About grades [international student]

I really don’t know uni in USA and the only names I know Is the elite one
I need to enter something like UIUC , University of California, San Diego something like that

Those are top tier schools and highly unlikely to be affordable.

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I don’t really know uni in USA and these name i got from internet but lets define the top tier uni as the uni that is the same rank of harvard MIT and the avg is the normal normal one that anyone can enter

You really need to do some more research about US colleges and the challenges of getting a full ride scholarship as an international (with a less than perfect academic record).

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The top tier is a lot bigger than you think. None of the ones you listed are colleges that “anyone can get into”. Most of the UCs are hard to get into, and certainly for UCLA and UCB you’d need to have a stellar high school record as well as good extra curriculars. Plus, California publics do not provide any funding to out of state students. UIUC is a top public which has a fairly high level for entry and even that is “easier”, in the sense that a third of applicants get accepted into their first choice major, but clearly a third is a lot less than “anyone”. When you are talking about colleges that have high acceptance rates, you are probably talking about those ranked…roughly 90 or lower in the US News rankings. Some colleges have auto admit if you meet a certain GPA and they may be able to translate that for international students, look at colleges like Arizona State University or University of Arizona.

Again, the question about funding. (Edit: I see this has been answered. It makes it a lot tougher).

What is it you want to study? If it’s something like computer science or engineering (as it may be from your post about your out of school activities), you should be aware that those are highly competitive at many universities. For example, CU Boulder has an overall admission rate around 75-80%, but the engineering college in it has an admission rate of 30-40%.

The best way for many people in your position to study in the US is to go to university locally to do undergrad, do well, and try get a funded postgraduate degree after that.

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These universities are public so they don’t have financial aid for internationals (or even American students outside their state’s), and these also don’t offer merit scholarships.

If your results place you among the best in Egypt and your extra curriculars placed you at a national or international level you might have a shot at the met need colleges. These universities may use the ISFAA (free) but they may use the CSS (either you have to pay $25 for that form or they give a waiver and some don’t). Since your parents ’ annual income is $4,800, you would receive a full ride + from these colleges - but they would likely only admit ONE student from Egypt with that level of need or perhaps just one from all of North Africa. So your odds are… Very very low.

If that’s not you .. your choices are few and far between: score a perfect 36 on the ACT or 1600 on the SAT AND have a school counselor indicate you have a 4+ weighted GPA in a transcript AND find a university with full rides for that level of achievement (I think Troy in Alabama, perhaps Mississippi Southern?)

To find your weighted GPA, calculate this way

  1. convert ALL final grades since Grade 9
    4 for each A (roughly top 30-40% in that class)
    3 for each B (next 30-40%)
    2 for each C (bottom 20 % BUT STILL PASSING)
    Add them all, divide based on subject number. You should have a number between 3 and 4. What is that number? (We’ll need it to evaluate your chances)
    That number is called your UNWEIGHTED GPA.

  2. Copy all this and create a new category below the first - it will be your weighted GPA.
    Now, add +1 to your 11&12th grade advanced subjects (something like Calculus and Physics if you’re on a STEM track) and +0.5 to classes that are taken into account for university (11-12) or to decide whether you can progress to a pre university program (9-10).
    What is that number?

Are you a boy or a girl?
What do you hope to study?

There are ~3,500 universities in the US. The top 350 ones are very good.
To learn about them, you can look up “US News World report” online and look for top 100 National universities, top 100 National Liberal Arts Colleges, and top 10-20 Regional Universities per region.
Then, you can find a book called Princeton Review’s Best Colleges and read the descriptions.

I am not talking about high rate uni for everyone i mean high rate for me ( my grades in 11 ,10 is c , 9 A , 12 A+) and i also qualified to ACPC for teens finals (arab and african collegiat programming contest) and i rated as expert on CF ( international website for CP contests) and i competed in APIO ( asian pacific informatics olympaid) baut not in official team these acheivments are not easy to get in egypt so i was not searching for high acceptance rate for everyone but for my acheivments also i want to enter CS universty

Look, you can apply, but funding is still going to be the biggest obstacle. It is extremely rare for internationals to get a full ride, which is what you need. Also, I don’t think anyone has highlighted it yet, but admit rates for international students are generally well below those of US ones. Make sure you have solid affordable options either at home or maybe in Europe (where university is a LOT cheaper than in the US).

The number and type of subjects vary from one grade to another.

In grade 9, you study all types of science, but at a simpler level that is not as challenging as in grade 10
In grade 10, you study a mix of subjects, including science and literature, to help you decide whether to continue in the science or literature track
In grade 11, if you choose the science track, you study all branches of science until you specialize in either mathematics or biology
In grade 12, you continue in the science track with a focus on mathematics, studying all science subjects except biology, and taking more advanced math-related subjects

Right now I see a number of roadblocks:
----It appears that to date you have not adequately researched US colleges including admissions expectations and financial considerations.
–Full rides are extremely hard to come by, especially for international students. And even with a “full ride” your family may need to pay thousands of dollars for transportation, health insurance, etc.
–CS is an extremely competitive major.
–Your C’s in grades 10, 11 will likely take top tier colleges out of contention and make you a less attractive candidate for a full scholarship at other colleges.
–You did not take standardized tests while in HS.

I expect this will be my last post on your thread. By all means give US colleges a shot, but definitely seek out options in your home country (and perhaps elsewhere) as a back-up plan. Good luck moving forward.

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Could you please define top-tier college + I hope for my grad 9 and 12 and the SAT score to improve the two c’s, in grade 10, 11 + (I am ready to work beside the university to cover what I want to pay). Also, I had taken SSAT and my score in math was 94~96% I guess, but in the reading, I was bad (because I am not a native English speaker + I will focus on it in the SAT). As I told you, I just want a good uni, not a top-tier (if I understand top-tier correctly). I guess also I will have a good recommendation because most of the teachers in my school know how good I am in scientific subjects+ I am a boy ( I forget to answer this earlier ) I also appreciate that you are answering me

I think in order to get a student visa you will need proof that you have the funds to pay, there is really no working with the university. There are many students who have never received a single C in all 4 years, some of my kids only received one B, and did not attend very selective universities because we couldn’t afford them, even after merit costs were still $35,000+ a year.

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How? In order to get a visa to study in the United States, you will need to complete a certificate of finances showing that you have the money to study here at the ready. This can include money you have (which in your case sounds like it is $0), awarded financial aid, approved loans (I can’t imagine you will be able to get loans with your family income). It cannot include future income, future possible sources of income, potential loans, etc. How will you show you can fund these colleges?

If you can’t show you have the money…you will not get a visa to study in the United States.

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I can loan some mony and return it after getting the visa from working (delivery ..etc) from my work

A student visa restricts you to 20 hours a week of on campus jobs. Those will be around minimum wage, so realistically you are looking at (at best) a little over $1000 a month, before taxes. That’s hardly going to make a dent in a bill that is likely to run around $80,000 a year (if not more) for many colleges.

Apart from the question about whether you can loan enough, what you plan to do here is visa fraud. That can get you banned from the US for life. (And don’t think the visa officers won’t figure it out - they see this enough.) You need to show a real, valid source of funds that are available for your studies.

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You should read this. I forgot, the college also needs proof of your finances before they can issue the form required (I20) for the visa.

Note:

Prospective F-1 or M-1 students must have the financial resources to live and study in the United States. This includes being able to cover the cost of tuition, books, living expenses and travel. Designated school officials (DSOs) must collect evidence of the student’s financial ability before issuing a Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.”

Additionally, prospective students must bring their evidence of financial ability when applying for their student visa with the U.S. Department of State. It is also advised to have the evidence on-hand when entering the country at a U.S. port of entry, in the event a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer asks to review it.

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Also look at Fisk, Xavier, and Howard

For Americans: note that these 2Cs are equivalent to Bs in the US. It’s not a bad grade (that’s why UK colleges advertise “A-C” results, for instance - vs. D, E, F, G, U grades.) So, in US terms, this student got 2 Bs during his education, which is pretty good.

Being a boy doesn’t help :neutral_face:.

You need to have the money before you apply for a visa. It means you need money saved just for the visa interview and the deposit in April (plus possibly CSS the previous October).

@Square_Head
First, calculate your UW and W GPAs as indicated.
Second, to get a better overview of US colleges, look up all top 100 national universities and LACS + top 10-20 regional universities, so that you can grasp the breadth of offering. The US News and World Reports website is free to access. (It’s an old magazine that stopped existing but still has a website with updated rankings; it changes criteria evey other year to keep things interesting/profitable so remember to consider universities in groups of 20 where they are rather interchangeable.
Join the mailing list (use a college-specific email address and check it often, because they track whether you open messages and what pages you read from the links they embedded).
Third, look into Canadian and European universities (especially in Germany or France& Belgium, depending on your foreign language.)

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Every State in the US has good universities. Do some research!!!

Even with good universities, your family won’t be able to afford most of them. Getting into a good university does not mean that it will have a cheaper cost. Sometimes, the “good” universities are MORE expensive than the private elite ones. UC San Diego will cost you about $70,000+ per year. It is a comprehensive university that teaches lots of other subjects and CS is only one of 100’s of courses taught there. They have no scholarships for nonresidents of California. $0 for you.

You are NOT allowed to work, outside of the university, on a student visa. Most students work about 10-15 hours a week because working a job will cut into your study time. Students who work on campus typically earn money for fund toiletries, laundry supplies, or inexpensive meals.

As previously noted, this money does not come close to funding a full year of tuition, room and board, or miscellaneous fees for your classes.

You need to look on the internet and read about the 3500+ universities in the US, and the costs.

Look to your country for affordable universities.

I had searched for a list of universities that give FA to international students and filter the uni that it is hard to enter
Lehigh University

Minerva Schools at KGI

Berea College

Franklin & Marshall College

Gettysburg College

Macalester College

Skidmore College

Union College

University of Richmond

Lafayette College

Colorado College

Connecticut College

Dickinson College

Kenyon College

Oberlin College

Trinity College

is there a hope in these uni ?