Chance/Match: Eng/CS; South Asian-Female; 1450 SAT; scores: 94- 9th,94- 10th, 96-11th; a research paper in international journal and national scholarship for an exchange program abroad- major honors; mediocre ecs [international student, <$6k]

Chance Me / Match Me
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1

People please help!!! match-me

Demographics

  • international student- Female
  • South Asia
  • Type of high school (current college for transfers): Private
  • Other special factors (first generation to college, legacy, athlete, etc.): No

Intended Major(s) Engineering programs and CS

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Okay so under the national board I scored: (out of 100%)
9th: 94
10th: 94
11th: 96
12: not yet

  • Overall grade: A
  • Class Rank: top 10
  • ACT/SAT Scores: Superscore 1450 SAT

Coursework
(AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores for high school; also include level of math and foreign language reached and any unusual academic electives; for transfers, describe your college courses and preparation for your intended major(s)) :
School offers no AP/IB;
I studied Maths, Chem, Phy, English - 11th
10th/9th we had 5 additional courses

Awards
National scholarship for an exchange program 10 months
Published research based on drama therapy in intl journal
Some mentions at a couple intl less popular MUNs

Extracurriculars
(Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)

ā€¢Crafted stem based skits as classroom teaching material that was sanctioned by the education department in underprivileged 5 schools
ā€¢ Did two researches during exchange program and presented at conference with uni professors. Received felicitation
ā€¢ crafted and directed a bilingual play during the exchange year. First theatrical show for the school
ā€¢ School student council leader
ā€¢ started a science art and drama club at school- first and only club
ā€¢ 4 week internship at a local spice company as market research assistant
ā€¢been in school choir for 8 years and took professional lessons at singing in another language for 2 months
ā€¢(idk if i should mention this in the app) Featured in a couple of music videos with an amateur music YouTuber but she hasnā€™t posted yet
ā€¢ took care of sick parent and grandparent so didnā€™t have much time

Essays/LORs/Other
(Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.)
(Havenā€™t worked much on essays; main essay is about some conflicted env u grew up in)
Lors are decent

Cost Constraints / Budget
(High school students: please get a budget from your parents and use the Net Price Calculators on the web sites of colleges of interest.)

need of financial aid and income if less than 40k USD

Please help me w the list. Tysmmm
Schools
(List of colleges by your initial chance estimate; designate if applying ED/EA/RD; if a scholarship is necessary for affordability, indicate that you are aiming for a scholarship and use the scholarship chance to estimate it into the appropriate group below)

  • Safety (certain admission and affordability)
  • Likely (would be possible, but very unlikely or surprising, for it not to admit or be affordable)
  • Match
  • Reach
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Iā€™m not clear on what your financial aid answer meant. Do you have in mind an amount you could pay per year after accounting for all grants, loans, and work-study? Is that 40K USD?

This is an extremely consequential question for anyone, but particularly international applicants to US colleges, so I think people here are going to need a clear answer in order to provide meaningful assistance in developing a strategy.

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Hi sorry to not be more clear, I wrote everything in a rush.
I meant the annual income of parents is below 40k USD. And I would wanna apply to colleges offering generous aid.
I could pay 6K after accounting for all other funds.

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So your first criteria are colleges that are ā€œneed blindā€ for international students.

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Yes but does that mean I shouldnā€™t apply to any need-aware schools who do meet financial aid requirements for admitted students?

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I understand - it canā€™t hurt to use one or two as absolute reaches, because with those you donā€™t just need to stand out academically from other international students, but probably have to stand out well above those who wonā€™t need significant financial aid.

Making your core selection from colleges that will look at your application without considering finances, at least puts you on equal footing in what is already a very competitive selection.

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Continuing the discussion from Match- me: college list :))))):

Hi guys!!! Please chance me for these colleges for RD! (For target to reach schools) course- engineering/ CS
Stats linked above
Schools
Wellesley
Davidson
McKenna
Notre Dame
Middlebury
Haverford
Grinnel
Wesleyan
Georgetown
Vassar
Brandeis

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Iā€™ll take that into consideration. Thank you.

9

No need to start another thread. Here is the link to that closed thread, but there is no reason all information cannot be kept here since it is not a long thread yet.

I edited this title for OP.

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To be more accurate, she needs schools that meet full need for international students and are preferably also need blind.

(Note: pretty much all public schools are need blind in admissions including for internationals but donā€™t promise to meet need).

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This is a very top heavy list of colleges, and especially for an international student. No real sure things for admission and mostly very very reachy schools.

I linked this thread in the closed thread if yours, but Iā€™m putting it here too. Please read the whole thing. This student was a stronger applicant than you are, a citizen here, very strong applicantā€¦and he didnā€™t get accepted anywhere his senior year of high school. And admissions were less competitive when this kid applied in 2005. This is a MUST READ for folks like you who are applying to reach schools only.

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Hey!!! Thank you, I read that thread. I understand that these are some of the most selective schools but Iā€™ve got my safeties. So Iā€™m deciding to choose a couple of these for my target to reach schools. I wanted to know acc to my stats and major what could be a slightly better fit or where Iā€™d have a slightly better chance :)))

13

Do you mean in your home country?
Because there are no safeties in the US for an international applicant seeking full financial aid.

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Or which give merit scholarships up to near full ride to international students.

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Soā€¦any foreign language or social studies classes? Or all science and math?

Will you be applying test optional? You need to check to see if your list requires the SAT or ACT for international students.

I donā€™t think you have any target schools on your list.

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Many of these colleges do not have engineering majors. I believe Brandeis is working on one, but does not have it yet.

I think in your circumstances, double-degree programs would be very problematic.

Notre Dame, however, does have engineering.

Similar(ish) colleges with engineering would include the below. To my knowledge all of these are at least full need if you are admitted, but most are need aware for internationals, which can make them a long shot for high need internationals when they would not be for a numerically-similar high need domestic applicant. But that is what it is:

Universities:

[edit: oops, not Brown, not yet]
Dartmouth (need blind and full need for internationals)
Rochester

SLACs:

Swarthmore
Barnard
Smith
Trinity College
Lafayette

Iā€™ve tried to give you at least some range of selectivity, understanding you already have your likelies.

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Your entire profile is superb. However, because of the financial aid issue, there are no safeties or matches. Everything is a high reach :sleepy:.

How will the skills developed in your ECs translate into something that could be useful to the college that admits you?
(If you can answer that question conclusively it will be a big help to you).

My advice would be to apply ED2 at a college that allows it because they will want to see commitment on your side before they commit to 75+K each year for you.
That limits your options a bit but you still have lots of good choices. Perhaps at a need blind/meet need LAC.
Then your RD list.

You can send your essays to the official CC essay readers to make sure theyā€™re great.

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I believe Bowdoin is the only ED II school on that list, and they do not have engineering.

But they do have CS, so if that is OK with the OP, they would be a good ED II choice.

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These are the colleges that are both need blind and meet full need for all international admitted students.

Amherst and Bowdoin are the two LACs. Amherst doesnā€™t have ED2ā€¦ but they have RD and the application deadline for that is January 5. The Bowdoin ED2 deadline is also January 5.

  • Amherst College.
  • Harvard University.
  • Bowdoin College.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  • Brown University (*beginning in 2025)
  • Princeton University.
  • Dartmouth College.
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Yes thatā€™s pretty much Bowdoin ED2 if OP wants to try for a need blind/meet need college with the ED advantage.

Otherwise itā€™s roll of the dice with RD and a mix of meet need/need aware and meet need /need blind .

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