Im a recent high school graduate from Vietnam who just (belatedly) found out about studying abroad. Because of that I have zero ECAs worth mentioning and only a 1570 sat, 8 ielts and 9 9.2 9.2 gpa respectively to my name (out of 10, idk about vietnamese high school’s grading rigor though, they seem to be of dubious quality, my school is a little selective at least, see foreign language specialized school). Though I think I can write a pretty compelling narrative. Oh and Im high need (yikes ikr, best my family can do is 2 to 3k USD a year for my studies).
AFAIK theres public universities in Italy and KAIST (more holistic admission unfortunately).
My questions are:
Should I be asking this? Say no as a polite way to tell me ‘keep dreaming’. (dont sugarcoat it)
Is studying abroad that much better? I wont bore you with the details but Im ready to sacrifice a lot for my goals as long as Im ultimately happy (so no slaving at a lab and more like an aspiring tech bro)
Dang am I too late to the party? just about everyone I know packed their stuff already.
Yeah thats about it thanks for reading though, good day!
Ps: Im sorry this post looks really low effort. I copy and pasted this from my reddit post. On there, posts worded like this tend to get more interactions and Im new here anyway. Im exhausted looking for listings, It would be very nice if there is someone I can talk with. Additionally, I will not be taking a gap year because I will study here instead (at the Hanoi Institute of Science and Technology, IT-E7 course). If my university application abroad comes back positive then Ill drop out, though I would prefer the timeline be accelerated a little (I can get KAIST’s result in Jan 2027, wasting only 6 month at the local uni for example). Now I mentioned the uni I will be staying at because Im wondering if I really should study abroad. Is the degree name brand that important when Im working (hopefully a company abroad, ideally remote)? Should I stay at home will it be difficult to build my tech portfolio and network to the level afforded to me by high ranking uni like KAIST?
Ps ps very sorry for the difficult read Im really tired at the time of writing
If you start school in your home country you will be considered a transfer students for US colleges. It is more difficult to get funding as a transfer student.
As already noted, obtaining a full ride to a US school is very very difficult and unlikely unless you are one of the very best students in your entire country.
I am not so delusional as to think US colleges would be an affordable place to matriculate at. In fact before discovering schools like KAIST or some European schools, I entirely believed that studying abroad was out of my reach, hence the empty list of ECAs and other relevant preparation.
I am interested in what you meant by being considered a transfer student though. If hypothetically I were to be entered into a prestigious college in the US, I fully intend to drop out (basically erases my time in an university at home).
You won’t get admissions decisions for US universities until the Spring after you apply. You’ll have at least completed one semester at your local school, no?
I have to say: It’s so exciting that there is already people replying to my post. Thanks for your time!
I guess I did not mean to ask for a list of college (Im rather confident I can only find my place at KAIST). Ill try to explain my situation more clearly in the next thread. However, the gist of what I was trying to get at is:
Is studying for a bachelor abroad better for career opportunities in CS and AI/ML?
Asking for any relevant experiences with applying so late in the cycle.
US universities consider applicants to be transfer applicants based on attendance of college or university after leaving high school (sometimes, there are specific amounts of attendance specified, but these vary by university).
Admission as a transfer student is different from admission as a frosh or first year student, in that the applicant is more likely to be expected to be ready to declare a major, and the applicant’s college or university records will be considered as well as their high school record. Depending on the university’s “business model”, transfer admission may be more (usually) or less difficult than frosh or first year admission. Scholarship offers are often less common for transfer admits than frosh or first year admits.
In reply to momofboiler1 and ucbalumnus. Truly I did not that to work the way it does. No matter Im not considering studying in the US anyway. Don’t tell this forum is only for US colleges?
The cycle for Fall 2026 admissions is over. So there are no relevant experiences from anyone else. You could apply as a transfer student as early as Spring 2027. None of the schools that might meet your full need are likely to take you. If you skip your education in your home country, you could apply for new student admission for Fall 2027. Those applications open in August.
It is not only for US colleges and universities, but US colleges and universities tend to be the main focus because most people posting are interested in or most familiar with US colleges and universities.