Which university for me (only 4 U's to choose from)?

International Students
1

<p>Hi!
I've already applied to a school, but I think it doesn't hurt to apply to a second one.
These are the schools I'm thinking about, could you please make a suggestion?
I'm from Germany and these are my SAT scores: Math: 560 Reading: 440 CR: 490. I know, rather low, but it's at least enough for a TOEFL waiver. My GPA could be anything between 3.0 and 3.6, depending on the School. I'm from Germany btw.
My preferences are: -location, -college experience, -affordability, -good ranking or being well known
Proposed major: I think I'd choose 'Undecided' first, but I'm thinking about industrial engineering or aerospace engineering.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>State University of New York at Stony Brook
+: academically very good, not so far from NYC :)</p></li>
<li><p>City U of New York
+: top location
-: I don't know anything about their academical standing, but they are not really known overseas</p></li>
<li><p>San Diego State U or Cal State Long Beach
+: located in Cali <em>.</em>, my dream state
+: also don't know much about their academical standing, but their rankings aren't bad, especially SDSU has good rankings</p></li>
<li><p>First attend Santa Barbara City College and then transfer to UC: Santa Barbara
+: UCSB is my absolute dream university
+: it's rather cheap during the first 2 years
-: it's only a community college in the beginning
Is SBCC really worth the out-of-state tuition (complete COA about 22000$)?
Would it be an option to attend a 4-year university (i.e. University of South Florida, which I've already applied to? and transfer to UCSB after 2 years?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks! :)</p>

2

<p>As an international student, you should apply to several and at least 2 schools that you’re sure you can afford and that you’re sure you can get into (in your case, thinking you’re full pay, I’d say that would be SUNY Old Westbury, SUNY Plattsburgh, perhaps CSU Channel Islands if you can still apply, community colleges, FIU, FAU); then 3-5 that are matches (admission is not sure, but odds are good); then as many that are “reaches”, ie, where it’s unlikely you’ll get in but you may have a chance.</p>

<p>If you want to transfer to a UC (and can pay the $50,000/year, NO financial aid), then you need to attend a community college that has an agreement with the UC.
However your odds of transferring from another university in another state into a UC are almost nil.</p>

<p>If you applied to USF, why not apply to UWF, UNF, FAU?</p>

<p>Stony Brook is the best known on your list but you’re unlikely to get in with these test scores. </p>

<p>City U of NY is actually several universities, each with their specialty. The best are probably Baruch (economics, finance, business), Queens, Hunter, and CCNY. CCNY looks especially good. However these are primarily commuter campuses, ie., students live at home and just go to class. As an international student, you may prefer a more “residential” university, such as Drew, Fairleigh Dickinson, Fairfield, Providence, Fordham, UMass Lowell, Geneseo, Alfred, Adelphi, Wells, Elmira, Westminster MO or Westminster Mesa, ASU, Flagler, Eckerd, Florida Southern…
Since you’re into STEM fields, some schools that are good for CS or engineering would include SD School of Mines, UMN Morris, Truman State, Missouri School of Science and Technology, Coloroda Mines, New Mexico school of Mining, NYIT, RIT, WPI, Stevens…
You could apply to Old Westbury, it’s pretty easy to get into.</p>

<p>Isn’t it too late to apply to the CSU’s as a freshman? I thought the deadlines were in December?</p>

3

<p>Thank you! :slight_smile:
No, you can still apply to most CSU’s as an international student. However, for domestic students, deadline was on Nov 30.
It’s important for me, that the univesities are well known abroad and I’ll apply also for safety colleges here in Germany and in the UK/Scotland (no tuition for EU students), so I don’t need this many schools in the U.S. I’ll apply for two more schools in the U.S. I think.</p>

<p>Okay, I didn’t think about the 50k for the UC after two years, so I I should forget it. It was my dream school, anyway :(.
These schools you wrote " Drew, Fairleigh Dickinson, Fairfield, Providence, Fordham, UMass Lowell, Geneseo, Alfred, Adelphi, Wells, Elmira, Westminster MO or Westminster Mesa, ASU, Flagler, Eckerd, Florida Southern "- I can’t get into them, right? Arizona State is also very selective and has no aid.</p>

<p>I applied to USF because I have a very good chance to get high scholarships in the second year. But do you think they will admit me with these test scores?</p>

<p>FIU and FAU sounds interesting, I’ll take a closer look tomorrow. Are they well known? But then what about SDSU and Cal State LB?</p>

4

<p>

I am curious about that. Where did you hear that?</p>

<p>In my experience, large scholarships are almost exlusively awarded at the time of admission. Scholarships are meant to recruit top students to your university - no need to attract a student who’s already there. </p>

<p>Honestly, if you want to study at a good university in the US and finances are a concern, you’ll need higher SAT scores. Your best bet would be to take a gap year and retake those SATs (or take the ACT instead). I could see universities turning a blind eye to your verbal scores; you are a non-native speaker after all. But your math score is alarmingly low for a prospective engineering major as well…</p>

<p>

Use extreme caution when applying as ‘undecided’. </p>

<p>Most American universities are organized as several semi-autonomous colleges. There’s the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Medical School, the Business School, etc. Applicants are typically admitted to one of those colleges depending on their proposed major. As a prospective engineering major, you obviously want to be in the engineering school. However, ‘undecided’ majors normally get admitted to the college of arts and sciences. </p>

<p>It’s usually not a big deal to change majors within the same college in your first year (e.g. from one engineering discipline to another), but it can be near-impossible to switch colleges (e.g. from arts and sciences to engineering). Hence you should apply for an engineering major - any engineering major - if you want to study some kind of engineering. (“Undeclared - engineering” is fine too if that’s an option. Just be sure your stated major, or lack thereof, gets you admitted to the right college.)</p>

5

<p>[Freshman</a> International Student Scholarships](<a href=“http://usfweb2.usf.edu/admissions/scholarships/international-freshman.html]Freshman”>http://usfweb2.usf.edu/admissions/scholarships/international-freshman.html)
These are the scholarships offered. I don’t know if I can get one for the first year, but I have a good chance in the second year. That’s also what my German advisor said.
I know that my math score is not so high, but my math grades are way better and show that I’m quite good in this class.</p>

<p>I’ve already applied to USF as undecided, and my essay focuses on that point too. I noticed, however, that I’m interested in Industrial Engineering so they should know. Do you think this will cause any problems?</p>

<p>Could anybody please tell me what my chances are for USF and if SDSU or Cal State LB would be a good choice?</p>

6

<p>Those are scholarships for incoming freshmen. If you are not offered one at the time of admission, you won’t get one later.</p>

7

<p>Yes, that’s right. But my advisor said there are other on-campus scholarships that I’m eligible for (so for the second year). Thank you.
But could please anybody answer my other questions? There are only some days left and I’m freaking out.
So would SDSU or Cal State LB be a good choice? And should I go to a CC first and then transfer to them (I’d go definitely to SBCC)?</p>

8

<p>CSLB and SDSU are California state public schools. California is out of money. Their first obligation is to the taxpayers of California. These schools are impacted and they are becoming very selective, especially SDSU because their sports programs are becoming more nationally recognized so, the number of applicants has increased. These schools have about 30K to 40K students.</p>

<p>You will be paying Full fees at both the community colleges in CA, and then, when you transfer, you will be paying full fees at SDSU or Long Beach. Just because you begin at a CC doesn’t mean you automatically qualify to become a resident living in California for 4 years. It’s not that easy. If you come with the intent to study in California, you are not considered a “resident”. OOS students put their education on hold and typically work for a couple of years and pay taxes. Your student visa will not permit you to “work” off-campus. </p>

<p>When we visited Long Beach, the staff indicated that they had become extremely selective, receiving 60K applications (?). Their STEM programs are extremely full and popular. Several big engineering firms are affiliated with CSULB and hire interns from the STEM programs. Boeing rents a facility on-site and trains engineering students through labs and paid internships so, getting into this university is tough enough for residents, let alone international students who need financial aid.
[California</a> State University–Long Beach | Best College | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/california-state-university-long-beach-1139]California”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/california-state-university-long-beach-1139)
SDSU is a very popular university throughout our state and receives thousands of applications. It has also become selective in admitting students.</p>

9

<p>Forgot to add: You need to consider that California is an expensive place to live. Rents are ridiculous, and, any “scholarships” typically cover books and supplies. It is generally assumed that you will be paying full fees to attend IF you are accepted.</p>

10

<p>Samman: your counselor is wrong. You cannot get a merit scholarship if you didn’t get it as a freshman. You could potentially get a couple thousand dollars if you got into the Honors College but that wouldn’t make a dent into OOS tuition.
There is NO tuition scholarships at California publics for international students (for isntance, at Merced you can get something off your total bill that pays a little of tuition, it’s called the Global Scholarship, but the total bill remains very high.)
Your odds at SDSU or LB are very low considering that they’re among the most difficult CSU’s and that criteria are more selective for OOS students. In addition, how much do your parents have?
Finally, contrary to what you said, your SAT scores aren’t sufficient for a TOEFL waiver at many places so you should really take that test and indicate on your applications that you’re going to (then send the results directly).</p>

11

<p>MYOS is correct, Samman. Your counselor isn’t. </p>

<p>In fact, for many students, not just internationals, NOT getting enough financial aid for the second year is a big problem. Many schools will throw in some money for the first year to attract the student without guaranteeing that amount for the entire 4 years.</p>

12

<p>Sorry for my late answer, but I had much schoolwork to do.
@aunt bea
Exactly. I know that I can’t become a resident without a Greencard and also know that in the worst case I’ve to pay 4 full years out of state tuition. But CalState LB and SDSU seem to me that they are really good schools, also after what you said. I mean universities in Germany aren’t better and there aren’t any companies that hire directly from universities.
Do you think I could pull it off with attending a CC first or not?
Ah, what you say about rent, well it’s much worse in urban areas here in Germany. As for this, I got used to it and I would at least pay the same for rent and food here.
@MYOS
He said that about USF, not about any Cal College. But what you say seems legit to me. I’m gonna ask USF directly. IF there is an university I apply to that wouldn’t waive the TOEFL, I’ll do what you said. Since I’ve applied to universities in England and Scotland, I may have to take the TOEFL, if they don’t waive it because English is my core class.
Thanks :).</p>

<p>@katliamom
I looked for this, if they grant a scholarship for the first year, they guarantee the same amount for the following year, as long as you both maintain a 3.0 GPA and live on campus.</p>

13

<p>

To give you an explicit reference point, here at Stanford it’s practically unheard of to get a room in a shared apartment (WG) for less than $1,000 per month. I hear that LA and San Francisco are just as expensive.</p>

<p>Re food prices. Cheap yogurt starts at $1 for a one-serving container. In Germany, I recall buying 4-packs for less than 1 Euro. A cheap frozen pizza is $8 here. In Germany, I recall buying them for 3 Euros. (Granted, I used to shop at Aldi and there’s no comparable discount grocery store here…)</p>

14

<p>I second B@r!um here. Plus, you really won’t like cheap American yoghurt. (And do you want to know how much Greek yoghurt costs?)
I think Walmart is like a gigantic Aldi :smiley: (but I shop at Wegman’s or Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods or sometimes Kowalski’s, depending on where I am. Just because the food quality of Walmart products is way below what I find acceptable - look at the ham composition if you have time… :s I hate Walmart way more than Aldi for some reason. Even '“Ed” seems okay.)
Fruit is not too expensive compared to the rest but that’s about it.</p>

<p>OP: your odds are good at some of the schools listed on this thread, so go ahead and apply. (As an international, you should apply to a minimum of 2 “safety” schools and 4-5 match schools*.) For schools with rolling admissions, the earlier you apply, the better. And for schools with deadlines, especially for honors scholarships or scholarships based on stats, the deadlines have passed already or are quickly upcoming so you need to act fast.</p>

<ul>
<li>your stats place you above the top 25% / your stats place you near the top 25%. As an international, things are a bit harder. However, if you’re full pay, you can look at school for which you’re well-above the median even if you’re not close to the top 25%.</li>
</ul>

15

<p>“I hate Walmart way more than Aldi for some reason”</p>

<p>For very GOOD reason, MYOS. Walmart is everything that is wrong with American-style capitalism. It’s sheer exploitation that offers nothing but crap in return. </p>

<p>Just IMHO. Carry on.</p>

16

<p>My daughter had to explain to me that the international students often think transportation is easy in California, 1/2 hour to other cities. Public transportation in the Santa Barbara area is not very good. What people don’t seem to understand is that Santa Barbara is isolated. </p>

<p>On a map, it looks close to LA, but the drive on the 101 is not good. It’s on an unforgiving coastal ride. </p>

<p>The community colleges are impacted with less class offerings, so getting out of a CC is going to take a while no matter where you go. So, If you go to a CC, you will probably pay OOS tuition for a minimum of 3 years at the least. </p>

<p>I have to be realistic, you are choosing to apply to two of the most popular and competitive Cal States in our state. BTW: Long Beach is not on the Beach. And SDSU is 20 minutes inland by freeway on a good traffic day. Based on your SAT scores, I’d say you don’t really have a good chance of getting in. </p>

<p>If you are wealthy, you could apply to other California schools. SDSU and CSULB are in very expensive towns so you need to be prepared. People from other states are often surprised at how fast their money disappears on rent and utilities here. Welcome to PG&E and SDG&E.</p>

17

<p>@ b@r!um
Okay :D. According to craigslist, there are many rooms for about 500 - 800 $ a month (near SDSU). That’s the same you would pay in Frankfurt and Munich.
I can’t say much to grocery prices, but you’re there and compared to Germany it’s actually more expensive, but that’s what I would have to expect in the UK/Scotland too, because Germany is one of few countries that have these discounter stores.</p>

<p>@MYOS1634
We had many Walmarts in Germany a few years ago, quality was very good and prices were very low, even lower than Aldi’s. We used to buy nearly everything there, but it closed and the Real chain bought all of their stores. It has become very worse now. Okay, if quality’s bad in the US I’d have to get used to it as a student, anyway. Couldn’t throw all of my money down the drain :D.
Which schools do you mean? Florida Atlantic?
As I said, my safety schools are in the UK, because I wouldn’t want to pay out of state tuition to second choice schools. Schools in Scotland are completely free for EU students.
I’m full pay, at least for the first year. In the worst case I’d have to continue my studies in an EU country.</p>

<p>@katliamom
Same here with all these big chains. But they have a monopoly, nothing we can change.</p>

<p>@aunt bea
Thanks. My counselor didn’t say this, he just said that everybody could get his A.A. within two years and continue at a state university because of the Transfer Agreements.</p>

18

<p>Samman: it’s true anybody can potentially graduate in 2 years but since colleges are overcrowded, that’s not always possible and there have been many reports on scheduling conflicts causing delayed graduation with students forced to take “irrelevant” classes until they can register for the classes they need. Then after the 4-5-6 semesters at community college, you’d have to pay full price for UC’s… that’s $50k/year.
The same system as California’s is in place in Virginia (Richard Bland/William and Mary, Virginia Piedmont/UVA), in Florida… You need to check the prices though because you’d have to pay full costs.</p>

<p>Look at all the schools we provided on this thread.
You can also look into these schools:
<a href=“College Search | College Finder | Colleges by Major & Location”>College Search | College Finder | Colleges by Major & Location;
They all have deadlines Feb 1 or later.</p>

<p>What are your safeties in Scotland? Because most Scottish schools are pretty selective (UEdimburgh and Glasgow are Russell Group, St Andrews is highly selective too, Herriot Watt is not easy to get into either nor is Aberdeen…)
They’re certainly harder to get into than USF :)</p>

19

<p>aunt bea raised a good point about transportation: do check if you’d need a car at each of those universities. Most of the US doesn’t have functional public transit and the distances are often too great to bike - US cities are much more spread out than cities in Europe. (Not to mention that the roads might not be bike-friendly at all…) Furthermore, the big stores (like Walmart) are often located in malls outside of the urban centers, which makes them only accessible by car. Without a car, you might be stuck with more expensive corner stores.</p>

20

<p>I definitely can’t pay the tuition for UC-I intended to transfer to a CSU school (or I could, but I don’t want to have about 50000$ debt after graduating, even if it’s UC).
I’ll look at your schools, but Florida Atlantic (which you recommended) seems to be a good school. Is it academically comparable to USF?
It’s U of Strathclyde (very good for engineering), U of Glasgos and Herriot Watt. They have minimum entry requirements that I meet (i.e. 2.3 in the Abitur, my counselor put 2.2 as my predicted grade (1 is the best, 6 is the worst)). Only Glasgow is gonna be very hard to get in, as they require a 1.3 in most programs. Aberdeen didn’t have the course I applied to.
I also applied to two universities in England, they are University of Hertfordshire (academically not this known, but their engineering program is, in my opinion, awesome) and City University of London.
Tuition for EU students in England is 9.000 pounds a year, but as an EU student I’d get a loan from their government with a very low interest rate.</p>