Hi, I'm a Bangladeshi applying to colleges for Fall 2015 and like many other applicants I can't afford it without a FULL scholarship/financial aid.
First off, my stats:
A levels
4As in Physics, Accounting, Mathematics, Further mathematics and a B in additional further mathematics (It was incredibly difficult to teach myself since no one EVER takes it where I live. In fact they didn't even have the books...I had to download e-books. I mention this since legend has it that unis like a rigorous curriculum so maybe it'll pay off? )
SAT :at least 2300 (expected)
Second, the dreaded E.Cs:
I'd like to start off with I realize I don't have great E.Cs. Now I had no idea of this fact until the internet slammed at my face hundreds of high-schoolers with their billions of hours of volunteer work and millions of "leadership positions" and whatnot. Anyways, here's what I think qualifies as E.Cs:
->Taught myself extremely basic "programming" when I was 14. I made a pretty good accounting "software" and sold it to my uncle's company. They used it for all their bookkeeping for a couple of years.
->Started learning web-design and web-development and SEO(search engine optimization) a couple of years ago. Wrote SEO-optimized articles for a local freelancer and made a small part-time income from that.
->Founded, developed(along with a couple of other freelancers) and launched a not-for-profit site that promotes local content(local videos and blogs). Current state of internet presence of Bangladeshis is very poor and we need a lot more local content to promote our culture and encourage locals to start using the internet.However, the site is still in the minor leagus itself.
-> Wrote tutorial articles about one complete web-development language for the first online coding school in the country.
Now, If you actually made it through all that text, the reason for posting all of this is so you guys can point me in the right direction. Since I NEED a full ride(tuition+room and board) I'm only looking at schools that offer full rides.So...
Question 1: Should I concentrate on merit scholarships or should I concentrate on financial aid?
Question 2: Regarding scholarships, I have only looked at institutional ones because external ones seem to be too much hassle or overly competitive, should I start looking a external ones as well?
My list so far comprises of low-tier research unis like Louisiana Tech and Florida international since they offer automatic scholarships. I would also apply to a few reaches I like but I do not know If I could get a presidential scholarship at someplace like U Illinois or U buffalo. What do you guys think...
Question 3: What type of colleges should I apply to...Public or private, big research unis or small LACs, middle-tier or "bottom-tier"?
Thanks for reading. Looking forward to some much-needed advice
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