Man I miss America. Coming again this yr, this time im not on holiday and there is no 10 yr old. I am going to the states to study and get a bachelor's degree. I have a list of 186 universities from the Kuwaiti government which im allowed to go to in 49 states and very soon I have to come with a list with 6 of the unis. And I thought I could eliminate a couple of states or focus on a couple of states. Well I want a state with a lot of Muslims so I can feel safe I guess. And I would like to go to a big city( but is that safe ?everybody was nice in Chicago this yr). and I don’t want to go anywere hot either. So any suggestions on a sate? Or am I not being picky enough? Or does it depend on the city? (btw how many states is there?
Go to Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA. You won't regret it. The school is run by the Catholic Church but there's plenty of non-Catholic students here (mostly Protestant but also Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc.) and there's a large Muslim population in Boston (although be careful with the mosques here, because a number of them are suspected to have ties to radical groups). And there's about 50 universities (best-known ones aside from BC are Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Northeastern, Bentley College, Tufts University, and UMass-Boston) and 250,000 college students in the Boston metropolitan area. You'll have the most fun of your life, I guarantee it.
Doesn't Dearborn, Michigan have the largest per capita Muslim population in the US? I think it is. So you could go somewhere near there, or Michigan State University or U of Michigan.
I went looking on the US Census site for a breakdown of Muslim population by state, but I couldn't find a listing by religion. So I found a listing by language instead. Here's the states that have lots of Arabic speakers. Of course, there may not be a strong correlation between Arabic speakers and Muslims... USA total: just over 600K States with more than 10K: California: 100K Michigan: 75K New York: 70K New Jersey: 47K Illinois: 35K Texas: 33K Florida: 32K Virginia: 26K Ohio: 22K Pennsylvania: 19K Massachusetts: 18K Maryland: 10K North Carolina: 10K Michigan stands out here because its population is much smaller than California or New York, so that's a much higher percentage of Arabic speakers. Michigan has some good universities too. California has a pretty spread out population. There are a number of communities with lots of Muslims, I know that Fremont has a big Afghan population, but there aren't any worthwhile universities very close by. You could do worse than UC Berkeley or Stanford but I can't say whether there are sizeable Muslim populations nearby. I'm sure there are Muslims in LA, so UCLA might be good. Boston (Massachusetts) is a great college town, as Alex said. Good luck with your decision!
Having taught at the University of Michigan, it has a large and diverse Muslim student population, a well-respected mosque, and is an excellent school. It's very normal for classes to have multiple Muslim and middle eastern students in them. Dearborn, which someone mentioned has the highest per capita Arab population in the nation, is about a half-hour away, and there is a sizeable middle eastern population across southeastern Michigan.
Based upon your desires of being near big cities, not too hot and near a Muslim population, your best bet is a school in Michigan. Univ of Michigan and Michigan State are both huge public schools that would have a wide range of subjects to study and a diverse student body.
Hey, Chocolate. If you're thinking about coming to Chicago, there's a sizable muslim population reflecting several ethnic groups here, so you won't have a hard time finding a masjid, halal food, or products you might be familiar with from home. Chicago also has several universities that attract students from all over the world, so you'd be able to find a muslim student association if you wanted to. Of the two most prestigious universities in the area, University of Chicago is right in the city, and Northwestern University is just north of Chicago in Evanston (easily accessible by public transportation). There are also other good schools such as University of Illinois at Chicago, DePaul University, and Loyola University, all three of which are located within the city. I think you'd have a brilliant time spending your college years in Chicago. Get yourself a nice warm coat, and you're all set.
George Washington University is smack dab in the middle of Washington, DC. Easy to get anywhere around town from there either by foot, subway or bus.
so michigan eh? i have a feeling thats way to cold for me. i mean i was wearing a jacket this summer in calaforinia. i gotta check the weather. (btw the major has been decieded by the goverment) thanx a lot, every piece of info is highly appreciated.
heya lisa! urm im not sure about chicago, way too busy for me to handle i guess. i mean i come from a neighbourhood with like 10 people only. thanx anywyas. man its so hard to decied. america is way to big. and this yr when i went there everything was so different from tv.
pick a college town, they are smaller generally - what are you trying to study? that would help to give you a good town
I presume that your government is going to pay for your study here. Why don't you tell us what you will major in as well as the list of universities approved by your government. If you don't mind, you may also tell us about your TOEFL and SAT scores. That way, we can tell you which of the schools are good for your major and what chances you may have in being admitted by some of these schools. It makes little sense for us to advise you to go to Juliard for an engineering degree.
Go to U of Hawaii. Don't know about the muslim population, but there's plenty of Aloha spirit in paradise... and you could learn to surf in your free time!