<p>Hello, I'm a high school student from Brazil. I'm in my senior year, and here in Brazil it ends in December. I took the SAT and didn't go very well, I got 1610(710 on Math, 500 on Reading and 400 on Writing) and haven't taken the TOEFL yet, but I'm probably getting a nice grade. I want to get my degree in Computer Science, and as my mother doesn't want me to go, I probably need to find a well-known college to make her mind up. Here in Brazil schools don't rank students and since our grades are absolute(they go from 0 to 10 and don't change because others students's results) I probably won't have a great GPA when converting my grades, but I have some teachers that can give me some letters of recommendation. I don't get the differences between ED, EA and Rolling Admissions and if I have a higher chance of getting in when applying any of this way. Knowing that, I want you to suggest colleges where I could get in, where I have a chance.
Thanks! :)</p>
<p>* I want to get my degree in Computer Science, and as my mother doesn’t want me to go, I probably need to find a well-known college to make her mind up. *</p>
<p>I got 1610(710 on Math, 500 on Reading and 400 on Writing)</p>
<p>Well, you may have a problem…</p>
<p>Your test scores may not be high enough for the schools that your mom has heard of.</p>
<p>What schools does your mom know about?</p>
<p>How much will your parents pay?</p>
<p>There will be some schools that will accept you but they may not be the schools that your mom would agree to.</p>
<p>My grandfather will pay my college and he can pay around $60k… My mother doesn’t know many colleges, but I think that if it’s a nice college she will approve…</p>
<p>Is that $60,000 each year? Or is it $15,000 each year for four years?</p>
<p>that is $60,000 each year</p>
<p>Wow, your grandfather is loaded! </p>
<p>Unfortunately, few universities in the United States are likely to admit you. Admissions committees are aware of the grading discrepancies between different nations so the weight of the application will be put on the test scores. Retake the SAT and aim for at least 1800.</p>
<p>If you cannot raise your score and am still motivated to study in the United States, I recommend looking into the SAT optional colleges.
[SAT/ACT</a> Optional 4-Year Universities | FairTest](<a href=“http://fairtest.org/university/optional]SAT/ACT”>ACT/SAT Optional List - Fairtest)</p>
<p>Your Reading and Writing scores are probably low because English isn’t your first language. Your TOEFL score will let the colleges and universities know whether or not you are ready for regular classes, or if you need to have a semester of English language work first. There are lots of colleges and universities that offer your major that would be happy to accept you, but you mom might never have heard of them. Why don’t you start by asking her which places in the US are “good enough” in her mind?</p>
<p>Sending your kid to a different country for their education is scary for a lot of parents. Sit down with your mom and talk with her about that. Once she knows that she can be in touch with you as much as she wants by email/facebook/twitter/etc., she might not feel so worried. She also might be happier if you focus on colleges and universities where there are a lot of Brazilian students.</p>
<p>Take the time to read through everything at [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/) and then make an appointment with the counselors at the advising center closest to where you live. There are many in Brazil: [EducationUSA</a> - Find an Advising Center](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/Brazil]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/Brazil) The counselors there are expert at helping students from your country find good places to study in the US. They will have lots of good ideas for you!</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>
<p>The following schools are good in CS and should be within reach:</p>
<p>Purdue University-West Lafayette
University of Washington
Virginia Tech</p>
<p>If the OP can raise the CR and W sections to over 550 each, I think he can add Wisconsin-Madison to the list of schools.</p>
<p>University of Colorado, University of Oklahoma, University of Kansas, Boston University, Texas Tech, U of Arizona, Arizona State University.</p>
<p>Thanks for everybody… I found a list of the top CS universities and used the college search from this site to see if i had a chance in any of them… according to the site, I have a chance in the following ones:</p>
<p>-Worcester Polytechnic Institute
-University of Massachusetts - Amherst
-Rutgers University - New Brunswick
-The University of Arizona
-University of California - Irvine
-University of California - Santa Cruz
-University of California - Santa Barbara
-Syracuse University
-University of Utah
-The University of Alabama</p>
<p>As happymomof1 said, I think that if I get a good TOEFL score, some colleges should look at my SAT score just for the Math section… or at least give more importance to it… but I don’t know if that happens.
What can you say about the colleges above? WPI and the U of Alabama weren’t on the list I found… are they good in the CS field? I can’t visit any college, so I want to hear your opinion about their campuses also.</p>
<p>I couldn’t find an edit button, so I’m double posting…
I’m taking the TOEFL next month, probably on the first date(August 5th)…
as you suggested(schmaltz and Alexandre) I looked those universities… Purdue, Texas Tech and Arizona State University caught my attention… I also looked the UMichigan Flint and Dearborn… are they good in CS?
Thanks!</p>
<p>I don’t know how U of Michigan-Dearborn compares to other schools, but I have a cousin who went there for CS and he has done very well in the robotics biz (his own company, patents, etc) and now has a house about three times the size of mine. So they must be doing something right there. The Dearborn campus is generally considered better than the Flint campus.</p>