It’s finally over. The last ten months have been a whirlwind of new responsibilities and experiences, but now, you’re officially in high school now. With your freshman year behind you, you might think you have two months of rest and relaxation before classes start back up again. Wrong! Kinda! Like, you can relax, but you also need to explore some of your academic interests! It might seem early to think about college, but colleges care about what you’ve been doing since day 1 of freshman year.
Applying to the University of Pennsylvania as an International Student
The University of Pennsylvania, commonly called Penn or UPenn, is a major top-tier research university nestled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university is home to about 24,000 students, about half of whom are undergraduates. The undergraduates are spread across four colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Nursing, and the Wharton School, the only undergraduate business school in the Ivy League. Yes, Penn is part of the vaunted Ivy League and considered one of the best universities in the world.
Applying to Middlebury as an International Student
The idea of going to college in rural Vermont in the far northeast of the United States where the winters are long and cold may sound like a hard pitch for exceptional international students. Surprisingly, it’s not. Middlebury College is one of the most prestigious colleges in the U.S., and one of the most popular among international applicants. In this post, we’ll break down why Middlebury is so popular for international students and how you can increase your chance of acceptance if you apply.
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How to Get into Princeton University
It shouldn’t be surprising that Princeton is hard to get into. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton has been a college longer than America has been a country. Princeton has so many great programs. If you are into International Affairs, Eating Clubs, or need-blind schools, you probably already have Princeton near the top of your list.
Demonstrated Interest at Brown
Applying to Trinity College as an International Student
Trinity College is a liberal arts college in the heart of the city of Hartford, Connecticut. The college has an old school vibe, a liberal arts foundation, and a close-knit community. There are other Trinity Colleges in the world, but here we’re talking about a super special one founded in 1823 that about 2,000 students call home. Proportional to the student body, Trinity has a very large international student population of just under 300 students representing over 80 countries. These students benefit from everything Trinity has to offer, but Trinity also fully embraces how much the international students also have to contribute to the community. The Office of International Students and Scholars supports international students in both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of going to college in the United States, from how you manage your visa to finding comradery and friendship on campus.
Applying to Columbia University as an International Student
Columbia College is the undergraduate liberal arts college of Columbia University, and SEAS is the undergraduate college of engineering. The university is home to nearly 35,000 students, 6,700 of whom are in Columbia College or SEAS. There are a little over 1,000 international undergraduate students between the two colleges, or about 16% of the students enrolled.
Applying to Vanderbilt University as an International Student
Vanderbilt is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee that is home to 7,152 undergraduate students. Vanderbilt is known for balancing work and play. The students there are super smart, and they also know how to have a good time. There are more than 475 student groups and intramural and club sports, and Nashville is a bustling city known for live music, amazing food, and outstanding opportunities for launching a career. The university matches innovation with tradition, and they strive to build a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community. The students on campus agree, and there is a deep commitment to community. More than half of Vanderbilt students participate in community service, and first-years form deep bonds by living together in a cluster of houses, the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons.
Demonstrated Interest at Cornell
For the last few decades, students looking to weasel their way to get accepted into top-tier colleges like Cornell University have stressed themselves silly about demonstrated interest. Should they send handwritten letters to their assignment admissions reps? (No, that’s creepy). Should they go to Cornell’s homepage once a day in case someone is tracking their home address? (No, that’s creepy, but in a different way).
Applying to Connecticut College as an International Student
Connecticut College is a small liberal arts college along the Thames River — in New London, Connecticut, to be clear, not England. The school is home to just under 2,000 students, and is lovingly called “Conn.” Conn is rooted in the liberal arts tradition, but is also committed to preparing students to excel in a constantly changing world. The college has always been at the forefront of change ever since it was founded in 1911 to right a wrong. When a local university barred women from entry, Connecticut College was created to open doors.
Demonstrated Interest at Stanford
Alright, let’s get right down to it. Forget the fact that Stanford has a 3-point-something acceptance rate and is a perennial star of the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” list. Most days in Palo Alto fall in the balmy 70s, Stanford’s campus has a residential co-op called the “Enchanted Broccoli Forest,” and notable Cardinal alums include icons ad infinitum (John Steinbeck, Tiger Woods, Reese Witherspoon, and *mother eternal* Sigourney Weaver). Forget about ~demonstrating~ cause, um, yeah you’re interested.
Applying to Stanford as an International Student
Stanford University in Stanford, California is one of the most prestigious, and most difficult to get into, research universities in the world. The institution is passionate about educating students for the purpose of changing the world, and they take that mission very seriously. Home to a little over 8,000 undergraduates, Stanford is extremely popular for students interesting in emerging technologies, innovation, and the health care sciences, research, and technology fields. They also love seeing fields overlap and engage, and budget more than a billion dollars to fund research projects that push boundaries and challenge expectations.
Applying to Tufts as an International Student
Applying to college in the United States is an objectively hectic situation. There are so many different colleges (literally, thousands), and they each come with their own lists of requirements, expectations, likes, and dislikes. Then add on the testing requirements or suggestions, and it’s all really a big mess. If you’re looking at applying to U.S. colleges as an international student, this already chaotic system can feel positively daunting. We’re experts at making applying to U.S. colleges simple, and in this post, we’ll break down everything you need to know if you’re an international student considering Tufts University.
How to Get into Dartmouth
Dartmouth is an Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire. It is the smallest of the Ivies, with around 4,500 undergrads, and Dartmouth is proud of its “small, rural school” reputation. The school has many unique offerings, such as a calendar with four 10-week sessions each year, creating flexibility for students to take on work, internships, vacations, and study abroad opportunities on their own schedule.
Applying to Brown as an International Student
The undergraduate college at Brown University is an innovative program with an old-world vibe. As one of the 7,600 undergraduate students at Brown (and 11,000 students overall) you get all the romanticism of a New England college, but with greater freedom and more opportunities for exploration than most comparable colleges provide. A member of the vaunted Ivy League, it’s the only member of the most exclusive club of colleges in the world that has a fully open curriculum. Brown is a liberal arts school but without most of the strictures of liberal arts schools. Outside of your major, you aren’t forced to take anything. Instead, you get to follow your passions.
How to Get into Harvard University
So, you want to get into Harvard? What, like, it’s hard? Yes, it's hard. It's really hard. In case you live under a rock, Harvard is an Ivy League university in Boston… sorry we mean Cambridge, Massachusetts. It wouldn’t be a leap to say that Harvard is the most famous college in America, and maybe the world, and with good reason. They have fabulous academics, high-class research, and a tradition of excellence. They are also extremely hard to get into, with just a 3.4% acceptance rate last year.
Best Schools with City Campuses
When it comes to choosing the right college, the campus and the overall culture play a critical role. Some might be interested in a college town atmosphere with a big football team. Others might be interested in a big campus in a cool town. For those who thrive in the bustling energy of urban life, there are plenty of great schools in the hearts of vibrant cities.
Demonstrated Interest at UPenn
Hello, and welcome to the “demonstrated interest” support group. If you’re a bewildered college applicant, you’re in the right place. Demonstrated interest is confusing. For one thing, there’s no data that can tell us in cold, hard numbers how much it impacts admissions decisions, and colleges don’t have a clear definition of what behaviors they interpret as meaningful displays of interest.
Applying to Yale as an International Student
No matter where you are in the world, chances are that Yale University needs no introduction. It is one of the best universities globally, and one of the most sought-after by top students. If you’re a student outside of the U.S. looking to go to college in the United States, chances are you’ve asked yourself “Could I get into Yale?” The answer isn’t a strict yes or no, so in this post we’re going to break down what Yale looks for in an international application.