International UWC Student looking for artsy creative colleges + chance me for some of my top choices!

Chance Me / Match Me
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Class of ‘27!!! Applying for the fall cycle

Demographics

  • International student - South Asia
  • State/Location of residency: Permanently in South Asia, currently in Europe
  • Type of high school (or current college for transfers): UWC in Europe
  • Other special factors:

Cost Constraints / Budget
Would need full aid :frowning: Also, as a UWC student, going to one of the Davis Partner universities would grant me upto $40k in scholarship, and universities often cover up the rest to meet full need

Intended Major(s): Undecided, but something along the lines of social science/philosophy/possibly neuroscience + would prefer a flexible, open curriculum!

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Grades: Before UWC, I attended a school in my home country, where I scored a 2.72(:skull:) in 9th grade (due to health reasons and missing attendance) and 3.82 in 10th. I also joined A-levels for 7-8 months after 10th, didn’t give the official exams because of UWC, so essentially had a gap year. In the most recent term exams, I had scored aaabb, however, I’m not sure if I’ll be submitting this transcript.
  • ACT/SAT Scores: Giving the SAT this August, hoping 1450+

List your HS coursework

IB 43/45 predicted

  • English HL: 7
  • Anthropology HL: 7
  • Economics HL: 7
  • Language AB: 7
  • Maths AA SL: 6
  • Physics SL: 6

Awards

  • National Linguistics Olympiad Gold
  • National WSDC Tournament Finalist
  • Recipient of the highly selective Davis Dare2Dream scholarship
  • Awarded for my artistic skills in my former school
  • Carried out a neurodivergence related community service project through a summer school, where it won best community service project
  • Some minor, regional/school-level awards for music, art, debate, etc

Extracurriculars

My ECAs feel a bit cluttered because how I work is I have some specific fields on interests that I sustain through side projects and side quests, if you will. Hence, I’m worried it looks fragmented and unfocused, even though this is what works best to keep me engaged.
ECAs before UWC/at previous schools:

  • Literature: Chief editor of school publication at both schools, carried out interviews with Nobel Laureates/Booker Prize Winners/Internet icons, etc. Led a literary club and organised literary events and monthly publications for 2k+ students. Wrote a theatrical adaptation of an Oscar Wilde play, directed it and performed it for 1000+ people. Joined a feminist poetry collective and published and recited my poetry in an anthology. Casual writer for various online NGOs and publications.
  • Music: Have been singing all my life, playing the piano and guitar for a few years now. Started a band and organised musical events on a regular basis. Led the school choir group. Worked with a highly-acclaimed journalism team producing a popular docu-series in my country, worked as a singer to produce the theme song, which has over 80k+ views.
  • Debate: Competitively debating since 2023. Joined a month long summer school for debating and have been actively contributing in teaching debate in my community through local tuition centres
  • Community service/misc: Executive member of the social service club at my school, where we raised $1.5k+ to provide supplies to an underfunded local school. Led a community service project through the aforementioned debate summer programme, where I collaborated with a local NGO and reached 250+ students to educate them on Autism and Neurodivergence. As a UWC national community, we organised a project where we raised funds through selling artworks (I also draw with charcoal), and provided art lessons and painted murals at a local school. I joined an incubator programme right before UWC where we worked on identifying indigenous textiles and motifs and created a large database. We then utilised it to create prototypes for products such as purses.

ECAs after UWC:

  • Continued with music and performing with a band, as well as individually in events inside and outside school
  • Editor at the school’s student publication. I have a college job which consists of writing monthly articles for the school’s social media and website, as well as reaching out to alumni. I host poetry nights on campus. I also write on my Substack.
  • I lead a service CAS dedicated to Holocaust remembrance (won’t be specifying further)
  • Led a project week to a remote island for beach cleanups
  • Although I’ve been drawing all my life, I recently also have been focusing more on art. I have started experimenting with photography, mixed media, customised clothing, artistic makeup, etc. I post my creations on an Instagram. I will also be leading a filmmaking CAS my senior year.

Essays/LORs/Other
Working on the essay so I’m not sure at this point

The teachers I’m asking LORs from know my interests and abilities quite well so I assume they’ll be strong

Schools

I’m looking for schools with good flexibility in terms of their academic programme. I also am highly prioritising being located in a non-rural area/a location with decent access to culture. I would thrive in an environment which isn’t cutthroat, ‘grindset’ centred; I would prefer a progressive environment where an artistic, intellectual and ‘quirky’ vibe is the norm.

I’m restricted to applying to any 10 UWC Davis partners due to the Davis scholarship programme. Although I’m relieved that this opportunity increases my chances as an international of getting in selective universities with great affordability, I still cannot estimate for certain unfortunately. Here are my current top choices:

  • Brown (dream school)
  • Yale
  • Barnard
  • Vassar
  • Wesleyan University
  • Macalester
  • Tufts
  • Pomona
  • Swarthmore
  • Trinity College

I would love to hear what you think my chances at these schools are, and what other schools you think would be a better fit for me. Thank you!

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Here is a current list of the Davis UWCSP Partner Schools (106 total), in case a cc member wants to make any alternate college suggestions:

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Congrats on a fine record.

So. your have a lot here - let’s start with the budget. There are few - 12 or 13 schools - that assure to meet need and are need blind - meaning, they’ll admit you (or not) without looking at your finances. There are other that will meet need - but they take your finances into account - so if you need too much, they can reject you. I put the list of meet need, need blind at the bottom.

$40K will not pay for any schools you’ve listed - unless they determine that you have additional need, etc. $40K may pay for some schools - but we need an SAT to see where. If you get a 1420, a U of Alabama, as an example, would come under $40K. There are other regional publics too that may.

Now you want an open curriculum - so that’s a school like Brown, Rochester, Grinnell, Vassar, Hamilton - it can even be a Wake Forest. Now, a school that may get to $40K for an international and is a much easier admit - will be Kalamazoo College. It has the K Plan. But it sounds like it needs to be on the partner list for you to get $40K.

So if you have no budget and can only apply to those 10, hopefully the partnership will give you an admissions boost - to the point that the schools will pick up the remainder.

I’m not sure anyone can chance you though - but without a test, it will be harder. International rates are very - for example, Trinity accepted over half - but break out international only, it was 193 of 3287 - and I’m guessing most were full pay.

So that’s the difficult of being international.

But given you have this partnership, maybe it will give you a boost.

But here are the schools that will meet need without concern for your finances. That doesn’t mean their interpretation of need is the same as yours though.

Good luck.

Yale, Princeton, MIT, Amherst, Dartmouth, Bowdoin, Washington and Lee, Brown, Notre Dame, Georgetown, and Columbia

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Oh - thanks -i thought it might be the schools the student mentioned.

For $40K, Beloit, Earlham, Gettysburg, Ithaca, Kalamazoo, St. Olaf, Texas State, and Oklahoma might be ones I’d target on a getting to cost basis.

But there are others on the list - that are need blind.

I think one has to put the creative and open curriculum aside - but there’s plenty of great schools that I mentioned above on this list.

Good luck to OP.

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Hey!!

First of all, thank you very much for the response!
I think I probably have to clarify how the scholarship system works, as far as I’m aware.

The $40k scholarship isn’t really a fixed amount, but rather the maximum direct funding possible through the Davis Foundation. So typically, it could even be $10-20k. The actual merit of this partnership is that the partner schools commit to meeting the rest of the student’s demonstrated need, if admitted. If I demonstrated a need of $50k and received $20k through the foundation, the school would admit me on the basis that they provide me an additional $30k in scholarship. But of course, as you also mentioned, it boils down to what the school also defines as ‘demonstrated need’.

Hence, based on my observation over the years of my seniors attending US schools, the universities most likely of having essentially the most ‘generous definition’ of full need seem to be school which would meet full need for all internationals regardless. This wouldn’t only be limited to need-blind but also need-aware schools (especially LACs, from my observation, as I believe the schools with most UWC students are St. Olaf, Macalester, Middlebury, etc?)

I hope that clarifies the situation more!

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Look into Skidmore.

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Yes many schools as noted meet full need for international but they are need aware. That’s likely why you see such low international acceptance rates.

If they take you they’ll pay, but the odds of them taking you are minuscule.

Your English is great. Did you study in an English speaking country ?

What would be your budget without the scholarship ?

Texas State and U Oklahoma are public and don’t meet need so I’m curious how the program works with them. Perhaps $40,000 covers them in full ?

Good luck.

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Can you kindly clarify? You are expected to submit all of your official academic transcripts.

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The following schools have an “open curriculum”, meaning ultimate flexibility and also have an artsy vibe. A few are also on your list. All are on the Davis list.

Brown University*
Amherst College
Smith College (women’s college)
Wesleyan University* (small liberal arts college)
Hamilton College
University of Rochester
Vassar College*
Oberlin College
St. Olaf College
Colorado College

*Also on your list

Your list is comprised of excellent colleges, but I’m not sure that they all have the curriculum flexibility that you’re looking for. Swarthmore in particular has a reputation for a heavy intellectual vibe more so than an artsy vibe.

Because I live near both Wesleyan and Trinity, I’ll add an editorial comment. Wesleyan is sometimes referred to as the “mini-Brown”. Since you love Brown, you should love Wesleyan! On the other hand, at Trinity you’ll meet a lot of students headed for careers in business. Not so much what you’re looking for, I don’t think.

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I agree Swarthmore and Trinity don’t have the vibe you want since one is a nationally famous grind and the other is definitely not artsy.
Barnard also has a reputation for competitive, political students (which may be you). However it doesn’t have Columbia’s strict core curriculum and it’s in NYC.
It sounds like you want Vassar :grinning_face:

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Your ECs sound incredible. I’m assuming your stats are equally superlative. Nevertheless, equally qualified candidates get rejected from these places all the time. Make sure you have a safety (both from a financially and admissibility viewpoint) whether that’s in the U.S. or not.

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First, congratulations on attending UWC and doing so well there. Many of the schools on your list recruit there, and your IB score will help.

UWC students are a bit different from other international students. The US colleges know UWC well and are enthusiastic about enrolling them. This may not eliminate all the headwinds of being an international student, but you are not in the pool of most international students who visit this site looking for guidance. Your CC can probably give you the best insight into your chances.

On paper, you are an excellent candidate. You will be best served by applying where the fit is tightest and clearest. Your list is good for your interests, and you have a reasonable shot. You should definitely talk with your CC about having some surer options within your 10. In your case, using an early option makes sense.

I might swap Swarthmore for Bryn Mawr. Same city, same consortium, but BMC is a somewhat easier admit and will give you all the resources of Haverford.

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Wouldn’t some of the schools that are aggressive with aid to get students - so they might be $40k-ish to begin with - also make sense to apply to. The Ithaca, K types on the list - if they know they can pull in $40K - as a safety valve?

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Interesting question. OP said the program only allows them 10 applications, so they’d have to take something off the list for that to work. I don’t know enough about how it works to know if there is some redirection if an applicant isn’t successful or if there is some backdoor shuffling that ensures everyone finds a spot. This is a pretty prestigious program (as it pulls from UWC, which in and of itself is quite selective), and at many of their partner universities, there are donors who also match the Davis UWC funds. Which is to say that maybe affordability is less of an issue than it typically is? (I don’t know!)

For many schools who want high-achieving, well-prepared international students who have also demonstrated the social proficiency necessary to be global ambassadors, programs like this are the bee’s knees. While different, it’s a bit like being FGLI and being a Questbridge finalist. Schools appreciate having someone else do the screening for them.

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If it matters, here are some colleges similar to those on the OP’s list with relatively higher percents of South Asians:

The Claremont Colleges (including Pomona)
Swarthmore College
Amherst College
Wellesley College

All are on the Davis list.

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Sarah Lawrence has the creative bent you’re looking for, and they have open majors (I think). It’s private so $40K is unlikely, but they are looking for students. They might offer you a deal. You’d have easy access to nyc.

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