<p>Hi,
I'm from India, an international student. I'm a high-school student right now, studying in 12 Grade. I'm about to take the SAT's this November. But I'm confused if I'll be able to afford the complete fees of the US universities or not, as I am aiming for the top-notch colleges available. I'm good at academics and have vast accomplishments and involvements in social activities and very good co-curricular activities. I'm a member of the Student Council of my school and my post is "Activity In-charge". So as far as I know, if I get good scores in my SAT then I can aim for the top colleges. </p>
<p>But as I mentioned earlier, I'm not that rich and won't be able to spend 40-50,000 of dollars per year to pay my fees. Will I be able to get good scholarships and financial aids in top colleges? Also, are on-campus/off-campus jobs easily available for students there? If yes, then can you please suggest me an idea of how well do they pay us? </p>
<p>Some people in India here are advising me not to go to the US, they say that the job-market is not good there at present and I won't be able to find a job within 6 months of my graduation which will eventually lead to my VISA expiring and I'll have to come back to India. Is it true? Is it really that hard to get a job in the US, in spite of graduating from a well ranked university?</p>
<p>So as a back-up, I've kept Canada and Australia in my mind if I fail to secure a good college in US.</p>
<p>So what do you guys think? My dream is to get through an IVY LEAGUE university and work and settle in the United States of America. The American Dream! :D</p>
<p>*Please ask any question that would bring out my question more clear to you :)</p>
<p>It is almost impossible for international students with only an undergraduate degree to find permanent employment in the US. Not to mention that you won’t get a student visa if the visa officer suspects that you plan to try to stay here.</p>
<p>That depends on the degree, and the job market here once you would finish your education. To be perfectly honest, your job prospects in the US probably would be exactly the same if you were to complete your undergraduate education in your home country, and then come to the US for your post-graduate work. That route has the advantage of saving you huge amounts of money, and better positioning you for a decent career in your own country if you should decide against grad school.</p>
<p>Well yes I’ve been told this before by other people as well. Thank you very much. Actually the problem is that I want to pursue Computer Science, but the scene here in India is quite complex now. Every other student is into engineering and there is no scarcity of nerds here and we’ve got brilliant scholars. All of them aim for the IIT’s which is really very hard to get into, as they only admit on merit basis. There is no such factors as extra co-curricular activities for admission in Indian colleges, well mostly. That being said, I’m very much involved in the activities and I am not what I should say, “a brilliant scholar”.</p>
<p>To cut it short, the thing is that if I pursue CS from any university in India, then that university is got to be one of the best ones or else it’s no use. Employer Reputation of these colleges aren’t good.</p>
<p>So… you would like to apply to an Ivy League university as a kind of fallback (?safety) because you’re not confident you could get into IIT … I salute your gumption. </p>
<p>I have no comment on your qualification (you say you haven’t taken the SAT yet but you are “not … a brilliant scholar”, and you don’t detail your EC’s/achievements) but I think to say that your dream is “to get through an IVY LEAGUE university and work and settle in the United States of America” suggests immaturity, and that doesn’t go down well in Ivy admissions.</p>
<p>I think you underestimate how very difficult it is to get into the Ivy colleges. Although they do look at students holistically, the grades, course rigor and SAT scores are very important. But you can try. There are other schools that offer to meet need for international students. There are schools that will offer partial funding if you can pay for some portion you will open up other possibilities. </p>
<p>Jobs are subject to your visa restrictions and to availability, but you can expect at least U.S. minimum wage.</p>
<p>In most cases, you will have to pay your own way for your Master’s degree. You might get some funding if you are very very top undergrad student. You might be able to get a part time job.</p>
<p>Go to the International Students forum for posters with more information for you.</p>