<p>I plan to major in physics, and I want to do my UG in the US.I'll need financial aid, quite a bit. I've only started 11th grade now, I would appreciate it if someone could get me started on some good colleges where I have a realistic chance. Also advice on ECs and academics will be really appreciated.
So far, I've scored 90 percent in 9th and 10th grade. I'm in the top 5 in my class. I am a Kvpy fellow (see Kvpy.org.in). I've participated in a virtual chemistry workshop where we modelled chemical systems. I've won essay competitions(English) in school. I've also done some courses on edx.org. I came in the top 100 in the English Olympiad.
Thanks in advance! </p>
<p>Are you international or in the United States? If you’re a permanent resident or American citizen, a lot of good Physics schools offer solid (and often competitive) financial aid.</p>
<p>International :(</p>
<p>Why do you want to study UG in the US? Do you plan on getting a job here and would settle for any decent American university- or are you looking at the top tier of American colleges and planning to attend college in India if you don’t get a satisfactory deal from them? (Just asking so I can figure out what type of college to recommend; I can’t really help with EC but I know that any solid and competitive science/engineering/math work gets you far- like robotics, competitive math, taking high-level math courses).</p>
<p>Well the courses here are rather theoretical. We’ve started quantum mechanics and calculus. I’m looking at the top tier colleges. The colleges here are simply too theory based, we hardly do any practical work. But I do want to get a job in America.</p>
<p>You seem like a solid math/science student who’s also skilled in English, but there’s a few other factors in play (like the SAT, TOEFL, SAT Subject Tests, and competitive performance) so I can’t really judge where you’ll have a solid chance. I would scout out competitions or activities based on things you’re interested in- and if you can’t find an opportunity, starting one (like a robotics organization if that’s what you’re into) looks super-impressive (especially if it’s very tough) to American schools. Also the “I prefer practical work to theory” is probably going to help a lot with your application essays, since the main question every college asks is, “Why are you applying here?”</p>
<p>There’s some schools with a relatively high percentage of international students, and you can see them ranked here:</p>
<p><a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/most-international?src=stats”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/most-international?src=stats</a></p>
<p>You might wanna look into the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign which has a reputation here as a solid engineering/STEM school: <a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign-145637/”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign-145637/</a></p>
<p>Another college that admits a large number of internationals (and Indians are super-common in Pennsylvania) is Carnegie Mellon’s Mellon College of Science (which has a lower acceptance rate than the college as a whole but it’s not as tough to get into as Computer Science, Engineering, or Fine Arts/Drama): <a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/carnegie-mellon-university-211440/”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/carnegie-mellon-university-211440/</a></p>
<p>CMU’s ranking on Physics is a little bit low, but they’re very interdisciplinary and function like a think tank- there’s very few classes outside your major that you absolutely cannot take, and I think everyone benefits from the innovation and the emphasis on computing.</p>
<p>There’s also the Universities of California:
<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-california-san-diego-110680/”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-california-san-diego-110680/</a></p>
<p>The issue with them is that they’re short on cash (public schools but the government doesn’t give them much money) so they’re inclined to accept out-of-state and international applicants because they end up paying more, but they have been known to give massive financial aid to international applicants in the past. UCSD is probably a good shot for you, but their top programs are at UC Berkeley and UCLA- but I don’t know about your odds of getting a solid scholarship at those two unless you end up being an absolutely phenomenal candidate.</p>
<p>There’s also the obvious (reach) choices of MIT and Caltech- which are tough to get into unless you’re really, really good and internationally competitive in your fields (in which case they seek you out). Both offer good financial aid and Caltech is tied to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to get some practical experience and education. Caltech offers better financial aid than MIT (typically) because they’re more worried about their yield rate (the percent of admitted students who choose to go there).</p>
<p>There’s also places like Worcester Polytechnic and the University of Southern California, but they’re not as strong when it comes to physics.</p>
<p>I would also check out the schools that promise to meet 100% of financial need.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot. </p>
<p>No problem!</p>
<p>As a physics professor for the past 31 years, I can tell you that an undergraduate physics degree in the U.S. is pretty much standard at all schools. The rankings of physics departments really only refer to their graduate programs and you can get a great physics education at just about any school so make sure you can afford your choice.</p>
<p>The kinds of things to consider are the size of the university, whether you want a department that also has a Ph.D. program so that you can possibly do research alongside graduate students, and the location of the school in a city or small town.</p>