Best city/uni(college) to study in the US

[sahraanon]

Hello people, I don't know how this website works, or if anyone will respond, but i've looked around online and this website seemed to the best to post my query onto.

I'm a Somali (F), 17, and live in London and Im applying to university/college soon, and I'm leaning (80%) towards a US one. I've always wanted to live study abroad (and live in future) in the US, and an oppurtunity has arisen where I'm actually able to study in the US. US uni applications for us starts way earlier than people going to UK universities, understandably. Our school want us to finalise most of the pre-application before August in time for the application opening.
I've got my choices roughly in my head, but I'm leaning heavily towards New York so Columbia and NYU, but still not set on it. The reason why I posted this on here is cause obviously Im somali, and have always been roughly surrounded by Somalis, so I kinda want to move and study somewhere where I can find somalis lol, and I have no relatives in the US, only in canada, so cant find any to speak to. Idk why i left it so late to think of this, but I literally have no clue about the US and where Somalis are scattered. Here in the UK for example, I wouldnt really want go to a uni where there wasn't a large somali population, which conveniently are located in the areas with the best universities in the country i.e. London, Manchester etc. This is a preference obviously, but is one that is heavily geared towards the requirement end. My friends have been helping and asking around/researching, and most say places like Minnesota and Columbus,Ohio, and online it says places like San diego, seattle washington etc. are there any in NY? I know ny is very diverse, but what about in terms of muslims or somalis? is the city even good? (ik its expensive but my parents are more-or-less well off, plus im sure ill find work)

Any advice from Somali Americans?

 

[Apollo]

How are you going to afford it? Not only do you have to deal with high tuition but also high living costs.

@VixR perhaps you can give her some advice.

 

[sahraanon]

How are you going to afford it? Not only do you have to deal with high tuition but also high living costs.

@VixR perhaps you can give her some advice.

afford what? the living costs? hopefully by allowances and part time work (lots of it lol)

If you mean tuition I'm applying for scholarships and rest is covered by my dad.

 

[Apollo]

afford what? the living costs? hopefully by allowances and part time work (lots of it lol)

If you mean tuition I'm applying for scholarships and rest is covered by my dad.

Sounds like you are an elite Xalima.

Well, if you can afford, go ahead.

 

[sahraanon]

Sounds like you are an elite Xalima.

Well, if you can afford, go ahead.

thanks for editing lol, and are you american?

 

[Apollo]

thanks for editing lol, and are you american?

Nope, but probably some others might soon chime in.

 

[AIOPZ]

I'm going to be a tad biased here as an Ohioan, but I strongly recommend the Ohio State University! OSU has a variety of prestigious colleges such as the Fisher College of Business, the OSU College of Engineering, and the OSU College of Medicine. We have one of the largest campuses in the nation. We have a very strong Somali community at OSU with an entire Somali Student Association. The Department of African American & African Studies offers Somali Studies and each year at least six elementary, intermediate and advanced Somali language and culture courses are offered at OSU.

 

[sahraanon]

I'm going to be a tad biased here as an Ohioan, but I strongly recommend the Ohio State University! OSU has a variety of prestigious colleges such as the Fisher College of Business, the OSU College of Engineering, and the OSU College of Medicine. We have one of the largest campuses in the nation. We have a very strong Somali community at OSU with an entire Somali Student Association. The Department of African American & African Studies offers Somali Studies and each year at least six elementary, intermediate and advanced Somali language and culture courses are offered at OSU.

Thats interesting, I was contemplating Ohio state. First I was put off by the weather lol, but at a convention they said the campus was huge and the sports were good, but thats pretty much all they were advocating lol they weren't selling themselves much on the educational front. Plus Columbus is a big city (?) so there should be a lot going on . But when I asked my brother he said if you find a somali american to query with they will be biased to their city lol (as you were : p), so my question for you would be if you didnt live in Ohio what would be your ideal uni?

 

[XawoTako]

Hello people, I don't know how this website works, or if anyone will respond, but i've looked around online and this website seemed to the best to post my query onto.

I'm a Somali (F), 17, and live in London and Im applying to university/college soon, and I'm leaning (80%) towards a US one. I've always wanted to live study abroad (and live in future) in the US, and an oppurtunity has arisen where I'm actually able to study in the US. US uni applications for us starts way earlier than people going to UK universities, understandably. Our school want us to finalise most of the pre-application before August in time for the application opening.
I've got my choices roughly in my head, but I'm leaning heavily towards New York so Columbia and NYU, but still not set on it. The reason why I posted this on here is cause obviously Im somali, and have always been roughly surrounded by Somalis, so I kinda want to move and study somewhere where I can find somalis lol, and I have no relatives in the US, only in canada, so cant find any to speak to. Idk why i left it so late to think of this, but I literally have no clue about the US and where Somalis are scattered. Here in the UK for example, I wouldnt really want go to a uni where there wasn't a large somali population, which conveniently are located in the areas with the best universities in the country i.e. London, Manchester etc. This is a preference obviously, but is one that is heavily geared towards the requirement end. My friends have been helping and asking around/researching, and most say places like Minnesota and Columbus,Ohio, and online it says places like San diego, seattle washington etc. are there any in NY? I know ny is very diverse, but what about in terms of muslims or somalis? is the city even good? (ik its expensive but my parents are more-or-less well off, plus im sure ill find work)

Any advice from Somali Americans?

If you are looking for affordable universities, I would recommend university of south Dakota or south Dakota state university. There tuition is affordable compared to other universities in the usa

 

[VixR]

There’s not very many Somalis in NY, but my sibling met a few who were out-of-towners. You’d be in close proximity to Canada, so it might work out in that sense (being close to family). Your flights to London would also be considerably cheaper (and shorter).

What are you going to be studying? Some universities are better than others for different degrees, but any state university is reputable, so there’s another vote for NYU. Granted, I’m biased for it in a different way. It’s one of my possibilities for a move post graduation. NY is a stressful city in some ways, but you’ll never be bored. That being said, it’s also pretty expensive.

Tuition can get pretty high here, especially for non-Residents. And since you’re non-American, there’s no financial aid or grants you’d be eligible for. Your only options are being able to self-fund, work, or win scholarships.

If I were you, I’d google everything and pay attention to what the best schools are for your desired degree, google what the non-resident tuition is for said schools, and then triangulate which locations seem preferable to you after the fact.

Don’t pick a private school unless it’s one of the IVYs. They have a lot of help for minorities who get in, especially if your first gen, but make sure you diversify your schools (don’t do all IVYs). My cousin went through what you’re going through this past year, and he had awesome scores, but couldn’t land a spot into any of the bigshot schools he applied to, though he was awarded a full ride locally. Ironically, there were ppl in his class who didn’t do half the stuff he’d done and got in for some random out-of-the-box thing they’d done, so be aware they’re not just after rolling 4.0s.

When I was applying, I got into a bigshot school, but my parents couldn’t let go so I ended up getting into one a few hours away. Don’t let that happen to you. I regret it everyday. Even so, you could regret the exact opposite (going) if you’re not able ascertain what you need from your experience.

Everyone could throw names of colleges at you all day, but it’ll just confuse you if you don’t have some idea of what you want. I suggest visiting a counselor or a few and questioning them about what UK folks who went abroad liked, bc as an American it’s hard to speak on what the non-Resident experience entails.

There are significant Somalis in MN, OH, Seattle, San Diego, TX. The only city out of those I can recommend is San Diego lol and yet not for a student. Maybe after that, TX, or Seattle. Don’t pick where you’re going based around Somalis though idk.

 

[Timo Jareer and proud]

I'm going to be a tad biased here as an Ohioan, but I strongly recommend the Ohio State University! OSU has a variety of prestigious colleges such as the Fisher College of Business, the OSU College of Engineering, and the OSU College of Medicine. We have one of the largest campuses in the nation. We have a very strong Somali community at OSU with an entire Somali Student Association. The Department of African American & African Studies offers Somali Studies and each year at least six elementary, intermediate and advanced Somali language and culture courses are offered at OSU.

kkk but warya you are high schooler KK can not give advice for Uni when you are 2 years from even attending there.

 

[Aladdin]

School is business they are only interested making money not educating you why you need 400$ a book for. That's a whole week of paycheck if you don't have the money to run for 4 to 8 years it not worth especially not completing and stopping halfway I suggest to start being creative, find ways to make your own money I been to school and working for other people they both burned me

 

[Aladdin]

Take online classes from u.s and save yourself flight ticket and expenses

 

[sahraanon]

There’s not very many Somalis in NY, but my sibling met a few who were out-of-towners. You’d be in close proximity to Canada, so it might work out in that sense (being close to family). Your flights to London would also be considerably cheaper (and shorter).

What are you going to be studying? Some universities are better than others for different degrees, but any state university is reputable, so there’s another vote for NYU. Granted, I’m biased for it in a different way. It’s one of my possibilities for a move post graduation. NY is a stressful city in some ways, but you’ll never be bored. That being said, it’s also pretty expensive.

Tuition can get pretty high here, especially for non-Residents. And since you’re non-American, there’s no financial aid or grants you’d be eligible for. Your only options are being able to self-fund, work, or win scholarships.

If I were you, I’d google everything and pay attention to what the best schools are for your desired degree, google what the non-resident tuition is for said schools, and then triangulate which locations seem preferable to you after the fact.

Don’t pick a private school unless it’s one of the IVYs. They have a lot of help for minorities who get in, especially if your first gen, but make sure you diversify your schools (don’t do all IVYs). My cousin went through what you’re going through this past year, and he had awesome scores, but couldn’t land a spot into any of the bigshot schools he applied to, though he was awarded a full ride locally. Ironically, there were ppl in his class who didn’t do half the stuff he’d done and got in for some random out-of-the-box thing they’d done, so be aware they’re not just after rolling 4.0s.

When I was applying, I got into a bigshot school, but my parents couldn’t let go so I ended up getting into one a few hours away. Don’t let that happen to you. I regret it everyday. Even so, you could regret the exact opposite (going) if you’re not able ascertain what you need from your experience.

Everyone could throw names of colleges at you all day, but it’ll just confuse you if you don’t have some idea of what you want. I suggest visiting a counselor or a few and questioning them about what UK folks who went abroad liked, bc as an American it’s hard to speak on what the non-Resident experience entails.

There are significant Somalis in MN, OH, Seattle, San Diego, TX. The only city out of those I can recommend is San Diego lol and yet not for a student. Maybe after that, TX, or Seattle. Don’t pick where you’re going based around Somalis though idk.

Wow thanks for the long and detailed response! What I'm hoping to study varies slightly from school to school, but its more-or-less biomedical engineering. From what I've researched and been informed Columbias Fu's a good choice for it. I want to study in New York hence Columbia being 1st choice, but a close second is UCSD, cause they are like top 5 for my course and also San Diego seems very convenient. Columbia is the only Ivy I'm interested in tbh, plus I did my SAT earlier this year and the score was quite good/above average so it should boost my application and scholarship capabilities in general. I'll look into the cities you named more, to fill up my last 3 choices, as I already have the first 3. I don't think I'm gonna run into the problem you did cause if my parents are ok with me moving continents I doubt they give a shit about what city I move to lol. About the Somali thing, I kinda wanna know for my sake cause I like being around Somalis, but obviously not everyones like this, but I am, so chose to post here cause of it. Seeing as it will be my 2nd home I wanna be comfortable if that makes sense, not saying ajnabis wont do the same, but just not the same as having a community, friends and even potentials too lmao.

 

[sahraanon]

School is business they are only interested making money not educating you why you need 400$ a book for. That's a whole week of paycheck if you don't have the money to run for 4 to 8 years it not worth especially not completing and stopping halfway I suggest to start being creative, find ways to make your own money I been to school and working for other people they both burned me

Thanks for your post, but you seem to have interpreted my post as if I was on the fence about applying to university/college, when this is not the case. I think my title/header was kinda clear tbh. If I wanted advice on whether or not to attend uni, not only would I not be asking on here, but I wouldn't go through the trouble of going to the US when the UK is much more convenient after all. Thanks for your concern about the expenses, but as I stated earlier it's kinda covered alhamdullilah, as my Dad's a general practitioner (Doctor) and has slaved away many years, which you deem useless, to be able to pay for the education which I would like to pursue.
Nevertheless, thanks for your input.

 

[TheAnswer]

Why do you need to be surrounded by Somalis? There are not very many Somalis in America and its a big country. Don't be afraid to go to college in an area with few Somalis. Most American colleges tend to have a 'bubble' vibe where you won't know too much about the local city anyway, as you'll be without a car. Americans love black people with British accents, take advantage of that and go to the best college you can get into. Don't bother applying to public universities as they offer international students no financial aid. Apply to wealthy private universities, it's easy to get financial aid there. America is a welcoming place and you'll be fine living on your own.

 

[NotMyL]

New York? Good luck, you would ran back after a semester. NYC is not an easy place, especially if you don’t know anyone there, why not pick universities where you will meet Somalis? And make your transition easier? I would suggest University of Minnesota, it’s one of the best schools in Midwest especially if you are interested in the medical field.

 

[Aladdin]

Thanks for your post, but you seem to have interpreted my post as if I was on the fence about applying to university/college, when this is not the case. I think my title/header was kinda clear tbh. If I wanted advice on whether or not to attend uni, not only would I not be asking on here, but I wouldn't go through the trouble of going to the US when the UK is much more convenient after all. Thanks for your concern about the expenses, but as I stated earlier it's kinda covered alhamdullilah, as my Dad's a general practitioner (Doctor) and has slaved away many years, which you deem useless, to be able to pay for the education which I would like to pursue.
Nevertheless, thanks for your input.

I never said it was useless I said if you have the money to cover urself for 4 to 8 years go for it most people aren't lucky to have dad helping them who is doctor let alone migrating to new country

 

[VixR]

Wow thanks for the long and detailed response! What I'm hoping to study varies slightly from school to school, but its more-or-less biomedical engineering. From what I've researched and been informed Columbias Fu's a good choice for it. I want to study in New York hence Columbia being 1st choice, but a close second is UCSD, cause they are like top 5 for my course and also San Diego seems very convenient. Columbia is the only Ivy I'm interested in tbh, plus I did my SAT earlier this year and the score was quite good/above average so it should boost my application and scholarship capabilities in general. I'll look into the cities you named more, to fill up my last 3 choices, as I already have the first 3. I don't think I'm gonna run into the problem you did cause if my parents are ok with me moving continents I doubt they give a shit about what city I move to lol. About the Somali thing, I kinda wanna know for my sake cause I like being around Somalis, but obviously not everyones like this, but I am, so chose to post here cause of it. Seeing as it will be my 2nd home I wanna be comfortable if that makes sense, not saying ajnabis wont do the same, but just not the same as having a community, friends and even potentials too lmao.

That’s awesome, congrats.

NY is a concrete jungle like London, so I think if you’re comfortable in London, you’ll be fine in NY. It’s also integrated like London, which means you won’t need a car to get around.

You might enjoy the aesthetic of the West Coast better. SD, California couldn’t be more different from NY. It’s beautiful and the weather’s a lot better than the East Coast, but it isn’t as integrated with public trans. If you’re going to be living in a dorm, or near the school/work, it probably won’t matter. Just be aware most places in the US, except for a few exceptions like NY or San Fran, California are not like London or other parts of Europe where everything is close and you just hop on a rail and get where you need to go, unless you live centrally. It’s a huge country.

Why not consider a college in Canada if you're afraid of being isolated, since you have family there? There’s Somalis there, and I’d imagine the ones you’d meet in college would be the more successful families.

Anyway, best of luck. Hit the books hard. Don’t get distracted