Hey! I was recently admitted to Williams class of '28 as an international student. I didn’t apply for any financial aid, and my middle-class parents—they have an annual income of around $60,000, but several hundred thousands in savings and valuable family property inherited somewhere in the future—are concerned that the investment of $350,000 is not worth because its unlikely for me to secure a well-paying job after Williams as a non-US citizen. I’ll have to do a masters for that, which, if its a JD or MBA, will likely cost $200,000 more.
They’re also concerned that its a massive blunder for me to cloister myself in rural Massachusetts, among American elites, when the global centre of power is shifting so rapidly from West to East.
Williams does not have global brand, so its unlikely for me to come back to my home country in Asia and get a good job solely based on William’s prestige.
My other options are UCL ($188,000), UCSD ($300,000), and Ashoka University ($60,000).
Obviously, if money wasn’t an object, I would run to Williams. It’s the best fit for a person like me and I see my thriving intellectually and socially over there. However, that’s not the only, or even the most important factor for me right now. What do you guys think? Is Williams worth it?
I don’t think any college can guarantee an international student (or any student for that matter) a well paying job in the US or elsewhere after graduation.
Williams is very prestigous in the US and is a “little Ivy.” But I get your concern about international reputation for prestige and career outcomes.
FYI Some top schools are now free for incomes under 100k and future inheritance is not relevant. Williams is not need blind so not applying for financial aid may have helped you with admissions I suppose. Deadline was 1/8 so…
I spoke to financial aid at Williams last week and they are very responsive. You can email financial aid and set up an appointment with a counselor. They were more than happy to take late financial aid documents
Unless you find a way to finagle some serious financial aid from Williams, I don’t think you can justify spending that kind of money to go there (or the UC schools for that matter). And remember, you would also be spending a fair amount of money on travel and climate-appropriate wardrobe. Go to Ashoka and save your money for grad school.
You should reach out to the College’s financial aid office. There is no harm in doing so. Be truthful and explain your situation.
I can’t speak to whether going to Williams is a wise financial decision. I can tell you that your inference of Williams not having a global brand is correct. It does, however, have extraordinarily good connections if you want to work within the USA post-graduation.
Williams students work in every industry. It’s hard to think of a better school if you want to break into finance, consulting, or the academy. Recruiters swarm campus for those fields. Not sure what industry you’re interested in.
As an international student, OP’s challenge will be finding an employer who’s willing to sponsor them for a work visa. Not easy, no matter which college they decide to attend in the US.
They are right to be concerned about this cost because you are not guaranteed a job if you have been admitted to a US university, regardless of the name. Even US citizens cannot be secured a job guarantee. If the only reason you’re coming to the US is that you plan on immigrating here, then you need to change up your plans. (You didn’t mention what you were planning on studying.)
It’s sad to think that so many international posters on this website seem to believe that the minute they’re admitted to a US university, that they will immediately get jobs after graduating and that they’ll be sponsored by a US employer.
You’re only being admitted to the university, as a guest student, for four years. When those 4 years are up, you’re expected to return to your country.
Getting sponsored by a US company is extremely difficult and is NOT GUARANTEED! Sponsorship is under the direction of the US Immigration Service.
They have nothing to do with your college admissions other than approving your student visa.
US employers are under the direction and laws of the US immigration service, in that, when there is a job opening, they must consider all US citizens and permanent residents FIRST. Even if you get a masters degree or a PhD you still have to go through US immigration, and if there is another candidate with your similar qualifications but they are US citizens, then guess who’s getting the job? Employers don’t want additional and costly paperwork for sponsorship.
You can’t expect to be immigrated because you were admitted to a school. There are people on work visas who have been waiting for years to become citizens or permanent residents. There is a decades long wait list.
You have been admitted to a US university where are you will be a guest of the US government. That’s the only offer that has been presented to you. Nothing else comes with that offer. You need to tell your parents that.
Williams is an ideal LAC and I’m guessing that’s the experience you’re after - impossible to find thst combination elsewhere in the world.
You’ll make valuable connections in the US and Career services will help you find internships (Williams is poweful no matter your major). After that, it’ll be up to you to transform those into an OPT (a period when you can apply what you learned in college at a US company; it is NOT a work visa and once the visa is completed, you have to leave or get into a grad program, however the process is quite unlike the H1B lottery and you are paid like a US trainee). If you don’t find a company willing to sponsor you, you have to go to grad school (excellent outcomes there too) or go elsewhere. Compared to most internationals, you’d be in a privileged situation as a Williams graduate.
My advice, if you attend Williams, would be to do the Oxford year, do well, and if there’s a problem with an OPT, do a 1-year Master’s at Oxford. That would be cheaper than an MBA and more efficient.
If you feel it is the right fit AND your parents can afford it/are willing to pay, then it’s the right call. It’s a good investment.
Otherwise, UCL -but it’ll be much narrower and the experience will be totally different. Also, no Oxford.
Check out the list of which US employers are willing to sponsor H1B visas. Few, and highly concentrated in certain fields.
Many employers will not accept an intern who does not have permanent work authorization. The internship is often a trial run for a permanent job.
Yeah, the H1B lottery is… too unreliable to be considered.
OPT is legal and automatic (as a right). Anything beyond that is unlikely.
Btw the H1B problem applies to JD and MBA holders too. The system is completely blocked.
I would say odds of OPT from Williams are very high but an actual job with H1B almost zero regardless of pull.
Leveraging the Williams/Oxford connection is another good system that allows OP to have the education they’re seeking and wouldn’t have at UCL, then rounding things off with an Oxford degree that will be highly valued in Asia, the EU and the UK. That’d be 5 years to a Master’s +work experience. Not bad. @gohito : email ISS at Williams and ask what sorts of summer internships (CPT) international students have found in the past 2 years, and whether they have problems with OPT.
Look into UCL too btw.
Based on your post, I will assume that you are not a US citizen and also you are not a permanent resident of the US. With this, as an international student, you should expect that you will need to leave the US after you leave university. You are not likely at all to be allowed to stay in the US after graduation (or after dropping out, if that happens).
When you interview to get your student visa, if you tell them that you intend to stay in the US after graduation, that would be grounds to deny your student visa.
This leads to the question: Will getting a degree from Williams help you to get a good job in your home country? It sounds like the answer is no.
That being said, Williams is a great college. You can get a great education there. Since it is a relatively small school, it makes it easier to get to know your professors and to get personal attention.
It is probably worthwhile to contact the financial aid office at Williams, and see if there is any way that they can consider you for financial aid at this late time. However, I do not think that it will be worth it to you to attend Williams unless you get very good aid from them.
I also think that UC San Diego is a very good university, but again is not worth the price. In this case you were most likely never going to get significant financial aid from UCSD. A failure to ask for aid has very little to do with this – they give very little aid to out of state students.
I would be very cautious before spending a family’s long term savings for a bachelor’s degree in the US, knowing that you most likely will need to return home after graduation.
Call Williams fin aid. They will probably assess your situation, and might offer you substantial aid. Future inheritance is not mentioned in applications since your parents don’t have it yet.
Going to college in the US might not lead to a green card, however.
Why didn’t you apply for need based aid? As an international student, many colleges here will not allow you to do so at any point in your college years if you didn’t apply as an incoming freshman.
This is from the Williams website:
As an international student, you must apply for financial aid when applying to Williams if you expect to seek such aid at any point during your enrollment. If you have questions at any point during the process, email Associate Director of Admission Markus Burns.
Williams is not worth it in your situation because it appears the financial burden far exceeds what your family can afford. One year at Williams is more than your family’s annual income. Do you really want your family to sell off their assets when you have an affordable option?
Your other option is to try again next year, indicating that you have financial need. If you are good enough to be accepted to Williams, you might have a reasonable shot at other top universities that meet full need for international students.
