<p>Consider U of Wisconsin-Madison for good computer science and a long tradition of welcoming Jewish students. No guarantees, but you sound competitive for UW.</p>
<p>Agree to be wary of colleges that promote religion over academics.</p>
<p>Sorry, I just didn’t understand what he meant by complications. He needs to say what he means if he doesn’t want to get misinterpreted. </p>
<p>Wisconsin seems to be within reach. Maybe he’d like Stony Brook or Rochester. Probably too late for Maryland.</p>
<p>mdcissp: I noticed you posted but didn’t mention USC. Since the OP mentioned an interest in CA I was wondering if this might be a good choice. I know you know USC, what do you think? </p>
<p>Also in Ca is Harvey Mudd college which in terms of stats of students admitted and focus is comparable to MIT and Caltech. (I may get some dispute on this but do take a look at it). HMC is on the Claremont campus which includes one graduate school and 3 other outstanding LAC’s. Taking classes at any of the LAC’s is an option if you are enrolled in one of them. Both Pomona and Claremont Mckenna have CS programs that share resources with Harvey Mudd and each other. The Claremont combined campus does have a Hillel and a small Jewish population. I think about 10%. From what I have heard international students are comfortable on the campus. I am including the CS link for each of these three colleges.
<a href=“http://www.pomona.edu/administration/registrar/catalog/computer-science.pdf[/url]”>http://www.pomona.edu/administration/registrar/catalog/computer-science.pdf</a>
[HMC</a> CS: Department Overview](<a href=“http://www.cs.hmc.edu/overview/]HMC”>Computer Science | Harvey Mudd College)
[Computer</a> Science Sequence, Claremont McKenna College](<a href=“http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/math/CS/]Computer”>Computer Science at CMC | Claremont McKenna College)</p>
<p>Also I agree with midwesternmom, UT Austin can be a very good choice. There are lots of schools listed here, some large some small some urban some more suburban, I didn’t notice what the OP is looking for besides that he likes Ca.</p>
<p>Also I made an error above there are actually 5 LAC’s on the Claremont campus but the three that I mentioned I think are the ones you would be interested in.</p>
<p>Although my school isn’t known for computer science, I would like to recommend it anyway. Binghamton University (SUNY) has one of the highest percentages of Jewish students in the country with a thriving Hillel and Chabad (Reform/Conservative and Conservative/Orthodox respectively). Hebrew and Yiddish are offered as languages (I was pretty amused by this). But you will also get to know a pretty diverse community of people as well. </p>
<p>Your numbers seem like a good fit too!</p>
<p>Additionally, SUNY tuition is pretty low for OOS and international students.</p>
<p>I am not a parent, but I think you would definitely enjoy learning in California, especially Los Angeles. There are many Israelis with similar backgrounds such as your’s in CSUN and UCLA. I personally know many Israelis who are very happy to be students in LA (although they sometimes wish they can go back to Israel for other reasons). You’ll also get a ton of diversity there.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>Are you applying this year? If so, it’s a bit late to ask macro questions like roughly what kind of schools or what classes of school are good bet for you. </p>
<p>Based on the “entry” level questions you are asking, I assume you are taking a year off travelling like most of the young Israelis do between the end of the military service and the beginning of the university life. Any my input is based on this assumption</p>
<p>Have you thought about getting an undergraduate degree first in Israel and doing the graduate level work in USA? Technion, for instance, is an outstanding school, and in terms of the quality of education in your chosen field, I don’t think you are going to miss out a lot by doing your undergrad work there. There are a few reasons why I think this option may work better for you:</p>
<p>(a) cost: I don’t know about your family’s financial situation, but assume you will have to plunk down close to a quarter of million dollars for an undergraduate degree in an Ivy by the time you taking into consideration every increasing private school tuition and traveling expenses. Even if you go to a public school, as an out of state student, your tuition is not that much cheaper, especially in well established public schools like Berkeley, Michigan, etc. Note that getting a very substantial financial aid as an international student is very hard. </p>
<p>If $$$ is ever an issue, you are far better off saving the money for the graduate education in USA. Better yet, as a graduate student, you have an outstanding chance of getting your education almost free (tuition waiver, stipend as a TA or RA).</p>
<p>(b) your odds of getting into a school that is substantially better than Technion: please note that in the CS/Engineering field, the schools may give you a little room for English, but you should assume your competitors who are also international students will be acing the SAT math portion at perfect 800. I have known some international students who are aiming for the top colleges in the CS/Engineering field, and I don’t know anyone who did not get the perfect score in math. So, spending $200-250K for an undergraduate degree that is not that much more respected than Technion just simply does not sound like a terrific decision. You must know that Israel has one of the most exciting tech related venture backed startup environments (probably only second to Silicon Valley). I am sure you can get a lot of good exposure and experience in the field while you are studying at Technion that will position you well to get accepted into the likes of MIT as a graduate student. </p>
<p>(c) you may find most of your American college freshman cohorts rather (perhaps VERY) immature. Imagine living in a dorm (as it is a requirement: though I am not sure whether the school will let your live off campus since you are an older student) with kids who are like your kiddy brother to the tune of 10 years. Compared to them, you are light years ahead in terms of life experience, with your experience in, often, larger than life situation in the middle east as an elite IDF solider. In my mind, this chasm is a much wider one than the “complications” you are talking about as an Israeli (Israelis, especially in the tech fields are VERY well respected). This will be a much less of an issue as a graduate student.</p>
<p>My position has always been, for international students who will eventually go on to a graduate school, the outrageously expensive diploma from an American university (even the top ones) is simply not worth the money. The only reason why undergraduate education here might make sense is, if you plan to live in USA (get a green card, etc), getting a job while you are studying in USA might be easier. However, note that most of the work visas for skilled workers go to those with advanced degrees (masters and above). As such, you will probably end up going to a graduate school anyway.</p>
<p>Regarding your concern about “complications” and perhaps some personal repercussion in the campus environment as an Israeli, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Believe me, I know what I am talking about in this case (I am in a position to know: if you want to discuss more on this, please PM me).</p>
<p>I really don’t think the admissions people will be looking at his SAT scores when he has several years high-level professional programming experience.</p>
<p>If being in the IDF isn’t a hook, I don’t know what is!</p>
<p>OP. Please take Pepperdine off your list. I wouldn’t send my very Reform kids there, much less a student with strong national, religious and service identity. It’s all wrong. There are tons of schools that can offer you a better Jewish climate and Pepperdine has nothing to recommend it other than a pretty location.</p>
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<p>I can’t imagine why having done required army service in another country would be a hook for a US college.</p>
<p>Given your interest in Computer Science, it would not seem that the Ivies are a particular fit for you. It is hard to figure how your combination of scores/education/programming background would be viewed by elite US schools. There is little doubt that better SATs would make your candidacy easier to classify.</p>
<p>I agree that you should avoid schools with a strong religious orientation.</p>
<p>Are you planning on living in the US, or returning to Israel. My DD, who is currently on a gap year program in Israel, recently met some recent grads from her program who had made aliyah. We noted that they are only two years beyond the program - hence had not gone back to the USA for college. DD pointed out that given the MUCH lower prices of Israeli universities, if you are 18 and know you want to make aliyah, it makes much more sense to attend an Israeli university. Hint, hint. </p>
<p>Anyway, for strong comp sci, with your numbers, you might try RPI. It has a modest Jewish population, but my DD who is headed there in the fall (current plans) would surely appreciate more Israelis and other Jews there :)</p>
<p>“I can’t imagine why having done required army service in another country would be a hook for a US college.”</p>
<p>Simply having been in the IDF would not necessarily be a hook, I think, but I think it could be the basis for a strong essay about life experiences, maturity, etc. Especially if he did any interesting specialty.</p>
<p>I want to study in the US…I already know about the CS programs in Israel but I feel I can learn so more in an elite US university…not just academically…I want to be in a different environment…this is all what that is about…to learn about new cultures…
Learning at Technion/ Tel Aviv University is too obvious for a Mamram graduate…this is what my friends are doing…this is the easiest thing to do…I want to do something different…special…and going to MIT or CAlTech is a dream!!that might come true…
I can’t miss this opportunity and give up coz it’s the “right thing to do”…I’m gonna take the risk…</p>
<p>Do Ivies prefer unexperienced students with prefect scores than experienced students with good ones??
So eventually I’m just a test score right??</p>
<p>"Learning at Technion/ Tel Aviv University is too obvious for a Mamram graduate…this is what my friends are doing…this is the easiest thing to do…I want to do something different…special…and going to MIT or CAlTech is a dream!!that might come true… "</p>
<p>Its MUCH more expensive. You could take a lot of vacations with that money. You could get a CS degree in Israel, and try to get a job that takes you overseas a lot, or even get a job in the US (I don’t know how hard that is to do with a Technion degree). </p>
<p>As info we have LOTS of debates here about going to an elite private University, versus a state university. There are some folks who would insist on a state U at an instate cost of 15k to 20k, over even an Ivy (and you do need better test scores for an Ivy, I think - they like experiences/extracurriculars AND test scores) unless you have some really perfect match with an Ivy program or are getting substantial Financial Aid. Others prefer the Ivies based on SOME financial aid, etc.</p>
<p>AFAICT the Israeli U’s are better deals than most US state U’s, and as a foreign student you will get less financial aid, if any (?). I do not mean to argue against your dream, but at a minimum you should try to see which U’s will give financial aid to a foreign student, and generally look into how you will pay for it. You can always send in an application and see what you get, I guess.</p>
<p>I don’t need financial aid…</p>
<p>Then thats a different story altogether.</p>
<p>DontKnow, you are NOT just a test score, even though your SAT score is really good - I mean you took it in English! You were in the top 10% of your high school class. You have great life experiences. College admissions officers at schools that are strong in CS know that winning a national robotics competition in Israel is a big deal. You can write a great essay about an experience in the IDF - something that challenged your thinking. You have already graduated from an elite training program and have programming experience. I think that you are a very interesting candidate for admission and you should apply to MIT, Cal Tech, CMU, and Harvey Mudd and possibly Stanford as reaches and some of the other schools people are suggesting here as matches or safeties - like UCLA, UC Berkeley, University of Texas, University of Michigan. If you really want an Ivy, maybe Brown for the computer aspect or UPenn for the Jewish community. I think that your lifestyle would be better at these than at some of the other good schools for CS like RPI, Worcester Polytech or Rose-Hulman, just because of their locations. Keep us posted on what you decide!</p>
<p>[RIT</a> - International Students](<a href=“http://www.rit.edu/emcs/ptgrad/international.php3]RIT”>http://www.rit.edu/emcs/ptgrad/international.php3) International Students @ RIT </p>
<p>[RIT::</a> Computer Science » Undergraduate](<a href=“http://www.cs.rit.edu/programs/ugrad/description]RIT::”>http://www.cs.rit.edu/programs/ugrad/description) Computer Science </p>
<p>RIT in Rochester, NY, but is not as warm as California, LOL… Good Luck!</p>
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<p>I only mean in the sense that it makes him stand out in the pool of same-old-same-old. Probably an inaccurate use of the word hook on my part.</p>