Hello all!
I’m an international student from China. While selecting universities to apply for, I’ve encountered a lack of first-hand information of my interested universities. I’m not able to visit the campuses, and I don’t know people graduated from these schools or even those who know a lot about them. I’d appreciate it greatly if you help me analyze the advantages and disadvantages or describe your impression in these schools to me!
-UCSD
-U Wisconsin-Madison
-RPI
-Penn State Univ
-Tulane
-U of Pittsburgh (Honors College)
-U of Minnesota-Twin Cities
-Rose-Hulman
I believe I’m qualified enough for all the schools above. And financial issues should not be a problem. I’m interested in biology, especially neuroscience.
Thank you a lot!!!
Get a copy of the Fiske Guide to Colleges - it has excellent descriptions of all of the above colleges and would give you a general feel for them. They would also all likely have some on-line video footage. As in international student, you may want to consider the ease of getting from your home to the university. Universities situated in larger cities will have better access and better airfares. Consider also the size of the university - not only will that affect the environment but also the variety and breadth of courses available. For example, Rose-Hulman is an excellent choice if you are sure you are staying in the technical field but it won’t offer much in the humanities.
WIth respect to personal experience, we visited both U Pitt and UMN-TC - liked both a lot. My S is attending UMN-TC. He was looking for an urban environment so that played a major factor in his decision. All of the schools you listed are very good.
Tulane was recently ranked as the #1 party school in the United States. I believe that one can get a good education at almost any college if one works hard, but that’s something to keep in mind.
Tulane was also ranked in the top 10 as having the most community minded students as well as the happiest students. While Tulane students do get out and enjoy New Orleans, the average ACT for the school is 30-33 and 60% are in the top 10% of their high school classes, so they are no slouches by any measure. In short, Tulane students are extremely engaged, both in the class and out. Community service is a requirement for graduation, and the students spend a lot of time out helping the New Orleans community. All that is not for everyone, but if you like to work hard in class and live life to its fullest outside of class, then you should give the school a look. Best of luck to you in any event!
Those are all fine schools in terms of the quality of the education you will receive. Go to www.startclass.com which will give you basic information on each school, and then visit their websites as well.
Luckily cost is not a big factor, so next, determine what’s most important to you:
- A school with a name well recognized in China (if you’re planning to return for a job)? I live in China (I’m American) so I know this can be important. Unfortunately there are other names not known in China that offer excellent education especially at undergraduate level. For example, Rose-Hulman and RPI. If you plan to continue your graduate studies in the US, then I wouldn’t think too much about the name recognition back in China.
- A big school or a small school? Think about the environment you want to live and study in. (Big: Wisconsin, Minnesota; small: RPI, Rose-Hulman)
- Lots of courses available on topics unrelated to your major? Then go to a big state school like Wisconsin, UCSD or Minnesota, or Tulane.
- Strong focus on science? RPI and Rose-Hulman are excellent choices (but they won’t offer a huge variety outside of STEM)
- Climate and location? Madison is a beautiful college town, but the winters are cold and long. Minnesota even more so. Tulane has hot and humid weather, but New Orleans is a great city. This may not be the most important, but remember you’ll be there for four years.
My daughter is a freshmen at RPI, chemical engineering, and is very happy there. It’s a nerdy, academically-oriented school. (That doesn’t mean there isn’t any partying, but definitely not a party school.) Excellent reputation among top employers in engineering and science. They have a very good cognitive sciences and biochemistry or molecular biology programs - excellent leads to neuroscience (at masters level). The academics are tough though; be prepared to study hard (but if you went to high school in China you’ve already passed through the fire :)). Troy, NY, isn’t the greatest town in the world and it’s small compared to a place like Madison, San Diego or New Orleans with much less to do, but if you like nature, upstate NY is beautiful. I’d highly recommend it. RPI has lots of clubs for different extracurricular activities (by daughter does kendo). It is a lot more expensive than the state schools, but luckily for you that doesn’t seem to be a problem. (They also give merit aid–my daughter’s on a full scholarship.) They also have a Chinese student group there (but that would be true of any of those colleges; there are less Chinese at RPI than Wisconsin, Minnesota or UCSD–all heavy favorites for Chinese. However, I think it’s better for Chinese to go to a school with fewer Chinese so that they integrate more with non-Chinese students and benefit more from their college experience abroad. In other words, don’t go to UIUC (25% Chinese). / My daughter considered most of the same universities on your list, and in the end chose RPI, and I think it was the best choice.
Other than RPI, I’d pick Rose-Hulman as the second choice. It’s similar to RPI, but smaller (usually an advantage) and pretty much only science focused (whereas RPI does have some humanities courses, a business school, etc.) So choose that one if you’re going STEM full tilt.
If you want a big state school, I’d pick UCSD over the others. Excellent reputation, and you can’t beat Southern California for living (unless you really like snowy winters).
Some others to consider:
Reed
Michigan-Ann Arbor
Pomona (very hard to get in, but worth it)
Grinnell
BU
UCSB
Emory
Thank you guys again! You’ve been really helpful 
Michigan, UCSD, UCSB, UW-Madison, UM Twin Cities are going to have the greatest name recognition in China. I’d also add UC-Berkeley (best known in China) and Georgia Tech to your list.
No matter which school you attend, you are going to find a large number of Chinese students. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing - friends you make may be very helpful as contacts back home. As far as networking - the best source of jobs- Michigan and Berkeley (also called Cal) are going to be at the top of your list.
My son is a current neuroscience/ physiology major at UCSD. It is a school of 30,000, but is divided into 6 smaller colleges. The program is well regarded and challenging, There is a teaching hospital and plenty of opportunities for internships nearby. La Jolla is a gorgeous city on the beach and nearby San Diego offers plenty to do. The weather is near perfect. It is not a big sports school and frats are not big there. There is good public transportation around the campus but So. Calif. in general does not have great public transportation. There is a large Chinese enrollment which might make it easy for you to assimilate.
Our daughter was an arts major at Penn State so I can’t speak to their science programs. It is a very traditional, large campus with a big football presence. It is very much a college town but is fairly isolated in the middle of PA. There is a small airport and bus transportation to Philadelphia and NYC. Winters can be quite cold but our daughter got used to it quickly and loved her time there.