Going to Uni in the US of A... or not? Anyone who could help me?

[thatisanote]

I want to keep this short to not waste your time, so here goes.
I am interested in tech startups and online businesses. That is where I see myself headed.
I am strongly considering doing CompSci at Uni.
I live in Australia, and am in my final year of school.

I need to choose between going to uni in Australia, and moving to the USA and going there (in the San Francisco region - aka tech startup hotspot).

Please help me by:
- If you are/know anyone who went to a Uni in the USA but went to school in Australia, contact me
- If you are/know any startup founders who would be happy to talk to me, contact me

However, the most pressing issue is that of whether I should go in the USA or Aus.
To help me decide, my parents have suggested taking a trip to the USA in June for 2 weeks.

I need to decide whether it would be worth taking this trip.
If we went - where should we go? Can I check out Unis like UC Berkeley and Stanford enough to get a feel of whether I would like going there?
Could I check out some startups to get a feel of what it would be like working there?
Can I get a feel for living in San Francisco/San Jose so I know if I would enjoy it?

Any help would be super appreciated.

[bsupertramp]

I went to USA (cali and ny) for two weeks last year
we went to stanford for a day, we were actually going for the art (they have the largest collection of Rodin sculptures in the world, even more than the actual Rodin museum in Paris)
but we did do some general walking around the college and looked in a few classrooms and such
because it was summer I don't think there were actual classes on or anything but there were still people there
I also went to the merch/book shop and bought a standford long sleeved top, the material is seriously the softest cotton ever aha

anyway
if you are able to go over and check it out then you definitely should take the opportunity
keep in mind though that June will be summer holidays over there, so there won't be as much going on in the unis, and also it will be extremely hot, which is gross unless you're into that kind of thing
and maybe you should try and find out whether any of the uni's you're interested in have open days or anything while you're over there
san fran is a beautiful city, I can't imagine that you wouldn't enjoy living there

oh also
you do know that american college education is extremely expensive - 40 grand a year on average
and as an international student, financial aid is difficult to get
perhaps you should consider going to uni here, and doing a semesters exchange to an american college, because that will be cheaper but still give you a feel of studying there

my dream is to live and work in america, but they have all those visa restrictions so I'm not sure how well that will go
the best option is to find somewhere to work after graduating here that has international offices, because then they can act as your sponsor and send you to america :-)

[schnappy]

my dream is to live and work in america

Why?

[bsupertramp]

my dream is to live and work in america

Why?

why not..?

I like the way of life, the lack of fences, the shopping
There will be good prospects for my field - graphic design
And I've never intended to remain living in Australia.

[Hellhole]

I think I checked the yearly cost for Stanford Law School last year, totally $80,000 or something. But that is a Law course.

I visited Berkeley when I went over there and found it amazing, but I couldn't ever see myself there. It seems too rigid for my liking, and to me everything felt forced rather than flowing. I went in their summer break, so I didn't see many people around the campus and it wasn't too hot when I was there.

Anyway, I don't even think the prospect of living and working in the United States is ever going to be appealing. They don't have the same stable economy that Australia has, and they've been hit hard. That would add to my worries. Australian workers get fairer conditions than American workers - and you don't have the put up with McDonald's on every corner if you live here... just have to put up with 7/11.

[appianway]

Just thought I'd bump this.

If you're thinking of applying overseas, keep in mind that it's expensive. It's really expensive. Some people go around saying that at the top universities, the "need based" aid is actually merit based, but that's a complete lie, in my opinion. Out of the people I know who got accepted into all three of Harvard, Yale and Princeton, many received less financial aid than other people I know who were accepted into just one institution. Please keep that in mind when you're applying - even if you get into the best universities in the world, there's still a chance you may not be able to go. I'm not going to divulge the details of my situation, but I'll just say that this is pretty much the scenario I'm facing myself. Do not get fixated on the idea of going to the US - make sure that you have a cheaper alternative in Australia that you could see yourself loving.

[funkyducky]

Definitely check out Berkeley, it's near Silicon Valley and has a great CompSci department, but also keep in mind that an Australian education is cheaper, and you'd still be able to work in the US with a degree from a good Aussie uni, if that's your dream. It's also extremely difficult to get into American unis from overseas, they only accept the very best, and the kids who apply are all very intelligent, you have to make yourself stand out from the rest. Good luck.

[Glockmeister]

The other thing to know that it is possible to study overseas whilst you are doing your degree here. Most unis have study aboard programmes, and many unis would have deals with major universities around the world, including the United States so that what you do there will actually count towards your degree. The biggest advantage of doing this is that because you are still technically an Australian student at an Australian university, you are still part of the HECS-HELP scheme so you don't actually pay the receiving institution's fees (which for many universities can be quite high, because you are an international student [we do the same to our international students here too]), but only the student co-contribution fees that you would've paid had you been in Australia studying anyway (you can arrange deals with other universities not having a relationship with your university, but it is more difficult). Some universities will even pay you to fly and and your accommodation whilst overseas. 

[Fyrefly]

The other thing to know that it is possible to study overseas whilst you are doing your degree here. Most unis have study aboard programmes, and many unis would have deals with major universities around the world, including the United States so that what you do there will actually count towards your degree. The biggest advantage of doing this is that because you are still technically an Australian student at an Australian university, you are still part of the HECS-HELP scheme so you don't actually pay the receiving institution's fees (which for many universities can be quite high, because you are an international student [we do the same to our international students here too]), but only the student co-contribution fees that you would've paid had you been in Australia studying anyway (you can arrange deals with other universities not having a relationship with your university, but it is more difficult). Some universities will even pay you to fly and and your accommodation whilst overseas. 

This is by far the most cost-effective option at your disposal.

http://www.monash.edu.au/students/studyabroad/programs/partners/index.html
http://www.mobility.unimelb.edu.au/outgoing/apply/partners/partners.html