*International Student** What colleges should I apply to ?

College Search & Selection
1

Hello everyone, as mentioned in the title, I need help in selecting the colleges I should apply for (EA incl.)-
I figured that presenting my resume(of sorts )may help in evaluating better :

Indian

MAJOR: ECONOMICS & DATA SCIENCE ( strict about the course ).

SAT: Will be writing next week but can base off a predicted score at 1500.

No APs as the decision of going abroad was taken quite late.

Predicted score: 94% in 12th

10th scores:9.4/10

ECs:

won international awards in wildlife photography( very prestigious ones )

House leader; Led a team of 800 students to victory.

ONLINE CERTIFICATIONS:
Machine Learning
Data science
Microeconomics
consumer theory
Econometrics
Game theory
Calculus

All courses completed, certificates can be purchases later if necessary.

I am individually working on a project that involves the application of all the knowledge acquired from the courses to form a model for the betterment of Indian farmers, the project is still in development, if successful, would allow me to create models for solving multiple ground-level issues for farmers and help them earn a better living.
For those who do not know, many farmers earn meager incomes in India, barely enough to survive.

If successful, the project will be recognized by NGOs and other groups.

Coming from a comparatively strict board of education, so don’t have full liberty in selecting the courses, had to select a stream.
Chose Commerce -Business Studies, Economics, Mathematics,and Accountancy

Please do criticize and tell me if there is anything i can do to maximise my application.

Thank you

2

What do you want to srudy?

How much can your family afford to pay?

3

I wish to study economics and data science (together)

Yes, I am lucky enough to say that my family will be able to afford it.

Also, there are some ECs that I didn’t include in the list.

I am also MUN and am the team leader of the business fest team, I have participated and won in school and college level commerce and business events, such as marketing and best manager.

4

Basically all top 25 universities, plus Middlebury, McKenna, Colgate, Davidson, Hamilton. Those would all be reaches due to selectivity.
Next, public flagships with excellent programs and where you’d have a more predictable shot; check you could double major in Economics and Data Science easily by emailing Admissions:
the UCs, UVA, UMich, UNC-CH, UVA, W&M, UWisconsin, UMinnesota, Penn State, Ohio State, Miami-Ohio, Indiana U, UF, UMass Amherst, NCSU…

I would recommend you try and take the AP Calculus AB exam, even if you aren’t enrolled in the exact class. The content should be familiar. It’ll reinforce your calculus learning and it’ll be very useful for the first semester of college (where that class is often a weedout class).

5

Thank you, @MYOS1634
I shall send a mail to the colleges. Could you tell me whether I have a shot at colleges like CMU or maybe even Berkely or Ivies?

I am already familiar with high-level calculus, I and the problem I face with the APs is that I am in my 12th(senior year) and would not be able to attempt APs this time around, and would do so in the coming April because that is the only time they are held here.

6

OP - CMU recommends SAT II subject tests, as do similarly ranked schools (some require them). Have you taken them? It’s hard to chance without test scores.

7

You’ve already had colleges recommended to you in this statistical vicinity: https://amp.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9.

8

No, I couldn’t take the subject sat either, but if it is really that important, I might be able to squeeze it in November.

But I would be able to rake only Math II, as I have not studied any other subject at school, and as I previously mentioned, I do not have complete flexibility in choosing my subjects.

I will write the subject sat for math II though.

Also: Please do tell me what best I can do to improve my chances at big colleges,I do have 2 more months in hand.
Thank you

9

Yes sir, I am just trying to gather all the information I can to make the best out of my opportunities.

10

Many of the schools that require or recommend the subject tests want two.

It’s one thing to not be able to afford the tests but you will be competing with other students from your home country that have prepared and planned. I think you need to rethink applying to super selective schools.

11

Thank you @momofsenior1, I shall rethink my applications, guess I just can’t do anything about it …
I shall anyway try to best my application in the time I have got.

I am open to any suggestions.

Thank you

12

Can you contact an AMIDEAST or EducationUSA advising center in your country? The counselors there can help you with the application process, and can give you advice specific to students educated in your country.
https://www.amideast.org/
https://educationusa.state.gov/

13

I shall contact them, thank you @happymomof1

14

Some of the public “flagship” schools mentioned by @MYOS1634 – UVA, UMich, UNC-CH, UVA, W&M, UC Berkeley – are going to be reaches for you as an international student; I think that you would have better chances at Ohio State, Miami University (Ohio), Indiana U, and UMass Amherst of the other schools that were listed. Ivies are problematic for everyone, don’t hold your breath on those.

15

For an Indian student, I’m guessing 3 TOP 25 private universities, 3 from the elite LACs I listed, 3 from the flagships listed in #13, and 3-5 from the rest of the list in #3
You could always take Math 2 and English Literature?
However if you can’t take subject tests universities from #13 and the flagships in #3 (UC’s, U Wisconsin to NCSU) wouldn’t care.
The AP calculus exam wouldn’t be for admissions’ purpose: you’d only list that you’re self studying for it (or calc BC if you feel you could handle it). However it would help you help you get credits so you could skip Calculus 1 in college (or, for the elite universities, bring you up to speed so you’re with your classmates in that area). Finally, it’d provide the specific method to math that you’d encounter in the US.

16

Can we just go back to the first question: Econ + Data Science?. If you are really “strict” about an Econ + Data Science double major, that is going to be your biggest limiter: most of the schools listed above do NOT offer a Data Science major. Moreover, most of those that do have only had it for a year or two, so are just figuring it out. For example, Berkeley and San Diego just added the major this autumn (plus, you have to apply into them). Irvine has the oldest program- it’s in it’s 3rd year.

Other UCs are busy adding it, and that Columbia, UMi, Yale, Smith, Case Western & MIT do, but most of the places that already have Data Science programs are less high profile names (Purdue, Wittenberg, Temple, Drexel, DePaul, Simmons, Marquette, and a bunch of state universities such as Penn State, George Mason, U of Vt, Western Mi, Northern KY, UTenn, URochester, UNH, UMa, etc.

Before you get too married into famous names, check out where the programs are, and if they are what you want.

17

@screenname67 You say that you can take the Math II SAT Subject test in November. I recommend that you pick a second test and take two. If a school says it wants 2 SAT II tests, then your application will be much less competitive without them.

There are many to choose from - foreign languages, sciences, history, literature. You can find practice tests on line and I believe that college board or Khan Academy has some practice questions that you can do for diagnostic purposes to determine which tests might be best for you.

If that’s not an option, as @MYOS1634 has already mentioned, there are many fine schools that don’t require them.

Best of luck to you!

18

Thank you everyone,

I shall contact the universities regarding the double majoring.
I will write the APs next March.
I have spoken to a friend who scored a 5 on calc. BC, he says that it wouldn’t be that hard for me as I have already studied calculus at a high level. Therefore, I will write the APs in microeconomics and macroeconomics and cal BC and statistics.

About subject SAT: I should be able to take the next one and make it right before the application deadlines.

The reason I choose to take economics and data science is that I see it as a very powerful field of study. I already have a good hand at economics and econometrics and with data science, I wish to push further.

I shall apply to the recommended schools.

And if there is anything else to make my application better, I shall take them on.

And one thing I am uncertain about is whether the ECs have to be subject related and if so, will my online certifications help?
Are ECs( non-subject related ) really that important?

Thanks a lot, everyone,I know I am asking a lot of questions, but not many here know as much as you would; therefore pouring all the questions out.

19

Preparation for a career related to data science can be approached through careful course selection related to, but in ways independent from, your actual major. Seeking a major in data science might counterproductively limit your college search.

As a resource for locating schools that would be exceptional for the study of economics and econometrics, this analysis should be helpful: https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html.

20

Which state do you want to study? I recommend the UC’s and the CSU’s for backups. Both of them are some of the best public university systems in the nation. California is one of the best states for public college.

UC’s and CSU’s have higher standards. Usually for a UC (except UCSC, UCR, and UCM) you need at least a 3.8 high school GPA to be considered for any plus EC and good SAT/ACT. For a upper tier CSU (SLO, Fullerton, Pomona, San Diego, San Jose, Long Beach, Northridge), you need at least a 3.5 high school GPA to be considered, but they don’t check extras.

But it seems to me like CSU’s are out of your reach since they seem so low standard to your stats. I would consider applying to the CSU’s if you want to study in California as backup.