For an international student graduating with a US BSN, how common is it to get an RN job with an employer willing to sponsor an EB-3 green card before the 12-month OPT period expires? Are there actual recent experiences from international graduates who successfully did this, or is it much harder in practice than people make it sound?

Pretty specific question, but any help is appreciated 🙏

I'm currently in the 12th Grade at a FOS in Germany, planning on doing the 13th next year to get my Abitur (Finals). After 13th, I hope to be able to study at NYU Tisch.

My question is, what exactly should my plan be? When do I register/send an application? When exactly should I aim to be in New York before classes start? And what exactly are my grades/Abitur worth in comparison to an American graduate?

Hello, I graduated from an arts school in Pakistan known as IVS, and now I’m aiming to study MFA in USA. One of the universities I am applying to said that if I’m “unsure” whether my degree is equivalent to an American 4-year degree then I can get WES evaluation done.

The thing is, my degree was actually of 4-year so I don’t understand what do they mean by “unsure”. Secondly, WES is extremely expensive. If anyone has gone through this process, could you please elaborate on it? Thanks in advance!!!

I mean if you attend a top 15 uni in the US, how hard is it to get a job after? Say you are a STEM major and from the UK (not THAT bad as you can go US visa free anyways). I'm not sure how much harder it is to get a job at say big tech compared to someone who does not need sponsorship.

Thanks for all your help

Hi guys, I had a small but important question. I'm a gap year student applying to the US. While filling out the Common App, I came across this section, and some people told me that I should tick both did or will take a gap year and no change in progression. Is this correct for students applying after taking a gap year?

I'd really appreciate any clarification from people who have gone through this process. Thanks!

Since it is established that full-rides are exceptionally rare for anyone, let alone internationals, how rare are full-tuition waivers? I believe that they may be significantly more common (correct me if I’m wrong of course) due to colleges disliking waiving dorms/food but possibly not tuition in comparison.

NOTE: I find that a portion of people here are rather pessimistic, so please try to avoid being so. Everything else is appreciated, even if it’s ’bad news’. I am also explicitly trying to avoid almost all LACs and Ivy leagues and even top 100s.

Hey everyone!
I currently in the second year of my A levels and im in kind of a unique situation here and I wanted to get feedback on my profile, gap year strategy and other things.

Currently I have subjects Math, Phy and Chem in whom I got all as in my AS level (first year), and im predicted to get 3A* in my A2 year. I am currently going to take the SAT in december and currently im getting 1440+ in my practice tests with 750+ in the Math section and im currently targeting a score of 1550+.

For my ECs
I worked as a TA in my AS year for a teacher in a coaching institute where I basically managed everything from tests to homeworks and everything for over 1000+ students.
I am currently working on a devops project
I was a Student Council member in my year 10
Other than that I have small volunteering and MUN certificates

I am currently in Pakistan and my profile for here is more than enough and I was intending to apply to Uni here but a change of events is happening and our family will have to move to the United States and our move might take anywhere from a year to 2 years.

I wanted advice on if I should take a gap year or two and improve my extraciriculars or enroll here and transfer to the US in 1-2 years. If i take a gap year(s) what should be the best use of my time where I improve my ECs and my profile for the t20, and especially unis in California such as Stanford, Caltech or Berkley, and this might be a long shot MIT. If I take a gap year I intend to take up a day job and do A level Further math, but looking at the requirements of top schools in the US this doesnt seem as the right move, so I wanted to ask for advice as to what could be the best use of my time.

Hi everyone!
I’m an international student from Brazil applying to universities in the US, and I’m worried about my English proficiency test score.
I’m currently preparing for the Duolingo English Test (DET), but I’m struggling to reach the scores required by some of my target universities.
I’m wondering what would happen to my applications if I submit a low DET score, especially if it’s below the university’s minimum requirement.
Would my application be automatically rejected?
Could my application still be reviewed while I retake the DET?
Would a low English proficiency score hurt my chances of admission, even if the rest of my application is strong?
Do universities usually allow applicants to submit an updated score after the application deadline?
I’d especially appreciate hearing from international students who have been in a similar situation or from anyone familiar with US college admissions.
Thanks 🫠

Demographics

Gender: Male

Race/ethnicity: Asian

Country: India

Hooks: None

EFC: ~$30K/year (require aid)

Intended Major: Math+Philosophy

Academics:

Grade 9 (CBSE): 93.5%

Grade 10 (CBSE): 96.8% (100/100 in English)

Grade 11 (AS-levels):

Mathematics – A

Physics – A

Chemistry – B

Computer Science – A

Further Mathematics (self-studied) – B

Grade 12 (A-levels) predicted: 2A*3A

SAT: 1570 (780 RW; 790 Math)

Awards & Honors:

1. John Locke Essay Competition – Very High Commendation (Philosophy Category; Top 1% globally)
2. IRIS National Fair (science fair)– National Finalist (Top ~5%)
3. NSUCRYPTO (cryptography contest) – International Rank 1
4. INYPT (physics research competition) – National Finalist (Top 5)
5. Masters' Union AI Hackathon – Grand Finalist (Top 15/3000+)
6. USACO Gold

Extracurricular Activities:

1. Conducted independent research on low-cost IMU calibration, designed and built a hardware prototype, and presented the project at the IRIS National Fair.
2. Conducted interdisciplinary research in physics and computational mathematics on the dynamics of a flipping toy; qualified as an INYPT National Finalist (top 5)
3. Selected for the Non-Trivial Research Foundations Program (2026) (~1% acceptance rate).
4. Completed the Stanford Quantum High School Program (2025).
5. Volunteer tutor with UPchieve (40+ hours), providing free academic support to students.
6. Vice-President of STEM & Coding Club
7. Developed an algorithmic trading bot using quantitative strategies and historical market data.
8. Class Representative for two terms (Grades 9 & 10).
9. Self-taught musician for 9+ years (guitar, piano, flute, and vocals), several performances.
10. Participated in Debate and Model United Nations, earning multiple awards.

Essays:

Personal Statement - 10/10 (wholesome reflective narrative abt family and birds)

(got it checked by multiple ppl including an AO and they love it)

to all those who got in and everyone who applied, what made you apply to it? and what are you expecting out of it?

i got in too btw.

Nationality/Location: International Student from India
Financial Need: Requesting Full Financial Aid / Full-Ride.
Note on School List: I am primarily targeting the elite US institutions that are need-blind for international students (e.g., Brown, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, MIT, Amherst, Bowdoin). Since financial need does not impact admission decisions at these specific need-blind schools, please evaluate my profile purely on academic and institutional fit!

Academic Profile:
Curriculum: ICSE / Class 10: 94.8% / Class 11 : 91.5%
SAT: 1420 (760 Math) — Evaluated in context: self-directed preparation without formal coaching or fee-heavy resources.
Intended Major: Computer Science / Interdisciplinary Tech & Physics

Extracurriculars & Self-Directed Projects:

1. Independent Physics Research & Programming: Developed a Python-based computational physics simulation modeling complex projectile trajectories beyond textbook mechanics. Reviewed and commended by an IIT Bombay professor for mathematical rigor.
2. Web & App Development / Freelance: Self-taught developer; designed and built custom, responsive websites for local businesses (including inventory automation for a local enterprise).
3. Founder, CubeTech (YouTube Channel): Created an educational channel in Hindi to teach spatial algorithms and Rubik's cube mechanics to underprivileged youth without access to English tuition or paid resources.
4. Self-Taught Multi-Instrumentalist: Play the Bansuri (Indian Bamboo Flute), Piano, and Guitar independently; perform and explore musical composition.
5. Varsity Athletics & Strategy: Varsity Chess and Carrom competitor; early background in competitive track athletics (Grades 3–4).
6. Student Leadership & Drama: Head Boy in primary school and secondary school(featured in Hindustan times); active leader in school events, MUN organization, and theater performances.
7. Community Engagement: 100+ hours of community service, mentoring younger students, and local civic involvement.

Honors & Awards:
-National App Development Winner
-2x Regional App development winner
-International UCMAS mental arithmentic credit award
-State UCMAS merit award
State Math Competition: 2nd Place (regional level).
Kalabharti National Competition: National recognition in drawing/arts.

Early Foundations : Participated in foundational math/science competitions National Interactive Math Olympiad and Interntional Cyber Olympiads before growing up in a community lacking awareness/access to advanced research fair pipelines (like IRIS).

Portfolio & Personal Statement:
Portfolio Website: Maintained a web portfolio featuring case studies, research paper links, code, and testimonials from my school Principal and Math Teacher.
Personal Statement (Common App Prompt 7):
I feel its well polished and rated above 9/10 on almostt all raters
Additional Information Section: Contextualizes the lack of early exposure to international Olympiads/research pipelines due to community and resource barriers, emphasizing personal initiative.