does this mean i cannot even apply to college? serious question!

<p>i have just found out that colleges take into consideration whether i have already attended a college or university. well, i have and more than two years, so this means i am not allowed to apply as freshman and or as a transfer. but i have no choice and it is vital for me to apply, moreover i want to apply as a freshman. so, the question is, do colleges check whether i am currently attending in my own country(and how?im intl), ask ..-> next post</p>

<p>ask me to prove the information i state in the application? do you think it is possible to write that i have not attended any college, just not mention it. in this case would college ask me to explain what did i do after school (i am 19) ? would they ask it in email or phone call and would they ask for evidence? do you think a minor white lie might pass unnoticed? i really need your help, fellows, i am totally despaired at the moment</p>

<p>Do not lie. You could get away by lying to them, but it wouldn't help. Tell them your situation and tell them the situation. Explain why you'll like to start over again. Maybe the language of instruction wasn't english or anything like that.
Yes, they would like you to explain in detail what you did since last enreolled. But they do not ask for concrete evidence. You shouldn't lie though. It might backfire you one day. Who knows what you might become here. Maybe a governor, and one day journalists will start writing about how you hid that you attended college. Be careful from the start. Do not lie in any circumstances.</p>

<p>I agree with berthran. The choices you make here can affect your whole life and if the college finds out you've lied to them on your application, things can even go as far as revoking your diploma (I'm positive about that) and them making you pay back your Financial Aid (not sure).
Colleges do not routinely check any such things. But, you will always be vulnerable, as some "well-wisher" might just rat you out to your college. I know this may sound paranoid, but you do have an entire life when you would be vulnerable to that.
IMHO, sincerity would be the best option. Yes, your options in regards to applying as a freshman will be limited, but there are still a lot of options - the Ivy League schools don't really seem to care about whether you have academic credit or not.
You lying about not going to college would not be a mere white lie. That's because you have to justify the time between your highschool graduation and your application - and you would have to be really "creative" to cover that time up.
Moreover, you can make your previous academic experience work in your favor - maybe you can explain in your essays (in a supplemental one perhaps) the things which made you give up on your studies in your home country. Anyway, a succesful application is not about an invented persona, but about yourself.</p>

<p>bogororo
yale is my first choice. however, the transfer section on their site states : '' if by the end of the current academic year you will have completed more than two fall years toward the degree, you are not eligible to transfer to yale, nor may you apply through the freshman admission process''
so, this is an example of ivy that even does not let me apply.</p>

<p>JackAss,
Your situation is complicated and I feel your pain, since I myself had to decide to take one year off, precisely to avoid the kind of quandary you are in right now.
I don't really know what to say more. I don't want to give any verdicts, nor do I want to patronize you (there is no "but" after this sentence). I have given you the reasons why lying about your previous may be a bad idea. It's your choice and only you can decide on it.
If I were in your situation, I would decide against it - maybe try to get a transfer or apply as a freshman somewhere else. However, I am most certainly not in your position, so I can only judge part of the situation you've provided. I myself would not be able to live with this kind of lie, both for ethical and for practical reasons, but to each his own I guess.
Just a piece of advice - you might not want to post the specifics of your situation-since, who knows who'se reading these threads?</p>

<p>bogororo
what if i drop out voluntarily from the college i am attending now. would i then be eligible to apply to colleges as a freshman? or the fact that i once ATTENDED WITHOUT GETTING DEGREE is an indelible stigma?</p>

<p>Call up the admissions office at Yale and ask them about your specific situation - it may well be that a lot of the work you're doing right now would not be eligible for transfer credit at Yale anyway, so that statement might not apply to you. The only way you'll know for sure is if you ask the colleges you're interested in directly.</p>

<p>thanks for replies, any help is appreciated. i want to make it clear that i dont want to lie, i'm not a cheater and i want to find a legal way out. after school for domestic reasons i had to stay most time at home, but had a nominal enrollment at a local college in order not be drafted to compulsory military service. however i didnt waste time and managed to participate in my ec, my real passion. this is reflected in my venerable mentor's rec</p>

<p>however,several months ago the shackles fettering me perished,so i decided to commence a real race for a degree.so i am a highly competitive student and though this thread isnt for enumerating my stats,i must say that my application is notable except for national awards.the only hurdle is this eligibility.but is there any chance forme to make yale see that my case is somewhat unique and though iwas enrolled t a local college,i hadnt opp
to useit?</p>

<p>borogogo,
you mean that you have taken a gap year failing which to gain admission to a US university?</p>

<p>
[quote]
borogogo,

[/quote]

That's a really funny anagram of my username :)

[quote]
you mean that you have taken a gap year failing which to gain admission to a US university?

[/quote]

Not quite. I took a year off to apply to US universities, but I had not applied before to any university whatsoever.</p>

<p>Ooops! I am so sorry =) Wow... one year off to apply? That's quite a big sacrifice though, but I am glad that you made it to Amherst... Haha, which is like a dream school to many!</p>

<p>About sacrifices, I know people who were willing to give up as much as three years just for a spot in a European or American uni. You make a sacrifice when you have something to sacrifice. In my case it was choosing between going to a crappy dead-end Romanian university and doing what I wanted for one year and in the worst case (to which I did not give much thought anyway) I would end up in the same crappy Romanian university, no harm done.</p>