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So, I have to start writing applications for Universities/Colleges pretty soon and I'm perhaps considering applying to colleges in the USA. This is mainly because I would really like to see the world and live somewhere else other than the UK for a while.

If anyone could give me an overview of the application process to colleges in the US, that would be very helpful as I think it might be different to the process in the UK, also if anyone can recommend any colleges that are renowned for the Biology/Chemistry based courses, it would be very much appreciated. Also, if someone could give me an idea of the cost of attending college, it would be helpful because I thought I had found a cost but I'm unsure if it was for the year or over the course length.

Thanks in advance

Most colleges have online applications that don't require an application fee. Usually what happens is that you send a transcript to the college with the application (or say you'll send one and then get your school to mail it). Once they've gotten your application you will receive 1 of 2 letters, either acceptance or non-acceptance. If it's the latter, sorry try somewhere else, if it's the former congratulations! They will usually then give you steps on how to officially accept your enrollment in their school and how to go about getting financial aid.

That's basically it...

The costs of college are varying. You won't get the "resident" discount since you don't live in the state of the school you're attending, but you should get some international student bonus (lucky fethers at my school were practically paid to go to my university, though this is not the case). The schools I applied to were two state schools and two private schools. The private schools (when I started) were 32,000 and 42,000 a year (that's tuition, housing, food, various fees, but did not cover books). The state schools were 18,000 and 21,000.

Most schools will cover this on their website under the admissions section.

I think you have to either be insane or insanely rich to want to attend a US college as a foreign student. You think the US gouges its own students on the price? Wait 'til you see what it'll cost you as a foreign student.

 azazel the cat wrote:
I think you have to either be insane or insanely rich to want to attend a US college as a foreign student. You think the US gouges its own students on the price? Wait 'til you see what it'll cost you as a foreign student.

This is true in most cases, but Ashland University in Ohio practically begged international students to attend. We had a small quiet section in the middle of student dining that the international students occupied at almost all times. We used to joke that the president of the university had a tunnel to China, Japan, and various Middle East countries and just brought on campus that way. Until my final semester there (after 5 years lol) I had never had a class with a single international student. And then I took an art class with this rich kid from Dubai.

Note: If you want weather similar to England, but would actually like to see the sun once in a while, Ohio is the state for you.

Contrary to Alf, every school I applied to had an application fee. Many used the Common Application as a base, but had suppliments and other requirements.

Most schools have done away with requiring the SATs, though not all. If you're looking into Biology/Chemistry, consider the ACTs with those specializations.

Be prepared for some sticker shock depending on where you want to go to school. The Northeast, for example, is absurdly expensive. Though like Alf, my University had a culturally rich and financially backed International Student system (though some paid full boat).

My private University cost 44,000 when I started. I didn't pay nearly that, but based on scholarships and other grants/loans/etc assume between 21-40k.

I would start on the College Board website for more information about application proccesses and top ranked schools for your major.

Good luck and godspeed!

 gunslingerpro wrote:
Contrary to Alf, every school I applied to had an application fee. Many used the Common Application as a base, but had suppliments and other requirements.

Most schools have done away with requiring the SATs, though not all. If you're looking into Biology/Chemistry, consider the ACTs with those specializations.

Be prepared for some sticker shock depending on where you want to go to school. The Northeast, for example, is absurdly expensive. Though like Alf, my University had a culturally rich and financially backed International Student system (though some paid full boat).

My private University cost 44,000 when I started. I didn't pay nearly that, but based on scholarships and other grants/loans/etc assume between 21-40k.

I would start on the College Board website for more information about application proccesses and top ranked schools for your major.

Good luck and godspeed!

Really? Every school I applied for was online with no application fee... Where did you end up going to school?
Edit: I applied for college during the fall of 2006

If you apply through a international student program (speak to your school or college about it) then you can essentially get your costs covered by our government.

 Corpsesarefun wrote:
If you apply through a international student program (speak to your school or college about it) then you can essentially get your costs covered by our government.

Yeah I was thinking that a year of undergrad at a UK school and then applying into a "semester/year abroad" program for the United States would be the way to go.

Evilledz wrote:
So, I have to start writing applications for Universities/Colleges pretty soon and I'm perhaps considering applying to colleges in the USA. This is mainly because I would really like to see the world and live somewhere else other than the UK for a while.

If anyone could give me an overview of the application process to colleges in the US, that would be very helpful as I think it might be different to the process in the UK, also if anyone can recommend any colleges that are renowned for the Biology/Chemistry based courses, it would be very much appreciated. Also, if someone could give me an idea of the cost of attending college, it would be helpful because I thought I had found a cost but I'm unsure if it was for the year or over the course length.

Thanks in advance

Perhaps you will find this useful: http://www.uscollegeranking.org/national-university/2010-top-100-colleges-in-united-states.html#axzz2GrnXU7ar. Its from 2010 though so costs will not be the same.

There is a magazine (I think it's Time?) that produces at the end of every year a list of the top 100 colleges for various things and lists them by the program, tuition costs, etc. I'll see if I can find it online.

 LordofHats wrote:

Perhaps you will find this useful: http://www.uscollegeranking.org/national-university/2010-top-100-colleges-in-united-states.html#axzz2GrnXU7ar. Its from 2010 though so costs will not be the same.

There is a magazine (I think it's Time?) that produces at the end of every year a list of the top 100 colleges for various things and lists them by the program, tuition costs, etc. I'll see if I can find it online.

US News and World Report, among others, does an annual college ranking- is that what you're thinking of?

As far as undergrad goes, I applied over ten years ago, so I doubt there's much I can add that you can't readily find online, or learn from people who have gone through the process more recently. What I can offer, though, is an endorsement for SUNY Stonybrook, which is on that top 100 list. It's a big and diverse school, is about 90 minutes from New York City by train, and it's a public school (thus cheap- as a NY resident, I went there for about 14k a year, tuition room and board). More importantly, it has an excellent reputation for biology and chemistry, complete with postgrad opportunities including master's programs, PhD's, a medical school & teaching university, and a dental school, all on site. It's also affiliated with Brookhaven National Labs, if physics is your thing.

Yeah US News. That's the one I was thinking of!

They have a hub right here on their website with different lists you can look through.

Thanks everyone, this thread's been really helpful!

However I am slightly concerned about the Sticker price of some colleges, how much of the cost would you say I would have to fund myself? In other words, how much financial aid would you expect me to receive from the college? As I haven't been able to reasonable calculator on many college websites.

Also, Corpsesarefun, if you have any more information regarding that, could you drop me a PM about it?

Evilledz wrote:
In other words, how much financial aid would you expect me to receive from the college?

None. Colleges don't really do financial aid. There are state and federal programs that can help, and private loans you can get, but not directly from the college.

I would look into a study abroad program through one of your local universities, ad Corpsesarfun and Kalashlongname recommended.

 kronk wrote:

Evilledz wrote:
In other words, how much financial aid would you expect me to receive from the college?

None. Colleges don't really do financial aid. There are state and federal programs that can help, and private loans you can get, but not directly from the college.

I would look into a study abroad program through one of your local universities, ad Corpsesarfun and Kalashlongname recommended.

Well, colleges will give out scholarships, but they all handle it differently. Check their websites for info.

Right. There might be scholarships that you qualify, but I'm not sure how many apply for foreign nationals. For many that I applied for at Louisiana Tech, I either had to be a Louisiana High School Grad or at least a US citizen.

I would look, though. Maybe there's some out there.

Evilledz wrote:
Thanks everyone, this thread's been really helpful!

However I am slightly concerned about the Sticker price of some colleges, how much of the cost would you say I would have to fund myself? In other words, how much financial aid would you expect me to receive from the college? As I haven't been able to reasonable calculator on many college websites.

Also, Corpsesarefun, if you have any more information regarding that, could you drop me a PM about it?

You may or may not be able to get some financial aid from the university but you're probably going to have to cover the majority of your costs yourself. I know my little location flag says France but I'm originally from the States and got a degree there before coming here and starting another degree.

I'm really not sure if you'd be able to get the student loans that most studnets in the States use to pay for their school, being foreign and all. All the foreign students I knew either had financial aid from their home country, were obscenely rich or were part of an Erasmus-like program.

 Alfndrate wrote:

Note: If you want weather similar to England, but would actually like to see the sun once in a while, Ohio is the state for you.

I second this, and if you want to be able to game while you're at school I personally recommend The Ohio State University, in Columbus Ohio. I grew up around there and let me tell you Columbus is a tabletop gamer's mecca. also from what I've heard of British weather from my cousin in law they're practically a prefect match (I'm not kidding, they put a bunch of stuff we would need if the US got nuked here because the weather would make it hard for the Soviets to score a direct hit.)

Bleh...Ohio State

Also remember that you dont need to attend a prestigious undergraduate school...it's really not as important anymore as it used to be.

 yeri wrote:

I personally recommend The Ohio State University, in Columbus Ohio.

It's great that you have an excellent gaming community there, but why did you capitalize the T in "The"? Do they not teach capitalization in Ohio?

 Huffy wrote:
Bleh...Ohio State

Also remember that you dont need to attend a prestigious undergraduate school...it's really not as important anymore as it used to be.

allow me to explain his distaste for Ohio State: OSU has a rivalry with Michigan dating back to when our states were founded over a town called Toledo. we became a state first so we got that area, and there's still some bad blood over this that plays out every fall on the American Football field. be warned that some people get a little heated over sports here, especially American football.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 kronk wrote:

 yeri wrote:

I personally recommend The Ohio State University, in Columbus Ohio.

It's great that you have an excellent gaming community there, but why did you capitalize the T in "The"? Do they not teach capitalization in Ohio?

because "The" is part of the official name of the school. there was another university a long time ago calling itself Ohio University and mooching off the reputation of the one in Columbus. so to differentiate themselves the real one added "The" to its official name.

 LordofHats wrote:

 kronk wrote:

Evilledz wrote:
In other words, how much financial aid would you expect me to receive from the college?

None. Colleges don't really do financial aid. There are state and federal programs that can help, and private loans you can get, but not directly from the college.

I would look into a study abroad program through one of your local universities, ad Corpsesarfun and Kalashlongname recommended.

Well, colleges will give out scholarships, but they all handle it differently. Check their websites for info.

Some private colleges will also give out grants specifically for international students but as with scholarships, it varies by school.

To the OP, if you're dead set on doing all 4 years in the US, I would look for schools with a high percentage of international students. Generally, they're there for a reason.

That said, I vote for studying abroad. Find a university in the UK that will let you do multiple semesters away, and you can see more than one country during your tenure.

I am sure there are legitimate reasons for going to school in Ohio, but recommending it on the basis of weather? Madness.

 Alfndrate wrote:
And then I took an art class with this rich kid from Dubai.

OT, but if you don't mind me asking, what ethnicity was the chap from Dubai?

Huffy wrote:Bleh...Ohio State

Also remember that you dont need to attend a prestigious undergraduate school...it's really not as important anymore as it used to be.

I'm from here and I tend to agree with you on that, but... since you are from the SE part of the mitten state, gtfo

kronk wrote:

 yeri wrote:

I personally recommend The Ohio State University, in Columbus Ohio.

It's great that you have an excellent gaming community there, but why did you capitalize the T in "The"? Do they not teach capitalization in Ohio?

Because OSU likes to feel entitled... and it's officially The Ohio State University as it has been said. Also "Ohio University" still exists, it's in Athens, Ohio and is known for it's insane parties (particularly Halloween).

rubiksnoob wrote:I am sure there are legitimate reasons for going to school in Ohio, but recommending it on the basis of weather? Madness.

There are really no other reasons to live in this state. Our sports teams suck (The only "high caliber" team we have is the Cincinnati Bengals, and let's be honest this won't last very long into the post season this year), everyone in the state is miserable, and we're 94th out of the top 100 cities that men should live in based on health, quality of life, and the type of ladies you'll find here or something like that. Ohio is a beautiful state that experiences the extremes of all 4 seasons. Our summers are hot, humid, and bright 75% of the time, our falls are crisp, warm, with beautiful trees changing colors, and it last all the way into December most years (we didn't get snow really until the Friday before Christmas, which is technically winter). We get hammered with snow, it get's cold, and there's always a lot of the white stuff on the ground, even as late into the year as fething May!. And our springs are rainy and span the gamut from fething cold to hot as balls. Though we do have some damn fine breweries here in the state, and Cleveland is a sweet spot for food.

ExNoctemNacimur wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:
And then I took an art class with this rich kid from Dubai.

OT, but if you don't mind me asking, what ethnicity was the chap from Dubai?

Um... it's gonna sound racist, but he was a dark skinned fellow... Looking at the ethnicities that wikipedia lists, I'm not quite sure... but he was like taking the old GW scorched brown and washing it with a dark shade if that makes sense. His name was Mohammed if that tells you anything :-/

 Huffy wrote:
Bleh...Ohio State

Also remember that you dont need to attend a prestigious undergraduate school...it's really not as important anymore as it used to be.

Its only really important is you care about where you're going to do your graduate work, if you're going to do any at all. This is particularly true if you plan on pursuing a doctorate, because not having any significant choice of departments can very quickly lead to a lot of wasted time trying to get your dissertation approved.

University of Pennsylvania is a great Biology/Chemsitry college. Tuition is pretty high, and its a hard college to survive. One of my buddies is majoring in Biochem there, you should check it out.

If you want to apply to some ivy league or really nice college, don't try and seem smart when you write your essays and do your interview. Try and look creative and interesting, with a great deal of potential. That's how you get into those schools.

Any other college, theres really no challenge getting into. Just make sure your SAT/ACT scores are in the right places.

My advice, harsh as it sounds, would be not to bother. The way I see it, if you have the grades you can go to a world-class university in either Oxford or Cambridge here in the UK for a fraction of the price of an equivalent institution in the US. If you DON'T have the grades, you'll essentially be paying a king's ransom to attend a middling university thousands of miles from home. I don't really see the point in that. Just go on a long holiday or something.

Do you know what you intend to study?

 Albatross wrote:
My advice, harsh as it sounds, would be not to bother. The way I see it, if you have the grades you can go to a world-class university in either Oxford or Cambridge here in the UK for a fraction of the price of an equivalent institution in the US. If you DON'T have the grades, you'll essentially be paying a king's ransom to attend a middling university thousands of miles from home. I don't really see the point in that. Just go on a long holiday or something.

Grades actually have little influence on whether or not you would be accepted into excellent colleges in the US. Past a certain point, colleges don't really care because the SAT's are a poor representation of one's skills, and grades can vary greatly because of numerous factors, so much so that a student could easily get all A's at one school and all C's at another.

But you are right though, I see little value in going to college in the US.

I saw so little value, I went for 5 years!