I’m an international student (from India). I know that’s one of the worst demographics to be in, and I also know how tough getting into top tier colleges is. Finances is a big problem - I’ll need a full ride or, at least, full tuition - else, I cannot go to college abroad. (Nope, not interested in Indian colleges).
Stats:
Prospective major - CS (gah, i know)
SAT - 1560
Subject Tests - Math 2, 800 and Physics, 800
Grade 9 - 10 CGPA
Grade 10 - 9.8 CGPA
Grade 11 - Midterms, 91% and Finals, 92.6% (grade deflation is a thing in my school; technically, I’m in the top 5%)
School is one of the most prestigious in India.
ECs are neither average, nor stellar - but all of them are STEM based. A few international awards, but nothing too major like ISEF or anything. Lots of volunteer work, mainly teaching programming and graphic design to kids. Have qualified the first few stages of the national physics, philosophy, linguistics and informatics olympiad, but have given up on making the team.
Have good rec letters - one from a physics teacher, and another from a mentor under whom I developed an app to help people with dyslexia read news articles.
Interested in US and Canadian colleges. I know Ivy’s are tough, and I’m sure there are better applicants from India, so don’t suggest them, please. Again, I need all the $$$ I can get.
I don’t mind LACs - only factor I’m considering is employment after graduating.
Thank you!
In returning to your country, correct? Getting a US education does not automatically come with offers of employment in the US.
The US immigration rules are strict. Employers have to indicate that there are no available US candidates available for a job before they would even consider a foreign worker. CS is impacted at many universities.
Yes, aunt bea, I’m aware. But I’m sure that a college that can guarantee a US student a good paying job in the States can do the same for me in the US or anywhere.
I do have a plan B - however, they’re nowhere as good as a US/Canada education for me.
123Mom456, I do know it isn’t solely based on the college one goes to. But here in India, like the rest of the world, people would most definitely pick a Stanford grad over a USC one (and USC is a college that’s amazing, too).
That is the crux of the problem. The money does not flow from the schools. Since domestic students don’t get full rides, international students get even less. You would have to look at schools in the South or the Midwest and hope that there is funding for international students.
Right now, the only school that might fund you, for tuition only, would be University of Alabama.
The schools with the best financial offers also happen to be the toughest and most competitive schools for everyone.
Being international,
and from India,
and being CS,
you would have to compete with all of the hundreds of thousands of applicants, from your country, to possibly gain admission and then hope for some type of limited funding.
Because you’ve selected CS as a major, you need to realize that that major is impacted at the most popular colleges. Most job applicants, in this field, are required to be US citizens because they have to have US clearances. So, no, the US will not guarantee a job for you, even if you were to get a degree from a US university. Companies are not sponsoring non-citizen candidates; it’s not worth it to them, when there are so many US citizen applicants.
Check out Alabama, but if you’re looking for a near full ride, look at UAH (University of Alabama in Hunstville). It’s pretty prestigious in certain circles, especially for mechanical and aerospace engineers. And Huntsville is booming compared to a lot of other cities. Not sure how hard it is for international students to find employment after graduation, but worth inquiring about.
There are some other schools that guarantee big money, but they’re further down the food chain, and I know that matters to a lot of Asian students. This thread is old, so you’ll need to check each school, but it’s a good place to start: http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
I’m sure there are some competitive scholarships too, but they’re truly a long shot.
“But I’m sure that a college that can guarantee a US student a good paying job in the States can do the same for me in the US or anywhere” (post #3) This is absolutely not true. No college anywhere, including the US, can make this guarantee. The job opportunities that come to you will be as a result of things like: GPA in college, internships you have done while in college, how well you interview, involvement in college etc. And on top of that as noted by @“aunt bea” you would have to navigate immigration rules to get a job in the US. The school you attend is but one piece of the puzzle.