<p>Hey guys, I am an International student and I got admitted this year by UCLA, UW Madison and U Waterloo. I am going to major in Financial Mathematics( Like Actuarial Science, Financial Analysis and Risk Management). I am really struggling now which school to go. I heard U Waterloo has a really great Faculty of Mathematics, UWMadison has a really great insurance program but UCLA has great International reputation..... Any advice?</p>
<p>My: Profile UK A-level Student.
Physcis A* Chemistry A* Mathematics A* Economics A*
SAT CR 650 Maths 740 Writing 700
GPA unweighted 4.00
Applied: UC Berkeley UCLA UIUC UT Austin PSU University of Minnesota Twins Cities U Wisconsin Madison U of Waterloo
Rejected UC Berkeley UIUC UT Austin
Accepted UCLA PSU U Minnesota UW Madison U Waterloo</p>
<p>I would drop UW Wisconsin from the list. It’s colder than either in the winter, and doesn’t have as good a reputation or as many internationals as either. </p>
<p>Do you want to live in Canada or California? Do you want your financial education in Canada or California? What do you plan to do after graduation? </p>
<p>I don’t really mind the weather( Trust me in my homeland the weather is the WORST! haha). I wish I would get plenty of Internship opportunities when I am studying in college. I think I’m probably continue to get a Mater’s Degree after graduation. I know that LA is a huge city, but given that there are so many International student in LA, do I actually get any chances to access some of the great Internships. Also the huge OoT, about $55k/year, Is UCLA really worth the price?</p>
<p>I disagree with bouders. In fact, I would consider Wisconsin very seriously. For one, Wisconsin has many international students (over 2,000 undergraduate students are international). Secondly, I don’t see how Waterloo is better than Wisconsin. Thirdly, while UCLA is far more popular than Wisconsin among the ignorant masses, among the highly educated, Wisconsin very much holds its own with UCLA. Both have very similar reputational ratings, with UCLA edging Wisconsin out by very little. </p>
<p>I think Wisconsin has better academics and offers a better college experience than Waterloo. Plus Wisconsin is a good $15k/year cheaper than UCLA, so if money is tight, Wisconsin is a very viable option. </p>
<p>Hi Alexandre, I really don’t care about the overall rankings. I will study Financial Mathematics and I really care about the program rankings. I heard that U Waterloo has an amazing Faculty of Mathematics that is probably the best one in North America. Do you know if that true or not?</p>
<p>Josephhaha, you should care about the overall quality of the university. At the undergraduate level, it is at least as important as the quality of the department in your chosen field. Secondly, Waterloo does not have the best Mathematics faculty in North America. UCLA and Wisconsin both have excellent Mathematics faculties and I doubt that Waterloo would be significantly (if at all) better than either in this domain. </p>
<p>Thank you so much, tsdad, Alexandre.Yeah, I think now I should seriously consider UW Madison. Can I ask you another question, I also received Offer from Carlson School of Management in U Minnesota Twins Cities. The major is also Risk Management Insurance. I received a scholarship which reduces my OOT to Instate tuition,$13,000/year. So which school seems to be a better choice, U Minnesota or UW Madison?</p>
<p>Generally, UW-Madison is considered an overall better school than Minnesota but of course it can differ department by department. I cannot answer your question about the business schools. If money is an issue go with the one you can afford. You also need to consider which school is held in higher esteem in your home country. You have been accepted to a number of very good schools. Best of luck in making your choice.</p>
<p>The UMN (Carlson) and UW B-schools are very comparitive. But, keep in mind that at UMN, while Carlson does have a Finance Risk Mgmt Insurance major, the Actuarial Science major is through the Mathmatics department where you can earn a BA though the College of Liberal Arts or a BS though the Engineering school. At UW, the Actuarial major is though the B-school.</p>
<p>Waterloo is ranked 24th in the world in math. UCLA is ranked 8th. UW Madison is not in the top 50. UW Madison has 6% internationals. Having lived in the area, I am certain that there is little diversity in the internationals. Waterloo has 17% internationals and the domestic students are much more diverse in Ontario than they are in Wisconsin. </p>
<p>bouders, QS is not a valid ranking, and that is coming from someone who attended two universities ranked among its top 20 overall. Wisconsin is universally considered among the top 20 Mathematics departments in the US, and Actuarial Mathematics is one of its strengths. Besides, the QS rankings you provided us with also ranked Wisconsin among the top 40 universities in the World while Waterloo is ranked #180. </p>
<p>At any rate, I do not doubt Waterloo’s academics, but I am not so sure about its campus environment. From what I have seen (I have spent time on in all three campuses that the OP is considering), Waterloo is the least appealing. International students have no trouble fitting in at Madison, not with over 2,000 international undergrads and a welcoming community awaiting them on and off campus.</p>