chances?

zhuyiron · October 31, 2004, 5:34am

Chinese International Student
Financial aid applicant RD
SAT 610V 800M
SAT II (will take in Jan) estimate Math2 800, Chem 800
TOEFL 653
Class Rank 1 of 316 (a very competitive public school in China).
Gpa is not calculated in China.
I have been in the US for a semester as an exchange student.
There Gpa 4.1/4.5
EC's
students' union---class president, treasurer
math club
chemistry club
Arts Festivals---Play director, player, voice player
volunteer translator--- English to Chinese
Saxophone for 3 years
Write a column in St Louis Chinese Paper for a semester
Awards
Lots of school based merit awards and scholarships
Lots of English awards
city essay contest winner
china national olympiads
USA math olympiad qualifier

What are my chances? I know it is hard for someone from an over-represented country.

reidm · November 10, 2004, 12:39am

Chinese-Americans may be overrepresented at some US schools but Chinese students are not. Carleton is trying to attract more international students, but I am not sure how liberal they are with aid. Among the top midwestern liberal arts schools, Grinnell and Macalester are usually more generous with aid for internationals. However, there is information on the Carleton website about scholarships for international students, including a special scholarship program for Asian students.

Regarding your chances, Carleton would be a match for a domestic student with your profile - a bit better than 50-50. You might e-mail the school and ask if there are any significant differences between admitted domestic students and admitted international students when it comes to academic profiles and ability to pay.