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Hello!

I'm a student from Singapore and am hoping to study in a US college.My SAT I score is 720V 800M and SATIIs:writing 780, physics and Math IIC scores are likely to be close to full marks.Class ranking is 3/24.However,international applicants probably face more difficulties getting into top colleges in US hence my apprehension.

I plan to take an Early decision at Stanford/U Penn/Columbia. However I just cannot decide which one to apply to.In fact I'm not sure if I'm good enough at all for these colleges.I don't play sports but am into the fine arts (ballet guitar piano choir).It is said that early decision gives one slightly better chances of getting accepted but what if I apply to a more selective college and risk my chances of getting into a less selective college on regular admission?

This is such a dilemma, please help me...pls tell me of my chances of getting into these colleges in the very first place.thank you very much for your patience.

By Roger (Roger) on Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 05:27 pm: Edit

Hi, Sweesie... Your stats make you a possible admit for all of those colleges, although as you point out there are other factors involved.

The good news: applying ED won't affect your RD chances at any other schools (unless you are admitted to the college you applied ED to). Therefore, apply ED to your true first choice college - the one you would be happy to attend without regret.

Naturally, visiting your favorites would be one way to help decide. If visiting is out of the question due to distance, keep reading and learning about each school. Your top three are all quite different, so if you can figure out which features are most important you should be able to make a decision. Consider posting specific questions on boards like this about your top colleges. Also, you can even e-mail current students - most colleges have links to student websites and/or e-mails. Keep in mind that each person's opinion may be biased in some way, so try to get as much input as possible.