So you’ve finally decided that you want to study in the US. The question you will need to research is which universities you will apply to. Not everyone can get into MIT so keep your hopes realistic. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t apply to the top universities such as MIT, Harvard, Stanford, etc., but make sure you have backup options where you are nearly guaranteed admission based on your application.

There are two broad categories when considering universities: Private and Public. As the names suggest, Public universities get state funding while Private universities mostly make their own money. Residents who live in the state where a particular public university has campuses are subsidized and they pay reduced costs. However, anyone who is from outside that particular state will pay as much as 6-7 times as much as the university will offer no financial aid whatsoever for out-of-state applicants. Private universities do get government money but that is mostly for research. A lot of their money comes from Alumni donations. But these universities will offer aid to international students. Some will consider your financial aid application when they look at your admission application which means that if you ask for money but your admission application is not among the best, you have lower chances of gaining admission. But there are others such as MIT, Princeton, Harvard, etc., that treat international students on the same level as US residents and don’t consider your financial aid application while looking at your admission application. Still other private universities like Adelphi (where I’m currently studying) will offer only merit-based tuition scholarships so you don’t need to pay back anything. You can then work part-time and cover some more of your expenses.

So, the first choice you need to make is whether or not you are willing to pay complete expenses at a public university or do you want some sort of financial aid. Once you have that figured out, you can start doing your research. There a number of factors that you need to consider while looking at different unviersities. Let me list out a few basic things you ought to keep in mind:

1. Small Town or Big City?

It’s important to decide which one you prefer. The atmosphere in either case is completely different and so think about what you are more comfortable with. If you don’t mind either, it opens up choices for you and gives you a wider range. However, if you have a clear cut preference for one or the other then it will help you stay focused and narrow down your list.

2. Large University or Small University?

Larger unviersities mean a huge student population and consequently larger classrooms with up to 200 or more students in a humongous lecture hall. Such a situation implies that there is very little student-teacher interaction. On the other hand, in smaller universities, the classroom setting is much more private and sometimes as few as 7-8 students per class. It’s a great opportunity to meet with professors and get to know them. It also means that it’s easier to work with your professors on research or whatever.

3. Social Life?

What sort of social will you have once you go to a particular university? Will you sit around all day just studying or will you have friends with whom you can go out sometimes and have video game parties or just parties in general? Also, you need to look at what’s there to do on weekends. Would you mind a dead campus on weekdays and during longer breaks? Look at clubs/organizations/sports that you might want to get involved with - they’re a great way to make new friends and bond with a community of like-minded individuals.

4. Weather?

Do you like warm weather all year round? If so, you are quite limited in your choices. California will be an obvious choice in this case. Others like Texas and Georgia are also good options. In case you don’t mind cold winters, then you go pretty much anywhere. The East Caast is then an excellent option. Places like New York, Boston, and the surrounding areas have some great schools.

5. Family?

Do you have family in the US? If so, then you might want to go to school such that you are near your relatives. Of course, it might also work the other way in that you wouldn’t want to go anywhere near any relatives Either way, this is another important factor. If you’re like me (I have no family in the US except for a cousin and her husband near Atlanta) , then this factor will not impact your choice of university.

So, these were just some things you might want to consider when deciding on which universities you apply to and ultimately end up going to. I haven’t decided what the next one will be but I will post it soon. Thank you for reading this one