I’m American, but I’ve lived pretty much all of my life moving around outside of the US. We’re moving again, and recently my parents informed me that they don’t want me to move outside of the country for university. I don’t want to mention the country, for privacy reasons, but the best universities there are ranked 400th and less by QS World University Rankings, and 251st and less by Times Higher Education.
I’ve had A’s in school my entire life, except for two Bs in German and English on my midterm report cards. I’m starting high school this year, so I don’t have my GPA yet, but I’ve taken two high school courses (Algebra I and French I). I got an A in Algebra and I don’t have my grade yet for French but I think it will be an A. My point is, I could get into a better university than that, especially with the AP courses I’m planning to take (such as Calculus BC, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Physics C: Mechanics, Chemistry, Computer Science, English Language and Composition, and French Language and Culture).
However, I’m not here to complain or anything. I just have three questions.
- What sort of university could I get into if I continue to get the same grades in high school, and take advanced courses, etc.? Top 100? Top 50? Top 10?
- Is a university with the rankings I mentioned earlier good, average, or below average?
- My parents said I could move away for graduate school (which I plan to do, since I want to become a physicist). If I get my undergraduate degree from a university ranked that poorly, could I hope to get accepted into a top university for graduate school?
Not directly on point, but analogous story: a friend of mine from high school attended our sleepy third-tier (now better ranked, however) southern state university flagship, majoring in an agricultural science. He then did well enough to get into veterinary school at another, equally sleepy southern state flagship. While in vet school, he secured an internship overseas (in a U.K. Commonwealth country which shall remain nameless) doing research in his specialization because one of his vet school professors knew someone through that specialty. After vet school, he parlayed that internship connection to go back to graduate school in zoology at that overseas graduate school, eventually earning his PhD to pair with his veterinary medical degree. He met his wife there, who also was working on her PhD at that school, and now the two of them live in the U.K. with a wonderful life, her an academic and he a practicing vet and part-academic.
The lesson from this is that every university has professors with connections to professors at other universities, and the overall prestige of a university often does not reflect the individual connections of professors. Wherever you go, do as well as you can in your classes and try to get to know your professors–they will have the connections to help you get where you want to go. How else did my friend go from a small southern town, to a state flagship people on this forum would scoff at, to being an internationally-travelled and pedigreed professor with an international reputation? I have known the guy since junior high, and at no point did I say to myself, “he is so demonstrably superior to everyone that he will be super-successful in life.” Instead, he worked heard and made the most of his opportunities, and getting where you want to go in life does not require a degree from an Ivy or similar. (It helps, but is not necessary.)
You will be fine going to the universities you mention, you will just need to work a little harder–but then again, you may be able to stand out and make those connections at these schools because there are fewer students with the same abilities and motivations.
Is the university a non American University ranked in the 400s in QS?
With a 3.75 and 6-8 AP classes you could get into a top 100university/LAC and probably honors college.
Top50 University/LAC depends on too many factors that aren’t available yet.
Your parents may not have saved enough for University in the US. I’m guessing the local universities cost much less.
Run the NPC on Amherst, Stanford, Whitman, Smith (if you’re a girl), Boston college, and Davidson. That should provide you with a range of costs. If those are unaffordable for your family you’ll have to earn merit, essentially through test scores.
It is a non-American university ranked in the 400s. And from what they said, I don’t think it’s so much a cost issue as them not wanting me to leave home. If it is I’m thinking of earning merit.
Thanks for your advice. 
Run the NPC s on all the above colleges (chosen because they calculate aid differently).
Graduating from a low ranked international university IS a problem. First, it means you won’t be able to do research (as this is rarely done in international undergrads) and research is necessary for US grad schools. Second, depending on what you want to study, you may not have the pre-reqs (for med school, things are even starker : you MUST attend a US or Canadian university before you can apply to a US med school.) Third, your professors may not know how to write recommendations (as the practice isn’t universal and is often misunderstood abroad.) Fourth, it puts you at a disadvantage because American grad schools will always prefer a citizen who (barring someone who attended a good LAC, flagship, or reputable private university) attended and did well at a state directional or small college to a student who attended an unknown, lower ranked foreign University.
If your parents don’t want you to leave the country, don’t you have an option at some of that country’s best universities?
Did your behavior make then want to keep you linger or watch you closer?
Don’t worry about grad school just yet. Your job right now is to concentrate on getting excellent grades so that you have good options when you apply to college three or four years from now. At the present time, your parents say that they don’t want you to go far from home for college. But that could change quite a bit before you actually do finish high school. You also might change your mind about physics by then too. When happykid was in 8th grade, she wanted to be a chef. By the time she finished high school, she wanted to be a stage lighting designer - still a creative field, but one that required a completely different educational program.
@MYOS1634 That’s what I’m worried about. I’m not a person that really cares about prestige and stuff like that - what concerns me is being able to do research and generally get a good college education, so I can go on to pursue what I love (which is physics). I want to become a physicist in the future, probably experimental, and work at a university. For my research to be of any consequence, and to have access to the best resources, I need to work at a good university, which means I need a PhD from a highly-regarded university as well, etc. etc.
To answer your first question, the problem is that literally the BEST universities in that country are ranked that low on the international scale (250 and lower by THE, and 420 and lower by QS). Of course, they do far better on local scales. They score up to the top 20 in the continent, and up to around 15 on the Times Higher Education BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings 2016 (again, don’t want to mention the exact number for privacy reasons). But still, I don’t think they’re nearly as good as UK/US/Canadian universities.
As for your second question, I really don’t think so. I’m not one to cause trouble at all, or be reckless. I think they’re just worried about what may happen and think 18 is too young to leave home.
At this point, I’m sort of just planning to do as well as I possibly can in high school, get a 4.0 and do 8+ AP courses, and hope that they’ll change their minds. And thanks for all the advice by the way. : )
@happymomof1 Thanks for the advice. I’ve always been into science, but I have changed my mind a few times in the past three years or so. And I think there’s a chance my parents will change their minds, so as I mentioned earlier I’ll just try to do the best that I can and see what happens at the end of high school.