<p>Hey didn’t know there was a book for international students. Do you have some general tips or advices for future internationals in the US ? Do you think admittance is easier for a full paying international than for a regular American, assuming they both have similar stats ?</p>
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<p>This is too broad a topic to cover here, but the one thing that I can’t say enough when I advise international applicants is that it is extremely difficult to get financial aid from US colleges and universities, if you are not a US citizen or Permanent Resident. You are held to a far, far higher standard, and even applicants who do recognize this may not fully understand just how high that bar is set (think “Jupiter!” 
) Moreover, if your country of origin is already well represented in your target colleges’ applicant pool (often this applies to students from India, China, and Korea, but it really varies from college to college), then you are at a greater disadvantage still, if seeking aid.</p>
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<p>Again, more keystrokes required here than the space allows, but short version: It really depends on a lot of factors. A full-pay student who has grown up in India may indeed be more attractive to many colleges than a full-pay Indian student from the U.S. but that is a gross oversimplification. Even if the SATs and grades are comparable, admission officials will look at other strengths, accomplishments, and atypical experiences. Public universities will give priority to in-state applicants. Full-pay international students from countries that don’t commonly show up in a school’s applicant pool can definitely be sought-after.</p>
<p>So, overall, it’s a complex process with no easy answers here.</p>
<p>I think for any international student seeking significant aid from a US college, the application process is a bit more tedious than full pay ones , and safeties are very important (if they can be called that). A year ago I didn’t even know the college i’m going to existed, however now I am confident that there academic standards are high and with the financial support provided, I now view it as my dream college.</p>
<p>Firstly, I wouldn’t mind going to any of the schools that are known in my country - HYP 
But I knew from the beginning that I didn’t fit the bill for the top tier universities so I just found my match in the hierarchy and went ahead applying. It was all new to me so I took a lot of help from other International students. They told me it was ok to go to a good LAC etc. I ended up applying to schools that offered good financial aid. The school I’m going to this fall is well unknown here, so I have a lot of explaining to do. Most people are kind and don’t probe. Some do and it’s exasperating. But the thing is, my parents like my college as much as I do, I got a great fin aid award and I know it’s a great school so I’m happy :D</p>
<p>Factors that would definitely scare me away include racism, preppy people (i know, i know), on-campus violence (VT), religious intolerance and more Republicans than Democrats (j.k.)</p>
<p>heading to UIUC, quite well known the academic circles for their engineering, seen as regular no-prestige state university by the general population (although they haven’t heard of it, that’s what they assume hearing the name). Same happens to UPenn there, except that none of the professors at former uni were familiar with any research from the place.. consulting companies recruiting there seemed to love UPenn though 
(my other choice, only applied three places).</p>
<p>Happens all the time with my beloved Grinnell and its cornfields.
I always get a compassionate, at-least-you’re-leaving-the-country look.
Considering that I first found out about a liberal arts college (Williams, I remember) 2 or 3 months before I applied to 15 LAC’s, I’m not surprised.
However, I really don’t care if people think I’m going to a crappy school, I won’t even see them anymore in a month or so.</p>
<p>I wasn’t so much warning about the LAC thing as cautioning people to weigh costs and benefits in general. I mean, even if you got into MIT, if your family’s finances are tight you should at least weigh your options very carefully. Of course, results won’t come in for another 9 months, but even if you’re convinced of the benefits of LACs for Singaporeans (which I won’t dispute), you should be prepared to AGONISE over the cost/benefit issues of each individual school.</p>
<p>When I first came to the US three years ago I started attending a CC in Kansas. Since I was out of school for 5 years (military and a privat business), I was looking for a place with small classes and private attention. Fast forwarding…
I never really cared if anyone knew where my college is (or KS for that manner), I only cared if it is the right fit for me. Looking back I had a great time in a CC, and, more importantly, I got accepted to top schools to complete my degree. I think that one can be more productive if he/ she is happy w/the environment around him/ her, but on the other hand he/ she can be the saddest person if he/ she isnt happy in the best school in the world.</p>
<p>Since I don’t plan on going back to my home country I really don’t care if anyone knows about the College I’m going to. Plus, as b@rium has already said, the averge person in Germany won’t know anything about U.S. universities. The only name that’s well known is Harvard.</p>
<p>However, I wouldn’t go to a university that’s internationally unknown. It’s simply not worth the money and I probably would’ve gotten better opportunities in my country. The reason I came to the U.S. in the first place was to keep my options open. I might want to work in asia in the future and I know that certain U.S. universities are very respected around the globe (just not in my country). </p>
<p>My goal from the very beginning was to transfer to Berkeley, because it’s well known for my major (EECS) and I really like the surroundings. Right now I’m still at a CA CC to save money and I’m really happy here. I’m also pretty sure that my plan will work out and that I’ll get into Berkeley next year.</p>
<p>Sure, if a medium or good school offers me a full ride I might choose it over Berkeley, but in general I don’t care that much about financial aid. I think the money is well worth it. I’m sure that I’ll get a decent job after graduation and if I don’t change my living standards substantially I’ll be able to pay off my loans very quickly.</p>
<p>haha. I got so excited when my uncle has heard of my school, USC.
Most of the time my relatives responded with a rather disappointing, “you got into college!? Great! What? USC? No…I don’t know what that is…”</p>
<p>Making a decision to attend a college based on the “it’s well known in my country/US” it’s pretty much BS, especially undergraduate degree. As a matter of fact, UCLA is not that well known here in my country (Brazil) but I’ll gladly attend it. What matters most is that if your school is academically good, the interviewer/people in your field will know it. If you’re applying for an engineering job, a Comp. Eng. degree from UIUC will be much much more valuable than a Yale degree. Of course, let’s not bring in the issue about networking.</p>
<p>I previously attended the big shot college in my home country and knew from the moment I arrived on campus, the big student body and the conveyor belt attitude towards students, was not the college environment I would flourish in.</p>
<p>I dropped out, changed course, and moved to a tiny college in another city and I fell in love with the program. I felt invigorated, creative, and loved the friends I made in my tiny class.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the course was a year’s duration, and two years later I missed the tiny classes and the zest everyone had for the program. A colleague suggested I apply to the US, as I would receive greater experience through internships and a more focused faculty. </p>
<p>I only applied to very small, selective women’s colleges as I missed working with women, and especially creative, dynamic, productive women, as they are the kind of women who inspire me. The more I researched stats on women’s college graduates, the more I knew I’d found my match. I eventually applied to 3, all completely unheard of in my country. In fairness, people in my country have only heard of the Ivys & the UC’s. Financial aide was a huge factor, but a friendly, diverse, focused student body was a bigger factor. I am, after all, moving away from the family & friends I’ve known for 20+ years, and I wanted an environment where I could create my own little family. So, I chose Stephens and it’s small, talented, creative community, and now I don’t feel like I’m moving away, as I know I’m going to flourish there.</p>
<p>I know it seems a lot to think about, but it really saddens me that people overlook great colleges because it’s not prestigious enough.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s on you to make your college shine in a different country!</p>
<p>yeah i would (and did) :P</p>
<p>You would think that NYU is pretty well known right?</p>
<p>Well I talked to the education dude (I don’t know if he even has a title - he’s supposed to be in charge of the sending of transcripts to unis) in school and he asked me if I’m applying for high school. Wanted to laugh, restrained. I answered no, he asked if it is a foundation course. Felt like knocking some sense into him right then.</p>
<p>The only US university they know here is Harvard. Geez, even Yale is pretty unknown and some even think that Harvard is actually in the UK.</p>
<p>Aren’t people ignorant or what? If they don’t know the Ivies whaddya expect from them?</p>
<p>Nope I wouldnt go overseas to attend a not well known college.
I guess it depends where your from as well.
Im Australian and very few people here have heard of Smith, Barnard or UPenn, and know Wellesley, Vassar and Columbia vaguley from movies. Most know princeton, harvard and Yale are elite.
But I would never go to some small unelite liberal arts college. my degree would be worthless in regard to what I could have gotton here.
But if you are from an undeveloped country then yea I might.</p>
<p>for example, we have student teachers at our school from eastern europe, africa and parts of asia that have to do their degrees again when they get here because theyre worth nothing.</p>
<p>well i dont agree with you. I am from India, which is not obviously developed, but we have a section of technological colleges called IITs, which though may not be known to you are one of the best for engineering , they are ranked like 15 in world ranking for technoligcal colleges. Also, their acceptance rate is 0.2% far lesss than that of harvard ( 11% ). Also, as you call it, a unelite liberal arts college doesnt exist. A lot of people seem to think that a ranking is all that is there to a college, which is wrong. Coleges like williams college and dartmouth, are not even well known to the general people in USA, but these colleges are top of the cream, extremely elite and very well known to the people in the bussiness, so as to speak.</p>
<p>i would rather go to a not so wellnown elite small liberal arts college in a cozy setting than a huge well known university where classes are huge and nobody really cares for you. The level of involvement that people have in liberal arts colleges cant really be matched by universities which have hundreds of people in 1 class.</p>
<p>well, first of all, noone in my country needs to know the names of the ivies or the best liberal arts colleges, because i’m very sure that the average american does not know how prominent a college in my country is. i attend middlebury, an awesome LAC, and noone but my close friends know anything about it. it’s especially frustrating to explain it to my mom’s friends, as all they seem to know about the usa is new york, harvard and obese, ignorant people–well, middlebury clearly falls out of those categories. i don’t care about it because i know how well known my school is, and since i’m thinking of working in the usa after i graduate, i don’t care how well known middlebury is back home.
yet again, if you’re considering on working in your home country when you finish college, i think the reputation of the college you’re attending is important. of course, the person hiring you can always do a google search and see how good your college is, but they’re more likely to hire someone who graduated from one of the best universities of your home country rather than someone who went to a relatively good but unknown american college.</p>
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Unfortunately the decision of working in the States isn’t up to you. If you wanted to get an American degree thinking it is a one-way ticket to a job over there too, think again. Getting a work visa after graduating is extremely competitive and hard.</p>
<p>As for getting a job in your home country, keep up your grades and get some significant work experience during the OPT period in the States before returning.</p>
<p>It depends where you come from; I mean I would never let my parents pay $50,000 a year to send me to Middleburry or Williams when I could easily go to Australian National University (ranked 16th in the world) really easily, and for less than half the cost. Here, a degree from ANU would be worth more than one from a small liberal arts college–career wise.</p>
<p>unelite liberal arts colleges do exist–just look how easy it is to go to college in the US for a citizen, just look how many colleges there are compared to the population; and the high school curriculum is far weaker than many other nations; its ranked below the mean in the world. (i.e their "ap statistics’ is the same as my schools mainstream sophomore maths)…</p>
<p>[Poor</a> Marks For U.S. Education System, UN: S. Korea, Japan Top Best Schooling List; U.S. Near Bottom - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/26/world/main530872.shtml]Poor”>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/26/world/main530872.shtml)</p>