<p>Hello. I'm Murat from Turkey. I go to high school. I've always wanted to go to the USA. America is my biggest dream. I want it to come true. So I'm planning to go to an American university. But i have some questions and problems.
First, the tuitions and fees... I was shocked when i saw how much American universities cost. Lots of European universities don't cost that much (except the UK universities). I saw that the best American universities cost too much, like 50,000$ for a year. You can study more than 2 university with that much money in Europe. I decided to look for cheaper universities like state universities. But they are not cheap either, about 20.000$ for a year. So what can i do ? How can i get schoolarship or financial aid ? My grades are good but not excellent. I heard that American universities usually give financial aid to students whose grades are very very very good and students who get very high SAT scores.
The other thing that i'll ask is Community Colleges and Language Courses. People suggest international students to go to a CC or LC at first. Can i save money by working while i am studying in a CC or LC ? Do I have a right to work while i am going to CC or LC as an international student ? Even if i do, i don't believe that i can save that much money by working 2 years in the US while i am studying. What do you think ?
Are there any cheap universities which give good education ? I found some universities like Weber (they say Weber gives financial aid to international students), Birmingham Young but i don't know if they give good education or not... Are all cheap universities bad ?
If i stay in Turkey and go to a university here, i will study "American Culture and Literature". But what about in the US ? What can i do after i finish "English" department in university in an English speaking country ? In Turkey, I would be a translator or something, but in the US, everybody speaks English as their native language. What am i going to do as a person who studies English in an English speaking country ?
What about tests ? Which test do i have to take, SAT or ACT ?
Can you please answer my questions ? I've been researching universities for weeks. Thanks...</p>
<p>You need to read through everything at [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/) Then you need to make an appointment with the counselors at the advising center closest to you. There are three in Turkey [EducationUSA</a> - Find an Advising Center](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/Turkey]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/Turkey) These counselors are expert at helping students like you find good places to study in the US. </p>
<p>You also should look at the threads in the International Students Forum here. Click on “Discussion Home” in the upper-left of this screen, and scroll down to find it.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I hope he makes it here, and stays.</p>
<p>Thanks, but those Advising Centers are very far from my house. I mailed them but they haven’t replied yet. Can’t you just answer my questions please ?</p>
<p>Unfortunately there are few scholarship opportunities available to International students and the colleges that do offer them reserve them for the highest qualified applicants. Unless you have superior grades, test scores and other special activities you are unlikely to get much financial assistance. You stated that your grades are good but not excellent. These colleges will be looking for above excellent. The colleges here in the US, even the “cheap” ones, are still relatively expensive. </p>
<p>I would read the link supplied by happymomof1 since it may help answer all your questions and ones you didn’t know you had.</p>
<p>Take a look at schools in Boston, New York and DC. But people are right that schools in these cities are expensive and you need to figure out whether you can afford it.</p>
<p>
I’m not going to lie. It’s not much use and far too much stress to be an English major in the United States. You could always go back to Turkey and become an English translator! :D</p>
<p>@informative : I can afford 15.000$ for a year. But well-known universities are too expensive (for international students). I found some cheap universities such as state universities or community colleges… But I don’t know too much about them (if their educations are good or not). </p>
<p>@sentimentGX4 : But I don’t want to go back to Turkey. I don’t want to live anywhere except the USA… What should I do after university to get the right to live in the USA ?</p>
<p>Recently I’ve been considering Community Colleges, what do you think about them ? I’ve always read people writing on some forums “CCs are bad, lazy students who didn’t get high GPA or SAT scores go to CCs.” Are they really bad ? But on a site about education in the US i found out some advantages of CCs… So i’ll probably go to one of them. I’m planning to go to a CC and work while studying. After CC, US government gives us OPT and i’m going to work one year (I heard the OPT is only for one year) and next year I’m going to go to a university. What do you think ? Can you suggest me better ways?</p>
<p>“I found some universities like Weber (they say Weber gives financial aid to international students), Birmingham Young but i don’t know if they give good education or not… Are all cheap universities bad ?”</p>
<p>Weber State is a state school in Utah, and so far as I know is of decent quality. Brigham (not Birmingham) Young is an excellent college but is run by the Mormon church and very religious in nature. However, if you are a conservative Muslim you may already live most of their rules anyway - no alcohol, no tobacco, and no sex before marriage. So the religious/social rules may not be as much of an issue for you as they would be for many American college students.</p>
<p>“What should I do after university to get the right to live in the USA ?”</p>
<p>It is VERY difficult to find a job that will give you a working visa so that you can stay in the US. Don’t fool yourself about this. You must have a clear plan to return to Turkey, and you must be able to express that when you go for the interview for your student visa or you will be denied a visa.</p>
<p>If you want out of Turkey, take a long hard look at Australia and Canada. In the past they have been more generous about working while you have a student visa, and more generous with working visas so that you can stay there after you complete your studies. This may have changed in the past few years, so do check it out.</p>
<p>In order to get your student visa, you will need to demonstrate that you have enough money to pay for all of your expenses for a year of studies here. I just did some research on this for a friend’s daughter, and I learned that in order to study at either of the community colleges that she is considering will require documentation that her parents can pay more than USD 20k!</p>
<p>If you can’t visit the EducationUSA office, and they aren’t answering your email as quickly as you’d like, pick up the telephone and call them! They are the experts on Turkey, and can help you more than we can.</p>
<p>b@r!um who posts in the International Student Forum is our resident expert on OPT.</p>
<p>@Scipio : Thanks, I’ll think about Weber. I didn’t know that Birgham Young is religious. Me and my family are not conservative, so I am not accustomed to the rules that you said. (no alcohol, no tobacco, and no sex before marriage.) I don’t want these rules…</p>
<p>@happymomof1 : I understood…Thanks, but I don’t want Canada or Australia. I want the USA. What does 20k mean ? Okay, i’ll call them. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Here are all the means to attain US permanent residency. The easiest method by which to attain permanent residency is to find a spouse that is a US citizen.</p>
<p>[Permanent</a> residence (United States) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“Green card - Wikipedia”>Green card - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Practically all the options have some sort of backlog. </p>
<p>EDIT: USD 20k means USD $20,000. “k” is short for a “grand” or “1000”.</p>
<p>look at Ohio Wesleyan. they offer merit aid to international students :). well respected school, although in a small town in Ohio, it’s a great option for international students with a less expensive cost. The international population is much larger than most LAC too -very welcome part of the schools climate.</p>
<p>Have one more response, meant to say that although there are plenty of good community colleges in the US, I don’t think that you will have the kind of community feel that you will get at a 4 year college. There are lots of adults communting to CC and it’s just not at all the same type of experience. </p>
<p>You will need to take the SAT. Do a lot of prepping (buy the college boards actual prep book). best to yoU!</p>
<p>* I decided to look for cheaper universities like state universities. But they are not cheap either, about 20.000$ for a year. So what can i do ? How can i get schoolarship or financial aid ? My grades are good but not excellent. I heard that American universities usually give financial aid to students whose grades are very very very good and students who get very high SAT scores.
*</p>
<p>Many publics are going to cost you more than $20k per year. </p>
<p>What are your stats?</p>
<p>@sentimentGX4, Thanks for the link and answer. 20k : $20,000 wow even for a CC !
@jkiwmom, I’m checking Ohio Wesleyan. There are SAT courses here. I’m planning to enroll one of them. I checked collegeboard web site, I’ll buy the book. Thanks.
@mom2collegekids, what do you mean my “stats” ? My budget ? I can (approximately) afford between $15,000-$20,000.</p>
<p>CC is not $20k. Tuition will only be ~ $1k a year. You will have to find living accommodations, though, and that will make up the bulk of your bill.</p>
<p>You could attend a SUNY for $28,460 (but remember that is including housing).</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Stats means things like your GPA, ranking in your class, standardized test scores, etc.</p>