Any College Recommendations From You Guys?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Although I'm working hard to narrow down a workable short list of schools to visit\apply to at the end of the year by myself, I just thought I should throw out my general requirements out there as you've all been so helpful so far you might have some recommendations that I don't come up with solo!</p>

<p>Basically, I'm a 23 year old International (British) who for various reasons never went to College at 18 as per the norm. I'm now looking to get back into education and complete a degree (in English Lit.\Creative Writing) and would love to study in America, as I've spent quite a bit of the last five years there and love the country. </p>

<p>In academic terms, I'm not bad - I picked up a B C C at A Level (taken at 18) and 4 x A, 6 x B at GCSE (taken at 16). At the moment I'm well on track to hit my aim of 2,100+ at SATs, although with a good few months until the test dates I should get that up a little higher. When I was at school before, I'll admit I was one of those 'I can get B's without trying, so why put in extra effort' sorts, but I've sorted my work ethic out now and I'm trying to reflect that with some really good SAT results. </p>

<p>In terms of an actual school I'm flexible. At the moment, I'm looking at colleges in East Coast and Northeast states which have a large undergrad population and great extra curricular activities (Music, Theatre, etc.... I've spent most of the last 5 years exploring those sorts of opportunities here in the UK and would love to carry on in the US). Above all, though, I'm looking for a fantastic education - it is silly making the financial investment to study in the US if I can get a better education here for half the price. Because of that, although I'm not looking exclusively at 'name' schools, I'd be unwilling to look at schools which aren't highly rated. </p>

<p>Speaking of finances.... although I have a rough budget of just over $100k, to raise that I'd have to go into debt a bit so an institution that either offers good Merit Aid or Financial Aid to International Students would be hugely preferable. </p>

<p>So... yeah. That's me. I'll throw my short list at you as soon as I've finished it, but if you have any recommendations about schools you think I should add to look at I would be hugely grateful. If anyone takes an interest and wants some more info then I'll keep an eye on the thread and let you know whatever you need. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>Are you a woman or a man (because if you are a woman they are quite a few women’s colleges you might like)? are you willing to consider liberal arts colleges or just universities?</p>

3

<p>Rutgers University completely fits your likings - northeast (NJ) and large undergraduate population. It’s English department is ranked #17 in US according to USNWR so, it is quite highly regarded in the academic circle. It has the most diverse campus again ranked by USNWR. International students on the campus are substantial. The only issue with you would be finances - it does not offer any need based aid to international students but does give merit scholarships. So, assuming you would get your undergraduate degree in 4 years, you would need about $120,000 to cover college costs. Since you can afford to pay $100,000, you would incur about $20,000 in debts. Overall, I believe it fits your criteria without extremely stretching your budget.</p>

<p>Also, it has over 400 student organizations so you will definitely find an extra-curricular that you have interest in.</p>

4

<p>missnix3 - I’m a man, so women’s colleges are out. I’m not shunning the idea of a Liberal Arts school, but I would prefer a National University. </p>

<p>collegebiomed - Somehow, Rutgers had slipped underneath my radar… see this is why CollegeConfidential rocks. Cheers for the tip!</p>

5

<p>Here’s the list of Universities with top English department in Northeast. </p>

<p>University (US World & News Report Rankings)</p>

<p>Yale (2)
Columbia (4)
Harvard (4)
Penn (4)
Cornell (7)
Princeton (7)
Brown (13)
Johns Hopkins (13)
Rutgers (17)*************
NYU (20)
CUNY (22)
PennState (29)****************
U. of Pittsburgh (35)
Carnegie Mellon (38)
SUNY Buffalo (41)
Boston U. (46)
Brandeis (46)
U. of Mass - Amherst (46)
Tufts (52)
U. of Rochester (52)</p>

<p>*******They fit your preference. Overall, all these universities offer great education in English and Literature.</p>

6

<p>2100 on the SATs may not be enough to get you into the first 7 of the schools listed above although you should definitely try. If you are willing to think outside of the Northeast, your mention of theater and music made me think of Northwestern just outside Chicago. Also—outside the Northeast—but Duke may be worth examining. You might want to think about what social setting would be most comfortable for a somewhat older student. For example, maybe a big fraternity scene wouldn’t be so appealing?</p>

7

<p>The above list is for grad schools. Most in the US would put Rutgers in the category of not worth the $$. Would it impress back in the UK?</p>

8

<p>Who says Rutgers is not worth the $$$?</p>

<p>The Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney magazine, January 2009
Rutgers # 6 in the nation for the value delivered to the university’s graduates based on college costs versus median salaries three years and 15 years after graduation</p>

<p>Redroses, stop spreading false notions about a university without fully researching it. And if its not worth money, why is its English department ranked so high just below the Ivy Leagues and far above the likes of NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Boston U., Brandeis, and U. of Rochester?</p>