<p>Hello!
I'm an international student and picking colleges in the US is kind of hard for me, since there is no one that I can ask for advice, so I would be very happy if you guys could help me out! Anyway, probably the most important factor in choosing colleges for me is that I will have the ability to explore a lot of different academic areas before I declare my major. I still have no idea what I want to study (the problem is not that I dont know what interests me, the problem is that too many different areas interest me)! So, is there any college that you know of, thats particularly good for undecided students like me, who don't yet know where they belong?</p>
<p>Perhaps you could look into schools that have an oppen curriculum (meaning that you aren’t forced to fill a certain amount of requirements like math, biology, language if you don’t want to). One such school is Brown University in Rhode Island.</p>
<p>Hum… in your situation, I would suggest some liberal arts college. They have a much broader and general education, giving at least some basics and exploring the majors at the same time. I would go for Susquehanna University, its a small college in Pennsylvania</p>
<p>A Liberal Arts College would be nice, unless you’re really set on going to grad school. I don’t think most LAC’s have grad programs and having a school with a large grad program would mean you would have an opportunity to take some graduate coursework as an undergrad, increasing your chances for admissions into graduate schools.</p>
<p>That being said, a rough generalization that I think you will find to be true is that larger universities (maybe 5k undergrads+?) will tend to have lots of varied departments and programs.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! Yes, I’ve heard of Brown’s open curriculum and Brown will definitely be one of the schools I’ll apply to. But of course, the problem there is getting in :).</p>
<p>dshinka, you couldn’t be any more wrong. LAC’s send a higher percentage of students to grad schools and eventually PHD’s than universities do.</p>
<p>First of all, most US colleges and universities do not require you to declare a major until the end of your second year-it’s one of the best things about the US high educational system. Most students who enter thinking they will study one subject end up switching, some several times. The only students who don’t have that luxury are generally the engineering students because the requirements to complete the major necessitate starting your first year. Everyone else can be ‘undecided’ and most are, even if they think they know what they want to study. Schools encourage experimentation by creating ‘distribution requirements’ whereby students are often required to take classes in a variety of fields-although a number of schools (including Brown, a private university, and Grinnell, a LAC) figure motivated students will do that anyway and forgo the requirement.</p>
<p>We can help more if we know more about you. Have you taken your SATs or ACTs? How did you do? What is your GPA? Do you have strong preferences with reference to location: urban vs. small town vs. suburban? Do you have any special interests that you plan to pursue?</p>
<p>LACs can be excellent for international students: They are very nurturing environments due to the smaller student body and class sizes, and the teaching focus of the faculty. It’s easier to meet people whom you see in class and outside regularly. Your English language skills will get a major work-out because there tends to be more class participation and writing. You are at no disadvantage in applying to grad schools in the US and many offer good financial aid to attract top foreign students. On the down side, no one at home will recognize the name of your school, even a top LAC. Many (not all) are in rural locations or small towns. The choice of classes is smaller because there are fewer students. Research opportunities exist at most LACs, but fewer faculty means less variety to choose from. Post in the international student forum for additional feedback from international students like yourself.</p>
<p>The biggest question of all–do you need aid?</p>
<p>Maybe try U Rochester and U Chicago? Both are good for your needs, despite their differences from one another.</p>
<p>Ok, ‘more about me’… I took the SAT and I scored 760 at math, 680 critical reading and 570 writing. I took two subject tests; chemistry (770) and physics (790). I will also take the SAT Math II in October and will retake chemistry (I think I can get 800 with some studying). And my GPA on a 0 - 100 scale is: 87,7 in 9th grade, 95 in 10th grade and 98,2 in 11th grade. I’m number one in my class of 31.
And my extracurricular are kind of average… I’m the class vice president, I sing in a choir, I take rhetoric classes, dance lessons… I’m one of the most involved students in my high school, but my EC’s look kind of poor if I compare them to those of American students my age, that are presidents of this club, founders of that club… We just don’t have that opportunities at my school (I would, say, love to write for a school newspaper, but we don’t have one). Extracurriculars are not a factor in admissions to Slovenian universities, so obviously, most people see no reason to get involved. But I’m certain that my teacher will explain the circumstances in her recommendation letter.
I don’t really hava a preference about location. Every location has its advantages and disadvantages, right? 
Again, thanks for all the help!!!</p>
<p>I would recommend retaking the SAT, and taking the TOEFL, so you can have the best chance of getting admitted from that perspective of the application.</p>
<p>You might want to avoid larger schools, because the low-level classes you’ll take in your first year or two will be relatively large, and might not allow you to accurately guage how well you like the subjects.</p>
<p>Also, some colleges require 4 courses per term, and some require 5 courses per term. If you’re exploring, the ones with 5 courses per term will allow you to sample a broader array of courses.</p>
<p>Macalester is a liberal arts college known for giving good aid to international students.</p>
<p>hmom5 asked an important question-do you need financial aid to attend? If you need aid, you will need to make sure you are a top student in the applicant pool for that particular school. (Check the Common Data Set for each school and look at the distribution of SAT scores and grades.)</p>
<p>Irrespective of the answer, I am a fan of the mid-western LACs (Macalester, Grinnell, Oberlin and Carleton) for their academic excellence, inclusive cultures, and in Grinnell’s case, excellent financial aid. They are entirely focused on undergraduate student education (there are no graduate students at LACs) which means faculty who like to teach. They are all small and all but Macalester are rural. The other three are within an hours’ drive of a city.</p>
<p>No, I don’t need financial aid to attend. Of course, I would like to have it, but I’m lucky enough to not need it. By the way - I’m leaving for a 2 week vacation tomorrow, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to write back for 14 days.</p>