SLU does check the boxes. Not sure if it has changed. But all of my friends who went there were from boarding schools and pretty preppy. But boy, did they like to have fun too. Had a blast visiting there back in the day. They have all done exceptionally well since also. Good call.
Thanks for the replies guys. I checked out all the colleges you guys mentioned and I’m loving st Lawrence university. It has an aid plus merit scholarship program for internationals that even my school counselors didn’t know about. Vassar and Haverford seem great too.
@happymomof1 the school team didn’t know anything about life or campuses at the colleges they make students apply to. When I asked them about the weather, the main counselor laughed and said “everywhere in US is colder than here. Don’t worry about it.” They are more focused on college prestige since it automatically improves the school’s reputation. Whereas I want to attend college to have fun and explore my fields of passion; computer science and creative writing.
Regarding stats, I follow the international O/Alevel curriculum and have straight A’s so far. Will appear for SAT this fall, but have gotten 1500+ so far on practice tests. Not sure if that’s a good indicator of prospective scores.
ECs are limited but unique, spanning the fields I’m passionate about; regular blogger about country’s social problems, editor of school newspaper, currently writing a novel, literature club president and founder for 3 years, tutoring class fellows for months, running a campaign to save birds for a year, internship with WWF (not the wrestling one) and other social work internships relating to animals (I love animals) and some other ECs. Awards include an international writing competition’s honorary award , an excellence award in national writing competition, a national high achievers excellence award from USEFP, some film making competitions, multiple school debates and speech competitions winner. No hooks at all. Essays would probably be good, since I’m a very deep writer often putting all of my feelings into my writings.
So I think I might have a 50/50 chance at a few of these colleges you guys mentioned, especially the less known ones.
Anyways, I’ll keep you guys updated once the college applications start. This thread is really going to help me out later, so thanks again guys. Hopefully a future member of the US college class of 2023.
Michigan Tech seems to fit the bill. However I imagine you would have to be practically masochistic to live there considering it is extremely remote and gets about 300 inches of snow a year.
Zane 91, I’m a little concerned about your counselor’s remark about everywhere in the US is colder than where you’re from. I don’t know where you’re from but the US is a huge country and there are states in the southern part where the temperatures are quite warm in the winter and hot in the summer. So when you say cold we think you mean the northern states. A lot the schools we have been suggesting, including St Lawrence, have weather that isn’t just cold, it’s REALLY cold even for most Americans. If you come from a tropical climate that kind of cold would be very different from what you’re accustomed to. I live in coastal northern California, which has a temperate climate and the thought of going to the northern parts of states in the midwest or east coast in the winter makes me shiver. It’ll fine be if you’re hardy and have the right clothes, so you might have to invest in a new wardrobe. If you might be interested in a warm climate look schools in Arizona, southern California, southern Texas, all the states on the Gulf of Mexico and Florida.
Your list of ECs are very impressive, good luck!
Dartmouth and Cornell came to mind immediately.
As you like the cold:
You might look at Carleton and St Olaf, both in a rural town in Minnesota about an hour from the Twin Cities. Pretty campuses and lots of cross country skiing. Mountains, not so much, it’s pretty flat. St Olaf is less competitive for admissions if you’re looking for some matches (ranked about #60) and is a kind place with astoundingly good music.
You also might look at Kenyon (Gambier, OH) as you are a writer and there are scholarships specifically for writing and a well-regarded literary magazine is published there. The dining hall there is like a cathedral with stained glass, but in homage to literary figures instead of religious one.
As already mentioned, Vassar has a beautiful architecturally cohesive campus, a quite good art museum, and an amazing library.
This article looks at small colleges in terms of campus beauty:
https://www.bestdegreeprograms.org/best-beautiful-small-college-campuses-america
Carleton.
Here is the thing about almost all of these schools. Some of them meet need even for internationals, BUT – they are not “need blind” in the admissions. So students who need a lot of aid are less likely to get admitted. And you better be at the top of the stats pile for the school to be considered.
Tufts is close to Boston but it is just 2 miles from the Middlesex Fells a 2,200 acre reservation. It also has a lodge in the mountains of New Hampshire
Meets full need but is not need blind.
https://tuftsmountainclub.org/loj/
http://www.friendsofthefells.org/
https://www.mass.gov/locations/middlesex-fells-reservation
Campus architecture tends toward colonial, but is more diverse and less ornate than Yale.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toYuqOrmQmg