Other special factors: My school history is so weird, I did GCSE’s my first 2 years and then moved to Ohio for my exchange year and then came back to Bahrain.
Cost Constraints / Budget
I’ve talked to my parents and they can afford my reaches im hoping to bring down the cost to around 40k. Give my parent’s income i highly doubt that we would uqlaify for any need based aid. So thats why I’m trying to target like Merit aid.
Intended Major
Nueroscience
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: ~3.4–3.5 (Estimated based on 3.7W)
Leadership: I’ve been vice president of my Gavel’s Club ( Toastamasters for kids) and thats about it.
Global Experience: I’ve gotten a schoalrhsip by the US department of state to do an exchange program for a year, I also got a Volunteer award by them.
Schools
Safety:
University of Alabama
Arizona State University (ASU)
University of Cincinnati
Likely:
Michigan State University
Purdue University
Reaches:
Rhodes College ( Dream school)
Florida State University
Wooster
Sewanee
Target:
Case Western Reserve UniversitY
My dream school is Rhodes College and im not sure whether i should ED or not, my main concern is whether i’ll get a decent Merit aid or not. I’ve talked to some of the people at rhodes on reddit and they said that they have been pretty generous when it comes to merit aid, but im not sure.
Another Concern is that my GPA is not that high, while i understand rhodes isnt competitve, im not really competitive either.
If you apply ED to Rhodes, you will get in. But Rhodes COA for a US student is over $73K so international will be more. It won’t be $40K.
Alabama you will get in - with a 3.5, you will get $28K and be under budget but you need to check if the 3.5 is weighted or unweighted to achieve that. I’ve seen both.
You need to check merit aid at the other publics because typically International students do not get the same merit as domestic.
Yes to Michigan State and I’ll call Purdue a target, not a likely but that’s ok.
Reaches - Rhodes is not a reach. It’s a likely in RD and very likely ED.
FSU is highly unlikely. You might find a “safer” similar large public but it’s a reach so it’s ok and you have Bama. Frankly, the two are indistinguishable outside of a US News rank, so that’s fine.
Wooster is very safe - safer than Rhodes. Sewanee too.
CWRU - highly unlikely but if you’re willing to pay $85K, they might take your $$.
Because you can pay full if needed, you have a great list. If you ED Rhodes, you should expect you’ll be paying full. You’d be bound so they’d have no reason to give you $$.
Looks like you’ll get $26k in estimated merit bringing your COA to $51.4k per the net price calculator. Then you get an additional $3k for applying ED. So if you’re comfortable at $48.4k for a COA and $45.4k for a direct billed cost, then Rhodes is pretty close!
Overall, I think your SAT score helps you a lot, so I’d say give it a shot! Good luck!
Have you run the NPC for Rhodes College? If so, did it ask whether you were domestic or international?
I would not apply ED anywhere unless you think that you are likely to be able to afford to go there.
3.7 is actually pretty good. We see students here on CC who are aiming for Harvard or Stanford with nothing but straight A’s. This however represents on a tiny fraction of the many, many students who are graduating high school in the US and worldwide. At least at schools in the US a GPA of 3.7 would indicate a strong student who is solidly ready for university, even if not ready for a tiny, tiny handful of the highest ranked schools.
However, whomever evaluates your grades will be familiar with the grade scales that are typically used in high schools in your part of the world. They will know how this compares to other students in your school. Most of us here on CC do not know this. Thus my first big question: Do you have some sense regarding how this compares with other students from your high school? Do you think that you are in the top 10% of your high school, or in the top 40% of your high school?
What do you intend to do with a degree in neuroscience? Are you thinking that some form of graduate school is likely? If so, can you afford graduate school?
Why do you want to come to the US for your bachelor’s degree? You should not expect to be allowed to stay in the US after graduation. In fact, when applying for a student visa to study in the US, if you tell them that you are hoping to stay in the US after graduation that could be a reason to reject your application for a student visa. Would a degree from a university in the US help your chances to get a job in your home country, and are there jobs in your home country for someone with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience?
You sound a little confrontational. Regardless, what I intend to do with my degree has nothing to do with you. Nowhere in my post did I mention whether I would stay or leave the US, I dont get why you’re so offended over something that isnt even mentioned.
I do not intend to be confrontational. These are issues that you should know the answer to. You do not need to tell us the answer.
International students frequently come to the US expecting to stay here. I just want to make sure that you know how likely this is or isn’t.
And sometimes an international student will tell immigration and naturalization that they intend to stay here, and then their visa is denied. This can be unfortunate because it typically would happen after they have already told other universities that they are not coming, leaving the student with no options.
And I do know someone very well who has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. They knew exactly what they were going to do with it before they got it. Yes, graduate school was involved and they did budget for it and have done well since.
Many of us are just trying to help younger students avoid pitfalls that many of us have seen other students fall into.
I have a child at Rhodes who used to be Neuroscience major and has a close friend who stayed Neuroscience.
I think you should not ED. You will be accepted (take my word. ) Will it be 40k or 45k or 50K I do not know. Apply EA.
There is a problem with Neuroscience at Rhodes. It has very few dedicated professors that belong to tiny department. Most teaching professors (especially for introductory courses) are from Biology or Psychology departments. If you are lucky you will get better professor if not you are in trouble. Registration at Rhodes is another story. It is like Russian roulette. All students from your year push the button at the same time and pray that they get in…
Another problem with Neuroscience that my child experienced. Only God knows what would be on the test. Some professors want you to synthesize smth from your knowledge. Guess what, everyone had different background and knowledge… Some students had AP classes, some took other classes before, some shadowed someone in the summer and did research… So my child who is premed had to drop intro Neuroscience class because of professor. It was too risky to ruin GPA. Since my child was premed GPA had to be protected, major was changed to Chemistry (amazing department with dedicated professors. ) One of friends who is graduating as Neuroscience major now not sure what to do. She is premed but GPA is too low for applying to medical school…
Another important thing . Rhodes freezes your awards but doesn’t freeze tuition and housing. They are going up every single year. Your health insurance and transportation will go up every year too. So if your parents happy to pay then go for it, but do not ED. You will loose your merit with ED. ED is for either low income people (who do not have stats but qualify for FA) or people who do not need merit (full pay) and do not have stats. EA is necessary for merit scholarships.
With your list you do not need to ED at any of the schools. Apply EA if available everywhere (or RD) and compare merit offers.
Also if Neuroscience is important for you, I would explore other schools first. As I mentioned before it is not the strongest department at Rhodes.
Keep in mind that Neuroscience curriculum is different almost in every school. It is not set in stone. If say you get degree in Math or Chem or Bio there are set expectations. With Nero it is whatever who decides to put on their list. Classes between professors would differ a lot too. As a result, expectations are unpredictable. It is not like if you struggle with Physics you can hop online and watch videos or find a good tutor. Nobody can help you if your professor decides to cover something that is not widely covered and professor does not explain material well or has heavy accent that you have a problem with…It is more like you lucky, you swim, you are not - you sink…
It is not 100% true. You still can get some merit, but why should they give it to you if you are already committed ?
They want to buy as many good students as possible to fill all spots. They have limited money. Scholarships at Rhodes are not assigned automatically based on stats. You can’t find set in stone criteria for any scholarship. They all at discretion of awarding people. All are competitive but who should get what is not clear.
Of course it’s true. Yes, schools will say and Rhodes does say that you have priority to merit. But that means nothing. Why would a school give you more $$ if they don’t have to? Some will, of course, so they can still market that. But these are businesses - so any chance to reduce expense, on average, of course they will. Whether it’s no merit or less merit, you lose leverage when you ED.
Rhodes gives less than half merit aid per CDS.
But the school itself says only $3k is assured.
$3,000 Early Decision Grant: Rhodes is offering an additional $3,000 Early DecisionGrant to admitted Early Decision students. The Early Decision Grant will be renewed for the four-year academic journey at Rhodes.
I don’t know specifically how Rhodes handles merit aid in ED.
@beefeater ran the NPC for this student and it showed $26K in merit, which I was able to replicate. The NPC asked if the student is domestic or international, and also included SAT and GPA but did not ask for ED/EA/RD.
OP can and should ask if the NPC results are accurate for those applying ED. If it’s not, shame on Rhodes.
OP should also ask if they apply ED is the $3K ED merit on top of the NPC results, and potentially ask for a financial aid pre-read (not sure Rhodes will do that.)
Even with the $26K-$29K in merit, Rhodes doesn’t hit the $40K, but it’s getting in the ball park. OP and their parents can decide if that price works for them, or not. If not, I would counsel OP to NOT apply ED.
Merit aid is not an expense. It is a revenue offset. When you are talking available funding and accounting within a university that distinction matters.
I agree students/families generally lose leverage when they ED. But by not applying ED they give up a possible bump in admissions chances (school dependent), as well as the ability to be done with the application process, which saves time and money and probably stress for most.
Seems like neuroscience is a common major for premeds. OP, if you are considering med school for later, that may not be possible in the US. If that is the desired career path, look to med schools in other countries, which as I understand, may be at the bachelors level.
This international student probably should look into medical school admissions in other countries than the U.S. They will need to keep in mind the language of instruction…AND whether these countries easily accept students from other countries.
@evergreen5 Yes I do plan on having saftey nets, if I do not get into Md-PhD’s i might just end up doing either doing Graduate school or go for graduate medcial school in countries like Australia.
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