<p>Hey guys..I am an international student and quite new to the us application system. My dilemma is I have to choose a college from wide range of options available in the us within short time. its quite daunting I must say especially coming from my background. So I would like you guys to advice me on how best to choose colege in the US.if you can give me tips that worked for you.I'd be more than grateful.Also I will like to confirm , for some who is not decided on what major to go into, can the person still apply to any school of his choice?</p>
<p>OP, you need a lot of help. So help us out by giving us information that will narrow the possibilities. There are thousands of colleges in the U.S. and the opportunity to live in deserts and tropics, small towns and huge cities, but not all of them will you and your qualify for. So tell us whether or not your family will be full pay of if you will expect financial aid. Then tell us your intended year of high school graduation, possible major, and your qualifications (GPA, SAT?, levels, etc., in American equivalents). Do you prefer a large state uni with a lot of people from your country or a mid-size uni where you might find a great variety of majors or a smaller liberal arts college? Do you want to live in a vibrant city, a small town, the east coast, the midwest, etc.? Tell us as much as you can so that we won’t have so much guessing to do.</p>
<p>Many internationals, and this might very well not include you, have only heard of or have their hearts set on an ivy or an elite school. Please believe don’t argue with us if you think you’re qualified to be accepted there and we don’t. Do whatever you want, but don’t bother arguing with us if we tell you it isn’t worth your while to apply.</p>
<p>The verb for “advice” is advise. So give us some info and we will try to advise you.</p>
<p>And, yes, if you have not chosen a major, in the US you can still apply to any school in the U.S. for which you and your family are qualified.</p>
<p>We’ll need much more information. Your SAT/ACT and GPA stats, your interests, what part of the country, big city on the east coast or farmland in the middle, etc.</p>
<p>First of all I must say a big thanks to you guys for your interest in helping me. So as regards your questions. I have listed below some relevant info about me and my choices</p>
<p>1) college location- id prefer a city uni although not too big as I could feel lost in the crowd. . So a midsize uni would be better for me.Also a place with good weather would be good although this is is not really top priority.I would like it to be one that offers a wide range of extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>2) tuition - in terms of family wage, I’d say my parents are a bit above average . So they should be able to pay for uni but I fear that the school fees are too high and might put a strain on their finance. Hence I am looking at getting merit based scholarship if possible( Btw I need some info about this as I am not fully sure the process involved). I played in the school band at high school and I also won an award in my graduation year. I am also hoping for a high enough SAT score that might qualify me. I don’t know, do u guys think I have the right qualifications as regard getting scholarships?</p>
<p>3) Education background - I graduated 5 ago with a GPA of 3.56. I also have an above average result in the leaving certificate exam of my country. I then did british alevels after high school and also finished with good grades.Been to uni for 2 yrs but didn’t do too well as the course wasnt right for me. Basically unlike American colleges, the uni didn’t have much variety. So I was stuck in a course I didn’t enjoy and didn’t do well enough. This is why I am looking at American colleges as I am really excited about the wide range of opportunities available. I want to ask do you guys think my not finishing uni might defect my application in anyway ?</p>
<p>4) I am interested in a uni where I can do engineering with minor in arts. A reputable uni will be good. Although I have had that most reputable schools don’t offer high enough scholarships for international students, pls how true is this? Because if thats the case I might consider less reputable ones instead. That brings me to the question is it possible that I transfer from a less reputable college to a more reputable one if I get in?</p>
<p>On your question about ivy, I guess you can tell I am not in anyway looking to get into one stait away as I am aware of the academic and financial implications involved. However do you guys think it might be possible to transfer to one if I start out with a lower tier college?And would I also be able to get some kinda financial aid?Thanks</p>
<p>I know have asked a lot but it’s because like I said I am still new to the us system. Kindy help me out with this guys. Thanks in advance 
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<p>Your easiest route to an American degree is to transfer to a school that offers financial aid of some kind to internationals and that accepts many transfer students. Your GPA from the two years you spent at university is going to determine in large part what schools will accept you as a transfer. I don’t know what you mean by “didn’t do too well,” but I take it that you did less than a 3.5. There are still lots of schools that will accept transfers with less than a 3.5, but the lowest cutoff is usually 2.5. </p>
<p>Get back to us and let us know what your current GPA is and how many credit hours you have. Also please let us know of any grades less than C in your math and engineering courses.</p>
<p>I’ll see what I can dig up about FA for international transfers.</p>
<p>Here’s a list of 141 schools that offer internationals financial aid. Not all have engineering and maybe some of these don’t offer aid to transfers, of course, but it’s a start. It will also give you an idea of the prestige of the schools to which you will probably be applying. There are schools that offer internationals more aid, but they tend to be the elite schools to which you will not be admitted as a transfer with a low gpa. I have not been able to find a list of schools that offer engineering, music, aid for international transfers, so you’ll have to weed thru this list and any others that come up.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/financial-aid.php”>http://www.educationusa.info/financial-aid.php</a></p>
<p>Actually my grades were really low from uni. I had a GPA of 3.0 in my first year and 1.50 in my second year which is an average of 2.25 for d 2 years.btw al, my classes were 30 credits each. Is it the average that would be considered or just d 2nd year GPA. If so can my average used for a transfer?btw my course was life sciences not engineering and I had grades lower than C for most classes. Or do you thinking am better off transferring to a community college, if of how does that work?Thanks for the list of schools, checking them now.</p>
<p>Unfortunately you are coming from a weak position and cannot hope for merit aid. At best you might get need based aid, but it is unlikely that you will be accepted in a college that gives such for international students. Because you are a transfer and not a freshman, your opportunities are limited. There are some possibilities but you will likely be full pay. Check State Colleges and Universities with lower costs.</p>
<p>OP, if you are open to the idea of attending an HBCU (historically black college), NC A&T has an engineering school and also offers classes in the arts. It meets your location criteria- in a city, good climate. In general, the largest percentage of students at an HBCU are African American. Like most colleges, diversity is encouraged and there are students from many backgrounds who attend.
There may not be financial aid for international students, but as a state school, it is more affordable than private colleges. There is an office for international students that may answer any questions you have. <a href=“http://www.ncat.edu/student-affairs/student-services/isso/”>http://www.ncat.edu/student-affairs/student-services/isso/</a></p>
<p>Thanks for your response guys. But @BrownParent, are you saying I have a good chance at transferring to a good state college with my current GPA? If yes, pls which colleges could you recommended me?.also I wanted to know what is your take on me applying to a community college for a year and then transferring to a 4 year college afterwards?</p>
<p>OP, each school desires to put their stamp on you before you graduate. So they usually require that the last 30 hours (of approx 120) take place on their campus. Sometimes that number of hours is more by requirement. Usually it is more by practice. So if you went to community college, you would a) possibly go to the 4 yr college with more than 90 hours and b) not take courses you need to graduate. You’d be acquiring credit you don’t need or want, and you’d be taking the same first and second year classes you’ve already completed. Comm Colleges usu are 2 yr institutions.</p>
<p>OP, one of the reasons I suggested looking into NC A&T is that it is a state college that you might get accepted to and it is good in engineering. Most engineering programs are very competitive, and as BrownParent stated, your transfer grades don’t put you at an advantage. A&T may consider the diversity you could bring to their campus as an applicant. As an older and international student, you will be in a different pool of applicants wherever you apply, and may fit in with international students at a number of colleges. There could be some research and academic opportunities here, and certainly more than at a community college if any of them interest you.</p>
<p>@can you pls elaborate a little in the hours you mentioned…I am not too conversant ith that system. Alo I warned to ask, is it not possible for me to complete my credits within year through some on of accelerated pigramme?so that I can use that to improve my grades and apply to a 4yr college afterwards. </p>
<p>Number of hours is another term for number of credits. Sometimes “credit hours” is also used.</p>
<p>The 4 year college sequence is generally divided into lower division- introductory classes taken generally during the first two years and upper division classes in the last 2 taken in the major. Community colleges do not offer upper division classes in general, but I suppose you could take or repeat the ones you need at one in order to transfer to a 4 year program.</p>
<p>Look at the transfer requirements at a college that offers engineering. Each college has different requirements for accepting transfer credit and how many must be completed at that college.</p>
<p>@pennylane2011 are you saying it is possible for me to take the lower division classes at community college and complete it all in one year? </p>
<p>You would have to send them a transcript and also look at what you need to take to be eligible at the college you wish to transfer to. There really is no way to generalize it because colleges are different. In general, the state colleges tend to accept credits from that same state community college. With the many choices out there, you will have to decide which states and target colleges you are interested in, and narrow that down. Also, many community colleges do not provide housing for students. However, yes, if you want to improve your grades and chances of attending a higher ranked college, this may be a possible route.
Another route is to attend a 4 year college, do well, and then pursue a graduate degree like a masters from another college.
With all the different colleges and community colleges, it is difficult to advise you. One aspect depends on the classes you have already taken, will they transfer, and what, if any, classes at a community college are left for you to take. </p>
<p>Thanks for that response… Going by what you’ve said ,the issue now is I did a pharmacy course initially, but I intend to do an engineering major now. So do you think I can still transfer to a CC and take d credit hrs within one yr considering its mainly introductory course I mite have covered and then transfer to d 4year one </p>
<p>Most semesters are 4-5 classes and an average course load is about 15 credits/hours a semester. You will need to see what classes are required to transfer to a particular college engineering program, what you have taken already, and then you will know how long it will take you to get those credits. Colleges won’t allow a student to take something like 30 hours a semester. 18 is a heavy load. So it is not just about time- like how many years, but what and how many classes you need to take. For some colleges, it is possible to transfer from a community college after one year, and do the rest of the classes at that school, but some engineering programs can have their own requirements for entry. You will need to look at the transfer requirements for each school. With transcripts from another country, it may be better for you to contact the colleges you are considering and let them help you go through your transcript to see what they will accept.</p>
<p>Ok thanks very much…really appreciate ur response</p>
<p>Hey guys I just wanted to know more about financial aid…if some1 is from a upper middle class family but due to some reasons feel they need financial aid, could they be given financial aid like other students or would they be discriminated against?
Also, I wanted to find out are there other things that qualify one to gain financial aid, like maybe sat scores? So for some1 with an average sat score, would ey still be able to gain financial aid ?
Lastly do financial aid apply to international student they way eh apply to home students or is there any difference
?
Thanks guys </p>