international student transferring to CA university - bus/econ

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Hello,
in 2012, I came to United States from Czech republic to study as a foreign exchange student on high school in Torrance (Los Angeles County), California. After a year, I literally fell in love with America and local educational system and decided to stay in the US for at least another 4 years of college.</p>

<p>This fall, I am going to attend El Camino Community College. I chose community college for many reasons.
1. it's cheap
2. I will live with host family close by (free housing)
3. I believe I can perform better than I did in highs chool and transfer to a better university (my GPA was around 3.7, but I didn't really try my first 3 years in my country)
4. I missed CSU and UC deadlines for fall 2013 (I decided to stay in the US in 2013)</p>

<p>For my first year, I chose pretty general course that cover requirements for all majors I am thinking about. I will be taking 16 credits - precalculus, macroeconomics, managerial accounting, and english (reading and composition).</p>

<p>For my transfer universities, I am pretty sure I will be transferring to CSU, because UCs are just way too expensive and ROI is very low for me.</p>

<p>I want to major either in economics, business economics, or different types of business and management (not sure which since my knowledge of this topic is not that broad yet). I am pretty interested international business, since I am an international student and my dad, who has a company I may run in future, owns truck transportation business (export-import) between Russia and Czech republic, and he also runs wood production company. I would be interested of developing his company by getting connections in the US and maybe expanding somewhere else than just Russia. I am also interested in economics, since it is better to have economics undergraduate degree for possible MBA school. The problem is I am not sure if I want to stay in the US after college, get MBA, or even work here. Would international business major be worthless in case I stayed in the US, worked, or got a job? What do you think of this?</p>

<p>My top choice schools and majors are (1. = top choice, 2. = after top choice, ...):
1. Cal Poly SLO - business administration (not sure of concentration, but probably management, finance, or accounting)
2. SDSU - besides business administration, I am interested in their International business connected with regional studies and language (Russia and central Europe) and one semester abroad. Since I already had 2 years of Russian in HS and my dad runs business with them, it doesn't seem like a bad idea. But again, I am not sure whether to stay in the US and start from scratch or take charge of my dad's company and stay there. I like life in California better, but I think it is better to start with 12 trucks than nothing. On the other hand, average salary in the US is 55,000 dollars/year and while in Czech republic, it is only about 12,000/year.
International</a> Business | San Diego State University
3. CSULB/CSUF
4. UCSB - business management, UCLA, UCB (Haas), UCI, UCSD - but only in case I got some form of scholarship, my dad all of a sudden became a billionaire, and I also got in.</p>

<p>My other career choice would be either (with some luck), working for the BIG 4, or starting my own business - since I was a foreign exchange student and I have some experience with it, I would like to make on company for helping students from Czech republic study in the USA and vice versa, which is also some kind of "international business".</p>

<p>Also, are my chances as a transfer student higher, lower? I may think for reasons for both. Higher, because we pay more money and lower, because there is probably limited space.</p>

<p>So these are my thoughts for what to do in my future years. Anything can change (especially after I know I changed my life from scratch during this 1 year abroad). I will be applying to universities in approximately a year, but the sooner I start, the better. What are your thoughts?</p>

2

<p>Are you a permanent resident?
If not, then it might be difficult for you to be employed by the Big 4 since there are so many capable American students who can fill those positions and wont require sponsorship.</p>

3

<p>No, I am not. Are there any other solutions to become one besides getting married? How is it with work approval when I am no a resident after I graduate?</p>

4

<p>Odds are not good that you’ll be able to work in the US with a BA/BS in business or economics, but you may be able to find something if 1° you keep up your language skills, Russian especially (see if you can take a Russian class to add to your current schedule) and Czech of course, plus another Central European language and 2° you find a business willing to let you do an internship, in all likelihood it’ll be a business involved with Central Europe or Russia.
To major in economics you need to be as advanced as possible in math. Is precalc the class you were placed in based on a test, or did you self-place there? It’s not very advanced, a typical economics student would take Calc1. But it’s not too bad either, at least it’s not remedial math. :slight_smile:
See if there’s a logistics/transportation logistics major at a CSU.
You won’t be able to go straight from college to an MBA, this requires several years of experience (accredited schools are required to take students who have a minimum of 2 and often 3 years of professional experience after college).
See the transfer adviser at your school ASAP to see whether you’re on track. Will you be taking 16 credits per quarter/semester and are you sure they transfer at Cal Poly SLO since it’s your first choice? Does your community college have an agreement with Cal Poly SLO and have you entered into that contract?
Be aware that to get into Cal Poly you’ll need straight A’s, especially for your choice of major (if you have 3.0 you may get admitted somewhere but probably not Cal Poly and you’ll be placed in any major that has space.)</p>

5

<p>I didn’t take math in my senior year which I now regret, so I forgot a lot. I almost placed to calculus (if I reviewed a little bit, I would have placed there), but I don’t want my grade to suffer.</p>

<p>My credits transfer to SLO. They don’t have agreement, but you can transfer to any public University from any public community college in California. By the way, I don’t think I will need straight As. I read on some forum that they didn’t accept those who had 4.0 GPA but accepted those who had 3.3 GPA. It seems like they don’t like GPA too high. Average GPA for my major was 3.51 (<a href=“Cal Poly Admissions”>Cal Poly Admissions), but acceptance only 12% :frowning: That is almost like IVY, I don’t get it.</p>

6

<p>True you can transfer to any college but it’s not a guarantee and it is not automatic; you have to have the grades. Some universities are very competitive like SLO, because of its lower tuition cost and its programs, not only to in-state residents but also OOS students as well.<br>
The stats you report for your major may be accurate, but getting in and competing with everyone else will be tough.</p>

7

<p>For SLO and the major you want, you’ll need a 4.00. Sure you can transfer if you’re below 3.8, but you won’t be able to choose your major within the business school, and to top it off, Business is the most selective.
Additionally, for SLO (a tech school) your level at math will be very important. You made a good decision enrolling in a math course that’ll allow you to review, so that you can have a strong background for calculus1-2-3. You’ll probably have to take statistics, too.
Not all students who transfer come from community college; in fact, the #1 group is transfers from one 4-year university to another one. Those admitted with a 3.3 may be coming from UCBerkeley and CalTech.
Also, remember that SLO has TAGs (guaranteed admissions) for some community colleges, and finally, students who are admitted even though their GPA is lower tend to be legacies, athletes, faculty kids, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds, plus kids with an extraordinary achievement- students who are something to the university.
You, on the other hand, will need to convince the university:
You’ll need to be as good as you can in every subject, be involved in academic and other clubs, find an internship, etc.</p>

8

<p>MYOS1634: Are you sure they consider clubs, interships, etc. when transferring to CSU? From what I have read, they only look at GPA and whether you have or don’t have credits for classes required for your major. I mainly want to concentrate on academics. The more I study, the better. I am also addicted to weight lifting, so there won’t be that much free time. I wanna go greek in university, but I don’t think I will really live socially in CC. SLO is great, but I am really considering international business in SDSU too. Is admission to SDSU easier? I think it is, but it still around 20%. What if I don’t get to either SLO od SDSU? There are Fullerton and Long Beach left, but it’s commuter school, no social life, greek life, and no change (I live 20 miles from both).</p>

9

<p>By clubs I don’t mean regular EC’s or social activities, but things that improve your resume and show you’re passionate about what you’re studying: Russian club, Accounting Fraternity/Honors society, volunteering in an area that enhances what you’re studying, etc. Obviously that should be in addition to getting a 4.0 or as close to it as you can. GPA will be the deciding factor.
SDSU is much easier than Orfalea but look at impaction.
San Bernadino and Humboldt both have housing and may not be commuter schools as much as some others; if you like Cal Poly SLO, check out Cal Poly Pomona.
You can also try to transfer to UC Merced, Riverside, or Santa Cruz. See if your community college has a direct transfer agreement (TAP, TAG) - if so, enroll and it’ll be easier for you. Of course the downside to the UCs compared to CSUs is the cost.</p>

10

<p>SDSU is impacted for Business students. You may want to double-check this.</p>

11

<p>I think I will apply for TAG for UCSB for business economics, since UCSD cancelled TAG since 2014 transfer (fu*k!). By the way, since El Camino doesn’t offer Russian courses, can I enroll in SMC or Harbor College (other local colleges) and get my Russian classes there? I mean for transferring to SDSU International Business with Russian and Central Europe concentration. Will they count towards my transfer credit?</p>