It just really frustrates me that I’m at such a big disatvantage because I don’t come from money. I’m not used to that in Germany, America’s education system is so messed up. Education should be free, not a privilege for the rich elites. I wouldn’t have this problem if I had a green card. I know the earliest I’ll get one is 2019 for which I’ll have to apply next year. But I’m positive if I keep trying a few times I’ll get one eventually. Now it’s 1:25 and in 3 years my chance to win one will be 1:8 and who knows, maybe I’ll be so lucky to win one at my first shot. That would mean in 2019 I would be eligible for financial aid everywhere. And like I said, I can still study in Germany for three years and then transfer to college for one year. It shouldn’t be a problem to get a loan for only one year at college.
PS. Get off your high horse and stop being that pretentious, I know my chances are small right now. I can still try and while Yale, MIT, Harvard and Princeton are basically impossible, Amherst is still worth a shot, especially if I apply as a first year applicant and have get excellent SAT scores.
If Germany is so perfect and egalitarian why are you desperate to come to the US???
Doctor salaries in Germany are a joke compared to America. Doctors are way too humble here and the healthcare costs aren’t bloated like in America so the insurances don’t exactly throw their money on physicians. But at least everyone here has obligatory healthcare no matter the income. A situation like in America would be unthinkable, I can’t understand how a first world country can’t even manage to get healthcare for its inhabitants. Whatever, that’s not the topic here. My point is there’s no way in hell I want to practice in Germany. The salary isn’t worth it and America is the country I want to live in. If I have to I’ll wait until after med school to immigrate but I’m definitely doing it, no doubt.
So you love and hate America at the same time. You want all the advantages of America without having to pay for it.
OP: I feel your pain and life is not fair. USA is not a socialist and communist country. So, Education after high school in not free. It is free only from Elementary to High School. Colleges and medical schools are expensive. But, for any US citizens and green card holders, there are ways to finance the higher education such scholarships (internal and external), REU (Research for undergraduate), PT jobs, grants, personal loans from banks, etc. But, the aforementioned items are not for foreign students.
Regarding doing transfer, I believe Vanderbilt Univ. only will accept 60 credits. So, if you are Junior then you have to spend another two years to get a bachelor degree. To ascertain this, check their website. Also, check the transfer requirements from any schools too.
I see that you have a strong will and desire to go to school (college and med school) in the US. It is a hard work to get financial help for foreign students but doable. You can get money for school, by applying the outside scholarships. But, you have to do the internet research to find them.
The short cut to get financial help is PERHAPS playing the Lotto. It is not recommended but who knows if you hit the big one, your financial difficulties are over. May the force be with you.
You may not come from money, but you have the free opportunity in Germany. Logic suggests you have a great opportunity right there. Plain old, ordinary logic.
You don’t want to hear this, but: you have not fully researched. We had to point out you missed the DV-2018 deadline. You will not be “eligible for financial aid everywhere.” Not all schools, even great ones here, meet full need. Many still leave families with a tough bill to pay. Many will not give generous aid to transfers. It’s only a very select few that offer “full need” financial aid and they are murderously difficult to get admitted to- and worse for a transfer. The kids admitted aren’t just “good,” with a year or two of top grades, they are exceptional.
That “exceptional” is defined by the colleges, what they want, not what the applicant wants. And it has very little to do with the applicant’s future career goals. (In fact, telling a tippy top here that you want them so your post-grad chance for a US med school is better is a mistake.)
Add to that, tippy top US colleges, the same ones with good financial aid, will not accept a transfer student for one year only.
This is like saying, “I want to be on an Olympic team, I really do. And I believe a good year or two at my sport will make it so.” Or, “If I can’t get on the team, I can walk on later.”
I’m sorry, but often, the best path is to follow logical thinking. We are not being pretentious. We know the situation here.
I think you’re misunderstanding how financial aid works. A low income US citizen only qualifies for a yearly ~$5k grant and ~$5500 loan. Where can they attend college for less than $10k/year? Many start at their local community college.
Med schools generally don’t take grades from cc science courses, so students interested in med school would have to spend extra time and/or money to take the necessary courses at whatever 4-year school they transfer to after graduating from the cc. Transfers don’t qualify for additional aid, so low income students work their way through the last two years. It took me 9 years to earn a 4-year degree. Students who make it into med school have to have high MCAT scores. Those with lowish grades and standardized test scores will have a long, uphill battle.
I was already very much aware of the deadline and what I was saying was that as a permanent resident there would be a multitude of possibilities to finance college. It doesn’t have to be full-need, but it would be enough to make attending college possible for me. And not every college is Harvard, stop gloating, for each good college you have you have thousands of the worst universities on earth. If universities in Germany ripped off every student like US unis do, they’d easily be just as prestigious.
Solution: a German education.
You can try to come to the US later, medical degree in hand, meet the certification requirement and practice here. Logical. Do-able. Goal-oriented. Anger set aside.
I’m sure there’d be some way to attend college. I’ve clicked through lots of homepages and there’s so many options for US citizens and permanent residents. For just two years of college I could still take out a loan and I’m sure low grades and test scores won’t be a problem for me. Community college? No matter my situation there’s no way in hell I’m stooping that low. And once I had a green card and graduated college, I’d just try to get into a need blind med school as I would be treated just as any other citizen or permanent resident. I wouldn’t be considered an international student anymore so it would become a lot easier to get into a school. I’m sure I’d graduate with excellent grades and high test scores as my school in Germany was college-level and I graduated there with good grades even when I was very sick and handicapped. Now that I’m at my full Potential there’s no reason I shouldn’t strive for greatness at a highly competitive school that meets my financial needs.
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Closing the thread, since I don’t think people can help the OP any more.