Swissas

The title basically asks the question. I was wondering if it is any easier for international students who are not seeking fin. aid to get accepted to top universities or have any advantage over domestic applicants.

YOU

i would say yes if you come from somewhere exotic like greenland.. haha

smugg707

I don't think so...

lulupony

definitely not, esp if you applied for aid.

i believe the admit rate for MIT was around 10%, for internats, it was around 3%. and that was for the no-aid group (i don't remeb if MIT is need-blind for internats)
the same trend is happening for all the top schools, even need-blind HYP.

but yes, exotic places and unheard of experiences do become a hook.

YOU

the OP said 'not asking for aid'.. it definitely helps!

Swissas

from what I heard the top schools except for perhaps one or two ivies are not need blind for internationals so the low admit rate may be reflective of the high percentage of int. applicants interested in aid as well. Which you can clearly see from all the international students in the int. forum asking about aid. Would switzerland be considered an exotic location? In addition would having an address in both Brazil and Switzerland(Swiss citizen) help?

screwitlah

i can't believe this is the international students forum.

the schools need-blind for internationals are - and take note:
harvard
yale
princeton
MIT
williams
middlebury
dartmouth

screwitlah

and OP, if you're not seeking financial aid as an international, you're still gonna have a hard time compared to domestic applicants i.e. higher SAT scores, better ECs, better stats etc. but if you're comparing colleges, then of course, the best of the best colleges like HYP will be harder to get in than the rest of the best colleges like Cornell, UPenn, etc.

LACs are a whole different category. they all generally have very small classes and thus smaller room for internationals - so you can't compare them with big research universities.

yeah, unless you come from an underrespresented country like Greenland Are the Swiss underrepresented in American colleges? Having addresses in two countries is still pretty cool though, only if you milk that experience for what it's worth i.e. essays, interviews

Swissas

Actually I go to a boarding school in the northeast, actually one of the two Phillips prep schools (I don't want to give away which one I go to). So SAT wise and ECs I will most likely be just as good or better than other applicants and getting As at Phillips is like getting A+++++++++++++++++++ at basically any other high school. I was just interested in what other people thought the chances for internationals such as myself where. Lastly, is the combination of top prep school and international student to my advantage?

screwitlah

yes i think it's about as unique as anyone can get. what are you worried about? anyway, there's nothing you can change about your school or your location or your citizenship status or anything. just make sure you present yourself smartly on your application.

YOU

amherst is need blind towarsd internationals from last week i think

screwitlah

yep you're right YOU, i'm surprised nobody started a thread on Amherst. Add Amherst to that list of 7 colleges it's getting better and better for us internationals every year.

Grande Antilles

I don't know why you put MIT on the list. Anyway, it's not always need blind for intl. S. One of my homies got there but he had to take a huge loan even though his parents can't afford MIT.

screwitlah

need-blind means they don't consider your financial need when admitting you. asking for aid won't affect your chances of admission. whether or not they are generous enough to meet full need with loans or grants or at all is another issue.

Grande Antilles

Ok screw..., I got it. Good info