pearlygate

here's a general approach:

-privates is usually better for international student experience than public
-prestige matter when you're out to into the real world (many will disagree with this, but based from personal experience it does matter a lot)
-location also matters = weather
-proximity to a big city might matter if you're picky about food
-check the companies which visit the school during career fair, if there are lots of IB/hedge fund/PE and famous multinational companies then it's probably a good school.
-check the variety of courses they offer
-check if they offer CPT courses and co-op program for international
-check how many international students are on campus

pearlygate

huh what do you mean? www.studentsreview.com ? seems working for me

yipeng

I think it really depends on what you want in a college. The factors you took into consideration when deciding where to apply are still relevant. Financial aid packages, location, academics, people etc. There isn't ONE primary criterion unless one of those things (eg. finances) matter to you more than anything else.

Besides the college websites, if you do get admitted, you can try to look for more information from admitted students' websites or talk to current students and alumni (the alumnus who interviewed you would be a place to start). I've heard about people talking to other admitted students on facebook too.

Sure it would have been great to be able to visit before making a decision. But like tetrisfan said, the internet is your friend...

tilanperera

We have a website in Sri Lanka which is dedicated for Students and Teachers. The site is Find a Teacher, School, University, College, Educational Institute, Tuition Class, Tutor in Sri Lanka - (FAT = Find A Teacher). You can search for teachers, students, universities, colleges and educational institutes in Sri Lanka via Find a Teacher, School, University, College, Educational Institute, Tuition Class, Tutor in Sri Lanka

One of the most common questions we get from our users (mainly Teahcers, Students and Parents) is : "Do you know or recommend any oversears Universites/Colleges for us to do higer studies". It appears to be that many Sri Lankan students, teachers (and parents) are targetting overseas Universities becasuse of the situation (war) in the country.

Can anyone recommend us some colleges in US and UK which offers courses to overseas students? We would also like to know whether they will offer scholarships.

Thanks

HYPwannabe

t1388,

You sound as if you are going to pick the school, not your son. Isn't he the one going to college?

liland

20LEGEND, Congratulations on your college acceptances!

As our children spent most of their lives outside of the United States, when it came time to deciding on a school, I advised them to select one with a substantial number of international students. You can usually find this information on the university's website. My daughter is really pleased that her group of friends is an interesting mix of international and American students. I think that she would have really missed intereacting with people from other countries if she went to a university with a less diverse student body.

On a practical note, it also helps if the university is in a city with an international airport. My daughter is in Chicago and her international friends are happy that they can usually find a direct flight to their respective countries...and the flights from large cities are usually less expensive than from smaller cities.

Good luck with your decisions - we've visited LOTS of schools so if you want some feedback, let me know. My son is also trying to decide where he will spend the next four years...but he was able to visit the universities before he applied. Still, the decision won't be easy.

liland

You may want to ask the international admission representative at each of your prospective universities about the strength of their alumni network in your country in case you want to do an internship or work there after you graduate. We've found that some universities have extensive networks abroad, while others don't appear to have any connections.

SkyGirl

Which colleges are u torn over? Post it here and CCers can give their feedback.

shruthibaskaran

I agree with tetris. I think the best course of action would be to decide which school matches well with what you expect from it. And see where you fit well too. Try visiting all the campuses if you can, that might swing things in favour of one school

20LEGEND

StudentReview et all?
East coast ... can't narrow it down any further :S
How would you suggest I go about that exactly? Looking at Rankings/Placements/??? ?

For dorms and infrastructure I can talk to current students, but social life is something VERY subjective right ?

Thanks for that; good post.

ajayc

Maybe.

See mate, people usually know where they want to go. Either its a place where they cant get into or its a place if they tell others, they risk being laughed at. Example, I want to goto Occidental College. When I tell people they are like 'Oh...you want to be a dentist?' I mean ***. You do know where you want to go. Don't give a damn what others have to say. If you are a nerd and want a top class program, social life may not be a priority for you but it might be for me. You just have to find a match. Goto a college where you really want to. 5 years down the line you may realize that 'Damn, I wish I could have gone to X or y'

Descartesz

"Can anyone recommend us some colleges in US and UK which offers courses to overseas students? We would also like to know whether they will offer scholarships."

Most U.S. schools welcome international students and some will offer scholarships. However full consideration for financial aid is very rare. Start out at this link:

Schools Awarding International Financial Aid

The need-blind schools listed on this page are among the most selective in the U.S., so only outstanding students have a reaonable chance of admission. However the state search feature on this site will lead you to other schools that, while not need-blind, are nevertheless international friendly.

Narcissa

prestige isn't exactly determined by rankings. is harvard less prestigious than princeton?

ajayc

^ Exactly. Its all relative.

Narcissa: Mind if I visit you at New Joisy?

lydia_paramita

im an international student.
wht i did:
1. did the necessary test : toefl and sat.
your those scores, you can start to think wht kind of uni.s that match your academic quality.
2. deciding my school budget and location.
school budget :
comm. college : alot cheaper than ANY uni. but you hv to be ready for your next plan (transfering to 4year uni.)
private college : some of them hv financial aid programs for intern. students., but usually they are not big uni.s,,
public uni. : usually big uni. with alot of students. very min. scholarship and financial aid for international students (cause they are subsidized by the government already).
location : a.if you're going to stay at dorm,,normally no matter where you are, the total of your living cost will be pretty much the same..
b. if you want to be in place that has great number of racial diversities (calif. or nyc)
c. if you hv some fams. here and want to stay close with them,,
im in east coast btw.
3. if you dont hv financial issue,,well,,it depends on your major. try to see their web. find current international students there (you can try search in facebook, myspace, or friendster too!),,ask them whatever you want..

whereever and whatever uni. that you choose, you'll have great experiences by studying abroad! guaranteed! x]