I’ll look into it. Thanks for the rec
Best of luck with it.
Your iGCSEs are impressive. Overall you have an excellent profile. Congratulations on your hard work and creativity, especially in the circumstances you describe (changing countries, legal guardians).
As you said, you need to move fast on the last 5 “meet need” colleges, especially since your list is problematic due to your safeties not being affordable as of now, many universities on your list not offering any aid, and the others being lottery schools.
Definitely include Wellesley (topnotch for economics) and at least Smith (5-college consortium) or Barnard (partnership with Columbia). Then Dickinson (Economics, management, international/global outlook) and Berea (topnotch private college for middle and lower income students - all admitted students have a full tuition scholarship and work for their room/board expenses, at jobs they can put on their resume. They then pass it forward once they’ve made it to a solid job).
For the 5th choice, URichmond if you’re not against a preppy environment, Skidmore if you’re not against an artsy environment, Oberlin if you’re more liberal (this is reductive alas, but you don’t have much time so read through the Fiske guide and pick the one you like best). Your best odds are likely Skidmore, which is located in Saratoga Springs, a lively, lovely town.
Another one, if you still have space, is St Lawrence.
Further away, St Olaf meets need, too.
Did you apply to SUNY Buffalo or Buffalo State? These are not the same at all. Definitely apply to SUNY Buffalo if you haven’t.
Apply to SUNY Geneseo too.
SUNY Albany would be another one worth checking out, due to location.
If the Honors college or program at any SUNY is by application, do so (as those tend to unlock more scholarships.)
UCs were wasted applications since they don’t offer Financial Aid to OOS applicants. McGill is unlikely to be affordable although you will get in and can then apply for aid and bursaries (grants) just in case.
The UK unis are in tremendous financial trouble due to not being funded by the Tories and the current government not making them a priority, so they’re trying to make up the financial shortfall by admitting full pay internationals. They’re NOT giving scholarships and certainly not to the extent you’d need. They may give you £500 out of a £40,000 bill. Consider all of those as non happening.
All other universities on your list are “reach for everyone”, that is, impossible to predict. You may get into 5 of them or zero of them. It’s not impossible but you can’t bank your future on a winning lottery ticket, especially with such as strong profile.
Hopefully you find 5 colleges you like among those listed here.
HEOP also gives you an edge AT US private colleges so follow that. They do have limited slots for HEOP applicants but if admitted you’d get a better financial aid package.
If some colleges don’t use CommonApp but a different application, like SUNYs, use those in order to “save” your CommonApp slots for colleges that ONLY use that application system.
Thanks for this detailed response it was very helpful