I’m an international freshman accepted to ASU for Spring 2016 for Computer Science (BS), have applied only to ASU as of now cos my SAT score is just a 1520/2400 (I didn’t study at all), I’ve been taking lotta practice tests and my scores have improved to 1800 and once even a 2000 FYI. I’m forced to take a gap year because I hadn’t taken the SATs during high school. But if I choose ASU for Spring 2016, I’d be taking only a 6 month gap between high school and college. I guess gaps don’t make a huge difference unless I’m wasting time, but there’s nothing I can do much as I’m stuck between preparing for the SAT again or choose ASU.
The reason I applied only to ASU with a 1520 is cos its ranked 182 in the world according to the Times Higher Education Rankings 2015 and other choices for CS either require a better SAT score, have higher overall fees, or don’t have too many international students.
My question is, should I choose ASU and go in Jan 2016 or try the SAT again in October and then apply to better universities (my current SAT score isn’t that great) but my fee budget should be less than 46000$ (overall per year), and as you know there are no SAT exams between June to Oct and the ACT in Sept is closed for registration so by the time my scores are out Spring 2016 admissions are closed for international students. I tried asking Ohio State if they would accept my SAT scores a little after the deadline for Spring 2016 applicants but they said they can’t do that.
I’m confused as to which step to take. If I choose to write the SAT again in Oct I’d have to say no to ASU (I know my application is valid for three semesters) for Spring 2016.
I do have extra curricular activities (Trinity Guildhall Piano for 9 years, Robotics, Trekking, School competitions prize certificates) but no AP classes or honors during my high school. My GPA would be around 3.0 or 3.2 (On a 4.0 scale)
What should I do? Please read from the beginning if my post seems a little confusing at first, or ask me questions if you do have a solution for me but need more facts.
Do the other places on your list offer Rolling Admission for international applicants for Fall 2016? If you have the October SAT scores sent to the other places, are any of them going to let you know whether or not you have been accepted before you would have to leave for ASU?
If you know that you will get your admissions offers in November or early December, you can prep for the October SAT and complete the student visa process for ASU while waiting for those offers. Then if you get in, you could decide to attend one of the other places. You would have to let ASU know that your plans have changed, and you would need to change your visa paperwork so that the university you are attending is the one recorded in that paperwork.
To help you know whether ASU is a good choice for you, you need to speak with potential employers in your own country. After you finish your studies here, you will be able to remain in the US for one year to get practical work experience (OPT). When that time ends, if you haven’t found an employer here that is able to get you a work visa (H1B), you will need to leave. Most students (even most students with a major in Comp Sci) aren’t able to get work visas.
First of all, I’d like to thank you for your reply at this stressful time, @happymomof1 .
I would have to give a decision to ASU by Dec 1. And the universities that I apply to after my SAT scores are out, that is by October 22nd, their decision would come after Jan. My choices of universities don’t offer rolling admissions so their admissions decision would come later than my deadline for registration at ASU for Spring. Classes would begin on Jan 11th, much earlier than the time my other admissions decisions are made.
The reason I don’t wanna wait till next August just to get into a higher ranked university as the responses to my other question on CC (If I study in ASU what are my chances at Harvard grad school) got me thinking and made me realise that its in my hands to get into a top university post grad. Studying at ASU wouldn’t be a disadvantage, which I thought it would be. Also because my time until I wait for their decision would go nearly waste (other reasons), and in my country people rarely take a gap year and it feels weird, to be honest.
Besides, the ARWU has ranked ASU at #32 for CS in the world in 2015, higher than UMN and Yale! That surprised me a lot.
I hope I can graduate in 4 years and not be one of those 50% in ASU that don’t graduate in 4 years. I guess its all on me wherever I go.
I’m worried about the numbers in Spring intake and the class schedule. My academic calendar on ASU doesn’t seem to be interfering with the Fall calendar, but I’ve read in general that not many international students begin in Spring, not many students in fact at all. Could you/anybody help me with this?
If you are confident you’ll get into a school like Yale next year, wait
I don’t know enough about you to assess those odds.
We have a saying here - a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush.
ASU is well respected school and will allow you to get on with your degree. They’d be the bird in your hand. A better school may materialize next year - but they may not.
Harvard for grad school (of any type) is extremely unlikely no matter where you get your BS/BA. They have 14,500 grad level students for all programs - Biz/Med/Law/sciences and everything else and admit about 10% of applicants.
The good news is that there are hundreds of schools in the US that offer a very solid education at all levels (AA to PHD) to the other 90%.
The secret to getting good international student orientation, is to stay in touch with the international student office. Let them know when you expect to arrive. Ask them about the best way to get from the airport to campus. As soon as you are checked into your dorm, go visit the office and get to know the people there. Ask about any orientation activities that they have planned, and attend those activities.
Likewise, do your best to attend any orientation activities that are offered to all the new arrivals. Surely there will be some. If you don’t see any advertized, ask at the admissions office.
You’re too caught up in rankings and prestige. There’s nothing wrong with ASU other than I’d guess the undergraduate classes are huge, which is going to be the case in any big, public school.
@mom2collegekids - By the time my SAT results are out, the deadline to get my i20 and student visa for ASU would be passed. Here they ask you irritating questions and deny student visa for silly reasons. For that particular reason I’ve gotta take the safe path and apply earlier for my student visa, so that in case it gets rejected I’d try after a few days in another city.
@happymomof1 - Thanks. CC is gonna be one of those places where I’ve made one of my life’s biggest decisions. Hope I do well in order to get into Ivy post grad.
@NCalRent - Okay. But I guess it does happen, if not too often, doesn’t it? By it I mean, ASU to Harvard grad school?
@Gumbymom and @happymomof1 - I searched CC on whether Ohio State is better than ASU and couldn’t find anything. Just for thoughts, what are your opinions?
Have you been admitted to Ohio State for Spring Semester?
Or, is your question about applying to Ohio State for Fall 2016 in the hope that you will hear Yes/No before you would have to leave for ASU?
I know absolutely nothing about the difference between these two places other than that one is in Ohio and the other is in Arizona. Check kayak.com for transportation costs and weather.com for ideas about climate. Ask potential employers in your country if they care where you study here. They would be the ones whose opinions matter.
@happymomof1 - Haven’t applied to Ohio State. Wanted to know which one’s better, considering the larger undergraduate enrolment but mysteriously smaller class sizes than ASU. Ohio State is ranked much higher than ASU for some reason. In my country, the higher the rank of the university you graduate from, the better your opportunities will be. ASU is much hotter and smaller than Ohio State.
Departmentally and overall rankings are higher for Ohio State than ASU. Both matter to employers.
What do you think I should do? Forget the employment aspect. I know in the end its up to me, but what are your opinions?
Also, I researched a lot if anyone from ASU or a state university has gone on to an Ivy grad school (Computer Science/Engineering) in the last 10 years. I could not find anyone. Not even to universities like UCLA, UCSB. That really matters to me, personally (Hope you won’t ask me why).
By the time you are applying to grad school, the researcher who you want to study under might well be leading a team at Gee-I-Never-Heard-Of-It-Before-U, but that won’t matter because everyone who knows about that specific line of research knows full well that Dr. Important is at GINHOIBU, and the people who care about that line of research are only interested in hiring people who worked with Dr. Important. So stop worrying now about Ivy admissions for grad school.
As for whether it is better for you to head off to ASU in January, or wait to hear back from OSU and any other places for fall admission, that is something you and your family have to decide on. Yes, it would be perfectly OK for you to choose ASU because you don’t want to wait several more months only to find out you don’t get in anywhere else that is affordable. Yes, is perfectly OK for you to wait because you want to be certain that ASU is the only viable option before committing. There really, truly, is no wrong choice to be made here.