Hi, I am an international student interested in attending a US university for civil engineering. I am currently attending high school in cali. I already applied to the cal polys but I want to look for 2-3 more out of states.
Location kinda matters to me. I am not a big fan of the mid west and new england area bc of the cold…I would prefer somewhere in the west, even the east coast. I would love to live in a college town where there are many outdoor activities. (I am a big soccer and skiing person 
I have a ACT of 29(e29 m35 r19 s32). I know my reading sucks bc I am a slow reader and that’s not gonna change overnight. But I have a good TOEFL score of 109(for those who are not familiar with the TOEFL, this score pretty much qualifies for any college, even IVYs). My gpa is not bad, around 4.1. I don’t have too many honors or APs bc I go to a tiny school.(less than 100 high schoolers). SAT subject test: math II 720(don’t know what happened…) and Chinese 800(this is kinda cheesy bc it’s my native language). I have decent ECs and community services.
I am looking at U Colorado, Colorado State, Purdue, Utah, and Penn State. How are these schools and are there any other that would be a good fit for me?
Of course academic comes first. I don’t know how to determine if a school’s engineering program is good or not except looking at rankings. I would like to go to a top 50 engineering school, according to rankings. But I know they can be deceiving sometimes and websites always exaggerate. I think this is the only place I can get true feedbacks from real people, so please help me!! Any comment is truly appreciated!!!
Cost constraints?
Not that many schools require SAT subject tests, but some of those which do require or recommend them may not be satisfied with your selection. E.g. some engineering schools or divisions want math and a science, and some highly selective schools want two SAT subject tests other than the one in your native or heritage non-English language.
I’m not shooting for top tier schools so I wasn’t planning on sending those SAT subject test scores anyways…Based on my ACT, TOEFL, and GPA, what are some schools that I would have a pretty good chance to get in? As for costs, without me receiving any aids or scholarships, I know my family will have a hard time paying for a school that has a total cost of 50,000+ per year.
Iowa State and Minnesota may be lower cost, though Minnesota does not admit directly into the major (need a 3.2 in college to assure admission to an engineering major; lower GPAs admitted if space available).
For smaller lower cost schools, consider South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/ indicates that you may get a full ride at Tuskegee, Florida A&M, or Prairie View A&M, depending on how your GPA is calculated versus what each school accepts (e.g. unweighted, or weighted by what formula), and whether the scholarships are offered to international students.
Definitely take a look at Georgia Tech. Top 10 ROI in the nation, and consistently ranked one of the best engineering schools in the country.
Thank you! Do you think I have a shot at the schools I mentioned above? Also, what about schools like North Carolina State, Florida, Maryland, Drexel?
I second South Dakota School of Mines! Definitely check it out.
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know my family will have a hard time paying for a school that has a total cost of 50,000+ per year.
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Well, how much can they pay???
Penn State would be about $50k for an int’l. No aid there
Colorado would be about $50k for an int’l. No aid there.
Purdue would be about $48k for an int’l. No aid there.
Please ask them how much they’ll pay.
I know Georgia Tech is a wonderful engineering school, It was not on my list bc I feel like I wouldn’t qualify.
I mean, they can definitely pay 50k. 2-3 more thousand is even acceptable. However, I didn’t want them to pay more than that bc I don’t feel like challenging their financial limit. I feel bad for them if they have to work their butts off just to pay for my tuition