My story

My name is Bia Lima, and I’m from a small town on the northeast coast of Brazil called Maceió. In my hometown, there aren’t many academic and career opportunities, but I was lucky enough to go to a private school in California called The Athenian School. I was able to get a scholarship in ninth grade to study abroad for my high school years. It was a really small high school; my class had only about 92 people, and it was the biggest one compared to the others. Since then, I have always known I’d like to go to college abroad as well.

Why the U.S.?

I went through two application cycles, but from the beginning, I knew I wanted to stay in the U.S. because the high school I attended in California was a prep school that could help me get into college in the U.S. instead of in Brazil. In my home country, you are required to take the national high school exam if you want to go to a federal public school. Not completing my high school years in Brazil created barriers to pursuing my undergraduate studies there, so I preferred to stay in the States. Because of that, in my first application cycle—which I went through in my senior year—I only applied to U.S. schools. I got great offers back then, but they didn't fully cover my financial needs. So I decided to go back to Brazil, take a gap semester, and reapply. When I started making my school list for this next application cycle, I had a more global list, expanding to Hong Kong, Europe, and Hungary.

What was different between the two application cycles?

The main difference was choosing to apply Early Decision in the second cycle. Early Decision is especially important for an international student who needs financial aid. Last year, I applied Regular Decision to very competitive colleges and was waitlisted at some of them. I decided to reach out to those universities and ask what I could have done differently; they replied that I had applied RD to some liberal arts colleges, which lowers admission chances. So I realized that, even though my strategy had not been very good, being waitlisted meant my profile was not the problem — I had to focus on creating a better story and adjust the timing of my application.

Stats and extracurriculars

I had a 3.83 unweighted GPA and a 4.11 weighted GPA in high school, and a 1490 on the SAT, with a 760 in Math and a 730 in English. I studied for the SAT during the summer through an online program my school offered and YouTube videos. I also took the Duolingo English Test, on which I scored a 155. This year, I strengthened my extracurriculars: I did research with Lumiere Education, I was an intern at a global company, and I started a project in my city focused on teaching English and technology skills to 42 children to help them get better educational opportunities. I also worked with my parents in their family business in the IT department. Regarding awards, I participated in competitions and won a few medals.

To apply for financial aid, I submitted my CSS Profile and supporting documents, and I used a fee waiver from the Common App to cover the application costs. Also — for interested international students — Smith’s application is free for everyone, so I did not pay an application fee.

My personal statement

In my essay, I compared myself to Shrek (the animated character) to explain how I felt like an ogre growing up, because of how I was and how my environment—living in a small, Christian circle—made me feel green, like Shrek. Once I learned English, I was able to find a community and feel more like myself, and now I want to help other people too. That is how I have been using education: as a way to bridge the gap between oneself and the community. In the end, I talked about how I created a community for women in STEM through the same mindset of using the feeling of being an outcast as fuel to create community and be there for others.

Why Smith College?

I had already been waitlisted there last year, so I knew that if I had applied a bit earlier, I might have gotten in. I also really like the school because it was the first — and one of the only — women's colleges with an ABET-accredited engineering program. I also love residential life, and I really want to work in that area in the future too, so I am excited to meet people and become an RA. I also thought it would be really fun to attend a women's college with a different atmosphere and a super-diverse environment — values that match my personal profile.

Heading to college

I am excited for so many things, but definitely the housing system at Smith is one of the most unique things I have ever seen. They have 41 houses, and each house has a theme. And everyone lives in the dorms, which is very exciting for me because in my high school, only a few students live there. At Smith, everyone lives on campus, and I am excited to find my house, be part of it, and host small gatherings there. They also have a rock climbing wall at Smith, and I love rock climbing, so I am excited about getting into that club.  Most importantly, I am enthusiastic about classes: I want to meet the professors and explore the internships and fellowships that Smith offers, which are incredible. One of the fellowships Smith offers I'm especially excited about is with Princeton University, in which you can spend six months there and specialize in an engineering area.

Advice for future applicants

If I had known something earlier, it would be that test scores are important. A lot of colleges are test-optional right now, but if you are coming from a different country and the college admission department does not know your school at all, they are going to measure your academic abilities through standardized tests. I wish I had taken the SAT sooner. I think it's really important to focus on that and also on correcting, refining, and creating a better narrative and character. Find a way for the admissions officer to describe you in a few words.  For example, in my case, it was “STEM advocate with a global vision.” Now the admission officer can identify you more easily and with a clear vision of who you are.