<p>I don’t know why an Israeli student would want to go to college. He should probably focus on religion; education isn’t necessary for that, you know.</p>
<p>I would look at Stanford and CMU for top CS programs, but before you start looking at that, you should look at the costs of colleges in the US. It may prove completely unaffordable for you to go to college in the US.
Your army bkgd may help you in admissions, but it will not reduce the costs, and fin aid for international students is not easily available.</p>
<p>"I don’t know why an Israeli student would want to go to college. He should probably focus on religion; education isn’t necessary for that, you know. "</p>
<p>[Economy</a> of Israel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Israel]Economy”>Economy of Israel - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>[Science</a> and technology in Israel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_in_Israel]Science”>Science and technology in Israel - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Do not count on elite schools admitting you. Even with SAT scores in the high 700’s and closer to the top of the class in rank is no guarantee of admission to Ivies, MIT, Cal Tech, Stanford. Ability to pay full costs will not make the difference, either. Regardless of how long ago you graduated and how many maturing life experiences you have had those test scores- SATs- and HS record do count. Check the US News and World Report rankings for computer science grad schools to find out which schools are in the top 25/50, and check for undergrad rankings in the same. I can’t imagine spending a ton of money for a lesser school than at home so these should help with schools to investigate. Look at their ACT/ACT test score midranges (25-75 %iles) to see where your test results fall to see what chances you have of being with your academic peer group. You typically are admitted on your overall credentials for undergrad studies, being super in a field will not trump other, lesser, stats. Some/many schools admit to the university as a whole, regardless of intended major. Your competition therefore includes all students wishing to go to a school, they may be better in areas you don’t care about.</p>
<p>I do NOT recommend the University of California at Berkeley. It has a pro-Palestinian feel. Los Angeles area has Israeli community and warmer climate like in Israel.</p>
<p>Also, Israeli universities with 3 year programs focus on your specialty and leave out the core distribution requirements (social studies, humanities, cultural arts, etc.) found in almost every U.S. university. </p>
<p>California has a budget crisis. May take 5 years to finish your undergraduate degree. Something to think about. </p>
<p>Did you consider iDC for Computer Science? What is wrong with Israeli universities for Computer Science? Perhaps you might want to consider coming to the U.S. for summer courses at a university or community college (cheaper) which are easier to enroll and give it a try before committing to a full undergraduate program.</p>
<p>RIT and RPI and SUNY Binghamton all sound like great ideas. The students from our area in Ohio who attend RIT and RPI really like these schools. RIT is in a less remote area, although RPI has plausible train access to NYC.</p>
<p>Pepperdine sounds like a very poor fit.</p>
<p>I’ll second (or third or fourth) Carnegie Mellon. It has one of the top Computer Science programs in the US. It also abuts Squirrel Hill: [Diverse</a> Views on Israel Emerge in Jewish Enclave - WSJ.com](<a href=“Diverse Views on Israel Emerge in Jewish Enclave - WSJ”>Diverse Views on Israel Emerge in Jewish Enclave - WSJ)</p>
<p>Also Georgia Tech. Atlanta has a growing Jewish (and Israeli) community and non-stop flights to Tel Aviv.</p>
<p>You should follow your dreams and take your best shot. But a warning: about 5-7 schools being discussed here are mega-reaches for you, and another 4-5 are solid reaches. And a few of these schools will be easy admits. But I’m not sure how to evaluate your service and perhaps TOEFL, so that could make a difference; I’m just speaking of straight stats.</p>
<p>You’re going to want some additional choices in the middle layer.</p>
<p>Unless he gets into a top caliber school, and can afford it, it would be crazy to go to college in the US. There are outstanding CS programs available to the OP in Israel for a tiny fraction of the cost of US college.</p>
<p>Ok maybe in Israel there are outstanding universities…but they are not outstanding for me…it’s individual…I’m looking for more than education…</p>
<p>I’m surprised everyone seems to be steering you to schools where they will share your thinking. If I were Pepperdine I’d give you a full ride to bring your views to campus. Berkeley would also be a great adventure.</p>
<p>At the top schools you’ll have a ton of competition (ivies/MIT/caltech) from others from Israel, it will fall off from there.</p>
<p>From Pepperdine’s website front page: “Pepperdine University is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values.”</p>
<p>While spending 4 years in Malibu might be nice, I don’t believe this school is right for the OP. There are other schools in the LA area that may be a better fit: UCLA, USC. Cal Tech, possibly Harvey Mudd.</p>
<p>“If I were Pepperdine I’d give you a full ride to bring your views to campus.”</p>
<p>There is no faster to ticket to heaven for many of these conservative christian religions than to convert a jew to christianity. So keep that in mind if a christian school is looking to “diversify” its student body by recruiting jewish students.</p>
<p>I would highly recommend Cornell University for CS, and a strong Jewish community. Both of my sons know several students who served in the Israeli army and are now attending Cornell so you would not feel alone at all. My only reservation is that you seem to want warmer climate schools and you just won’t find that here in the Northeast.</p>
<p>Your SAT’s seem low for the Ivy’s so you may want to look at some other lower tiered schools. I also think Carnegie Mellon may be out of reach but it is worth giving a few of these schools a try.</p>
<p>The Ivy’s and other top schools are looking at the whole student not just the SAT’s and GPA. You have a very interesting background serving in the military with experience in CS. You just need to convey that in your essay…goodluck!</p>
<p>Speaking only of culture-fit and weather, since I don’t know much about their computer science departments, I’d suggest you look up:</p>
<p>Public Universities:
UCSD (University of California in San Diego)</p>
<p>UCLA (University of California in Los Angeles)</p>
<p>UCSB (U. California at Santa Barbara)</p>
<p>The only place I’d say steer away from re: Israeli background is U.Cal at Irvine. Google up and you’ll see. I’m sure you can use a rest from all this tension.</p>
<p>Private Universities:</p>
<p>A private university will cost you nearly the same as what you’d pay as an out-of-state U.S. person attending a public university in California. So you’re in a position to consider private unis in California as nearly equal in price to their public system. Note that their public universities are excellent; and at both public or private you will find diversity in cultures, races, economic backgrounds of families and so on. </p>
<p>USC (University of Southern California) - in Los Angeles bordering a tougher, poverty neighborhood (so not as lovely a surrounding as UCLA). But I am guessing you can cope with either neighborhood. </p>
<p>Chapman University - if you find their CS department to your liking, this is a progressive and upbeat campus environment. They have no graduate schools beyond the Masters level, so the undergraduates get plenty of attention from professors. There’s a Law School, Business school, and some other masters programs (in psychology, film) but it doesn’t go up to PhD level there. They’re called “National Masters Universities” for that reason. My son studies film there and is active in their small Hillel. There’s a small Jewish national fraternity “Sammy” to pursue. Your statistics are a match there. There are a handful of Israeli students (his friends) there in the film department having a good experience. BUT, I know nothing about their CS offering, so check that out. It might be a safety-match school for you. Don’t be afraid of their affiliation with “Disciples of Christ”; that’s a very open-minded, progressive group from l9th century pioneer California, comparable to Unitarians in terms of accepting people from every other background. DOC is not a fundamentalist sect. And they will leave you alone; there’s no required chapel at Chapman. Check out their Fish Interfaith Center and you’ll see where people of all faiths (including Buddhists) find a place for worship or contemplation. Many students are secular and don’t interact at all with the many religions housed under Fish Interfaith Center. They’ll welcome you or leave you alone, as you wish. Many American universities have “affiliations” with religious founders, and that is quite different than a current mission to require all students to attend church or adhere to their religion. Don’t shy away from a “church affiliated” private university AS LONG AS they don’t require you to attend any chapel services or take religious courses in Christian faith. Read their “Mission Statements” with care. I also think Pepperdine isn’t a good culture fit for that reason, while Chapman would be fine. </p>
<p>To me, an Israeli who wishes to study abroad to expand horizons is exactly like a student from a U.S. state who says he’d like to consider a distant state university, rather than go to his own state college where he’d interact with all the same high school friends and same home-towns. B’hatzlacha. (strength to you!).</p>
<p>This student says he wants to get outside his comfort zone, and resources are not of issue. So if you have the money, why not go ahead? But please do take seriously what others are saying that you might want (or need) more graduate school beyond the 4-year college. So will your budget extend that far? </p>
<p>Perhaps the CS-knowledgable people who read this page might comment: can a person with only a Bachelors degree in CS go right into the industry, or is additional schooling beyond the 4-year university CS major necessary? That might help the OP figure out how far those $ resources extend.</p>
<p>P.S. Suggestions to look into Texas also make sense for weather, although Los Angeles and California might appeal to your wish to be closer to the ocean and a broad brush of ethnic backgrounds. Have you also looked at places in Arizona or New Mexico? At least they have sabra jelly! OK, maybe too much desert for dessert.</p>
<p>PPS, Also take note of the respect some of the above posters have for the Israeli offering in technical sciences. It’s hard for them to imagine leaving Israel when it’s becoming known for science, technology and start-up companies. However, I also know that there are personal reasons why someone might want to adventure the world, especially after serving in IDF.</p>
<p>Assuming I had an 800 in the SAT math section, would Ivies still be out of reach for me?</p>
<p>btw I’m DontKnowDontCare…</p>
<p>Why are you so fixated on Ivies? There are tons of great schools in the US. The Ivies just happen to be 8 of them. Please, don’t make the mistake that’s made all over CC, by overvaluing those universities as the only ones worth striving for or attending.</p>
<p>What do you want in a university? Small, large, tech-oriented or not, sports, weather, conservative / liberal, proximity to recreation, etc. Start THERE, instead of starting with “how do I get into Ivies.”</p>
<p>I have a couple reactions to this thread so far.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Serving in the IDF isn’t going to be much of a hook, because it’s essentially synonymous with “Israeli student”. Lots of Israeli IDF veterans are happily in college here; it’s not anything like a problem in admissions terms.</p></li>
<li><p>There are three different sources of possible concern, for the OP’s sense of fit and comfort far more than for any hint of discrimination in admissions, and it’s worth pulling them apart: (1) Some colleges, like Pepperdine, are explicitly fundamentalist Christian institutions. I think all but a handful of them would welcome an Israeli student, but that most Israelis would feel uncomfortable about the pervasive religiosity of these colleges, and their frank Christian proselytizing. Most secular Israelis would feel almost as uncomfortable and annoyed at Orthodox Jewish institutions. (2) Some colleges have a particularly high proportion of Palestinian-American students and openly anti-Israel organizations which are far more vocal, visible and active on their campuses than you would expect to see elsewhere. I’m thinking specifically of San Francisco State and Wayne State; there may be a couple of others, not more. (3) At almost any college of moderate (or more) prestige, absolutely including colleges with comparatively high percentages of American Jews, such as Brandeis or Cornell, the OP is going to have to learn to deal with the fact that the IDF is viewed negatively or ambivalently by lots of students. He will hear comments, to his face and behind his back; he will be asked uncomfortable questions; some people may not want to know him. It won’t be living hell or anything like that, but it is going to be very, very different from how people would respond to him at home. The vast majority of American students will be happy to deal with the OP as a person, not some kind of symbol, but he will have to get used to being challenged on his personal participation in things that are not popular here.</p></li>
<li><p>An 800 on the SAT math section would do a lot to make the application better.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>^I would also very much recommend SAT subject tests if you want to go for top schools. Although no more than 2 are usually required (or sometimes “recommended”), for an international student it would be helpful to take as many as you can handle (Max 3 per sitting), as it would make it easier for the schools to judge your level of preparation.</p>
<p>800 on math is pretty much expected for schools like MIT (especially on SAT II)</p>
<p>JHS - </p>
<p>Serving in the IDF as a programmer isn’t common among the Israeli applicants.
Being a Mamram Graduate (google it) is really desired…
4 years of programming experience is rare…when you are just 22 years old.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your help! :)</p>