Hello, guys!
April is time when important admission decisions are made, and I am one of those who faced a very tough choice.So please, help a hesitating international student! Originally I wanted to be admitted by Ivies, but poor SAT score(2010) deprived me of such opportunity. I got offers from Rochester, Rensselaer,University of Michigan and UCL’s(University College London) undergraduate preparatory certificates program. I do not really know what to choose, 'cause each university has pluses and minuses. But here are some of my thoughts, concerns and wishes:
-I wanna get a well-rounded education.A flexible curriculum that would enable me to study subjects from different fields is perfect for me. In addition to that, I haven’t decided on my future profession. That implies that I may have a wish to change a major or even a school( School of sciences and school of engineering both seem to be a good choice for me). I know that Rochester is famous for its flexible curriculum, but will I get a quality education there?
-If i go to UCL UPC(which is essentially smth like foundation), I will have a chance to apply to American Universities again after that foundation year. This course will help me to improve my Critical Reading skills and Essaywriting, which would help to get a better SAT, write better essays, and I will have more chances of getting admitted to Ivies. Btw the course offers not only English classes, but also Chemistry and Mathematics classes, which is great.
After UCL UPC I may also try to apply to British Universities, such as Oxford, Cambridge, UCL. Sounds cool, but I do not think they have a flexible curriculum.
-This part is for mathematicians:)
UCL+America=5years
UCL+Britain=4years
America=4 years
Although choosing first variant enables me to try my luck again and apply to ivies, I will have to spend 1 year of my life and 50k$ more. No good. But that chance though…
-Among american universities that admitted me I find Umich to be the best choice. It has good science and engineering programs, but can they be compared to those of ivies?
If I struggle and study diligently at Umich, is it possible to transfer to ivies?to Berkeley?
If I struggle and study diligently at Umich, will I have good job opportunities after graduation?
Finally, which college do you think I should choose? Really need your help! Thanks in advance!
I would recommend either Michigan or Rochester. At least those two are degree track paths; should you not do well enough to transfer from the UCP to a full time program, you will be left with no viable options.
The problem with your question, whether you realized it or not, is that you have wrote it in a way that would be offensive to the students and graduates of some excellent institutions. You also managed to disparage the over 90% of test takers who did not score as highly as you on the SAT. Beyond that, you stated no interest in sports, yet you have defined your preferred colleges in terms of an athletic conference. I agree with @rjkofnovi; the spots at the outstanding colleges at which you have been accepted should be left for those who really want to attend them.
I did not mean to offend anyone or show off. I think that all mentioned universities are doing good job in teaching students. All I want is to get the best education for the money I pay. As regards my SAT score, I do think that it is too low to make me an Ivy League student.
That’s certainly a fair response. I’m just wondering if you are aware of the rarefied standards you have already met: by SAT score, RPI is among the top forty in the nation; you can get a great education at Rochester; Michigan is notably well regarded by both students and peer institutions.
Traveller21, if your options were lower down the academic pool, I do not think you would be getting much static. But all three universities are truly exceptional. One’s undergraduate education is very special, and freshman year is an essential and irreplaceable part of that experience. I am afraid that with your overriding desire to transfer, you will not capitalize on that special experience and once you transfer, will not have the freshman experience at your other university either.
You should also remember that the Ivy League (plus MIT and Stanford) are harder to transfer into than they are to get into as a freshman, so do not quite on it.
For example:
Harvard: 1,432 applied, 13 (less than 1%) were admitted
MIT: 497 applied, 21 (4%) were admitted
Princeton: Has not admitted transfers since the 1980s
Stanford: 1,764 applied, 33 (2%) were admitted
Yale: 1,091 applied, 36 (3%) were admitted
Beyond those, you aren’t really upgrading the quality of the institution, particularly in a major such as Engineering, which Michigan excels at, but if you insist on an Ivy League, here you go.
Brown: 1,785 applied, 88 (5%) were admitted
Columbia: Over 2,500 applied, 150 (6%) were admitted
Cornell: 3,880 applied 773 (20%) were admitted (but in the case of Cornell, the acceptance rate for endowed colleges (like CAS, Engineering and Architecture) is much lower, probably under 10%.
Dartmouth: 679 applied, 19 (3%) were admitted
Penn: 2,453 applied, 212 (9%) were admitted
The odds are not good, regardless. I would recommend going for Michigan or Rochester, make the most of your first year (academically and socially), and if after your Freshman year, you still feel like transferring, apply during your Sophomore year in order to transfer for your Junior and Senior years. Both Michigan and Rochester have flexible curricula, so you should have no trouble switching majors if you so wish.
If the percentage of international students makes a difference for you (pro or con), then U Rochester makes the first page on this list. U Michigan/RPI aren’t on either of the first two pages. (I didn’t look deeper.)
^^^^That’s a pretty silly statement Creekland. Michigan is a much larger school than the other two. With about 6,000 internationals on campus, one of the top ten schools in the country by enrollment, why would percentages even matter?
“Any of them are decent schools, so pick what you like.”
I agree that “decent” does not describe these schools.
Generally, both percentages and absolute numbers have relevance in both statistics and the real world. Since Rochester’s percentage of international students is high (16%) and Michigan’s and RPI’s are moderate (7%), I could see how this could be a factor.
“Generally, both percentages and absolute numbers have relevance in both statistics and the real world. Since Rochester’s percentage of international students is high (16%) and Michigan’s and RPI’s are moderate (7%), I could see how this could be a factor.”
Why would that matter? Schools like Dartmouth, Michigan. Northwestern and Stanford have traditionally enrolled a lower percentage of international student than other universities. It does not make them any less diverse or welcoming of international students. Michigan has 1,900 undergraduate international students, compared to 900 at Rochester.
“Schools like Dartmouth, Michigan, Northwestern and Stanford have traditionally enrolled a lower percentage of international students than other universities. That does not make them any less diverse, or any less welcoming of international students.”
By very definition, it does makes them less internationally diverse. Hence Macalester’s reputation (12%, 241 internationals) for, and reality of, international diversity. In the OP’s choices, those numbers are even exceeded by Rochester. I made no comment on how welcoming the schools with lower international diversity are to internationals. Take note that my comment was in response to previous posters.