Sush Krishnamoorthy, from New Delhi, is part of a “Choice†class that includes student-bloggers from Nairobi, Kenya; Topeka, Kan.; Seattle; Rogers, Ark.; Las Vegas; New York City; and Hunting Valley, Ohio. Her second post is below. - Tanya Abrams
I've been spending the past few weeks narrowing down the list of colleges to which I will apply.
My first parameters are the academic standard of the school and financial aid available for international students. The figures for average financial aid packages for individual colleges differ from Web site to Web site. Considering the information overload on the Internet, I have to search everything twice, just to confirm the credibility of my sources.
Apart from these factors, finding the colleges that fit me is important. But how do I know what is a good fit? Some people say that when they visited the camp us, it just felt right. Living in India, I can't visit college campuses in the United States to know how it feels to be there.
Rankings don't describe the housing standards at a college, how lively the social scene is or the level of support for international students. Deciphering the rankings is like trying to decode Mona Lisa's mysterious smile.
If I turn to the colleges' Web sites, all of them claim to have the best of everything. Deciding where to apply could not get harder.
I've visited online college guides like College Prowler, and it has come in very handy. It offers information about everything from housing, dining, classes, connectivity, safety, the town and surroundings, as well as student reviews on several topics. My concerns may seem trivial, but these are details that may matter to me in the next four years.
Most schools that are need-blind for international students and match all of my preferences are highly selective. College admissions blogs and advisers would say that my short list is not realistic, because I hardly have any “safe schools†in mind.
Now, I only know that I'm applying to Stanford University under single choice early action. Depending on my envelope from Stanford, I can modify my short list later if I have to. If I complete the Common App and one very demanding supplement for early action, applying to additional colleges later will not be as exacting as the first application.
I hope.
Ms. Krishnamoorthy, a student at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in New Delhi, is one of eight high school seniors around the world blogging about their college searches for The Choice. To comment on what she has written here, please use the comment box below.
