International Dad278 replies6 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 284Junior Member
edited January 22
@happymomof1 thanks,
I think in her school they don’t have a lot of internationals students, it's a public school, but it's a good school, the 10th in state. I think the counselors are good because this school put many kids in top colleges every year.
My eldest son did not have good counselors in his school, i talked about financial aid and they knew nothing.
My son did not let me help him with his applications, neither with the selection of the universities, with saying that he did not even show me his essays, which I imagine were excellent because he received letters of congratulations from the universities for his writings and few scholarships.
He is studying in a public university as domiciled in the State, with good merit, fortunately is an university that he likes very much, works for him.
My daughter is more demanding and has a higher academic level, and she is happy with my help, that's why I want to have more options to choose.
momrath5937 replies39 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 5,976Senior Member
@International Dad You've plenty of time to help your daughter put together a balanced list. I would doubt that her high school counselors would be too knowledgable about International admissions and financial aid, as it's very difficult to get accurate and meaningful data on the subject.
The CDSs tell us how many internationals are enrolled and how many receive aid, but in most cases we don't know how many applied or were admitted. The individual data points in the CDSs will give a general indication of the colleges' commitment to admitting and funding internationals, which is good for college-to-college comparisons, but admission with aid is still very difficult to predict.
Many colleges say that they support international admissions, but the figures tell another story. You really have to do your own research, and plan to cast a wide net.
A good place to start would be women's colleges, especially Mt. Holyoke, Bryn Mawr and Smith. They have strong academics and are among the top in international admissions and aid.
momrath5937 replies39 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 5,976Senior Member
Wellesley is a wonderful school, but more selective and not as supportive or generous toward international as the three I mentioned. I don't know their policy toward graduates of US high schools.
Other small liberal arts colleges with comparatively high levels of spending on aid for internationals are Macalester, St. Olaf, Trinity (CT), Amherst, Grinnell, Middlebury, Dickinson, Colgate, Richmond, Wesleyan, Wiliams. These are all sound academically, though varying in level of selectivity.
What your daughter needs to do over the next three years (in addition to keeping her grades up) is to think about activities, interests and life experiences that would help her stand out in the international pool.
International Dad278 replies6 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 284Junior Member
edited January 23
@momrath thank you for your suggestions, In your list I’d checked four before and I think work for her, I’m gonna check the others.
Fortunately she does not stay still, she is always with dance classes, soccer team, rowing, softball, debate team, and she is very sociable and worried about others, I think she needs to look for an activity that she likes to do for volunteering, and next year she can start to work few ours.
Thanks again.
paul27524777 replies349 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 5,126Senior Member
As a former international HS student, undergrad, and now a grad student, applying to colleges in USA requires a very good strategy regarding finance. In my case, I wouldn't hqave been able to attend school if my good HS friend hadn't told me about U Alabama that no one, not even my counselor, mentioned.
Otterma1502 replies29 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 1,531Senior Member
An advantage your daughter may have as an international student studying in the US, is the opportunity to speak in-person with admissions officers at colleges that interest her. Since she's at a well regarded public school in her state, it is likely that many colleges will send representatives to visit her school directly. She will also be able to sign up for in-person interviews and college events in her area. These visits and events will mostly happen early in her senior year but other things start in the junior year. Knowing that they're coming up and being prepared to sign up for them early can be helpful.
These in-person connections can be especially valuable at the great colleges listed by @momrath above.
International Dad278 replies6 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 284Junior Member
edited February 27
@Otterma , thank you, great point.
I always assist to all school activities, I’ll be pending from colleges fairs.
I think this is very helpful, I have some experience, because her older brother is in college, fortunately with a great scholarship from his in state commute college, he is happy there, he want to live at home.
He didn’t let me help him with his applications, we don’t knew the options that him had, and his public school counselors didn’t do it a good job, they don’t talked about this option to the only public College in their same city. I knew about scholarships options attending college open houses.(It’s your excellent point).
I’d dont knew about CC at his application’s time.
Today I’m trying to do it better for her, because she is so smart like her brother, but She like work more hard, she make a lot of sports, and she wants all college experience.
She is new in her school and She is doing great this year, she is like fifth in her course of 325 and her school in tenth place in state.
Thanks to the help than I received here in CC in the las 2 years, I know she’ll have more options.
Be this the time to thank you all for your help and share your experiences.
This is an amazing journey that I am enjoying a lot.
PA student's dad36 replies5 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 41Junior Member
It's very stressful for a student and his family if the parents can not fully support the student's education. We live in PA. And only UPitt will consider my son as "in-state" for Tuition ( as we have approved I-140). Penn state and Temple informed us that without a green card a student will be considered "international" for tuition purposes. So far my son has been accepted in engineering at Purdue, University of Minnesota Twin cities, Rochester Institute of Technology and UPitt. None of those universities will give any financial aid (even if our EFC is only $23000). RIT offered a merit scholarship ($20000 per year) and denied any additional Financial aid. All the private universities and colleges he applied are need aware and from my research I found that his probability of acceptance reduced drastically as he applied for financial aid. As for example Bucknell's acceptance rate for US students is around (32%), for international students it's 8% for international students applying for aid it's even less. Cornell enrolls about 300 international students each year. However, only 30 international students receive financial aid. Duke has informed him, as a international student seeking financial aid his chance is less that 4%.
International Dad278 replies6 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 284Junior Member
@PA student’s dad
With my older son was difficult, because he don’t let me help with her college selection.
He applied to 9 College, was accepted in 8, but just one was affordable for us.
A great college give him their most high scholarships and insisted a lot to have him as student, but money was a big concern.
Thank goodness he receipt a great scholarship from state College (his safety), we were so stressed and receipt the scholarship notice in mailbox on may 1st.(Decition Day).
I know that probably is a little early, but I’m doing my homework to have more options to my daughter.
You can’t be successful in college if you are thinking how can pay the next year.
I don’t know if your son can have a gap year
waiting to have his green card?
PA student's dad36 replies5 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 41Junior Member
I can understand how my son feels when he sees all his peers ( with lower stats ) are easily getting selected to some top and some good colleges with great aid and he is almost getting nothing, and we can do nothing being stuck in green card backlog that would take at least 30 more years without any change in the current immigration laws. Lately, found one great option for all international students (like my son) is to apply to some good German Universities (Germany doesn't have any tuition for domestic as well as international students). However, a student needs to proficient in German language. May be, I will ask my son to take a gap year, study German language and prepare for IIT entrance exam and apply again in the next year.
happymomof129381 replies170 discussionsRegistered UserPosts: 29,551Senior Member
Can your family afford four years of college in the US if your son starts at a community college? Studying in Germany will not be cheap if your child needs a year or two of intensive language instruction before beginning an academic program.
OK, engineering. Have you looked in to Capitol Technology U? They have scholarships too.
And yes, a family like yours pretty much needs to look for schools that offer large merit scholarships for high test scores (Bama, UA-Huntsville, others).
Lately, found one great option for all international students (like my son) is to apply to some good German Universities (Germany doesn't have any tuition for domestic as well as international students). However, a student needs to proficient in German language.
There's a few English-language options if your son is really interested in pursuing his education in Germany.
The last cheap option would be a "Studienkolleg." These are year-long transition programs offered to international applicants who don't quite meet the requirements for admission to a public university, particularly students who haven't completed calculus or lack German language proficiency. The curriculum for an intending engineering student would include German as a foreign language, calculus, and a review of high school physics, chemistry and computer science (with an emphasis on subject-specific language skills). Since all courses are taught in German, admission to a Studienkolleg does require low-intermediate (B1) German skills, but that's significantly less than what's required for regular admission to a university (B2 or C1).
Replies to: International students graduated from high school in US and accepted in US Colleges.
I think in her school they don’t have a lot of internationals students, it's a public school, but it's a good school, the 10th in state. I think the counselors are good because this school put many kids in top colleges every year.
My eldest son did not have good counselors in his school, i talked about financial aid and they knew nothing.
My son did not let me help him with his applications, neither with the selection of the universities, with saying that he did not even show me his essays, which I imagine were excellent because he received letters of congratulations from the universities for his writings and few scholarships.
He is studying in a public university as domiciled in the State, with good merit, fortunately is an university that he likes very much, works for him.
My daughter is more demanding and has a higher academic level, and she is happy with my help, that's why I want to have more options to choose.
The CDSs tell us how many internationals are enrolled and how many receive aid, but in most cases we don't know how many applied or were admitted. The individual data points in the CDSs will give a general indication of the colleges' commitment to admitting and funding internationals, which is good for college-to-college comparisons, but admission with aid is still very difficult to predict.
Many colleges say that they support international admissions, but the figures tell another story. You really have to do your own research, and plan to cast a wide net.
A good place to start would be women's colleges, especially Mt. Holyoke, Bryn Mawr and Smith. They have strong academics and are among the top in international admissions and aid.
I’ll check those College, what, do you think about Wellesley is in my list.
Other small liberal arts colleges with comparatively high levels of spending on aid for internationals are Macalester, St. Olaf, Trinity (CT), Amherst, Grinnell, Middlebury, Dickinson, Colgate, Richmond, Wesleyan, Wiliams. These are all sound academically, though varying in level of selectivity.
What your daughter needs to do over the next three years (in addition to keeping her grades up) is to think about activities, interests and life experiences that would help her stand out in the international pool.
Fortunately she does not stay still, she is always with dance classes, soccer team, rowing, softball, debate team, and she is very sociable and worried about others, I think she needs to look for an activity that she likes to do for volunteering, and next year she can start to work few ours.
Thanks again.
These in-person connections can be especially valuable at the great colleges listed by @momrath above.
I always assist to all school activities, I’ll be pending from colleges fairs.
I think this is very helpful, I have some experience, because her older brother is in college, fortunately with a great scholarship from his in state commute college, he is happy there, he want to live at home.
He didn’t let me help him with his applications, we don’t knew the options that him had, and his public school counselors didn’t do it a good job, they don’t talked about this option to the only public College in their same city. I knew about scholarships options attending college open houses.(It’s your excellent point).
I’d dont knew about CC at his application’s time.
Today I’m trying to do it better for her, because she is so smart like her brother, but She like work more hard, she make a lot of sports, and she wants all college experience.
She is new in her school and She is doing great this year, she is like fifth in her course of 325 and her school in tenth place in state.
Thanks to the help than I received here in CC in the las 2 years, I know she’ll have more options.
Be this the time to thank you all for your help and share your experiences.
This is an amazing journey that I am enjoying a lot.
With my older son was difficult, because he don’t let me help with her college selection.
He applied to 9 College, was accepted in 8, but just one was affordable for us.
A great college give him their most high scholarships and insisted a lot to have him as student, but money was a big concern.
Thank goodness he receipt a great scholarship from state College (his safety), we were so stressed and receipt the scholarship notice in mailbox on may 1st.(Decition Day).
I know that probably is a little early, but I’m doing my homework to have more options to my daughter.
You can’t be successful in college if you are thinking how can pay the next year.
I don’t know if your son can have a gap year
waiting to have his green card?
What does your son want to study?
OK, engineering. Have you looked in to Capitol Technology U? They have scholarships too.
And yes, a family like yours pretty much needs to look for schools that offer large merit scholarships for high test scores (Bama, UA-Huntsville, others).
What stats does he have?
Is he close enough to commute to Pitt?
One would be Bachelor's degrees entirely taught in English. There aren't very many of them, but here's one: https://studium.hs-ulm.de/de/Seiten/Studiengang_CTS.aspx?SearchCategory=Bachelor;
Another set of undergraduate degree programs is aimed specifically at international students who may be intending immigrants. The degree program starts out in English and then transitions to German in higher semesters, with concurrent German language courses required along the way. Here's an example: https://www.htw-dresden.de/de/fakultaet-elektrotechnik/studium/electrical-engineeringelektrotechnik.html
Here's a search engine for "international" degree programs taught at German universities that you may find useful: https://www.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/international-programmes/en/
The last cheap option would be a "Studienkolleg." These are year-long transition programs offered to international applicants who don't quite meet the requirements for admission to a public university, particularly students who haven't completed calculus or lack German language proficiency. The curriculum for an intending engineering student would include German as a foreign language, calculus, and a review of high school physics, chemistry and computer science (with an emphasis on subject-specific language skills). Since all courses are taught in German, admission to a Studienkolleg does require low-intermediate (B1) German skills, but that's significantly less than what's required for regular admission to a university (B2 or C1).