High SAT, Not-so-great ECs. How?

tk21769
Sun, 18 Jul 2010 10:17:23 +0000

This will present a serious problem only for a small number of tippy top schools. Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford primarily, several of the other Ivies, and to a lesser degree some of the other top 15 or so universities. It may not present much of a problem at all for any liberal arts colleges, with the possible exception of Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Pomona … and to a lesser degree some of the other top 10 or so LACs. At many LACs, even some of the most selective ones, Asians are underrepresented compared to national universities (especially universities on either coast). Internationals also tend to overlook LACs. So they represent “contrarian” choice for Asians and Internationals, who can be rewarded accordingly in both admissions and aid by such schools. Of course, you’d still have to work hard at preparing the application materials.

Also have a look at top state universities other than the California schools. Wisconsin, Michigan, UVa, UNC. Download the Common Data Set for each of these (and any others of interest). Look at the percentages of enrolled Asians and Internationals, and at the amount of aid granted to Internationals.