Chance an international student please??

b_r_um
Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:02:57 +0000

kyobo, fin aid for internationals works differently. Most colleges don’t give any fin aid to internationals at all, only a few elite colleges (Harvard & Co) are need-blind to internationals and then there are some other (mostly high ranked) colleges that provide a very limited number of international students with financial aid - usually less than 20 fin aid packages that several hundred international students apply for… which is why it is pretty much impossible to chance international fin aid applicants. It’s easy to tell if someone does not have a chance at all, but once you are within range chances are a crapshot (it’s like predicting if someone will be admitted to Harvard).

Alexis, I applied as an international fin aid applicant to Smith and Wellesley last year and was rejected from both. I had a 34 on the ACT, was valedictorian, almost won our national math olympiade (ended up being an honorable mention only) and took several math classes at a university, including one graduate course. I finished all the undergraduate courses in the top 10% but I was “only” 7th out of 34 in the graduate couse. EC-wise I was mainly an athlete (judo; state champion) and did some peer-tutoring. I am German if that matters.
Point is: there is no way to predict your chances and applying for financial aid will hurt you a lot. (If you can afford BC without fin aid, why are you applying for it at the other colleges?)