<p>Right now I am compiling the list of universities I am applying to for Computer Science major. It was easy for me to decide on top universities - my dream schools. However, I am also considering plan B and want to add NOT top universities also good at Computer Science. Additionally, since I am an international student seeking financial aid, I would like to see private institutions here rather than public ones. Can you help me with that? :)</p>
<p>BTW, these are the schools I included in my list:
1-2) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1-2) California Institute of Technology
3) Princeton University
4) Stanford University
5) Harvard University
6) Columbia University
7) Duke University
8) Yale University
9) University of Chicago
10) University of Pennsylvania
11) New York University
They are sorted in the descending order of desire to be enrolled.</p>
<p>Maybe you disagree with my views on universities I chose, and perhaps, the reason is that financial aid played a great role in choosing colleges (therefore no Cornell, Brown or Johns Hopkins).</p>
<p>Thank you in advance!</p>
<p>Does NYU give int’ls need based aid?</p>
<p>Brown does give aid to internationals, but it is need aware in admissions. It has a very good CS dept.</p>
<p>[Types</a> of Financial Aid](<a href=“Applying and Planning for Undergraduate Aid”>Applying and Planning for Undergraduate Aid)
Here they say they have limited funds (as usual). I included this university because I am sure I can make my way there. Nevertheless, I need more schools where I can be sure of being admitted.</p>
<p>Brown’s acceptance rate scares me, actually, though I know its CS department is strong. I did not include it in my list due to an already big number of top US universities in it.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is supposed to be very generous with FA to international students. The problem with most of the schools in your list is that they accept anywhere from 2% and 6% of their international applicant pool. The odds of getting into any of those school (except NYU) are not good, and the odds of getting generous aid from NYU are not much better. You really need a viable financial safety and a couple of viable financial matches. You first need to check your annual budget with your parents. Can they afford only $15k per year, or are they able to afford $30k per year? This is an important first step. Secondly, what are your academic credentials like? Are your school grades and standardized test results in the MIT and Caltech stratosphere? You need to take a serious look at several different factors.</p>
<p>How much can you pay?</p>
<p>No clue on aid, but it surprised me to see a “top list” of school for computer science and NOT see Carnegie Mellon on that list… you might want to consider looking at it.</p>
<p>This is a graduate school ranking for CS, but undergrad would look very similar:</p>
<p>[Best</a> Computer Science Programs | Top Computer Science Schools | US News Best Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings]Best”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings)</p>
<p>Would lower list price schools like Stony Brook, Virginia Tech, NCSU, and Minnesota be suitable, or would they still be too expensive?</p>
<p>@Alexandre, @ClassicRockerDad
My family can pay about $10k-$15k. I took SAT in December 2012. My SAT score is 2090. I took TOEFL in July 2012. My TOEFL score is 107. This year I am sure to make a huge change both in SAT and TOEFL. I am a volunteer in an organization called MoscowGreeter which organizes free tours through Moscow. Last summer and this summer I organized a programming class for my peers. I am a speaker at the EducationUSA club when it comes to greeting international guests. Currently I am studying in the best school of Moscow - Advanced Educational Scientific Center of Moscow State University (MSU is the most prestigious college in Russia). My grades are in top 3 of the class average 4.9 points out of 5. I am the prizewinner on the all-Russian contest in Programming and also the prizewinner on the all-Russian contest in Math. If you know how brilliant Russian programmers are (second place in team rankings on International Olympiad in Informatics after the Chinese team), you can understand how hard I worked to get those prizes. I believe in luck more than anything else and hope the fortune will help me with Caltech or MIT :). Maybe this would help, I play in school soccer and volleyball teams. I also play guitar (an amateur).</p>
<p>@Creekland
The problem is that CMU does not offer financial aid to international students despite the fact it is private.
Thank you for those rankings.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus
Unfortunately, those are still expensive 
but thanks for the reply.</p>
<p>If you are Jewish, there is a private scholarship to attend Brandeis which you might qualify for.
[Brandeis-Genesis</a> Institute for Russian Jewry | Brandeis University](<a href=“Schusterman Center for Israel Studies | Brandeis University”>Schusterman Center for Israel Studies | Brandeis University)</p>
<p>If your goal is eventually to get a PhD in CS, you may find the path more financially viable to attend Moscow State University for undergraduate study, do well there, and then apply to US universities for PhD study, since PhD study in CS is typically funded (tuition waiver and living expense stipend, like a “full ride”).</p>
<p>@ClassicRockerDad
Unfortunately, I am no Jewish. I am a Vietnamese living in Russia. A blend of Asian and European cultures :)</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus
That is exactly my plan C :). The reason I want to enter US college as an undergraduate is that I believe in the opportunities the school will provide me with. I want to do research, to have summer internships at Facebook/Google/Microsoft. I just want to embrace the US culture. To become a blend of Vietnamese, Russian and US cultures :)</p>
<p>I couldn’t tell you which schools are best with aid to international students, but I wish you luck getting into some of your schools.</p>
<p>@ClassicRockerDad
Nevertheless, thank you a lot, especially for the luck :)</p>
<p>International admitted rate for MIT is extremely low (about 4% from what I heard). If you say you are Vietnamese citizen, then gud luck because MIT only takes Vietnamese applicants with gold medals from Olympiad like IMO, IPhO, IChO (Disclaimer: I know lots Vietnamese kids at MIT. I am a Vietnamese). If you want financial aid, add some Liberal arts colleges with good cs programs like Lafayette and Bucknell (I have two friends, each from those schools, got internship at google and facebook respectively). Also you should add UMass Amherst or Lehigh to the list. IMO, cross out NYU because their CS program is not that superior to UMass, and it doesnt give aid from what I heard.
Yale - NUS or NUS itself can be a good choice if you like to live in Singapore.
In summary, your list has too many reaches.
After all, getting internships is all about your skills. It doenst really need a big brand name like MIT or my school (UIUC) to get those intern positions.</p>
What is your future plan? Are you going to find a job in U.S. and switch your visa status to working visa some company offer to get a working visa for you or you are going home and find job? Anyway, Stanford U is the top feeding school for Silicon Valley. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/12/17/the-top-10-colleges-that-fuel-the.html?page=all
@bambi0611, it has been 1.5 years since I created the topic. For Class of 2019, I have applied exactly to the first 6 schools in my aforementioned list. I applied early to Princeton and was accepted. Waiting for Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Harvard, and Columbia. All the schools I applied to are schools I would be happy in so idk where to go if I am lucky to get into all of them. Probably I will have to create another topic for bragging and asking where to go lol. I need to get a degree first. However, I want to return to my motherland in the end, no matter where I live or work during my 20s.
Congratulations. I am know sure your nationality but my Chinese friend told me that if you graduate from top colleges in U.S. your success is guaranteed when you go back to China. No wonder so many international applicants who spend so much money to come to top colleges in U.S. I also read article that Chinese parents are willing to pay $60,000 for a college prep agencies article by Zheyun Ni of Forbes. Good to have rich parents.