US Applications for 2023

[FriendlyLaundryMonster]

My ds is looking at uni applications at the moment for the US. It isn't a process we have any experience of. Are any other mumsnet families in the same situation? I was hoping we could share tips and advice on applications and funding. Ds is optimistically applying to Princeton, Harvard, MIT and Caltech. It's a long shot, but he things it's worth a try!

He might major on economics but the jury is out. He's taking classes which lead that way.

Are you looking at US @eggsbenedict23 !

We thought about it. But seems unlikely. DS has economics super curriculars but not the extra curriculars that the top us unis want.

Oxbridge seems more likely than getting into let's say Harvard

True but remember you could apply to all three of H, Y and P but can only apply to Oxford or Cambridge. Plus the other good US universities.

Did some googling. Yes I know you can apply to many.

From my recent googling. It seems only H Y M P offer financial aid for internationals?

@HoneyMobster can I be a bit nosey and ask where Ur DS will be attending?

Completely understand if you say no

He's at Princeton.

No, only HYMP are needs blind for international students. Which means admissions don’t know if you need aid when you apply.
Needs blind and needs met are two different things.

There are universities that offer full needs based financial aid to international students but they know when considering the application if the student will need aid. It makes it more difficult for them to get accepted but if they are successful they can get full aid. This includes all the Ivies and other elite universities.

@eggsbenedict23 and others: Mumsnetters on this thread may also find it useful to know about the American category called elite four years colleges. We do not have anything comparable in the UK.

Example include Amherst, Swarthmore, Oberlin, Williams, Reed, the Seven Sisters, the Claremont Colleges, etc. Some are nearly as competitive as the IL. I mention them because some - Amherst comes to mind - offer good aid to international students.

The academic staff are superbly qualified; they have simply chosen at some point (in STEM nowadays, typically after postdoctoral work) to specialise in teaching rather than to combine teaching and research. These colleges do not offer PhDs or, therefore, exposure to PG modules as a UG. But class sizes are smaller, all teaching is done by dedicated staff (where the Ivies, like all research universities, use PG students for discussion sections) and chances for UG research abound. The education is recognised as being second to none. Doors to PG study and employment at top institutions are wide open. Colleges tend to work hard to place their UGs as there is no competing PG focus. Alumni networks are strong.

On a thread within the last year or so, a MNetter said she’d had one DC at Oxbridge, one at an Ivy and one at an American four year college. The college student had the best experience.

If your DC is considering study in America, the top four year liberal arts colleges - which definitely offer science and may or may not offer engineering - are worth a thought. You can search online for lists of those providing parity of aid to international students.

There are many others besides those four.
www.crimsoneducation.org/nz/blog/financial-aid-international-students/
This article gives a list, broken into various categories.

DS admits he'd like to go to uni and drink legally and be able to legally go to bars and clubs etc . (UK preference)

@HoneyMobster @fairlygoodmother @FriendlyLaundryMonster What a fascinating thread and congrats to all headed to the US!

We will be looking at the process in a few years' time, but was wondering if the IB has an advantage/disadvantage over A levels? Our school does the IB and am not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing for the US universities.

@DPLMom - our school does both IB and A levels and students with both qualifications have gone to the US.

In some ways IB might be advantageous as a student will have kept up with a wide range of subjects which would help with ACT and SAT assessments.

@DPLMom - I taught st university in America before moving here. You will probably get replies from the DM’s you’ve tagged.

I think the answer is likely to be that Americans do regard the IB more positively. In American schools, IB is restricted, when it is offered at all, to the top stream of students. Then at university Americans do two years of fairly general study (usually there is some freedom of choice but, for example, it is not possibly to study strictly Humanities or strictly STEM) during the first two years. IB is better preparation for this than A Levels.

The Fulbright people, whose mission is to further educational relations between the two countries, may have useful information for you online. (Named after Senator William Fulbright, a distinguished legislator and Anglophile)

Thank you for the responses. Yes this is the reason the IB appealed to us - DS is very much a generalist with an interest across languages and unrelated subjects. I think the US system will work well for him (assuming he finds some amount of focus and interest in a subject area by then). My only concern is that the school sends a lot of students to the US on legacy, we have no such background and will need a lot of financial help.

I will definitely check out Fulbright.

I hope Fulbright will also have good information on which universities offer needs blind admissions and parity of aid to international students. Please see also posts from ne and another PP above on the elite four year colleges. They offer a superb experience unlike anything we have in the UK (as discussed above) and at least a few offer generous aid. A PP has linked to an aid list; hopefully Fulbright can offer more detailed help.