<p>@intro actually it is still comparatively cheaper. It really depends , if you want to remain to work in country of education their local ranking is of more importance</p>
<p>Its like us citizen , which rarely cares about int ranking.</p>
<p>If your looking for uk uni with decent ranking worldwide try edinburgh , warwick , lse etc</p>
<p>Hello everyone,
I’m in a bit of a dilemma. </p>
<p>I had applied to a few LACs last year and decided to go to Mount Holyoke College, but I had also applied to NUS/NTU as a back up.</p>
<p>I was planning to do a double major of Computer Science and English @ MHC and CS @ NUS/NTU.</p>
<p>The problem is, I got accepted into NUS and suddenly I’m really torn between US and Sg. </p>
<p>Pros for MHC are:
It’s a LAC, and if I miss this chance, I’ll never be able to experience it again in my life. Plus it’s a small college, plenty of individual attention (but I don’t know about NUS in this point)</p>
<p>I would be able to take an English major in addition to a CS major there (I’m interested in both and like having my options open. I understand that it may look like I’m merely dabbling in both but not going in-depth, but since I was planning to go to grad school for either one, I didn’t think that mattered much)</p>
<p>MHC’s language facilities and study abroad programs seem pretty good (I was planning to take both French and Chinese there–I’m not Chinese and figured that if I’d be living in Singapore, that’d help loads).</p>
<p>Pros for NUS are:
It’s definitely more recognised than MHC (but I’m not sure how much of a pro this is since I was planning to go to grad school anyway in either US or Sg)</p>
<p>Way, way, waaaaay cheaper. I think the fees for NUS is about S$8k? whereas after finaid, for MHC I’d need to pay about US$30k o.o</p>
<p>That’s all I can think of for now. I know that at first glance, practically, NUS seems the best option, but I really, really like MHC and would love an opportunity to study there.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? Any thoughts? Anything I’ve overlooked? Please help come to a decision!</p>
<p>@rimisisu: THANK YOU. Going to start Latin independently in June probably. Sure hope it works out!</p>
<p>@energe
Can you comfortably afford it? No point breaking the bank for it</p>
<p>If you can just go where u prefer</p>
<p>@enenre
like what bouncy said, if it doesn’t break the bank you probably should go for whichever you prefer. then again you’d be surprised how much parents would sacrifice for their kids, talk it over with your parents.</p>
<p>From my perspective studying at a small college, I’d look carefully at MHC’s CS course offerings I doubt there are very many CS profs nor courses, which is definitely a disadvantage when you want to do higher-level classes in preparation for grad school. One of my friends is majoring in Math at one of the women’s colleges too, but she did her upper-div coursework mostly at UPenn through the consortium. It will probably be annoying to take higher-level classes through another college.</p>
<p>At the same time, my opinion on NUS CS is that some professors are good, some are bad, and it’s true that it’s less personal than MHC. It’s not as bad in upper-div classes where are fewer people and where you can get to know profs. Still, I’d say the opportunity to study a male-dominated field at MHC, a women’s college, will be very different from NUS, where the composition of the CS majors is more traditional…</p>
<p>With regard to cost, US$30k/year for four years is quite a hefty sum, it can pay for half of a HDB flat 
Plus, that won’t include other expenses like plane tickets home, which can add up if you go home several times a year. The cost is especially an issue if you plan to go to grad school, where the stipend is barely enough to cover cost of living. I would go for NUS because of the cost…</p>
<p>Dear all </p>
<p>I finished JC last year and will be attending an Ivy League college this fall. But before I leave I would like to be able to contribute the considerable ‘expertise’ I gained over the years researching top US universities. Many things I know may surprise the average Singaporean … It hasn’t been easy to find out the kinds of things I know today. Almost four years of research. </p>
<p>People always say Ivy and top school admissions are notoriously unpredictable. I don’t subscribe fully to that. Sure, freak cases occur, but once I read a person’s application – as the admissions officers see it – I get a rough feel of whether he will get in. What you need then is to know how to strategise and present your application and your time now for maximum results. I don’t mean silly things like what CCAs to take (when in fact that is not important at all), what score you must get for SAT (more important but not enough) … If you let me know your situation, I will be able to tailor my advice for you. Think of me as your personal US college consultant all rolled into one from selecting universities to essay writing to test taking. I promise results. </p>
<ul>
<li>College selection </li>
<li>Test taking : when to take, how to take, strategies (I scored 2330 for my SAT I)</li>
<li>Presenting yourself : The Essays, The Application itself</li>
<li>Hedging your bets </li>
</ul>
<p>My college counselor in JC was on the right track but she didn’t know many things. If you know what works, what doesn’t, you are much more likely to get what you want in college admissions. Simple as that. So whether you are an average student aspiring to a top school --* like I once was in secondary school*, or a top student needing some advice on where exactly to apply, email me at nesvita6 @ gmail or PM me (and leave your email!) so that I can know more about you and help you. No strings attached!</p>
<p>PS I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m offering the stuff that anybody on CC knows … I think that’s only half the story. Not only do I know more than what appears to be just some people’s opinions at times (I hope I don’t sound arrogant), I am also personalising everything for the applicant. I’m just doing providing this service now because I am leaving soon and college admissions appear to be getting scarier and scarier.</p>
<p>@bouncy/ @introverted
Thanks guys for your response! My parents are willing enough to send me to MHC because I’ll be doing something I truly love, English, and also something that can get me a job, CS. (and introverted, my dad found that last bit about sacrifice hilarious!)</p>
<p>@fiona_
MHC’s course offerings for CS are not that great, but right next door is UMass which certainly has a wide range of course choices. Not to mention, the dept has exchange/study abroad programs which I can opt for (I am planning to study English at MHC then use these other programs to do CS). I don’t mind studying CS mostly at another college, so that isn’t a problem for me.</p>
<p>And you’re right! I hadn’t considered that CS at NUS would be male-dominated, and I shouldn’t be able to say that at MHC it will be all-female since I’ll be taking courses elsewhere too. I think that’s a plus point imo.</p>
<p>I realised in the end that if I go to NUS, I would need to practically forget about the Arts since my life will just revolve around CS, and I can’t even imagine such a life.</p>
<p>I’m more set for MHC, definitely. In fact, the only things NUS has going for it are the ‘prestige’ and the cheapness (which may weigh quite a bit in the average Singaporean’s eyes), but for me, the size, liberal course choices, and the individual attention are very important too.</p>
<p>Thank you again for your replies :)</p>
<p>@enenreth
that bit is true! true story: my parents told me they would sell the house if need be. my reaction: O.O it took me 20 whole seconds to realize they were talking about their property asset
and its good you’re doing CS, Singapore has a dearth of techies. all the smart people are going to medicine and law. hopefully you enjoy programming. heh.</p>
<p>@jennyteen
its still a tad early i think! applications haven’t even opened yet.</p>
<p>@intro same with my parents. I was afraid a average expense of 5k a month would be burdensome but they just wave it off</p>
<p>@jenny
Which ivy u entered? Well I’m done with my application and I’m punch above my weight so fairly content</p>
<p>Maybe will holla u if I’m thinkin of transferring</p>
<p>HELP! Am I screwed? :(</p>
<p>I applied to NYU Stern as a junior transfer. I’m from Singapore… but I’m only 18 right now. I didn’t take the A levels even though I could (my L1R5 RAW was 6 for O levels); my parents wanted me to graduate with my bachelor’s faster so they sent me to a community college in the US so that I could graduate faster (I’ll finish ~1/2 yrs ahead of my peers back home).</p>
<p>My problem is: I applied to NYU and a few other schools, and I’ve heard back from most schools but NYU has filed my app as incomplete with a missing final hs transcript and when I emailed them they said it was because I only submitted my O levels. They said I am ineligible for admission due to the fact that the American equivalent of a HS diploma is the A levels (which is not true… as I’ve been accepted to other schools who took my O levels without any qualms. If it helps: Cornell University cleared my application as well. They didn’t have a problem with my O levels.)</p>
<p>So… my question is: Is there ANY way I can get around this and gain eligibility to NYU? I’m sure there are many Singaporeans heading/accepted to NYU… any input? Or did I just waste a whole lot of time, effort and money on my application 
(If they file my app as incomplete they will reject me without even glancing at my application.)</p>
<p>…And Stern was/is my first choice 
Please help!</p>
<p>If your a transfer student what about you community college credit? Wasn’t that taken into greater consideration?</p>
<p>Email them with everything you have an ask them</p>
<p>@enenre</p>
<p>I have a good friend who went to Mount Hoyloke. She had an excellent college experience and went on to be a top insurance executive. Given that your interests are both English and CS, a LAC like MHC is probably your top choice. At a LAC, you can also explore some multidisciplinary areas like cognitive science and computational linguistics i.e., applying computers to understand English in both syntax and semantics.</p>
<p>As for recognition, MHC is one of the top LACs in the U.S. and used to be the women’s parallel of the Ivies i.e., one of the Seven Sister colleges. In the U.S., it would be definitely more recognised by NUS. Sadly, this will not be the case if you come back to Singapore. It used to be that you could find a job in the US after college and then return later when you had some experience, but unemployment is really high in the US right now. Overall though, I think you will have a far better overall education going to MHC than NUS School of Computing and would recommend MHC over NUS.</p>
<p>MHC has been reasonably generous with financial aid in the past, but its much more need based. The total cost is more like USD50K pa because of room and board.</p>
<p>@uuinus</p>
<p>I noticed from one of your posts that you didn’t take the SAT. It could be that in the absence of the SAT (even though they don’t require it for transfers), NYU wanted more than just your community college grades and your O Levels because you are an international.</p>
<p>Your route is definitely unusual in that its generally harder to transfer than to apply as a fresh undergraduate applicant. In your situation, after O Levels, I would have tried to get into a top US prep school as a 1 year senior rather than go to a community college and complete a whole series of APs. Although community college courses are probably at the level of APs, its harder to compare you with other students, so I think you would be at a disadvantage with the Ivies and other top schools. </p>
<p>With a L1R5 of 6, you would likely have aced the APs. With the absence of SAT and APs you managed to get into decent Universities, but if you had both of them and scored well, you might have a chance at the top Universities.</p>
<p>@dad1983 </p>
<p>Thanks for your input. Yes I know that I would have had a chance at top unis if I had an SAT score/AP’s. I didn’t take the SAT because my current community college didn’t require SAT for freshmen. I also wasn’t extremely keen on taking it because I just finished O’s and TOEFL (they were two days apart) and wanted a break from all the studying. I could have taken it while I was in college, but NYU and Cornell strongly advised against taking it because it was meant to be a test for students who were not enrolled in college yet. So… I didn’t take it. Plus, as a junior transfer, schools tend to focus less on the SAT score. But I agree with you: I should have taken it way back when I was 16.</p>
<p>I didn’t attend a prep school because community college saved my parents a lot of money. I know it’s an amazing thing to get admitted as a freshmen to all the top universities, but at the same time, I realize that this could have become a financial burden on my family. And my parents are old enough; I don’t need them to worry over money at their age. So I went to community college instead (the tuition’s a third of what a person would pay at a regular four-year university.)</p>
<p>I know this drastically reduced my chance of getting into any Ivy (actually, more like 1 in a million), but I’m okay with not going there. Just kind of bummed out that NYU only accepts A level students… :(</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>I think all is not lost because college admissions offices are often quite flexible. So contact NYU. Sometimes, an incomplete application doesn’t mean that you are not going to be evaluated. For example, applicants from Singapore are usually classified as incomplete by Swarthmore due to the difference in school year ends. Their software is designed for June year-ends, while Singapore applicants are December year-ends.</p>
<p>I should note that if you are concerned about costs, NYU is one of the most expensive universities in the U.S. because of the cost of rent in New York City. Even if you get into one of their dorms in Greenwich Village, it costs at least USD9,000 per year to share a room with up to 3 people (that is the cheapest - normally about USD12,000), so your total expenses (room, board, tuition) could be USD60K+++ per year. They also don’t offer financial aid to transfers. This could be almost twice the cost of Austin.</p>
<p>But all is not lost in that you can try to get into a good, possibly Ivy grad school. You would need excellent grades and a high (say 99 percentile) GRE or GMAT. Stern, as you probably know, has a great MBA program with a campus on Wall Street. However its hard to get financial aid for a MBA. They do have PhD programs that offer a Research or Teaching assistantship, so your parents won’t have to fund you. Lastly, you could try getting a job on Wall Street and do your MBA at Stern part time. Good Luck.</p>
<p>hi jennyteen, interesting that you’re offering this service. are you going to do it pro bono or are you charging for your service/advice?</p>
<p>xenobyll: oops, just saw your question. personally i would advise you to keep your brain active but not worry too much about academics. read up on new things, learn some new languages, spend more time with family and friends, and don’t let NS take over your life. that’s what i did and i believed i grew very much as a person through this two year sabbatical. </p>
<p>p.s. try to down pes if you can. there’re surely some ways to do so.</p>
<p>phlegmboyant: i don’t think NYAA is that big a thing, but it’s definitely a good addition to your portfolio. if you haven’t had those uber prestigious awards (and no point fretting over this), i’d suggest that you focus on your SAT 1 and essays. i’ve seen several ppl who get in by virtue of being “interesting/unique”.</p>
<p>hey 1234d, just curious, why are you encouraging a downgrade for his pes status?</p>