Cutting My List Down To Size - Please Help!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I'm a homeschooled international applying to US universities (as well as some UK ones) this autumn. However, I'm unsure exactly which ones to apply to. Here is my current list:</p>

<p>Harvard, Yale, MIT, Princeton, Stanford </p>

<p>Williams, Middlebury, Amherst</p>

<p>Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, UPenn, Caltech, Columbia</p>

<p>Grinnell, Illinois Institute of Technology, Colgate, Bryn Mawr, Claremont McKenna</p>

<p>That's 19 colleges. I picked them based on the amount of FA they provide to internationals, their prestige, and so forth. </p>

<p>However, I think I'm applying to too many. I also feel that only some of the above colleges are ones I actually love and would be excited about attending. Granted, I would probably like some of the above schools more if I did a little more research on them. But the application fees, etc. are still going to cost me a lot. And some universities that I really like (like UChicago) aren't on that list, because I heard they don't give too much FA to internationals.</p>

<p>To make matters worse, I've already contacted all of them saying I'm going to apply this autumn, and asking some questions about admissions. Some of them have already replied. I feel that I'll be doing something wrong if I decide not to apply to some of these colleges - that I'll have wasted their time.</p>

<p>How do I fix this situation? Please, I'd really appreciate some advice.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>-Python</p>

2

<p>

You don’t need to worry about this at all. You have made no commitment, and they won’t all expect you to apply.</p>

<p>You need to do more research. These schools are very different, and you will probably weed some out as you begin to do more research on them.</p>

3

<p>That’s quite a mix of liberal arts and tech schools. Maybe if you focused on what major really interests you and hone in on the schools that would be the best fit for you.</p>

4

<p>Are there parts of the country that you would particularly like to live in or near?</p>

<p>Are there certain preferences you have for more urban vs rural areas?</p>

<p>At least that would be a start. I agree, you seem to have just a list of the most prestigious colleges and then a handful of random others.</p>

<p>What is your area of interest / potential major?</p>

5

<p>What kind of research, specifically, should I do? So far, I’ve just been surfing the college websites as well as looking up college rankings and the amount of FA they provide to internationals. But I generally tend to find a wealth of information, and it’s easy to get distracted if one doesn’t know exactly what one’s looking for.</p>

<p>I’m not entirely sure what I want to major in, to be honest. For the British universities, I’m choosing between Management/Law/Mathematics. But, for the American universities, I have a dream of going into American politics. I know it’s far-fetched, because I’m a British, not a US citizen, but it’s something I’m interested in nonetheless - even though, if I wanted to just earn a lot of money, I could go into something like Medicine instead.</p>

<p>I used to think I preferred rural colleges because of the peace and quiet (so to speak), but now I’m not so sure. Since I’m international and have never been to America (or know much about different states), there’s no particular part of the country I’d like to live in.</p>

6

<p>If you want to go into politcs schools like MIT, Caltech, and Illinois Institute of Tech can come off the list. These schools ofer more in the sciences and engineering.</p>

7

<p>yeah what’s your planned major?</p>

<p>and what type of schools do u like? LAC’s are small, so if u dont like their sizes, u can eliminate those.</p>

8

<p>Like I said, I’m not so sure. I mean, it’s my dream for now, but people do change (especially since I’m a few years younger than the average college applicant). For example, about six months ago, I wanted, with all my heart, to work in finance. Now I don’t. That’s why the schools I chose are such a mix - in case I change my mind again (which is likely). I actually thought MIT, in particular, was good for a range of things.</p>

<p>Also, I’m not sure how easy it would be to go into politics, considering my family history. It’s not exactly squeaky clean. Unfortunately, if people (or even employers in general) Google my last or full name, they are going to find a wealth of information about a lot of things (mostly criminal) people related to me have done. I know it sounds strange not to consider a whole career just because of your name, but a lot of this stuff is fairly shocking.</p>

<p>As for school size… probably the midrange - smaller schools, I imagine.</p>

9

<p>I understand that you’ve never been to America, but can you at least narrow down if there are certain cities that might be appealing? Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles?</p>

<p>If you are interested in politics, it’s of note that you have not looked at anything in the Washington, DC area. You might want to consider Georgetown, George Washington or American, though I know nothing about their aid towards internationals.</p>

10

<p>I’ll give it a try. What’s the best way to find out about the different states without actually visiting them?</p>

11

<p>You might want to have a solid idea of what you are going to major in before you apply because your schools are extremely varied and all specialize in different areas. Also, you may want to add more matches and safeties onto the list because many of those schools are top tier and extremely selective. I would try to have a list with two safeties, 5 matches, and three reaches.</p>

12

<p>Perhaps you could identify parts of the UK you like and don’t like and why? That might help you articulate what you like (bustling urban scene, rural countryside, etc). Just a thought.</p>

13

<p>I’d like to ask a more basic question. You have listed some of the most competitive colleges admissions-wise in the US. Do you have any independent test results that support applying to such schools?</p>

14

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</p>

<p>Keep in mind that, to be eligible for election to the US House of Representatives, you’ll have to be a citizen of the United States for at least seven years. Likewise, you won’t be eligible to run for the US Senate until you have been a citizen of the United States for at least nine years. The worst part though is that, no matter how long you live in the US as a citizen, you will ** never ** be eligible to become President or Vice-President of the United States, since the US constitution reserves those offices to natural-born citizens only. </p>

<p>Just as a comparison, note that anyone who is a citizen of Canada is automatically eligible to stand as a candidate for election to the Canadian House of Commons. On the other hand, anyone who is an elected Canadian MP can in theory become the Prime Minister of Canada. In other words, nothing prevents a naturalized citizen not born in Canada from becoming PM. That is BTW also true in the UK. </p>

<p>Of course, the flip side is that no British or Canadian citizen can become King or Queen (head of state) unless he or she is the first person in the line of sucession to the current monarch at the moment of his/her demise. </p>

<p>You could still become Governor General (a sort of “acting head of state”)in Canada though, and, theoretically, you don’t even have to be a citizen for that ! In fact, prior to 1952 (?), all Canadian Governor Generals were foreigners. Most recently, Governor Generals have been Canadian citizens, but the last two GGs (Clarkson and Jean) were foreign-born (respectively in Hong Kong and Haiti).</p>

15

<p>Maybe step back a step, python … If you don’t know anything about the different parts of America (which is totally understandable), what is so compelling to you about going to school here in the US?</p>

16

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</p>

<p>In ** theory **, one is not blamed in America for the sins of their fathers (or relatives). The fact that you have become an upstanding citizen despite being raised in a family with a criminal background might actually work in your favo(u)r. In any case, the whole point of mass immigration from Europe into the States in the past was precisely moving to a land where your last name doesn’t determine how far you will be able to go in the social ladder.</p>

17

<p>RE: A Political Career</p>

<p>I’m not sure, but I believe any political career beyond the local level will require US Citizenship.</p>

18

<p>depending on your stats, all these schools maybe reaches. it’s good to have some backups.</p>

19

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<p>Yes. I’ve got 3 A-levels (all As) in Maths, Further Maths, and Physics, and I scored 2340 (800 on Math and Writing, 740 on CR) on the SAT for the first time this June. </p>

<p>I’m also planning to take the SAT Subject Tests in Bio, Chem, Lit, Math II, and WH this autumn, and the APs in USH and Chinese (and possibly a few others) next year. I do agree that I need more matches and safeties, though I suppose some of the UK universities could be considered those; UK students can apply to 5 universities max: mine are Cambridge, Warwick, LSE, St.Andrews, and I haven’t decided the fifth yet.</p>

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</p>

<p>Well, for a start, there’s what bruno123 mentioned (on this page). Then there’s the fact that I’m not only homeschooled, but I won’t turn 16 till near the start of next year - and I’ve heard American colleges are more open not only to homeschooled applicants, but also younger ones. By next June, I’ll have completed my education, and so there’s very little else for me to do besides apply to college, despite my age. Besides, I want to make a fresh start.</p>

<p>Regarding the parts of the UK I like… well, to be perfectly honest, I’ve never travelled around it that much. And I like some things about cities and some things about rural areas. So it’s hard to say.</p>

<p>As for going into politics… is it probably unfeasible, then? I don’t even know how exactly one becomes a US citizen… should I do more research on possible careers and then change my list of colleges? As I said, though, I don’t want to choose any particular area too early; college will be a big change for me, especially considering my background, and I might decide that I want to study something different later on.</p>

20

<p>Your statistics make you competitive at the elite colleges on your list. That doesn’t guarantee admission, but at least you’ll be part of the candidate pool. You need to focus on your college choice research; I suggest concentrating on things like student population size and location. Perhaps visit UK colleges of similar sizes to your US list and see which one is most comfortable. Given that you are undecided about what you wish to study in college, I agree with dropping the “Tech” schools, (MIT, Caltech & IIT), in favor of more broad based colleges and universities.</p>

<p>Finally, as to your background and political aspirations, many Americans would tell you that growing up around a criminal element makes you eminently qualified to be a politician.</p>