<p>Hi~ I am new to CC and will be a high school senior this Sep. </p>
<p>I'm an international student so it's not so convenient to go visit schools (I've never been to the US besides a tour to ivy leagues... ) I tired to research online with super match..etc but the colleges all looks kind of similar, it's hard to skim through and find out what's special for each school, seems like all I have are online stats</p>
<p>Can anyone give me some advice as to how to start off researching about colleges??</p>
<p>Major wise I'm interested in pre-med and maybe psychology. Any recommendations??</p>
<p>Thanks a lot~</p>
<p>Do you want to live in a city, a suburban area, or a rural area?
Do you know much about the geography of the US? (Culture and weather of Northeast, Southwest, Midwest etc.)
Do you want to go to a larger research university or a smaller liberal arts college?
How much can your family afford? (The most important question, and may be harder for international students to find aid)</p>
<p>Some questions to consider.</p>
<p>1) Figure out what you can afford.
2) If you realize that you can’t afford $60k/year, research schools that offer $$ to international students. The schools you could potentially apply to dramatically decrease in number.</p>
<p>And only then do you make other considerations.</p>
<p>The first step is to “follow the money.” If you need – or just want – financial aid, you need to understand the difference between need and merit aid and how need-based aid is determined. This is complicated for US citizens and is doubly so for internationals.</p>
<p>If, happily, you’re not looking for financial aid and can afford to pay the $250,000 that a four-year private will cost (not including transportation) then you can put together a wide list. Start with thinking about attributes that appeal to you: small/medium/large, urban/suburban/rural, sporty, political, artsy, nerdy, fraternities/sororities, etc.? When you’ve established a general personality-type, you can start narrowing in on a balanced list of reach/match/safety that matches your grades and scores.</p>
<p>You may not be aware that pre-med, per se, is not a common major in the US. Doctors can major in just about anything, but many choose one of the sciences like biology or chemistry. Generally speaking you don’t have to choose a major until sometime in your sophomore year, so it’s okay to be undecided at this point.</p>
<p>But, for sure, clarify the financial side first.</p>
</p>
</p>