So I applied to particular study programs in the US. I’m from Europe and I have some questions.
I already heard from several schools who told me I was admitted. They set various deadlines to respond to the offer. But some schools I applied to will not have gotten back to me before these deadlines run out. Now my first question: how do I deal with this situation? Do I ask for an extension, and if so how, without sounding like I’m not grateful for being admitted?
Also, some schools have offered scholarships while others did not. What’s the best way to negotiate for a scholarship from the schools that didn’t offer any compensation in costs?
Moreover, how do I pick the best school for me? Do you only look at ranking and prestige, or do you take into account other issues? I have a gut feeling about one of the schools, but rationally I know another school is better. I see that people say that it depends on what you will study, which makes sense, but also on where you will work: if you want to work on the east coast it’s better to attend a school there. Now I already know I won’t be living where the schools are at anyway, so that doesn’t matter to me.
I also want to visit the schools I was admitted to, if I can find the time and money. Should I mention that when I ask for an extension? It’s sort of weird, because I applied basically begging them to admit me and now that I am admitted, I want to pressure them for more funds and want to see the campus first? Kind of weird dynamic to all of this.
Many college here are on a similar schedule and there is a May 1 deadline for replies. What colleges are asking for a sooner reply and which will not give you an admissions decision before then? If students here are stuck like that then they will reply and pick one university where they have an offer to make sure they have a college to go to and deposit there. If they get a later offer they would rather take, they decline the first and accept the second. You will likely forfeit your deposit at the first. The only thing you can’t do is accept two offers at the same time, that is considered unethical.
Colleges don’t negotiate, per se. If they didn’t give you anything then they may be one of the ones that don’t for overseas applicants. But if they are, and you have a choice you prefer and are going to enroll if they can meet another offer from a peer school you can tell them they are your first choice but X school made an offer can they meet it? Usually if it is need based they may look at it, IF they give need base to internationals. Otherwise they won’t. And if it is a merit award and they don’t give merit awards then they won’t. But if they do give merit to some internationals, just not you, and if you have an award from another college but prefer the one that didn’t give an award you can bring it up. Don’t expect much and you won’t be disappointed . Colleges are used to being pressured for more funds and I don’t find it is always fruitful. So this discussion really depends on what colleges these are.
You pick the best school based on what is important to you. Some people are only concerned with ranking and prestige and that is all they care about. Others pick where they think they will be happiest and thrive best. Some people are flexible and do well anywhere, but other people need or want certain settings to do their best, like a small campus and close contact with profs, say. Or an urban setting.
If you ask for an extension, sure why not mention you will be visiting. Up to you. Wanting to see the campus or not isn’t really their problem. It is up to you to decide to visit when applying, after applying etc.
In the USA, all colleges have a May 1 deadline. They may encourage you to accept earlier because you would get priority in housing or the like, but really they have a May 1 deadline. If you have applications from other countries that you are waiting for, you could always accept one of the US colleges and pay the deposit and if you get accepted and would rather attend an out of the US Univ. then let them know you are not coming (and most likely lose your deposit).
Thanks for the replies. The programs I am applying for are all in the US and some of them have deadlines in April. It’s not an application for college. So I guess I need to make a decision and pay the deposit. I guess I do need to make a decision soon in that case. Thanks for letting me know it’s not okay to pay a deposit to two schools.
Regarding the scholarships: say for instance UCLA would provide funding and Berkeley wouldn’t, do you think Berkeley would be open to negotiate on this point? I know from rankings Berkeley is better than UCLA, but the amount of funding makes UCLA attractive. Maybe Berkeley wouldn’t match it, but could at least pay a little.
I wouldn’t have too much problems chosing for UCLA anyway, as I have been wanting to go there. But I am trying to figure out if that makes sense. Oline, people seem to say good things about UCLA. I have a good feeling about UCLA: the people I know who went there are down to earth hardworking people who are not ‘with their head in the clouds’ like some of the ivy league people I know (if you know what I mean). The people I know who studied at Berkeley are smart but less street wise, and not necessarily the friendliest people. I know from people who have studied at the best schools that the competition is harsh at those schools, which some people believe comes with the territory, but I am not like those people, try to make life pleasant and cooperate, and I am afraid of not being able to do well in that kind of environment. I also feel right at home in LA and feel less at ease in the Bay area. And does it matter that I would like to live in one of the more conservative states? Berkeley is known for being the most liberal place, right? Does this affect whether I can get hired where I want to live? I also know that if I ended up not moving to the place I want to live, I would prefer to live and work in LA over SF. But I know that following these feelings and experiences and not rankings etc. would be like a doctor putting asside scientific evidence and trusting his experience based on outcomes of a handful of patients. Maybe my impressions are completely off and UCLA is not what I imagine it to be. But still… Could anyone describe the difference between these two schools and whether what I imagine it to be like makes sense?
How does the difference in ranking matter? Is it just nice to say I went to so and so, or does it actually make a difference when it comes to employment and pay? And is there a true difference in quality of teaching? I like the European style of learning, which consists of following lectures that give a basic overview of the material and then working in small groups during workshops to see how the theory applies in practice (basically: I’m not a big fan of passive lecturers, learning from peers through group discussions and the socratic method etc). Are there any good schools that teach like that?
Also, I want to specialize in a particular type of law. There is another school that accepted me, more local to where I want to live. That school is in the top 10 for the programs I want to follow, but is not as good a school as UCLA and Berkeley for law overall. Does the specialization matter? Or is it better to go for the name, even if they aren’t known for their specialization in that particular field? I hope to work in the field I am interested in, but you never know and I foresee that I might end up doing something else.
Your post is a little confusing. Are you saying you are applying for an undergraduate pre law major (there is no law major undegrad that has any meaning), are you applying to law school or are you applying for a degree they award foreign law school grads who then go back to their country?
Have you gotten in to UCLA and Berkley already? You were offered money at one and not the other? If that is the case there is nothing wrong with telling the other, I am interested in you can you match the other’s offer. Worse and most likely they will say no. Not sure how the public UC system handles that
You say there is another school that has something that is closer to your interest. Depends, if it is a very specialized area it may be worth considering but would have to know the school. If it is much lower in prestige for college or law school since I am not sure what you are doing, I would say stay with UCLA or Berleley unless that other school has a direct pipeline to a job but without knowing what school and why or even what degree you are getting I cannot say. Also depends on whether you are staying or moving back, what does your country’s hiring people say? If you are pursueing a law degree go for the best name unless money is an issue
There is not as big a difference between UCLA and Berkeley that it should particularly affect you. I laugh at your comparing rankings with scientific evidence. There simply aren’t any official rankings. Undergraduate rankings are devised by magazine to sell copies and advertising, You can look at the criteria to use to see if it is important to you. Also research universities have graduate schools that have their own ranking usually built on reputation and publications. Being in the undergraduate colleges may not directly correlate to the grad school experience as far as access to research experiences and famous professors.
No Berkeley will not match offers you got at UCLA. The two schools have their own budgets and separate sources of scholarship money. In general to get anything as an international student is already putting you in a relatively rare position.
What is the other school? You can work anywhere with a degree from UCLA. Although Berkeley has a ‘legal studies’ degree, not sure about UCLA, a BA or BS is not sufficient to practice law here and I have never heard of an undergrad specializing in any type of law. For that you go to law school. What are you talking about?
Ok, thanks. I didn’t know I was so unclear. The degree is a postgrad degree in law, one that will allow me to practice in the US as a foreign lawyer. I might return to my country, but anything except for Harvard or Princeton won’t be immediately recognized over there, so that’s not a huge factor to consider.
I think I will decline the offer of the local school. Another school that’s on my list now is NYU. And I’m still waiting for Georgetown. How do those two compare to UCLA and Berkeley? I thought Berkeley would be the best school out of all those, but you say it doesn’t matter all that much? Georgetown has a program I’m interested in and maybe gives me a chance to work in public/ngo jobs when I finish which is an idea I like but maybe not very realistic as I’m not a US citizen so probably don’t qualify for many federal jobs. I like the UCLA area best but I did live there before, and if I choose NYU I can learn to get to know and appreciate New York and work there afterwards to pay off my debt.