The Best College You Have Not Considered Higher Education The Choice on India Ink Guidance on American college applications for readers in India from The Times's admissions blog. Ariha Setalvad, who is studying journalism and psychology as an undergraduate at New York University, was raised in India and graduated from B. D. Somani International School in Mumbai. She is a summer intern for The Choice. This is Ms. Setalvad's second post of advice for Indian students who hope to attend schools in the United States. We thought the post also applied to students from different backgrounds, so we present it here in its entirety. There are more than 6,000 higher education institutions in the United States. Most Indians seem to believe, and have for years, that no degree except for business and medicine is really worth getting. Latha Ramchand, dean of the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, agreed. Second, take your parents" advice into consideration but don't let them bully you into fulfilling their dreams - even if they insist they are only "suggesting." "Students wanting to pursue a career in music will have a different set of schools compared to someone who wants a business degree," Ms. Ramchand said. Michigan State University East Lansing, Mich. Most Popular Majors: Advertising, Finance, Education Average class size: 29 Tuition and fees: $25,722 Graduation rate four-year (six-year): 73 percent (74 percent) Percent receiving financial aid: 64 percent Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences, Engineering, Biology Average class size: 25 Tuition and fees: $18,022 Graduation rate four-year (six-year): 66 percent (unreported) Percent receiving financial aid: 69 percent Most Popular Majors: Biology, Finance, Psychology Average class size: 28 Tuition and fees: $24,204 Graduation rate four-year (six-year): 46 percent (71 percent) Percent receiving financial aid: 98 percent Texas A&M University College Station, Tex. Most Popular Majors: Biological and Physical Sciences, Multi-Interdisciplinary Studies, Observations Management and Supervision Average class size: 26 Tuition and fees: $19,726 Graduation rate four-year (six-year): 41 percent (77 percent) Percent receiving financial aid: 76 percent University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wis. Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences, Biology, Business/Marketing Average class size: 29 Tuition and fees: $25,415 Graduation rate four-year (six-year): 49 percent (80 percent) Percent receiving financial aid: 55 percent Many students are overly enamored with big-name schools. How are you choosing where you apply? Are you applying to any unexpected colleges? Please let us know in the comment box below.