<p>hi, I am originally from japan but i went to high school in the U.S and now back in my motherland for college. i really wanted to stay in the states for college as well but my parents made me come back home and right now I am really unhappy at my current college. so my parents finally said if I really wanna go to college in the states, then I can go. but i don't know where to start now. japan school systems are different and i dont think i have enough credits to transfer so i am thinking of going to a CC first then transfer to a four year college , but i am undecided about my major and i just don't know how to search for a right four year school. where could i start? anyone have suggestions please help!</p>
<p>transferi,</p>
<p>If you are not a US citizen or legal permanent resident, you will be considered an international applicant for financial aid purposes. That means that you won’t be eligible for federally determined (FAFSA) financial aid and you will be severely restricted in the type of job you can get and the number of hours each week that you can work. Unless the state you graduated from high school in considers you an in-state applicant because you went to high school there, you will have to pay out-of-state tuition and fees at any public college or university in the US. When you graduate from college in the US, if you do not find an employer who can get you a work visa, you will have to leave. I expect that your parents, like most international parents in the US, sent you “home” for college because that choice offered you the best return for your investment, and because it offers you the best prospects of employment after graduation.</p>
<p>You may not remember the challenges that you faced when you moved to the US, but I am sure that your parents do. It takes about 12 months to get through the stages of cultural adjustment. If an individual does not want to make the move from one country to the other (and you admit that you did not want to make this move), the adjustment is more difficult. If you can lay your hands on a copy, read “The Art of Crossing Cultures” by Craig Storti so that you can better understand how culture shock is affecting you right now. Or, just google for information on that topic.</p>
<p>Japan and the US are very different cultures. The adjustment is likely to be much harder than it would be if you had moved from the US to Canada. To a certain extent things are even more difficult for you because you look Japanese, even though you are not purely Japanese (culturally speaking) because you spent a number of years outside that country. However, even if you had just gone to the closest college in the US and commuted from home you would have faced a certain level of cultural adjustment, and if your parents had insisted that you attend a particular institution that you didn’t particularly like, your adjustment would have been in many ways just as unpleasant as what you are facing right now. I would encourage you to look for ways to find happiness in your current environment, and to give this experience a full two years before you contemplate leaving.</p>
<p>All of that said, if you are truly determined to return to the US, you need to find out just exactly how much money your parents have available for your education. Is it safely stashed away in some kind of investment vehicle, or will they have to scrape it together every year out of their current income? If you aren’t a citizen or legal permanent resident, what visa status can you hold in the US? Will your parents’ status offer you better options for part-time employment, or will you need to get your own F-1?</p>
<p>There is no specific number of credits that are required to qualify you to transfer. You can apply right now. You do need to check with each of the colleges/universities that you want to apply to in order to find out whether they would consider you a Freshman or a Transfer applicant. Some institutions will consider you a Transfer if you have one credit earned after high school graduation, others will consider you a Freshman if you have less than one year of academic credit completed before you enroll there. You will have to provide official copies of your academic records from your Japanese college when you apply to transfer. If you are accepted, the college you transfer to will decide what to do with those credits - they may transfer, they might not.</p>
<p>The place to start is the closest office of EducationUSA. There are several in Japan: [EducationUSA</a> - Find an Advising Center](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/Japan]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/Japan) The counselors at these centers have lots of experience helping Japanese students find good places to study in the US. If no one in the office that you visit has worked with a student like you recently, they almost certainly have colleagues in another office who have. </p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>