Chance a US citizen living abroad for Ivies, GT, UIUC, UT, A&M

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I am a US citizen who lived in Texas for many years before moving overseas. Chance me for Ivies like Cornell (ED?), Princeton, UPenn, etc. and UCs, USC, GT, UIUC, Purdue, UMich, UT, and A&M.

Intended Major: Applied Mathematics or Engineering/CS
I will apply for and need Financial Aid.
Race: Indian Male

Stats:
GPA and rank not calculated.
Average grades freshman year due to the move, great grades sophomore year.
IB: Current Junior in Full IB, current predicted is 35/42 without the three bonus points but is likely to go up.
HLs: Math(6/7), Physics (5/6), English Lit (6)
SLs: Econ (6/7), Chem (6), French (5)

SAT I: 1480 (790M, 690R,18E), dropped 20 second sitting, taking it again soon aiming for a 1520+
SAT II: Will take Physics and Math2 soon.
PSAT: 1490

ECs (a bit weak in showing interest in major but my school is very small with only a few clubs):

  • MUN (attended conferences, chaired one, VP of MUN club and organized our own 70-delegate school conference)
  • Varsity Basketball (VC, will be C next year, won national international school tournament)
  • Math tutor online, also tutor children for a local NGO
  • Volunteering: Many hours at NGO, basketball coach for elementary school kids
  • Varsity Soccer
  • small CS projects and learned Python
  • Will do an internship for a STEM company this summer

Awards: Nothing major, 7 academic excellence awards in math, physics, and other subjects given to one student in the grade, Possible NM commended or NMSF?

Given my current information as a junior heading into summer and getting ready to start essays, teacher recs, etc., how realistic are my chances for such schools?

2

Getting financial aid is going to be a challenge. The state schools give none to very little, and academically those would be better matches. Here’s a website where you can look up the schools and see how many international students they have, how many were awarded aid, and the average amount. https://www.internationalstudent.com/schools_awarding_aid/
Good luck in your search!

3

@momofsenior1 But I won’t be considered as an international since I am a citizen, right?

4

I’m sorry, I missed that you were a US citizen! Do you have residency in a specific state? If so, that will be your best bet in terms of aid.

5

No, I unfortunately do not anymore. Because I lived in there for so long, would I be able to appeal for in-state tuition when I apply?

6

No: instate gets a break b/c (parent) taxes are used to subsidize the running costs of the university. The fact that you were there once upon a time is irrelevant now.

Which means that public universities will be more expensive for you, as you are (waaaay!) out of state (OOS). The UCs will run $65/70K pa; iirc, UIUC is in the $50K range. Most will not have meaningful finaid for you. Check the CoAs, but most likely that leaves Cornell, Princeton, UPenn and USC from your wish list.

I’m sure you know that you have a 90%+ chance of being rejected from the 1st 3, and an 80%+ chance of being rejected by USC (which is not need blind for applicants).

If you are determined to go to university in the US (and I am know a tiny bit about the obstacles for you going to colleg in India), imo you need to go back to the beginning and identify universities that are affordable (either b/c the cost is low overall or b/c you are automatically / highly likely to get sufficient aid) AND where you are likely to be admitted. Start there, and seriously work on finding schools that you would be happy enough to go to. Work on getting your head (and your parents…) around the reality that one of them is where you are most likely to end up. Once you have at least 3-4 really strong, viable options then go look at dream schools.

You are shopping for an education, and just like shopping for a pair of shoes, a car or a house, you have to find something that fits- and that you can afford. No point going to the Lamborghini dealership when you are on a Seat budget.

7

@collegemom3717 thanks for the reply. Assuming I do receive some financial need-based aid, which universities can I consider as a safety, match, and reach (plus any other recommendations for safety universities with good engineering programs)?

8

The good news is that engineering is a relatively ‘flat’ field: as long as the school is ABET accredited it will be a ‘good’ program.

Check out this list of schools that are (relatively) affordable for international / OOS students: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/news/cheapest-top-ranked-colleges-united-states

They are all in the top 500 (some in the top 100 / out of ~4300) universities in the US; most are ABET accredited and come in under ~$30K/pa COA. Figure out what you can afford (including the $5K FAFSA) and then look at the programs.

Then look at this list of ‘meets full need’ schools: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2017-09-21/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need

For most of that list your current SAT score puts you around the 25th percentile- ie, 75% of admitted students have a higher score than you do. You can still apply, but being at the low end and needing finaid is not a good combo.Pick out some where the SAT puts you well into the high end of the range. Also, be aware that most of the LACs (Liberal Arts Colleges) do not have their own engineering program- they usually have a 3+2 plan, where you spend 2 years at a larger university and do the core engineering classes.

In estimating likelihood of getting into any of the top tier schools, let me start with a caveat: this has been a brutal admissions season. Many CCers are reporting that really strong applicants are not having trouble even with places that were seen as ‘likely’, and we are seeing that in the schools that we are associated with. Even though you are a US citizen, you will be evaluated in the context of the other students in your school and your region. In short, unless your LoRs are likely to say that you are truly extraordinary- a once-in-a-career standout- assume that your chances at Cornell / Princeton / U Penn are in the ‘lightening strike’ category: it “could” happen, but it is not very likely.