<p>I was wondering if it was worth attending 'public ivies' or public universities in general as an international student? I know that most international students are aiming for the Ivies and super selective schools, but obviously not everyone can get in, so is it worth continuing to pursue an education in the US even if you don't attend a prestigious private school/ivy, or would you rather just continue your higher education in your own country?</p>
<p>I'm from canada and I am aiming for some super selective schools(NYU, upenn, U Chicago etc) and I have some public universities as my backups (indiana U - bloomington, U of Wisconsin etc) but my parents are starting to wonder if it is even worth going to these public universities, or should I just stick to the 'best' universities in my country (McGill, Queens, U of T, etc.)</p>
<p>The distinction between public and private really should not be what you are looking at.</p>
<p>You should look at whether the schools in the US offer something that is worth paying extra for compared to the less expensive schools in Canada. You need to consider the context of your academic and professional goals in order to determine which schools are better for you.</p>
<p>NYU is not generally considered a “super selective” school in the same sense as Penn or Chicago.</p>
<p>Depending on the field of study, NYU could be more than “one step down” from those two. And at something like USD 60,000 each year for four years, it is likely that you have better options in Canada.</p>
<p>Increasing selectivity does not mean that quality of every possible major or academic program improves uniformly. For example, Harvard and Dartmouth are more selective than every state university, but many state universities have better engineering offerings.</p>
<p>It really depends on your major, future plans (career/ academic) and your financial ability. But in general I think McGill, UBC and UT worth more than any public schools in US.
Again, it is just personal opinion. But I think paying extra 10k to 25k per year for the same “academic” experience is not very logical.</p>
<p>In my opinion, no American college (public or private) is worth a huge price premium unless your family can easily afford it and you don’t have good options in your own country. Many public universities in the USA don’t offer any need-based aid at all for international students. If you have the stats and budget for an OOS public school (or any state school in the case of internationals), maybe you ought to at least consider equally selective private schools that offer smaller classes, stronger focus on undergrads, and more national/international drawing power (as well as better n-b financial aid if you qualify.) Some good private alternatives (including small liberal arts colleges) are less selective than the Ivies or Chicago. Whether they are good alternatives to American state universities, or to Canadian schools, depends on many factors (including your prospective major and personal preferences for size, location, etc.) </p>
<p>@tk21769 the problem is I have no idea where to start searching for a good undergrad focused college. I am planning to major in finance/accounting but I honestly have no idea what other schools offer excellent business programs apart from the super selective ones I have listed above. And I always thought liberal arts schools don’t have good business programs? Like all they do is learn about history and other stuff?</p>
<p>Find a guidebook like Princeton review’s best colleges, Insider’s Guide to the Colleges, or Fiske Guide. Look at Colleges that Change Lives (ctcl.org) to see which ones offer business classes. I know that Dickinson has a very good international management major, strong general education, and financial aid, for instance. (In my opinion, seminar-style gen eds are much better than lectures because they help you be more motivated by getting you engaged in the material, but ymmv.)</p>
<p>@MYOS1634 do those books actually provide reliable information? Or are they all marketing stuff? I’m really hesitant on purchasing one of those books because I feel that they would be of no use to me? Also, for books listing only best colleges, isn’t it impossible, then, to find a good match/safety school that I can get into? Also, I am looking more specifically for books that are directed towards international applicants, and I was wondering if you, or anyone else for that matter, knew any good guides?</p>
<p>You are really a neophyte at the college selection process. It appears that you only goal is to get out of Canada. Sad. </p>
<p>You are on CC and you have the internet. Each school’s profile on CC has a link to the school’s website among other information. Buy a copy of the USNews ranking issue. It contains rankings of all categories of US universities and the median stats for each school. </p>
<p>If you post your stats, other here may be able to give you a feel for your chances. </p>
<p>@TomsSrOfBoston you are right in saying that Im quite new. I don’t have guidance counselors that know much about US schools, and my parents don’t really seem to care; I however, am trying my very best to put together a list of colleges that are realistic for my standards. I will start looking at liberal arts colleges and finding more about what they are. However, I don’t believe that my goal to get out of Canada is sad, because my original intention since moving there was to pursue college in the U.S. I’ll only post my stats after I have taken the next SAT, because I have read from other threads that without the SAT score, no one would be able to chance me accurately? Thanks for your answer though!</p>
<p>^ why do you want to go to college in America? </p>
<p>If you can get into a top 20 uni then I could see a massive increase in educational quality.
Top 20-50ish, GE will probably be around the same as to what you can find in Canada but the major program (depending on the school) might be a lot better.
Another beyond that and I doubt you will notice a difference besides the price. </p>
<p>@bommerr more work opportunities after graduation? I also want to get into a good law school after In American universities, the overall diversity and college life seems more exciting compared to those in Canada.</p>
<p>^ Well you won’t be able to get a real job with a student visa so that might be a problem. Also it might be difficult to explain why an Canadian Student wants to study US law instead of Canadian law. </p>
<p>But hay if your parents are going to pay the full cost go for it. </p>
<p>If I was an international student, I wouldn’t apply to state schools here (unless it’s the University of California system). If you don’t live in the state itself, the tuition prices are ridiculous. You would get a much better education at McGill or UT for a much better rate. Also, UPenn > U Chicago > NYU (in terms of general selectivity and academic strength). NYU is a major artsy school too. </p>
<p>@Violet1996 why do you advice only applying to the UCs if I had to apply to state schools? I have been given the idea that UC Berkeley is overpopulated and overrated in general?</p>
<p>^ compared to Ivies it is. But it still has a very good education especially at the upper devision major level. Quality of education quickly drops of once you move past the top 20-30 universities (where Berkeley is). Once you get to UCI/UCSB etc level i doubt it would be significantly different from a top tier Canadian school unless that school’s major department is especially strong. </p>
In American universities, the overall diversity and college life seems more exciting compared to those in Canada.</p>