13 January 2012, 10:18 pm
Hello there! I am a 21 year young man from Norway. And I am going to apply for Electrical engineering as my major at a US uni. Financial aid for me is only available to me from the Norwegian government for the colleges/universities in the list below. I have not any exact numbers, but my GPA is around 3.2-3.5, I am up for Toefl and SAT subjects soon. I am going for Math 2 and physics. My practice tests (real former tests given) suggests that I am more than sufficiently good for TOEFL, and my SAT subjects average should be somewhere between 700-750. This is an opinion supported by my teachers. My GPA however I am not certain, as I do not have my transcripts in front of me right now. But it is somewhere around 3.2 to 3.5. So my question is which of the following institutes do I have a realistic shot at getting admitted to? Boston University (MA) [2] Brown University (RI) California Institute of Technology (CA) Carnegie Mellon University (PA) Case Western Reserve University (OH) Columbia University (NY) Cornell University (NY) Dartmouth College (NH) Duke University (NC) Emory University (GA) Georgetown University (DC) Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) (GA) Harvard University (MA) Indiana University, Bloomington (IN) Johns Hopkins University (MD) Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT (MA) Michigan State University (MI) New York University (NY) Northwestern University (IL) Ohio State University (OH) Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (DC) Pennsylvania State University, University Park (PA) Princeton University (NJ) Purdue (IN) Rice University, Houston (TX) Rutgers, the State University of NJ (NJ) Stanford University (CA) Texas A&M University (TX) Tufts University (MA) University of Chicago (IL) University of Colorado, Boulder (CO) University of Florida (FL) University of Georgia (GA) University of Illinois – Urbana – Champaign (IL) University of Iowa (IA) University of Maryland (MD) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (MI) University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC) University of Notre Dame (IN) University of Pennsylvania (PA) University of Pittsburgh (PA) University of Rochester (NY) University of Southern California (CA) University of Texas, Austin (TX) University of Virginia (VA) University of Washington, Seattle (WA) University of Wisconsin, Madison (WI) UoC [3] Berkeley (CA) UoC Davis (CA) UoC Irvine (CA) UoC San Diego (CA) UoC Santa Barbara (CA) UoC UCLA (CA) Vanderbilt University (TN) Washington University in St. Louis (MO) Yale University (CT) In advance: Thank you very, very much for your help! While I know there are several need-blind universities out there, that offers financial aid to international students. Those are often the ivy-league ones, which should be listed here anyway :3 An yes, the Norwegian government is really generous. 50% scholarship, and 50% loan with no interest, and small payments. And tuition is covered fully :) Edit 3: The reason for my GPA being so "low" is not because of lack of intellect, and hardships comprehending things. I do not like to shift the blame away from me, however some high schools here set the same grading requirements as most universities. Essentially that you need to do some serious experimental thinking to get an A+ There is of course the fact that I came crashing down with NMO my last year of high school, which made my attendance rather sporadic. That drags grades down rather dramatically. No absence is valid absence :) To answer your question, the Norwegian government pays part of the university. However if I had studied in Norway, university had been free ;) The reason my GPA estimate is so hugely variable, is because the grading system does not scale well at all. Here we grade from 1(failing) to 6, where 2.5 to 3 are the average grades. The gap from 3 to 4 is big. But from 5 to six.. Six equals an A+ In my classes I have not seen anyone receiving a six, other than on tests. It should also be noted that multiple choice tests are not used at all. They are all essays- Regardless a 6 does not equal a 4 on the GPA-o-meter. We do not have honors, and we do not have the option of taking Additional classes. Classes are not weighted in any way. My average grades are 4.8 out of six. Though in all fairness the curriculum of Norwegian high schools exceed that of "standard" US high schools by far. The only exception being calculus. Fortunately enough I have been taught that outside school. I stumbled across a neat piece of information. Apparently I can have the school send a document with my transcript that includes curriculum, and details of grading. And apparently that has helped many a poor Norwegian. Worst case scenario the uni either: Get super confused and refuses to touch my application with a 10ft stick, OR disregard the letter entirely. Best case scenario they scratch their heads, shrugs and say "Fair enough" Or say "What the..." And look at my SAT alone. Still a few months till my SAT and TOEFL. I better study like an antisocial nerd.... Read More »
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