Hey I’m a rising senior researching for colleges. I’m an international student with a gpa of 3.5(unw) and a 1390 SAT (for my first attempt) and will probably be majoring in BOTH history and education. I’ve been told from my friends and my teachers that a liberal art college best fits me, but I’ve researched a few and they were quite competitive, not to mention their tuition fee(let’s assume that it was not something I’d worry about yet). As being suggested my academic record isn’t strong, so what type of school on what region of ranking would be a good choice for me? Thank you!
There are some competitive liberal arts colleges but the lucky thing for you is that the US has tons of liberal arts schools. Your academic record is plenty strong, especially considering that the SAT you took was only your first attempt. Not sure how you feel about location or size but I’m going to suggest a variety of liberal arts schools.
Dickinson
Franklin and Marshall
Gettysburg
Lafayette
Middlebury
Macalester
Bates
Colby
Kenyon
Vassar
Colorado College
Davidson
Grinnell
University of Richmond
Hamilton
Reed
Skidmore
St. Lawrence
At the end of the day, there is not going to be a perfect school. Think about the type of school you want (whether it’s in a city, the suburbs or somewhere rural, what size you want, what area of the country, what social atmosphere) and then narrow down this list. Good luck
As the poster above said, there are tons and tons of liberal arts colleges out there! Without knowing anything about your extracurriculars, you may want to narrow down colleges based on your SAT. Your score is great, but you’ll be competitive at a greater number of schools if you can get into the low-mid 1400s.
Look at colleges that have around a 20-30-40% acceptance rate. It’s not a perfect way to narrow them down at all, but it’ll point you in the right direction. Looking at a national ranking of LibArts colleges (US News or Niche or a similar site) and googling each college’s name along with “sat score” is a decent way of making a list of colleges that your scores fit with!
Some of the schools listed in Post #1 would be high reaches for someone with 3.5 unweighted GPA. Someone I know who was two “89’s” short of having straight A’s through high school with 1400+ on the SAT and great ECs did not get into Colorado College. Middlebury and Vassar would be harder still, and probably ditto for Reed and Skidmore. Colby would also be a reach.
Fortunately, both posts above are correct that there are a LOT of LACs to choose from.
Do you need significant financial aid? What can your family actually pay? Best not to waste your time or ours on unaffordable options, so please help us out with that information.
Mars Hill University
No. I probably don’t need significant (if any)financial aid, but yeah, money kinda matters
So your family can pay a quarter of a million dollars for your undergraduate education? If they can, you will have many options. If you have constraints, it would be helpful to know what they are.
Thx a lot. I’ve researched a few and Dickinson, Richmond, Lafayette and FM are definitely on my list. Probably not Gettysburg(which is way too small) , Vassar or Bates(both are probably too hard for me) though. It’s really helpful though. Thank you!
I’m not a “ranking” person, but this USNWR list provides an extensive list of LACs that you can research. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges
My kid’s stats are similar, a bit lower on the SAT and a bit higher on the GPA. Of the above listed, he received acceptances from Dickinson, F&M, and Lafayette and will be attending the later. I’m an alum of F&M and depending on what you want to study it can be a great place and I have many friends who had great experience at Dickinson. One that you might take a look at is Union. It was my kid’s narrow second choice and they offer good merit. That said, I’m not sure where they stand on Education as a major.
One of my kids went to Dickinson. They do have some kind of education option (at one point my kid was considering it). But you need to understand the education credentialling requirements wherever you plan to teach after graduating (and you may have trouble staying and working in the US if that is your plan). I think Dickinson is a match for your stats academically, but you likely would not get a lot of merit (maybe some, but less than $10K, which still leaves a hefty bill if you aren’t eligible for need based aid).
Look at Earlham. It’s a great option for people who want to go into “helping” professions, which would include education. Your stats would make you a good candidate there.
Hey! I just wanted you to know that most LACs are not need-blind for international students and some don’t give great FA to international students. I know for a fact that Grinnell College does though. They have one of the highest international population of all LACs for this reason. They are 18-20% (depending on the year) international and 50% of the domestic students are students of color. I’m not sure, but I think it’s free to apply for international students and they have great Education and History programs. They even have opportunities to get hands on experience in the college. There’s a day care and there’s a program where you work with teachers to develop curriculum for either a course at the local middle school or the area correctional facility and then teach the class. If you have any questions, I would happily answer them. http://www.grinnell.edu/academics/majors Lafayette is also a great option.
Also, Nazareth and Allegheny may be great safety school options.
I know you mentioned not being a fan of small, but I think you really should consider applying to Grinnell.
Thank you
@WilliamGladstone No problem. Please contact me if you have any questions about Grinnell, Allegheny, or Nazareth. I could even get you an international contact at Grinnell in your major if you’d like. 
Got admitted by Dickinson and waiting for Richmond. Thx for all your suggestions