I am a 19 year old international student here in America on an F-1 visa. I recently got a misdemeanor charge and I am on probation for the coming 6 months. I just got expelled from a university and am looking for another university in USA to study Audio Engineering. I have many questions which i really need answers to:
What happens to my visa? Should I try applying to universities here or should I go back to my country?
Since my transcript will say “administrative expulsion” what are my chances of being accepted into a decent university with a decent audio engineering program?
How do I proceed? How do I find out which universities will ask me about my temporary criminal record, or which ones will accept me? (After the 6 months probation, my record will be clear)
ANY help at all will be much appreciated! Thank you so much!
Most universities require transfer students to be in good standing at their previous university. The usual advice is to attend a community college with open enrollment and then transfer into a university. However, this seems especially complicated for an international student – wouldn’t it be easier to try college in a different country?
Here is an example of the requirements for a transfer student into Belmont University in Nashville, which has a degree in audio engineering: http://www.belmont.edu/catalog/undergrad2013jun/apolicy/transfers.html
Thank you for the answers! I was caught with pot in my room. The criminal case is pending but almost certainly ill be getting 6 months probation for possession. It’s funny that Belmont University was mentioned because that’s where I got expelled from since they take their administration very seriously (being a private christian school).
About the visa link: Since I already have my visa, I doubt it will be cancelled for a misdemeanor charge. The I-20 form from the school will be cancelled but my visa will still stay valid (atleast that’s what I heard). Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Have you thought about the University of Colorado? I mean what you did wouldn’t even be a crime there, so how could they hold what you did against you?
Look into Columbia College Chicago. I don’t know whether they have precisely the curriculum you want, but they might come close, and they have near-open admission policies. You will need to submit a transcript, but they might take your college’s strict Christian identity into account. I would suggest Evergreen State, in Olympia, WA, as an open-admission college in a state with liberal cannabis laws, but I don’t think they offer your preferred major. University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, might be an option, too. They don’t have Audio Engineering, but they have a Music Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology major. Drexel is very strong in Music Business and Production, but they might be tougher and they are very expensive.
HI, Sorry to hear about getting expelled. How did you get caught? I heard Belmont was pretty tough on pot. Did they do a random check or did some one tip them off? I would imagine you are not the only person on campus that smokes.
@Lucybelle Yes they are ridiculous. They claimed to have smelt it in the hallway and so they checked (I was out at the time). They searched and found pot (which actually wasn’t even mine but that doesn’t matter).
But the truth is (inside info from different RAs) that they just suspected me and 2 of my friends smoked and decided to check all of our rooms since we’re always together. So I guess someone tipped them off. Some of this doesn’t even make sense, but I suppose all that matters now is that I’m expelled with no chance of readmission.
Concerning visa and related issues, you may want to speak with an immigration attorney. Getting legal advice on an Internet forum seems to be a good way to compound the problems you already have.
Your admission to this nation is based on full-time student status (F-1 Visa); however, you’re not enrolled in any university.
Your academic transcript (which must be provided to any future university) will certainly indicate that you were expelled (not in “good standing” and probably not eligible for readmission), which will make admission to any US university quite problematic. Moreover, it is very likely that you’ll be required to report your criminal conviction on all future applications (including the Common App).