Best colleges to apply to for international students seeking fin aid?

[n4wa]

here are my stats, planning to major in psychology or organizational studies idk

Demographics

• Location: Indonesia
• Ethnicity: Southeast Asian
• High School: International school following the Cambridge AS/A Level curriculum, with additional standard curriculum subjects.
• Financial Aid: Applying for substantial financial aid

Stats

• GPA: 90,4 /100 mostly As (2Bs max) my school’s quite rigorous lol
• Subjects:
  • 5 AS/A Level courses (business studies, sociology, geography, english lang, maths)
  • 5–7 additional standard curriculum subjects, including Civics, Indonesian Language, ICT, Arts, Music, ETC
• Class Rank : -
• A LEVEL exams : Not applicable, a level exams are not mandatory in my school and most students dont take the official exams. For me, I couldn’t take it bcs the fees were expensive and my family has financial constraints
• Duolingo English Score : 145
• SAT = Test optional

Course Rigor

• Completed rigorous coursework in Cambridge AS/A Level subjects alongside standard curriculum courses.

Extracurricular Activities

1. Leadership Roles

• Grade representative in grade 10 (student council)

• Social media administrator in grade 11(student council)

• Election committee in grade 12, involved in leadership development for uprising student council members

• Ran a thrifted/preloved clothing business in grade 9

• Person in Charge/ Head for school’s UN day event with the student council in grade 11

1. Community Service

• Organized donation drives to a local orphanage with the student council in grades 10 and 11
• Taught underprivileged students basic computer skills in grade 12
• One-day program at a school for children with needs, helped them make an anti-bullying project in grade 12

2. Competitions and Awards

• Won my school’s speech competition

• Won “Exemplary Merit” and “Best in Music” awards in grade 10 (school awards)

• Gold medal in a national English Olympiad

• Credit award for English assessment and competition by ICAS UNSW

• Participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Challenge; team’s idea was recognized by the UN

1. Global Engagement

• Participated in the Generation Global international conference on women’s rights
• Joined the BYLS regional conference on recent global issues and trends

2. School Involvement

• Head of content for the school’s SDG Club
• Member of the school’s singing club, performed mostly at school events
• After Effects video editor for the school’s broadcast club

3. Internships and Professional Experience

• Interned at a bank as a back-office assistant

4. Hobbies and Interests

• Video editing hobby
• I Have an Instagram editing account
• Been singing since kindergarten
• Horse Riding as a hobby

[DramaMama2021]

What can your family afford to pay? Even with full need-based aid there are travel and personal expenses to cover.

Is the government scholarship mentioned in your other thread still a possibility or is that no longer an option?

Did you speak to your guidance counselor about your class rank? (You mentioned you were planning to in your other thread.)

[Momofthree24]

Just an fyi, many application deadlines for U.S. schools are on or around January 1, which is less than a week away. If you haven’t built a college list and started applications and essays, you are way behind schedule. Are you planning to apply for fall 2025 or a year later?

[n4wa]

i alrd made my college list and im almost finished with my commonapp!! im just trying to see if there are any other colleges that im missing out on

colleges that im applying to:

pitzer college (top choice but idk if ill get in)
nyu abu dhabi (considering between ed2 ing this or pitzer)
northwestern qatar
oberlin college
st olaf college
lehigh university
lewis&clark college
gettysburg college

[n4wa]

my counselor said that my school doesnt give out class ranks🥲 but im sure that im top 10%… the highest average grade in my batch is around 94 but most of the students here get 75-85 as their average