Hi guys,
I am currently a year 13 student. I want to study Marketing and Human Resources Management. At first, I was really certain that i would go to Australia to study since i had visited their and i thought it was a great place to live. Hence, recently, I took a look at some Universities in US and i was impressed by how energetic and fun they are. As i looked at information about Australia Universities, i didn’t think that Uni in Aus had a lot of school spirit and connection.
Hence, I applied to some Uni in America but because i decided late so i rushed to take an SAT. My SAT score was not so high (1760) but my GPA is good 3.7 (unweighted). My Ielts is 8.0. I joined in a lot of activities like MUN, 2nd prize in a group speaking competition in Japan, Sound Manager for school production, bunches of Community service. My SAT score is so low that i don’t think that i can get into any good school in my list
Lehigh Uni
Boston Uni
Uni of Michigan
Purdue Uni
Ohio State Uni
Northeastern Uni
However, i think i have quite a good chance to get into Uni in Australia since they only look at GPA. I aim for
Melbourne Uni
Uni of Sydney
Uni of New South Wale
I may have to answer the Uni in Australia before i got the result from the Uni in the US. So i don’t know which to choose. Can anyone help me ?
Make your choice once you know your them. You can always secure a safety in Australia (say “yes” to the Australian university you like best) and wait till you have your American results.
Where are you from? This will affect how your results are seen, since they’ll be seen in comparisons to applicants from the same country or region.
Are you looking for financial aid? That could make a difference at some of the US colleges.
@intparent i heard that asking for financial aid could lower the chance of getting into the US colleges so i didn’t ask for it
@MYOS1634 I think the same too but i am just so anxious thinking that at this stage, people already had a place in their mind while i am still here not knowing where to go.
I study in an International school in Vietnam
Well, you’re different from others - you chose to apply abroad. You can’t have the benefits without the downsides.
If all goes well, you’ll have a place too, in Australia. One US acceptance will just be the cherry on the cake. 
If you didn’t ask for financial aid, are you saying your parents/relatives/other sources can pay full costs for you each year?
You may have to tweak your major a bit at some universities, or apply “undecided”.
You have a shot at BU and tOSU; I would apply to Penn State, Temple, UMass Amherst, Miami-Ohio, perhaps Dickinson and, on the West Coast -which would be closer for you - Western Washington, UWashington, Whitman, Willamette, Chapman. As an international, you can still apply to CSUs so check out whether SDSU and Orfalea at Cal Poly SLO offer tracks you’d be interested in.
Can your parents pay a quarter of a million US dollars for your education? There is no point in applying if you can’t pay for it.
@MYOS1634 Thank you for your information and yes, i’m the only child so my parents and even my grandparents have been saving money for my university. I could never thank them enough for that :((
University in Australia is generally cheaper than in the US for fullpay students. Plus, flying to Australia from Vietnam will be a lot cheaper.
@GMTplus7 honestly, those are the reasons that bonded me with the idea of going to Aus for Uni at first. But then after i tried to apply to the US, i have realised this:
Boston University is ranked 91 (in one ranking system that i have seen) but Uni of Melbourne is ranked 41. However, getting into Uni of Melbourne, i would say, it’s easier than getting into Boston University ( cus u know, BU asks for essay, and SAT, community services,… while Uni of Melbourne looks at nothing but the GPA). There are a lot of other Universities in the US, (which i know to be very good and very hard to get in) that are listed under the best universities in Australia like Melbourne or Australia National University or Uni of Sydney. So, which one is worth more to go to? Thanks for your reply 
Those int’l rankings are based on graduate programs. You’re applying for undergrad.
Unless the school has INSTANT global name recognition like Harvard or MIT, it is probably immaterial what school in the US or Australia you chose.
1760 SAT w no “hooks” does not make you a competitive candidate for the US schools on your list, if u are seeking financial aid.
You can google: “Common Data Set <>” to find the 25th-75th percentile SAT scores and GPA distributions for US schools.
As GMT7, those rankings don’t apply to undergraduate programs. They focus on research output and graduate programs.
Graduate students’ needs are NOT the same as undergraduates’. What you want is a college with low faculty: student ratio (1:14 or under), small classes, peers who are well-prepared, perhaps an Honors program if it’s a large university, some guaranteed internship/research position OR the opportunity through a strong career center or research program. in addition, American universities have “personalities” and your goal should be to find the university whose personality matches yours best - this is called “fit”.