African Hopeful looking for a scholarship..please help!

Paying for College
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<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I finished my high school studies in 2007 in Zimbabwe where we don't take SATs. I wrote my Advanced Level (equivalent to the Cambridge AS Level exam) examinations and passed two of my three subjects:</p>

<p>English Literature: A grade
Business Studies: B grade</p>

<p>I am prepared to take the TOEFL exams if there's any need. I come from a poor background (i'm not saying this just to get sympathy but after finishing my education I haven't been able to continue and get into college since my parents are both deceased) reason why I have decided to look for a scholarship.</p>

<p>My background:
-I have been elected to various positions of leadership throughout my high school studies.
-I have volunteered in a couple of social projects in my spare time.
-I'm a self taught web developer (but I want to improve my skills and have a strong foundation) and i have participated in open source software projects.
-I am a brilliant chess player and I won a total of six tournaments in high school playing on the first board of the school team. I then represent my school at provincial and national level and finished second at a national tournament.</p>

<p>That's my profile for now. I am a motivated individual and I believe coming to America (or anywhere to finish my studies) will allow me to better my skills and make a change, help others like me in the long term.</p>

<p>My family has little for my education (i'd say around US$5000-US$6000 p.a). What do you advise me to do? Is going to a community college wise then work on getting admitted to a uni?</p>

<p>If so, which community scholarships do you know that can help me? And university scholarships? I'm willing to work and fund my education if that's possible. ANYTHING to help me achieve my dreams.</p>

<p>I hope you can help.</p>

<p>Thank you for reading my post.</p>

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<p>You need to read everything, and I do indeed mean everything, at [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.state.gov/]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.state.gov/) Then you need to make an appointment with the counselors at the advising center closest to where you live. There are two in your country: [EducationUSA</a> - Find an Advising Center](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/Zimbabwe]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/Zimbabwe) The counselors at these centers are expert at helping students find good places to study in the US. They know which colleges and universities here have offered good financial aid to students like you.</p>

<p>You should also contact the Education Officers at the Consulates of Canada, Australia, and any other country where you might like to study. They can help you learn more about opportunities in their countries.</p>

<p>Wishing you much success.</p>

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<p>Until you’ve taken your SATs and/or ACTs, there’s no way we can recommend schools for you. </p>

<p>If your test scores are super high, then we can recommend some elite schools that give aid to int’ls.</p>

<p>If your test scores are good, but not super high, then we can recommend some schools that would give you merit money.</p>

<p>However, to be honest, if your parents can only pay about $5k per year, it may not be possible for you to study here…even at a CC. CCs don’t usually give scholarships to int’ls and to get a visa, you need to show that you have all your funding to go to school here.</p>