Half the battle is getting into college. The other half is trying to convince my parents that the tuition costs is worth it. I have a better chance arguing with a brick wall, but it’s up to me to try. I’ll talk about the factors you listed above and maybe they’ll drop the prestige mindset.
They can’t have it both ways.
For what you’re looking for, you’ll have a hard time beating UF for free if you get in.
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They’ve told me to my face, “I’ll go into debt in student loans happily if you can get into MIT.” They mean well, but I don’t want them to spend years paying off a degree that’s marginally better than what I could get somewhere else. They are also violently against florida colleges. Why? I’m not sure. That’s why I have them listed as safeties.
That’s because they care about the bumper sticker. 
My dad went to MIT (BS/MS Civil). My uncle went to a very random state school for his BS and Stanford for his PhD, both in Civil. This was a long time ago of course, and I’m not in any way maligning MIT, but this is a paraphrase of what my dad said…my network was certainly stronger from undergrad, but his education was just as good as mine.
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You may start a masters early at Univ FL and pursue more grad school elsewhere and use some of Bright Futures.
https://www.eng.ufl.edu/graduate/prospects/masters-degree-programs/
“TUITION ASSISTANCE: Combined degree candidates who currently hold scholarships (e.g., Florida Bright Futures) may apply a portion of their undergraduate scholarship funding toward the cost of graduate tuition prior to obtaining a bachelor’s degree.”
https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-advising/combined-degrees/
Look at the Oxford website - they have sample interview questions for some courses.
Yes - very intense. For my son’s CS interview, he was given a problem set the night before and he had to work through solutions with the tutors live. Not a lot of time wasted on “tell me about yourself”.
Your interview performance will be scored by your interviewers. According to the former Admissions Tutor at my son’s college, the two biggest determinants in applicant ranking are admissions test score and interview score. And even then , there are applicants every year who shoot the lights out on the admissions test but can’t get past the interview.
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Your father has been working on an H-1 visa for almost your entire life? Wow. And he and the family haven’t yet gotten green cards? That sounds very strange. I know people who got green cards within their first 3 years here on an H-1. Anyway, your father needs to consult a good immigration attorney, because you will soon age out (21) of being able to receive a green card with the family, when he finally gets approved.
Definitely, U Florida. You sound like an excellent candidate, despite your UW GPA being ONLY top 10th% in your class. Your weighted GPA is great, you’ve taken the most rigorous classes, your SAT is great, and you’ve got some nice ECs. You’re going to get in somewhere decent. Free tuition at U Florida? That sounds amazing!
I think you need to have a frank discussion with your father about the fact that any private college is probably going to cost nearly 80K/yr. Show him how good U Florida’s stats are. Explain to him that the 55K is not going to cover the cost at private universities, only public ones, and that U Florida is arguably as good as any of the public ones. Just pray that Bright Futures doesn’t get canceled.
Meanwhile, I suggest that you take a look at all the public colleges in the US that have top engineering schools, and make your list from them. You’ve already got a fantastic in-state option. If your father will really pay 55K/yr, then you can look at almost any public college with engineering, since the 55K will cover it. I don’t think you’re going to get financial aid or merit aid at top US schools, because you’re an international, and because the family is upper middle class.
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Off topic, but no it’s not strange for Indian origin. Not everyone can get a GC application in as soon as they land, and there are limitations on the number of green cards by country (a max % of total GCs is allowed per country, India has a huge amount of applicants so hits that limit every year, leading to a huge backlog)
The turning 21 is an indeed an issue when it comes. If it happens before dad gets a green card then OP will have to change from H4 to F1. It’s still possible (possible, not certain) to get one after 21 depending on processing times and a clause called CSPA, not a topic for discussion in this forum but no need to possibly panic OP unnecessarily.
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Heard a couple of stories at Cambridge about applicants who looked dead certs on paper and totally bombed the interview. One guy who kept saying “but we haven’t learnt this yet” on the problems despite being led in the thought process … they are looking for people who know how to think and problem solve, not just people who have done well academically in the past.
Separately, that $55k a year budget might be tight for Oxford, unless you’re taking a total 4 year budget and dividing it over 3 years.
which is why they need to consult with an immigration attorney.
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Immigration attorneys can’t change the law. The wait is the wait.
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@SJ2727 has basically stated the main problems with getting a green card. There’s a certain amount they process every year and the sheer number of applicants makes getting a green card near impossible. Attorneys can’t help us unless some real reform is made to the system by lawmakers. The only way to get a green card fast from Indian origin is through nursing. Every other country gets in within months to a few years but countries with a lot of applicants (china & India) take ages. Not much I can do except roll with the punches.
About everything else, I agree. UF is a solid option for engineering, but nonetheless I plan on applying elsewhere. I would kick myself later in the future if I never tried.
Depends on the course and your housing choices. Some (like Maths & CS) are more expensive than others (straight Maths). It’s worked out to about $50k a year for four years for my son all-in, but we did have the benefit of a favorable exchange rate for a while (1.15-1.20 versus 1.40 today) and fees have gone up about 6-7% a year. Looks like Engineering Science is one of the pricey ones, so at 37,500 GBP and the current exchange rate, those fees alone are $52k.
About turning 21, once I get into college my family plans to hire an attorney to switch me to a student visa. This way there shouldn’t be any problems for a while. Also, from what I’ve heard, my employer will help me with the paperwork to transfer visas(student to working). Is this correct?
I admire your no-nonsense approach to this news.
Here’s an out-of-the-box suggestion. The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has an undergraduate degree in engineering taught exclusively in English. You can read a description here. It also looks like they have videos for their virtual open house. https://www.dtu.dk/english/Education/Bachelor-BEng-and-BSc-/bsc/General-Engineering
The cost for non-EU students is about $18,000 per year - and the degree only take 3 years. That would mean a total of about $54k (not including air travel).
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Thanks for the very unique suggestion, anything helps. DTU says that their registration closes March 15th. This seems very late, so I’ll apply to other colleges first and if it seems like nothing is panning out, DTU could be my final chance. I really appreciate this, and I’ll be sure to keep it in mind.
Thanks for the compliment, my parents have instilled in me that whining gets nothing done. My dad especially’s been through a lot, and I never see him complaining to the world. I respect him a lot, but sometimes his stubborn attitude ends up backfiring lol.
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I don’t think UF is a safety for anyone. Read about those who didn’t get in. I think you should apply, but don’t consider it a safety.
It would be unusual for an employer to help with paperwork to transfer visas. Even if they do, you will then be stuck at the same place as your parents - unable to get a green card or a path to citizenship.
I highly recommend that you go to a university in Canada. After graduating, you will be eligible for a work visa that can be quickly converted into permanent residency and citizenship.
If you attend a US university, you run the real risk of being required to leave the US after graduation.
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Canada does have strong universities, and the tuition is much cheaper. I’ll have to look into how to apply and anything specific I need to be considered. My only fear is that I’ll stretch myself too far, and too thin. It’ll take a lot to narrow down which colleges I’m going to apply to.
Canadian universities are super easy to apply to. A few programs require a single essay or an interview, but most don’t. When my son applied in 2014, it took 15 minutes. He was coming from a Canadian high school, but still.