My sister goes to a uni in america, and I'm hoping to go out there too. Try and get in touch with the admissions people. They will have dealt with this before, so they know about qualifications etc. You probably will have to do SATs, or some unis need another type (can't remember the name). One thing I like about the uni system in america is that you don't have to select your major until the third year (I think). This leaves you free to try out stuff you wouldn't normally try, and doesn't back you into doing something you may not fully enjoy. Some unis also do special semi-scholarship programs for international students, so you may want to ask/look into that. MIT is very hard to get into, so I would look other places too. My sister currently goes to Wake Forest.
You will need to take the college board SATs or ACTs. You will need lots of money. You will need decent grades (regardless), and preferably some sort of extracuricular activities from your schooling. You will need a lot of money. MIT isn't as hard to get into as every touts it to be (christ, I was accepted), but it really depends on your program. If you're interested in engineering, I'd suggest looking at both RPI (www.rpi.edu) and WPI (www.wpi.edu) in New York and Massachusetts (respectively) My alma mater is WPI, and it was definitely a fun, and enjoyable experience.
To be honest I studied International Baccalaureate in High school and did very well on the exams(7's and 6's) and most of the Uni's I looked at wouldn't consider them. In America, especially near the central part of the states, the ACT is the most prevalent college test.
Yeah.. IB isnt very usefull in the states.. But in every other country it is. A hl course considered as two A-level courses. And 36 points is an A**(ie the highest you can get).. Man.. i really hate IB.. TOK is such bull.. @Mathmarauder.. what was your score?
@atanum141: Please do not flame. I'm sure both countries have plenty of stupid people. to the OP: You haven't told us yet if money is an issue for you with American universities. But for Engineering Universities, you have many options, to list a few: Cornell University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, MIT, Cal-Tech, Stanford, Northwestern University, etc. A good reference is the US News/ World Report issue about undergraduate universities. EDIT- politeness
Calm down mate. Thats the whole reasons for these forums, to express our opinions and ideas. I didn't slag off American uni's. All I said that I find it hard to recommend such a place for study due to its nature of leaving the student in heavy debt afterwards. And besides the statistic that I commented on about not finding the U.K on the map was from Michael Moore's "Sicko" Docu/film and not randomly made up. And yes you are correct both country's have stupid people.
Man, on behalf of Texas I feel so under-represented! Texas Tech, University of Texas, and Texas A&M are all quality engineering schools; all three of them have graduated astronauts. Just three more to add to your list -monkey
If you find a university you would like to attend first visit the campus and talk to the coordinator of the department. They handle classes, postgraduate studies and help students adapt after graduation. Think of them as your academic advisers boss. Always call ahead and follow up with a email to make sure they can meet with you, rarely to they have posted office hours. Associate Deans of each department usually handle students on academic probation and work hand-in-hand with the Dean of Students. The Dean of the entire department is a figurehead who usually handles political concerns and money. Annoying them with questions and emails could put your success of getting in at risk. Sometimes very successful graduate students travel around the country as the "eyes and ears" of departments looking for interesting jobs as representatives of the university. If you can get a hold of a full scholarship as a international student American universities will be tripping over themselves to get you enrolled. You pay a higher dollar/credit hour than in-state students so it is in their advantage to get you enrolled in a program than denying it with a rejection letter.
let's not forget that most colleges/universities in the states will give out financial scholarships to those showing good merit(hell, that's the only way I was able to afford it) ... many of them often WANT international students as a way to show diversity, etc... so it *may* be less than some people here are saying.. just my $.02
LSU has a good engineering program..my stepdad went through mech. engineering there. now he runs 4 powerplants.. ohh btw LSU= Louisiana State University and its in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
If we're talking MIT might as well bring up Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Have 5 friends there right now and loving it, would've gone there myself if engineering was my thing. A lot smaller than MIT though, so it's either a good or bad thing. Besides that you'll need to either take SATs or ACTs depending on the college, most take both though.
