<p>Hi all! I have been on this site (as a guest) for very long but still cannot figure out what schools would be a good fit for me. The amount of information is overwhelming here at CC!
I would be really grateful if you guys could offer some opinions on which schools would fit me. :) and I would subsequently do more research on these schools.</p>
<p>Some information about me:
I am an academically strong student: approximately top 1~2% in a good (but not elite) school. School doesn't compute gpa...
Have not taken SATs (still a junior) but aiming for 2300+
I am also an international student from an upper middle class family. As it is going to be costly to attend college in U.S. anyway, I want to apply to top-tier schools to make it financially worth it for my family. I'm not being elitist, but if I applied to a less well-ranked school in USA I would be better-off attending a good university in my home country (in Asia) since I will probably work in my home country anyway.
Regardless, I am keen to go to US because it provides me with exposure and allows me to be independent during my college years; going out of my comfort zone will also make me grow :) (sounds cheesy but yeah)</p>
<p>My dream campus/college life:
- It would be nice to have a campus in a more rural setting. I'm a city person but I'm not big on crowded cities. I would like a school that is big enough for you to cycle around campus because cycling is my major hobby. It would be good for the school to be near the city somewhat, since it will be more convenient to get around... oh I love nature by the way, so I wouldn't mind a place that is very rural!
- a school whereby students enjoy card games! Haha I know it seems weird but I love card games like poker and big 2 and bridge, etc. Sleep is for the weak when you can 'gamble' (no money involved) all night! :P
- a school with a good economics programme. I love econs and will major in that
- A school with plenty of motivated students. I've studied in a school with many unmotivated students before and it nearly ruined me. I was always the top student so I felt overconfident, not knowing that I was just a frog in the well.
- I would like a school with a strong sense of community and wonderful school spirit
- I'm not big on sports so it doesn't matter if the school doesn't have strong athletic teams
- nice weather isn't necessary but it is a plus. I would hate a warm place but I'm not keen on somewhere too cold and snows too much. I like to go out and being cooped up during winter would suck.
- I'm a food fanatic so good food on campus (and near campus) is a must-have!
- I like to party but not too much! Occasional or even once a semester clubbing sounds about cool:)
- the school must not be snobby in general- that would be unbearable!
- I would like students to be intellectually curious and enjoy discussions on subjects outside of lessons (maybe even in dorms!)
- nice dorms is a plus :D I'm totally cool with having roommates
- dorms should be provided for all students. If I had to find a dorm outside school, I'd probably be too stingy to get one near school...</p>
<p>That's about it! Currently I really like Stanford (I think she meets all of my criterias) but I can't just apply to Stanford, since it's nearly impossible to get in especially since I believe I'm not as great as many cc-ers. I was thinking of Duke and UChicago too, since they have great econs programmes. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I was actually going to mention both Stanford and Duke. Give it a shot and apply anyway. Their admissions process are crazy so you may just get lucky and get in. Look into Penn. It doesn’t have the nicest weather but it has a great business/econ. program. Georgetown may be a perfect fit. A great business school located in Washington D.C. (weather can be cold but overall its pleasant). A prestigious school that still has a high acceptance rate. Look at these schools and apply even if you don’t feel qualified. Plenty of under qualified/‘average’ students get in every year. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Thanks! I’ll check out Georgetown:) yeah I’m definitely going to apply to both Stanford and Duke.
Would you say Northwestern U fits my criterias? I know Chicago’s weather is horrible but I’m considering Northwestern because I have a sibling in the area and I can save on rental if I enrolled there.</p>
<p>Northwestern is definitely a great school. I don’t know very much about it’s econ. program, although it is world renowned for it’s medical program. I imagine it has a good economics program though, as Chicago is a financial center for the entire US. Definitely research both Northwestern and UChicago (although they have atrocious weather :D)</p>
<p>I’ll do crazy research on these schools, including upenn 
thanks for the input!
I see that you’re applying to college soon as well. Good luck!!! I’m going to enter college in 2015, what about you?</p>
<p>UC Berkeley sounds perfect. Some others… UCLA, Dartmouth (although cold, has great economics and very rural), WashU St. Louis, Emory, Williams, Amherst, and other LACs.</p>
<p>No problem! I’m actually a rising senior,so I’ll be applying to colleges in about 3 months!!</p>
<p>Thanks @cakebatter! I’ll check them out. UCB has a super high proportion of students from my country so I reckon I have a decent shot if I applied!</p>
<p>You might want to check out Penn State. It’s not as “elite” or selective as the others, but has a HUGE alumni network, and the name is well-recognized. Also has one if the best honors programs in the country, which you would have an excellent shot at. It’s rural and beautiful, and the social life is great. Might make a good safety for you if the others don’t work out, and you still really want to study in the U.S.</p>
<p>Thanks:) I’ll check it out and consider it… what is an honors program by the way?</p>
<p>An honors program is a select program within a university, that is made available to the top group of students in the school. It can include things like special housing, seminars, access to research opportunities, internships, and priority registration for classes. </p>
<p>Here is a link for the program as PSU:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.shc.psu.edu/[/url]”>http://www.shc.psu.edu/</a></p>
<p>You might also try UC-Berkely (often just called Cal) or California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Both schools have nice weather, great econ programs, etc.</p>
<p>want to apply to top-tier schools to make it financially worth it for my family</p>
<p>I can understand not wanting to pay top dollar for less-than-elite-schools. That makes sense. however, you could apply to some schools that would give you large merit scholarships which would mean paying MUCH less.</p>
<p>^ As an international student, (most) schools offer admission on need-based basis. Meaning the OP probably won’t get a huge merit scholarship.</p>
<p>Quote from an earlier post regarding Georgetown
</p>
<p>Georgetown has a less than a 10% acceptance rate for early action, and 16% overall. Candidates with exceptional stats don’t necessarily get accepted.</p>
<p>My overall sense of your request for “help” in finding “suitable” American universities is that your constraints are such that only a small number of very selective colleges are a fit. We can list them all for you in a minute or so. And you can as well. Surely you want a list of colleges where you are assured of acceptance to at least some that you’ll be happy with. Since you have at least a year to go before you apply I recommend that you think this through, get your SAT results, and come back with the question in a year or so.</p>
<p>^ fogcity that “high acceptance rate” was in the contexts of the best schools in America. When looking at schools like MIT, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Caltech, and Stanford, a 16% is double (in some cases triple) the acceptance rate of these schools. Obviously when asking about the best schools in America, there is probably not one in the top 50 that has higher than a 20% acceptance rate.</p>
<p>University of Washington might be a good option. Also University of Texas-Austin and university of Florida. I will say that college in the US might be a lot different than asia depending on where you’re from.</p>
<p>If I were you, there is no harm in trying the ivies or UC berkeley</p>
<p>Thanks all for your inputs!</p>
<p>@fogcity you’re right about that. I would be able to list down all the elite schools. However it doesn’t make sense to apply to hypsmc + all ivies + 10 or so equally good schools, financially or effort-wise. I was kind of just hoping to narrow that list to maybe 5-7 schools which would fit me well.</p>
<p>If I were in your shoes the 7 I would apply to (in no particular order) would be:</p>
<ol>
<li>UC Berkely</li>
<li>Northwestern</li>
<li>Duke</li>
<li>Stanford</li>
<li>University of Chicago</li>
<li>Georgetown</li>
<li>Harvard (why not?)</li>
</ol>
<p>All are reaches (but they are for everyone!) but chances are you’ll get accepted to at least 1 of them. I would also recommend doing early decision to Northwestern. I actually did do some research and found that they have one of the top 10 economics programs in the US as well as a great location for in-depth studies (outside of Chicago), and you should have a reasonable shot of getting in.</p>