<p>Nicorobin, why can't you visit the US? As a Canadian, travelling to the US is pretty easy and affordable. Do not visitnow, but once you get all the responses, you should definitely vist the two or three schools that top your list. </p>
<p>If you aren't sure about major, do not worry, Michigan is excellent at all the majors (Biology, Chemistry, Computer Engineering, Math and Pharmacy) you are considering, and yes, international students can and do successfully transfer into the Pharmacy program. Only Medical and Dental programs are restricted at all US universities. If you get into the other schools, they are all good in Biology, Chemistry and Math, and half of them (Cal, Cornell, Johns Hopkins and UCLA) are strong in Engineering.</p>
<p>If you do not want huge classes, you may want to drop more than just Cal. You might as well drop Cornell, Michigan, Northeastern, Penn and UCLA from your list. Most of those schools will have large freshmen and sophomore classes. But then again, they will probably have manageable class-sizes once you get to intermediate and advanced level classes. Besides, Math, Pharmacy and Chemistry classes tend to be small at most universities. Biology classes tend to be large because they are the most popular major for premeds. Your electives classes will sometimes be large too.</p>
<p>Finally, as pierre aptly points out, Northeastern's co-op program is condusive to aquiring work experience while still in college. If you intend on majoring in Biology, Chemistry or Mathematics, Northeastern would be helpful in this regard, since those majors do not attract as many recruiters as other fields. However, if you major in Computer Engineering or Pharmacy, I would not worry too much as those majors are highly recruited on campus. Furthermore, at schools like Cal, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, UCLA and the Ivy League, companies recruit all majors on campus, so even Biology, Chemistry and Math majors will be given options when they graduate. </p>
<p>I would recommend you go for the best university where you know you can be happy and thrive (both academically and socially).</p>