in your country, you have to apply as a transfer.

The colleges admissions officers are very good at finding out if you've had prior university coursework. You will be dismissed if your application is not truthful.

There is limited financial aid for internationals.

manialac

I have not been clarified though if I am not allowed to apply as a first year applicant if I have taken university coursework. I am not sure if it is recommended or is compulsory for me to apply as a transfer.
After all, it`s to my disadvantage to not have my credits transfered to another college.

In addition, I was actually going my explanation in the additional information section in the common app.

manialac

Thank you for your reply!

b@r!um

You are required to disclose all past college enrollment. Most colleges would force you to apply as a transfer student if you have completed x amount of previous college coursework. (Where x can mean anything from "ever enrolled in college, even if you didn't finish a single course" to "has completed one full year's worth of college coursework.")

Evaluating your transcript for transfer credit happens after you are admitted. You would be considered a transfer student even if none of your credits transferred and you'd have to start college over from scratch.

Unfortunately, there is very little financial aid for international transfer students. Your best strategy might be to finish your Bachelor's degree at home and then come to the US for your graduate education.

Applying for FA will decrease your odds of acceptance at every college that's not need-blind. Competition for international financial aid is stiff everywhere, even at colleges that fund a large number of students.

Statistically speaking, you'll find the least amount of competition at women's colleges. A few years ago Peterson's college guide published international admission statistics separately from domestic admission statistics. I noticed that LACs that offered financial aid to international students generally had admission rates below 10%. The women's colleges (also offering FA) had admission rates as high as 25%, and LACs with no FA normally had international admission rates above 50%.

manialac

looks like I can`t apply as a first year

artloversplus

as suggested, you'd much better off finish your UG in your current country and apply for graduate school in US. UG transfers don't get much FA for US students, let alone for internationals. You are wasting your time trying to do the impossible. One thing you might be able to do is that if you can get a scholarship in Korea to pay for the schools in the US. Check for the government/military programs.