University of Chicago Early Action

Along with   MIT and Caltech,  The  university of Chicago is  one of the most prominent schools offering an Early Action Option.  Chicago is consistently ranked in the top 10  and is widely considered to be one of the most intellectual universities in the country.




 If accepted, congratulations. You can now focus on  just a few schools depending on your major. Universities worth considering are

• Stanford
• Harvard
• Princeton
• Columbia
• Duke
• Northwestern
• Amherst College
• Georgetown
• University if  Notre Dame
• Washington University ( St. Louis)
• Michigan
• Rice
• Johns Hopkins

 If  you were not accepted dont despair,  Chicago's admission  rate is in thre single digits

  Its time to focus on some equally good but more realistic options such as :

Northwestern

Oberlin College

Wisconsin

University if  Notre Dame

Washington University ( St. Louis)

Michigan

Davidson College

Emory 

Virginia

MIT Early Action

Along with Caltech, MIT   also offers Early Action. If  accepted sat MIT  in EA ,  congratulations!. 

 Caltech, Harvard  and Stanford are arguabl;y the only other schools worth c

onsidering.

 If not accepted  dont  worry. Its MIT after all.

 Now  you can focus on s applying to the folklowing( assuning you are interested in a  STEM program)

• Stanford
• Carnegie  Mellon University
• USC
• Caltech
• Harvey  Mudd College
• University of  Michigan
• Also look at whichever public scjool  you are likely to get the bet financial  offer

Caltech Early Action

 The California Institute of Technology(Caltech)  is areguably the most prominent   university with an Early Action Program.  In the Engineering and sciences , it has  no true peers.   Some students may prefer MIT   which has a deeper research focus  or Stanford  for a more rounded collegiate experience.

 If accepted,  financia, reasons  seem to be the only ones for not attending.

 If you did not gret in, dont  worry,  it  is Calrech after all.

nLook at thes eschools for other great STEM optionns:

• MIT
• Stanford
• Harvey  Mudd College
• Cornell
• The University of  Michigan Ann Arbor
• The University of Pennsylvania
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Georgia Tech

 As always  feel free to contact clearskyeducation( clearskyeducation@gmail.com) for help with your final application push

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Michigan EA decision

Continuing our look at EA results, lets consider Michigan.
 Michigan is arguably the best university  to offer an EA optoin.

 Like Illinois  Michigan is best known ( at least internationally) as an engineering school.
 Most of the Engineering and computing departments rank in the  top 10  nationally.
 Michigan is strong across the board from the Ross school of business to thre  education  school and even the world class liberal arts core of the  LSA ( school of Literature, sciences and Arts)


 If accepted at  Michigan, the only better universities are the elite  schools

   Programs to consider applying to are

• Harvard
• Stanford
• Duke
• University of Chicago
• Rice
• University of Pennsylvania
• CMU ( for Computer Science)
• Cornell
• Brown
• Amherst
• Harvey  Mudd
• Pomona

 If you were not accepted in EA do not be too dejected.

 Thder are several ezcellent options  still out there:

University of  Minnesota - Twin Cities

University of Wisconsin - Madison

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh

Case Western Reserve  University

University of  Michigan - Ann Arbor.

Case Western Reserve University

USC

UIUC EA decision

 One University   I regularly recommend applying Early Action to is the University of I

llinois- Urbana Champaign.  UIUC  is one of the premier research  universities in the STEM fields. It  also has a strong liberal arts core and a  established business school. If accepted at UIUC , you  can go after the top ramnked aspirational schools 

 Universities worth applying to are:

• Carnegie Mellon
• Michigan
• Cornell
• USC
• Georgia Tech
• Stanford
• 
  
• If not accepted  do not despair, you have  enough time left to take another  riound at the SAT and apply to a school with rolling admissions or a late deadline.
• Some excellent options here are
• University of  Minnesota - Twin Cities
• University of Wisconsin - Madison
• University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh
• Case Western Reserve  University
• University of  Michigan - Ann Arbor.

How to use EA decisions

 Since several EA decisions will be being announced in the next two weeks  it is a good time to think about how to  use this to your best advantage.
 If accepted EA to a  very selectie school  that you definitely want to enroll in , then you are done. Immediately forget about admissionsand focus on finances

 If accepted to  one of your safety options  suvh as Illinois  Tech( for engineering)    use this as a sign you  need to  be more ambitious.  Eliminate  RPI, RIT and WPI from your lists and look instead at CMU, Case Western, Michigan and Georgia  tech. Focus all your energy on a few elite schools  and work  in a focussed manner  until Jan 01.

 I will look at strategies for individual EA programs in the coming week.

Early Action results have started - illinois Institute of Technology

 The most awaited part of the admission cycle has started -   admission decisions. Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT or illinois Tech)   has  sent acceptance letters to  some EA applicants.
 One of ClearSky's students from India  was accepted with a US$25,000 scholarship.

 IIT is a well reputed engineering svhool based in Chicago.   it is one of the few    engineering speciality institutes to    have both a law school and a business school.

 its small size means the faculty focus is more on undergraduate teaching  ratherthan research.
With a generous aid policy, IIT  is a good option for students interested in STEM programs.

Plan for December

  There are only 5 weeks left in  the main admissions cycle. You need to plan to maximize your   effort.
  If you have been  following this blog , you know you should always apply ED and EA

  by mid december  ( around the 13th usually)  you will learn of your EA applications.
 If accepted congratulations!.  If its an ED - you are done. If EA , Its timre to get  more ambiyois -  pick the schools you liked but were intimidated by.  Use your remaining time to  really fogus on thes saps and write  a great  essay.
 If rejected,  re evaluate your profile -  look at  smaller libderal arts colleges that may suit your  needs better than a big university. Also keep in mind several schools have February deadlines and rolling admissions options.

 As always you can contact  us at clearskyadmissions@gmail.com for more information and personalized help.

Apply Texas

Uni

An ezxcellent and often overlooked application portal is  the Apply Texas website

 This is a single potral for the  Texas based [ublic institutions

 Texas is home to several excellent universities

 The most prominent ones in the Apply Texas   portfolio are

• University of Texas Austin
• Texas A&M
• TexasTech
• University of  Houston
• University of Texas San Antonio

November 30 is thre deadline and each school has its own essay requirements ( basically on the lines of "why the university of Texas"

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University of Southern Califortnia application

 USC is arguably the best  known private university on the west coast with stron programs in business, engineering,  the  liberal artds and the fine arts.

 MDecember 1 is the  deadline for Merit Scholarship consideration.
It is also the deadline for :First-year deadline for all Dramatic Arts, Cinematic Arts and Music programs, Kaufman School of Dance, the Iovine and Young Academy, and the World Bachelor of Business (WBB) program. (Check department websites for details.)

 January 15 is the Regular Decision deadline for everyone else.

  USC   has a gebnerous financial aid policy  and as it is a merit scholarship it is open to international students as well,   I uerge  all students genuinely  interested in USC to apply by December 1

 The USC supplement involves several short answer questions as well as three short essays:

1)USC believes that one learns best when interacting with people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Tell us about a time you were exposed to a new idea or when your beliefs were challenged by another point of view (250 words).

2)Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests at USC. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (250 word limit)

While scientists yearn to discover the world that exists, Engineers and Computer Scientists seek to create the world that never was. Our faculty and students believe collaborative teams are the key to great accomplishments. Please describe a time in your life (academic, co-curricular, or otherwise) where you had to collaborate to accomplish more than you could alone. (250 word limit)

3)While the world as a whole may be more technologically advanced than ever before, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has outlined 14 Grand Challenges that engineers should focus on to improve life on the planet. Learn about the Grand Challenges at www.engineeringchallenges.org and tell us which challenge is most important, and why. (250 word limit)

 Give these some thought and  send in your application by Dec 1.
  You can contact us at clearskyeducation@gmail.com for help on your USC application

Deadlines coming up

 It id mid bivember and that  means  deadlines are fast approaching.
 In fact, ther are deadlines every few weeks.

  Nov30/December 1   is the deadline for the University of California  and University of Texas system applications.

 Everyone should be applying to  2 ( or even 3) of the UC camouses  depending on your  intended major.   Most student should apply to both the University of Texas Austin and Texas A&M.

 December 1 is alsoi the priority deaDline for  USC. You need to apply by this date to be considered for merit  based aid.

Best Universities for International Studies

 International Studies is an increasingly popular major. 

 Naturally  schools on the west coast  have better programs for Latin American and Asian studies. Programs set up in the early 20th century will tend to be  Europe   focused while newer departments   focus on the paciofic rim and emergin economies.

 A brief list of the best universitires for Internsational Studies is:

• Harvard
• Georgetown
• Princeton
• Tufts
• UCLA
• Stanford
• Chicago
• Pittsburgh
• Michigan
• Amherst
• Middlebury
• Yale
• George Washington
• Johns Hopkins
• NYU
• Columbia
• Rutgers
• Duke
• Berkeley
• Texas
• Emory
• Florida
• Notre Dame
• Northwestern
• Southern Methodist U
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Best Universities for Economics

 The listr of the best schools for econimics overlaps extensively with that of business studies. However several smaller liberal arts  programs figutre oromoinentluy as well.


 The best universitities for economics are:

• Harvard
• Princeton
• Yale
• MIT
• Dartmouth
• Carnegie  Mellon
• University of Virginia
• UCLA
• Stanford
• Duke
• Notre Dame
• Michigan
• Georgetown
• University of Pennsylvania
• Chicago
• Northwestern
• Univdersity of California - Berkeley
• USC
• Williams college
• Oberlin XCollege
• Middlebury College
• Davidson College
• Claremont Mckenna College
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Berst Universities for Philsophy

 Philosophy is a highly underated field.  Omne would expect that Liberal arts colleges would have the best   programs but  mlost of the  workin philosophy is being  done at large universities.   The subject is becoming increasing technical and computation.

 The best universities for  philosophy are:

NYU

• Rutgers 
• Yale
• Harvard
• Princeton
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of California - Berkeley
• UCLA
• Washington University St.Louis
• University of  Notre Dame
• MIT
• Stanford
• USC
• University of Texas  Austin
• University of  North Carolina
• Indiana   University  Bloomington
• University of  Michigan
• Columbia
• Duke
• Brown
• Williams coillege
• Pomoma College
• Amherst college
• University of  Virginia
• University of Chicago
• Northwestern
• Swarthmore college
• Middlebury College

Best Universities for Psychology

 The list of good psycholofy ptrograms overlaps  consideranly with the previoyus social science but  but students should be aware  that naby specialisedfields of psychology such as the cognitive sciences, neuropsychology and educational psychology are  very resource intensive and therefore more likely to be found at large resesarch universities than a liberal arts college

 My list for the best psychology programs is :

• Stanford
• University of California - Berkeley
• Wisconsin
• Michigan
• Columbia
• NYU
• Indiana
• Amherst College
• Chicago
• Washington
• USC
• Univdersity of California - San Diego
• Duke
• Vanderbilt
• Grinnell College
• Minnesota
• University of  Memphis
• Carnegie Mellon

Best Universities for the Social Sciences

  While the large resesarch universities  dominate the research  literstutr in the social science, many students  find that small liberal arts colleges  offer an equally good if not better education in the Social Sciences

 My choices for the brst schools for  Social Sciences are:

• University of Chicago
• Swarthmore College
• Amherst College
• University of California -  BNerkeley
• Michigan
• Emory  University
• Princeton
• University  of Virginia
• College of William and Mary
• Notre Dame
• Williams college
• Bowdoin college
• University of Florida
• Vanderbilt University
• 
  
• Southern  Methodist University
• Carleton college
• Oberlin College
• University of  North Carolina

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Best Universities for Biological/life sciences

As with zengineering  , the best programs for the biological (lige) sciences  tend to be at large research universities which have affilioated medical schools  and  well funded laboratories. M

 Her is the clearsky list of best colleges for lofe sciences:

• Johns Hopkims University
• Duke
• Penn
• Harvard
• Columnbiane
• Tula
• Stanford
• Michiogan
• Reed College
• Pomona College
• College of Wooster
• Vassar College
• Case Western Reserve University
• Rice University
• USC
• Vanderbilt University
• 
  
• Washington University  St. Louis
• Nortwestern University
• UCLA
• University of Rochester

Besr Universities for Business Studies

 As with Engineering programs , many of the top iundergraduate business  courses are housed in large universities which have graduate  or MBA programs



 My liast of the best undergradusate business schools is:

• University of  Notre Dame
• University of Pennsylvania
•  Duke
•  Carnegie Mellon Univdersity
• UCLA
•  New York University
• Cornell
•  University of Texas - Austin
• Emory
• Georgetown
•  AmherstCollege
•  Pomono College
• Claremont Mckenna College
•  Middlebury College
•  University of Chicago
• Northwestern University
• Columbia University
• Stanford
• College of William and Mary
• University of Washington
•  USC

Best Universities for Engineering

  The best  engineering programs  are almost all at large  research universities. This is due to the resources required in terms of labs and  research facilitires

  My list of the best engineering schools is

• MIT
• CalTech
• Georgia Tech
• University of California - Berkeley
• UCLA
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Cornell
• Univdersity of  Michigan
• Purdue
• Univdersity of Illinois
• Penn State University
• University of Southern California
• University of  Pittsburgh
• Harvey  Mudd College
• Reed College
• Emory University
• University of Wisconsin
• University of Pennsylvania
• Northwestern  University
• Ohio State University

 The major midwestedrn public state universities  have been involved with a lot  of ground breaking research over the last 50  yesars and while they sre all still excellent options , recent budgdt cuts    are having a very nregative impact

 Read this article  for  a  thoughtful perspective on the issue

Best universities for Computer Science

 Now that the Early decision round id ovr, I am looking at universities by major starting with Computer Science for the  simple   reason that it was my own undergraduate major.


 In the Early Action cycle you should have applied to Georgia  Tech, Illinois and Purdue.


 The best schools for CS are

• Carnegie Mellon University
•  MIT
• Stanford
• University of California - Berkeley
• UCLA
•  Georgia Tech
•  University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign
• University of Washington
• Purdue
•  University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• Case Western Reserve Univdersity
•  Harvey Mudd College
•  University of  North Carolina - Chapel Hill
• Northwestern University
•  Reed College
• Grinnell College
• Swarthmore College
• University  of texas - Austin

   Most of th e best CS programs are in large public research universities butr smaller   schools such as CMU and Cas Western    are  often stronger.  Some liberal arts colleges also offer a very good CS education.

RD cycle starts now

 Now that the  Early Decision/Early Action   deadline  has passed, it time to take a serious look at your Regular Decision applicants that need t be submitted at end December.

 Other deadlines
 University of Washington priority - November 10
 University of Southern California - December 1
 University of California - November 30.

 Some of thes have already been addressed but  I will look at all of  these in detail in the coming  days.


  email
 clearskyeducation@gmail.com for help with your applications