Hy.I am an international student,I just finished my Alevels and i am about to start on my SATS.
My goal is to get into a good university in the states.My olevel results as well as As level results were all A’s except for one B.
So i am expecting to my SATS well too.
I really need some help in picking universities.
My plan is to Major in computer Science.So i was thinking I will apply to 12 universities overall?
5 top ones.4 middle ones,and 3 safes?Is that alright?
and also I checked the UC app etc and the applications are not open for the fall of 2017 YET.is that correct or maybe i Am looking in the wrong place.
If it won’t take too much of your time please help me out.
Thank you!
12 universities sounds like a good number if you like all of them. If finances are an issue, make sure you can afford all of them too – the UCs are phasing out aid for students who don’t live in California, for example, leaving you with a $55k bill every year.
It is a little bit early in the summer for new apps to be up yet – check back in a month or two. American app season begins in earnest around August or September.
Can your family afford $55K/year for the UC’s and no financial aid for International students? Need test scores, GPA, awards, extra curricular activities. The UC app should open in August for Fall 2017.
CS is very competitive for all the UC’s so you need to be above the average stats listed for each UC. You can check UC Freshman profiles for 2015 on this link (2016 stats not available yet).
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/profiles/index.html
Yeah actually 55k is affordable 
Also back here we do not have GPA.my friends applied last year and they said you can say that you dont have it here
Also this is really really important and is bothering me.My Olevel results were the best in my school.Also i got good AS results.but in between for the grade test,withdrawals etc.My grades dropped.This is because i am an oarsmen and i am part of schools rowing crew,and it was during season
will the universities understand that?
and yeah I have alot of extra curricular activities
Thank you for helping by the way.
As an international student, your biggest obstacle will be the cost. There is little significant financial aid for international students. If you can afford up to $55,000/year+ there will be many, many schools that will welcome you with open arms. If you will need major financial aid, that’s a whole different story, and you need to be strategic in your applications. Read the international student forum for some ideas. Remember, a “safety” school is not just a school where you’re certain to be admitted – it’s also a school you’re certain you can pay for.
ohhh alright! yeah you are right.
I will definitely check out the international student forums.Also do you really think berkeley or UCLA will look over my mid exam marks if they know that i was rowing.and take me in.My finals results are really good though(alevels that is) and i will definitely work my butt off for SATS.
but i am just afraid of those midterm marks…
wow this helps…they require pretty high SATS.but i can
sorry that was meant for a reply to the comment giving the freshman profiles^
What schools are you considering, besides the UC’s? If you are looking in California, then think about some of the California State Universities. The schools in that system are not research institutions like the UC’s and are not as competitive, but three of them stand out for computer science, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, an excellent school (especially in engineering), San Jose State University and CSU East Bay. San Jose and CSU East Bay benefit from their proximity to silicon valley. Although neither school is very competitive overall, their CS programs are well thought of and are more competitive to get into. However, as an international student who probably wants to have the “university” experience, San Jose and CSU East Bay are more commuter schools. Cal Poly SLO, however, is located in a rural area and most students live on or near campus.
In addition, USC has an excellent CS department and as a private school may have some merit money you could qualify for. We have friends from Hong Kong who are very well off and their daughter was awarded some very nice merit scholarships to USC.
wow thats sounds really good.I never even knew of those,I will definitely add them to my list.
so how about this ill apply for the top 5 out 12
for the top 5 i am planning on
1)Standford
2)berkeley
3)Georgia Tech
4)UCLA
5)and one other
so for the next 2 i can apply to San Jose and CSU East bay,and yes! I am looking for the “uni experience”
Its not that i am being over confident but i actually know i have potential to get into a Uni like stand ford.Im sure my rowing will help as well.My main goal is Berkeley.!
Any thoughts?
Thank you
I don’t think CSU East Bay would be an amazing international experience. Decent education, yes, but there’s not much there.
Just be aware that many of the schools on your list have a 10% or less acceptance rate for CS. You also want to get a direct admit into the CS program since switching later can be problematic and not guaranteed.
You cannot get a direct admit to the UC Berkeley CS program. You apply to the College of Letters & Science and must complete CS 61A, CS 61B, and CS 70 with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 in order to petition for admission to the major.
http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/csugrad/
Don’t be discouraged by the average grades given in these courses. Many different majors take the courses and most of them don’t need to meet a GPA requirement to petition for the CS major, so the average grade overall is lower than if you saw the average grades for only potential CS majors.
University of Texas-Austin is a Top 10 program with a higher admission rate and lower tuition cost than most other high caliber programs. Should definitely be on your list.
Will add it ! what about San Jose state uni .Is it a good university there?
Also guys what matter the most when applying to Unis like Standford or berkeley?
Grades and Sat results? Extras? community service? or essays? what can i do to standout?Even UCLA i would love to get in to that!
@Yomama12 are you sure that direct admit thing applies for international student as well…I thought my SATS would be enough.
I would also add University of Washington (Seattle) to your list. It’s not California, but it IS the West Coast, a great city, very good CS, and great industry contacts for internships.
As to what schools like Berkeley, Stanford or UCLA look for … honestly, it’s a bit of a lottery, because almost every applicant will have great SATs, great grades and good ECs. Being full-pay out-of-state-tuition at the UCs will help, though!
The criteria for admission to UCLA/UCB are similar: In general good academics (good grades with rigior) first. Good scores second, and ECs/Essays third.
But stanford is totally a crapshoot. Of course the aboves are required but your ECs play a much bigger role. You need additionally to distinguish yourself with real extraordinary achievements.
By the way if the money is not an issue for you, you may also consider USC as well (anyway the cost of attending UCs for OOS is not much less than USC. You may actual pay even less if you get a good scolarship).
Two things that might help is if you are an amazing rower that they want for their teams and if you are from a country that is underrepresented in these California schools.