This is the most comprehensive list of schools with FA for international students I have yet encountered (PDF or Excel version). It is a must read for any international student looking for FA and covers most of the selective colleges.
Much thanks for compiling the list goes to Doug Thomson from OACAC.
Cornell University’s Johnson School is known for for its close-knit community. Student’s and graduates are proud of the fact that teamwork is an important part of the school’s culture. So says Randall Sawyer, assistant dean of admissions and financial aid, during a recent chat event. He fielded questions from the audience and Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Francesca Di Meglio about everything from the recruiting outlook to the chances for international applicants. I have selected a few portions that may be of interest to international students -
Ansho: I have a 650 [GMAT score] and a degree in engineering from India plus five years of work experience in business development. What are my chances of getting an interview invite?
RandallAtCornell: We like your five years work experience, but your GMAT is a bit lower than what we would like to see. Our median this year will be 700, and our average is in the 690 space. However, there are more than 20 different things we look at in your file, and while the numbers are good benchmarks, we really look at you as a person and professional.
lakshya: What is the average GMAT score required for the Johnson School?
RandallAtCornell: There is no minimum GMAT score required for Cornell. Most of our students score in the 640 to 750 range, and last year more than half the class scored 710 or better.
MFaulkner: Please explain the emphasis that is placed on an applicant’s GMAT score when the admissions committee is evaluating an individual’s application. Furthermore, how close to the school’s published GMAT score mean would you recommend an applicant approach to feel confident with that aspect of his application? (For example, 10, 20, or 30 points below or above the mean?)
RandallAtCornell: The GMAT score is important, with the quant end of it being most important because we have seen a correlation between quant scores and success in our core courses. I would urge students to score in the 680 and up range.
MFaulkner: What is the most critical aspect of an applicant’s application?
RandallAtCornell: The most critical aspect of the application is the essay. We have [applicants write] three, and we read them closely. They tell us a lot about you. However, should you get an interview, then the interview becomes even more important than the essays because of personal interaction.
This is just a taste, be sure to read it all!
The Ten Schools Admissions Organization is a group of highly selective college prep schools that cooperate in their recruitment of prospective students. These schools consider their strengths “high academic standards, rich institutional histories, and a commitment to educating the whole person. As boarding schools, they create intimate communities of learners in which students and teachers live, work, inquire, discover and recreate side by side. As institutions dedicated to instilling the qualities of leadership, they afford young men and women the opportunity of spending their formative years in a setting where character, achievement and intellectual endeavor are highly valued.”
The first school we will examine is Choate Rosemary Hall.
Choate enrolls approximately 630 boarding and 220 day students representing 41 states and 41 countries. 38% of
students identify themselves as persons of color. For the 2008-2009 year total fees were $43,380 for boarders and $33,030 for day students. Financial aid totaling $8.5 million was awarded to 33 percent of the student body, the average award being $33,570 for boarders and $22,400 for day students. For the 2009-2010 year there were 1,682 applicants for 269 places.
The faculty numbers 109 full-time and 10 part-time instructors, 70% of whom hold advanced degrees. There are in addition 48 administrative faculty. The student-faculty ratio is 6:1, and the average class size is 12. Edward J. Shanahan has been headmaster of Choate since 1991, when he arrived from Dartmouth where he had been Dean of the College. Each spring Shanahan teaches a senior elective course on Irish Literature.
There are five college admissions counselors at the school. From 2005 to 2009 the most popular college destinations of Choate graduates were Georgetown with 48 matriculating, 33 at NYU, 32 at Yale, 27 at Boston University, 26 each at Boston College and George Washington, 25 each at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and Tufts, 24 each at Harvard and Wesleyan, 23 at Dartmouth, 21 each at Princeton and Penn, 20 at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, 19 each at Johns Hopkins and Colgate.
The admission process for international students is the same as for domestic students. However, students whose first language is not English are expected to take the TOEFL exam in addition to the other required tests.
This video is an opportunity to hear directly from admissions directors on the process of reviewing college applications. Deans of admission from eight colleges discuss the admissions process -
This is a followup to a previous post so I’d suggest you read that first if you missed it. [When talking about the "UC
System", I am referring to the University of California group of colleges].
In California, the UC system has used test scores and HGPA as a preliminary admissions filter for many years. The application also includes areas for extracurricular activities and requires an essay, but the majority of students have always been screened based on a number system. The system is as follows -
HSGPA is multiplied by 1000 and then added to the SAT score and two required SAT Subject Test test scores.
The SAT has a maximum of 2400 possible points. Each SAT Subject Test test has a maximum of 800 possible points. So the three test scores have a maximum of 4000 possible points.
HGPA is typically on a 0–4 scale, which implies a maximum of 4000 possible points. (Depending on the number of honors and AP courses, the HGPA could exceed 4.0.)
So 8000 points is considered the maximum index number under the UC system, (although it is possible to exceed this number).
Notice the 50–50 weighting in this system between HGPA and test scores.
Imagine a student had a HSGPA of 3.8, an SAT score of 1950, and two SAT Subject Test scores of 680 and 700. This student’s UC index number will be 7130, (3800 + 1950 + 680 + 700).
Now imagine another student has the same HGPA of 3.8 but his SAT score is only 1550 and his SAT Subject Test scores are 580 and 600. This student’s UC index number will be 6530, (3800 + 1550 + 580 + 600). His index number is obviously negatively impacted by his test scores.
Obviously, it’s in the best interests of the applicant to find out how HSGPA and SAT are used at each college. The public universities in the state of Washington, for example, weigh HSGPA and test scores at 75% and 25%, respectively, which implies that the SAT’s weight is only 20%, given the use of the SAT Subject Test scores in the mix. Although some schools may prefer not to reveal their weighing systems, it is probably safe to say that HSGPA is usually weighted more heavily than test scores.
Here’s a Yale admissions quote: “A very strong performance in a demanding college preparatory program may compensate for modest standardized test scores, but it is unlikely that high standardized test scores will persuade the admissions committee to disregard an undistinguished secondary-school record.”
There are two forums that cater to international students looking to come and study in the U.S. The first is a part of College Confidential and has a lot of admissions related advice (usually students that are looking to be admitted to more selective colleges post in CC). The forum can be found here. The second forum is a more generic and contains information on things like immigration, financial aid, insurance, employment etc. The forum can be found here.
SAT Subject Tests is the collective name for 20 multiple-choice standardized tests given on individual subjects, usually taken to improve a student’s credentials for admission to colleges in the United States. Students typically choose which tests to take depending upon college entrance requirements for the schools to which they are planning to apply. Until January 2005 they were known as SAT IIs and are still commonly known by this name. Every test is a one-hour timed test.
A student may take up to three SAT Subject Tests on any given date. Most SAT subject tests are offered on the same day as the regular SAT. The language tests with listening are generally available only once a year in November. A calendar of test dates and registration deadlines can be found on The College Board’s official website.
Each test is scored on a scale of 200 to 800. Prior to the first administration of the new SAT (which includes the writing section) in March 2005, some highly selective colleges required applicants to take three SAT Subject tests, including the writing test and two other tests of the applicant’s choosing, in addition to the SAT. However, with writing now a standard component of the SAT I, most selective colleges recommend applicants to submit scores for any two SAT Subject tests. Engineering schools typically require Chemistry or Physics and prefer Math Level 2. A handful of the most competitive schools, such as Georgetown University, still require three Subject tests in addition to the three sections of the SAT. It is important for students to consult the school’s website to find out more information about Subject test requirements.
Schools also vary with regard to their SAT Subject test requirements of students submitting scores for the ACT in place of the SAT: some schools consider the ACT an alternative to both the SAT and some SAT Subject tests, whereas others accept the ACT but require SAT Subject tests as well. Information about a school’s specific test requirements can typically be found on its official website.
Up until now we have simply discussed admissions tests like the SAT/ACT. We have not discussed an extremely important element in a college application – the High School Grade Point Average (HSGPA). The admissions test score (SAT/ACT) is just one corner of an applicant’s portrait presented to a college’s admissions department. Much weight is
also given to the HSGPA. These two are usually used in conjunction to form a weighted average. Colleges rely on ETS to correlate HSGPA and test scores with first year college performances.
Each college sends ETS all of the data from the current year and ETS statistically determines the optimally weighted combination of HSGPA and SAT to best predict first–year average (FYA). The resulting combination is known as an index number for each applicant.
Here’s an example of an index formula:
1.25*HSGPA + .00278(SAT I) – 1.67 = Index Number
In this formula, HSGPA and SAT I are equally weighted (each 50%) and the index number will range from 0 to 10.A student with a 4.0 HSGPA and a 2400 SAT I score will receive an index number of 10.
[To practice using the formula, put the 4.0 in place of HSGPA and the 2400 in place of SAT, which yields:
1.25(4.0) + .00278(2400) – 1.67 = Index Number
5 + 6.67 – 1.67 = 10
To one particular college, ETS might say, “If you liked last year’s freshman class and want another one just like that, then you should weigh your HSGPA 60% and your SAT 40%.” But to another college, the test may be the component that is more heavily weighted. This index number might be used as a preliminary screen or filter when sorting out thousands of applications. A school might decide to only seriously consider applicants with an index number of 8.0 or higher.
So the design of the exam is that it is to be used in conjunction with HSGPA to correlate with FYA, (first–year academic performance in college). A school that cannot get the highest–scoring applicants and has to settle for those with lower test scores or HSGPAs does not necessarily offer an easier collection of courses or even an inferior curriculum. Even if an admissions committee would like to have higher–scoring candidates matriculate through their program, they understand that many of those candidates choose another institution.
From what I understand, every college’s use of the index formula is unique. My overall understanding is that many of the larger, public schools use the formula as a preliminary sieve to filter the huge number of applicants to a smaller, more manageable number. Many of the smaller, private colleges are less reliant (perhaps not at all reliant) on the formula to screen out candidates.
It seems like every university eventually trots out the party line: “We consider all aspects of each candidate’s application and not just HSGPA and test scores.” But I’ve got to think for efficiency’s sake that at some point early on in the process, many applicants get weeded out when the formula numbers just don’t measure up.
Checkout this cool infographic about the benefits of boarding school – it’s very simple but makes a number of great points (created by The Association of Boarding Schools).
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFL, pronounced “toe-full”) evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an academic setting. It sometimes is an admission requirement for non-native English speakers at many English-speaking colleges and universities.
TOEFL score is valid for two years and then will no longer be officially reported since a candidate’s language proficiency could have significantly changed since the date of the test. Colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent TOEFL score. Policies governing the TOEFL program are formulated with advice from a 16-member board. Board members are affiliated with undergraduate and graduate schools, 2-year institutions and public or private agencies with an interest in international education.
Other members are specialists in the field of English as a foreign or second language. The TOEFL Committee of Examiners is composed of 12 specialists in linguistics, language testing, teaching or research. Its main responsibility is to advise on TOEFL test content. The committee helps ensure the test is a valid measure of English language proficiency reflecting current trends and methodologies.
NYT – Education