So , I just took the SAT and got 1450 (800 math and 650 english) , I also took 2 subect tests where I got 800 on both of them (Math lvl 2 and Physics) . I initialy wanted to get into one of the following :
Harvard, Caltech , Duke , Yale , Princeton , Brown , Rice , Washington In St. Louis , Notre Dame , Emory , Tufts , Colby , Carleton , Grinnell ;
But now I think that my chances are approaching 0 , and I know that , in my country ,I am granted a place to any of the best universities (a place for geophysics or geology , which is what I want to study) because I was national olympic for three years in a row and this year I got silver at the nationals (geography olympiad) . The best university in my country is just in the top 700-800 in world (qs ranking) and that is the University of Bucharest . I want to do my grad at a top us university and I do not know if I should go to the best university in my country (which is not that good after all) or to go to a less known college/university in US ? Which choice would give me more chances to get in a top University for master ?
Why do you think that your chances are approaching zero? Your SAT scores are very good. Your verbal score is a little lower than the average range for most of those schools, but if English is your second language, I think that will be taken into account in addition to the fact that your scores in every other area are super high.
Do you have to decide now? Why don’t you apply to a few of the colleges on your list, a few less selective but still great colleges in the U.S., an compare your options in April with the University of Bucharest.
Keep in mind that world university rankings are for research output and scholarship; they were never intended to help high school students choose the best school for them. But students who do their grad work at top universities in the U.S. come from all kinds of backgrounds, including a range of international universities. So if the University of Bucharest turns out to be the best place for you, that doesn’t mean you can’t go to an excellent U.S. grad school later.
Will you need financial aid to attend a school in the United States?
Well , I think that I have really small chances because my parents cannot help me with more than 10k $ per year , and most of these universities (the ones on the list) are need aware for international students . I have two friends that got into Princeton but they both had 1560 on the SAT and they told me that at least 1500 is kind of necessary .
The aplication process for the University of Bucharest starts in June 2018 , so there is no rush , but I wanted to know If I should put less competitive universities/colleges on my list , knowing that there are not many such US colleges that can give me that much money (the more prestigious , the more money , but harder to get into)
Notre Dame, Emory, and Grinnell don’t offer geology. Remove them from your list.
I agree with juillet in post #1. You have great test scores and a strong dedication to an extracurricular activity. If your grades are as good as everything else, you have a great shot at top American colleges.
Geology is not very popular in the US, partly because it’s not taught properly in high schools here, so geology departments at most American colleges are underenrolled. Wanting to major in geology instead of a more popular major like biology may help your application.
Are there other universities in the EU you could apply to? If you don’t know other languages besides Romanian and English, you could look into English language universities in the EU (e.g. Irish universities).
I think that there might be at least three questions:
- Can you get accepted to top universities in the US
- Can you afford to attend top universities in the US
- What is the best way to get into top graduate programs
If your grades are also excellent, then you probably do have a good chance to get into one or more of the schools on your list. 650 is quite a good score in English for someone whose first language is not English. The rest of your scores are perfect. Top universities do like to have some geographic diversity. In fact, I think that it does enhance the experience significantly for students at top US schools to get to mingle with top students from multiple other countries.
A bigger question is whether you will be able to afford them. Some of these claim to meet full financial need. However, their definition of “need” might and might not match yours, and in some cases the aid that you get might include loans. I don’t think that you will know how much the US schools will cost unless you apply and see what sort of offers you get.
Your best chance to get into a top graduate program probably requires that you get very good grades as an undergraduate, and that you avoid going too far into debt for undergraduate. The first part of this you can do anywhere. The second part is something that is probably impossible to predict unless and until you find out what sort of offer you get from various schools.
“Do you have to decide now? Why don’t you apply to a few of the colleges on your list, a few less selective but still great colleges in the U.S., an compare your options in April with the University of Bucharest.”
This sounds like a plan to me. Of course, picking precisely which schools to apply to might be some work.
“Are there other universities in the EU you could apply to? If you don’t know other languages besides Romanian and English, you could look into English language universities in the EU (e.g. Irish universities).”
I am actually thiking to apply (also) for Manchester , Edinbourgh and UCL since I know many people there and it seems MUCH easier (not easy but easier !) to get into , but US is still my first choice .
DadTwoGirls , that is what I’ll do , thanks .
Check out https://educationusa.state.gov/centers/fulbright-bucharest for more info/advising
For geology, look west. Montana, Idaho, Wyoming. You might get more money from them with those top scores.
There are great schools for geology that are not in your top university list. The state university systems in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Illinois all have at least one strong geology department, usually paid for by a long history of donations from the oil or mining industry.
You would need to figure out if any of these schools will be affordable as an international, but all or most of them would be likely admissions.
I used the collegeboard filters to get the universities that have a major in geology/geophysics/planetary science/astrophysics ( / = or ) and that give 100% financial aid and financial aid to international students , but I did not get many results from west . I wanted to apply for colorado boulder for example , but it does not give financial aid to international students . Usually , state universities do not give financial aid to international students .
Wyo does. I think CU does allow internationals to apply for FA, but it doesn’t meet 100% FA for anyone and is very expensive.
I think you’ll have a hard time finding 100% funding at any US school that is big in geology. Amherst might have a major that interests you.
Another option is to do a study abroad program to Wyo, Utah, Montana. Do the schools in your country have an exchange where you pay your home tuition?
I could pay few thousands dollars per year and take loans up to 10k per year but that is not that much . I thoght that if I chose universities that only give up to 80% fin. aid I will end up paying more than 20% and if i chose those with 100% I would pay only 5-10 % because what they think I need is not what I actully need . Right now my family makes less than 22k per year , but my mother just started a company and if all goes ok I will be able to pay some loans .
You won’t be able to get US loans. Do you have another source?
No , that’s why I apply only for universities that can give 100%
"I thoght that if I chose universities that only give up to 80% fin. aid I will end up paying more than 20% and if i chose those with 100% I would pay only 5-10 % because what they think I need is not what I actully need . "
80% funding does not mean that the institution calculates what you would need to pay, and then gives you only 80% of that amount. It means that approximately 80% of the students who do need aid, are awarded at least some aid. Of those students some are getting 100% of the aid that they need, and some are getting less.
What matters for YOU is that YOU get 100% of your need met. What other students receive (and what the overall average for that college/university is) doesn’t matter at all. If the college/university offers only one full-ride each year for an international student, and you get that scholarship, you will be fine.
You say that you are willing to borrow up to US$ 10,000 each year. How do you expect to pay that off? What job are you going to get in your home country after you finish your education that would allow you to pay off your debt in a reasonable amount of time? You cannot expect to be able to stay in the US after finishing your education. You need to plan on returning home.
Contact the EducationUSA office at the link posted above by @bopper . The counselors there will be able to tell you where students like you have been admitted in recent years, and whether or not those students received the kind of aid you need. They can help you with the whole process.
All that said, for grad school admissions, a degree from one of the better universities in your home country will be good enough to get you into grad school either in the US or elsewhere in the world. At that level, the market is much more international. By the time you do finish your undergraduate studies, you may find that the group you want to study with for your PhD is not in the US at all, but somewhere else entirely.
happymomof1 , Can I change my citizenship while studying in US ? If yes , Am I still expected to return back home ?
“Can I change my citizenship while studying in US ?”
The US does not grant citizenship to international students. Also, unlike some other countries, getting a degree from a university in the US does not give you the right to get a work permit or other visa to stay in the US. Normally students are expected to return home as soon as they finish their studies in the US.
And after they return in the home country , what are they expected to do in order to get a job in US and a citizenship ?
“And after they return in the home country , what are they expected to do in order to get a job in US and a citizenship?”
The same thing as any other of the tens of millions of people around the world who want to come to the US.
There are a few countries who have a relatively straightforward path for international students graduating from their universities to stay, get a work permit, eventually get a resident visa, and then eventually get citizenship. The USA is not one of them.