<p>Hey everyone i am from India and on the turning point of my life and i need suggestions. i have got admission in university of southern california but my parents can afford only 1st year tuition fees from their savings and rest 3 yrs they cannot help me fully. And second option i have is going to LA community college during spring for 2+2 option.
What are my chances that i ll get scholarship in my 2nd year at USC? (this year i couldn't get scholarship because i missed the deadline) AND what are my chances that after studying in CC for 2 yrs i ll get transfer into a good university?
My SAT score - 1980 and i have scored 93% in my final high school exams.</p>
<p>There is very, very little financial aid for transfer students. Since you need financial aid for all four years a better bet is to apply to four year institutions. </p>
<p>That is, to apply to colleges where you could get significant merit money for 4 years.
There are few colleges that give fin aid to internationals.</p>
<p>Right now, neither of the 2 choices you outlined (full-pay at USC where you can only afford 1 year of full-pay and 2+2 where you can’t afford the full 2+2) are good options.</p>
<p>I would advise you to take a gap year and apply again.</p>
<p>BTW, there are some merit scholarships for transfer students, but not a lot.</p>
<p>Should we assume you have 60,000? Therefore, you have $15,000 per year.
As PurpleTItan stated, it means you plan doesn’t work - once you’re finished with community college (which easily runs to $20-25,000 for internationals), how will you pay full costs for two years? And there are no scholarships for international transfers so you really would have to pay full costs.
Your best bet is to take a gap year and reapply to schools where you can get merit aid for your stats.
If you don’t get financial aid your first year, you’re highly unlikely to get financial aid the following year. In fact, since internationals are in different categories for admission (no financial need/financial need) you can’t switch categories after getting in unless you can prove something major and sudden, such as a parent losing a job, happened, and even then there’s no garantee they’ll provide you with financial aid.</p>
<p>To get an F1 visa, u must have evidence of funds to cover the upcoming year of study. If u spend the entire savings during the 1st year of study at USC, then how will u have enough money left over to get your visa renewed to continue your enrollment the following year?</p>
<p>If USC did not award you aid money for the 1st year, it is almost certain they will not give u money for the subsequent years. Even if u had made the USC scholarship application deadline, it is doubtful u would have been awarded a merit scholarship. Your SAT is right at USC’s 50th percentile. Merit scholarships are awarded to students with scores that pull up the school’s average. </p>
<p>In regards to MYOS’s suggestion to take a gap year and reapply to schools that offer generous financial or merit aid to int’l students, I am afraid your SAT score of 1980 will likely not be enough. You should retake the SAT to try to get your score up, then target schools that give aid to int’ls AND where your SAT score is above the school’s 75th percentile. </p>
<p>Also, have u factored in the cost of travel?</p>
<p>Actually, the visa is good for the duration of the studies (ie., 4 years for an undergraduate). However the student’s enrollment is checked every semester at least twice. Problems do arise if the student falls below full time status due to dropping a class or takes longer to graduate.
^In addition, it’s absolutely correct that if USC didn’t award you a scholarship this year, the scholarship is unlikely for the other years.
1980 is good for international applicants (about 100-150 pts are added due to the CR test being in a foreign language for international applicants whose first language isn’t English, so really it’s as if this applicant had broken 2100) and it’d likely be plenty for many universities with holistic admissions from HBCUs to Top50 LACs to universities with automatic merit from the financial aid forum. However it can"t hurt to try and raise it. What about Subject tests?
With a yearly $15,000 contribution, you need to find full tuition scholarships.</p>
<p>
But then doesn’t the visa applicant have to demonstrate enough funds for all 4 years? OP said she only has funds for the 1st year at USC.</p>
<p>
India is an English-speaking country, so OP probably isn’t going to get cut slack for that.</p>
<p>The applicant has to show proof of full funding for the first year only, with bank affidavits wrt the parents’ income and assets. If the student doesn’t re-enroll (and the student can’t re-enroll without paying tuition and R&B by July or August) then the SEVIS system automatically bars the student from re-entry into the country. SEVIS was set up after 9/11 to keep track of students. SEVIS also checks periodically (well, the international counselors do and the system “is updated”, it’s not like they send agents :p) and if the student hasn’t confirmed enrollment, enrolled into classes, gets F’s (Ds?) or drops a class thus falls below full-time status, all of this can jeopardize the visa.</p>
<p>You’re right regarding India, I had forgotten that’s where OP came from - unless OP comes from a village where only Indian languages are spokenbut a 1980 doesn’t indicate that. In any case, if OP was educated in English s/he doesn’t get the “boost” given to students whose first language is not English.</p>
<p>
This actually depends on the country you’re from. If you are from a “trustworthy” country, you’ll probably get a visa for 4 or even 5 years. In many other countries, US embassies issue student visas for 1 year only. I’ve even had one unlucky friend whose student visa was valid for only 30 days. She had a really hard time opening a bank account because the bank people kept thinking that she’s only in the country for a few weeks. (We tried explaining to them that the dates on her visa only refer to her ability to enter the country and that she was allowed to stay as long as her student status was valid, but of course they never believed us…) </p>
<p>I think I have seen your situation on here before on CC. Go with what is affordable. In your case, it may be the CC or taking a gap year and applying to a cheaper institution. Remember, if you go to a CC, you will save money but you probably still won’t be able to afford 2 years of USC. It doesn’t sound affordable at the moment at all without the scholarship, so I recommend either 2 years of CC/gap year and applying to a cheaper university likely to offer a hefty scholarship or going to college in your home country. The cost of college here is skyrocketing, and in most cases not worth the cost</p>
<p>okay thank you everyone for your advice! but i want to mention one more thing , my parents can somehow manage 2 yrs fee after i study 2 yrs at CC so i just want more information about this 2+2 option before i take this route i want to know all pros and cons of studying at cc and then transferring. THANK YOU!</p>
<p>A residential CC with a guaranteed pathway to a respectable 4-year college would be best for you, then.</p>
<p>Research Richard Bland (it’s a residential CC). Guaranteed pathway to at least William&Mary.</p>
<p>USC may also have guaranteed pathways from some CC’s, but I don’t believe they are residential (which will make coming over to live in the States a bit overwhelming).</p>
<p>Also, California budget cuts may make getting the right courses in CC within 2 years uncertain. That makes Richard Bland more attractive (you could always apply to many more 4-year schools, besides W&M, and including USC, after 2 years there).</p>
<p>Also, the Virginia CC’s (but not Richard Bland) offer guaranteed pathways in to UVa with a high enough GPA.</p>
<p>Not residential, though.</p>