International Student

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Hello everyone!</p>

<p>I'm a 19-year-old uni-student from Estonia and I'm studying civil engineering. I like it, but for the past 2 months I've felt like something has been missing from my life, something that just won't allow me to feel complete. By now I've figured out what it's. Namely, I feel like I need to make a radical change in my life, my country is just too small for me at the moment, which is also why my life's one massive routine and which is why I thought it would be great to continue my studies elsewhere. I'm interested in studying in the USA. Mostly because I know at least a bit what to expect and also because I'm really passionate about English language and I know mine is far from good, so it would allow me to improve it. </p>

<p>So for the past few weeks I've been surfing around the Internet trying to find information regarding studies abroad. I also got some information from my current university. As it turns out it's not half as simple as I thought it would be to study abroad. The easiest way to study abroad seems to be through my current university and some student exchange programme, like ERASMUS. The problem with ERASMUS and other similar programmes is that they offer students to study abroad for a semester or a year at best, but I'd also like to get my degree there - so I'm planning to be studying the whole period of 3-5 years there. </p>

<p>I also considered the option to pay all the tuition fees etc. myself, but seeing how much it's all going to cost, I would have to be really naive to think that it would ever work out. I know in the US most families start collecting and saving money for their kids' education, but it's a bit different here, because most people, who really want, get their higher education for free, thus I have no such funds.</p>

<p>I did find some sites that offer full-scholarship for international students, although it's hard or near-impossible to be one of the lucky students to be granted the scholarship, but I guess it's my best chance. I also tried to get to know a bit more about different universities in the US, but it seems that they are not too interested in international students, although judging by the statistics, there are quite many foreign students in the US. The biggest problem for me seems to be meeting all the requirements. I was a brill student in high-school, but it seems that my diploma and my grades don't mean much there. I haven't taken the SAT or IELTS tests, yet, but I think it's the least I could worry about - I can always take them, although the test results are gonna be a whole another story and something I should indeed worry about. :D</p>

<p>Also, I want to add that I'm mostly interested in (civil) engineering, architecture, but also medicine. </p>

<p>Anyway, hopefully this is the right section for these kind of problems. I have no idea from where to get any help. I just hope that anyone of you here can help and tell me from where to begin, what to do etc. Maybe give me some useful links.. I would also like to know more about Stanford University and University of California, Santa Barbara, although I feel that I've set my hopes too high on that one.</p>

<p>I know the competition is tough and it's very hard to get any kind of scholarship, especially full-scholarship, but I believe everyone who's confident enough will achieve success. I'm open for any kind of information and I appreciate everyone, who bothers reading and helping me.</p>

2

<p>So you are currently a college student? Some (mostly private) colleges have a limited amount of need-based or merit-based financial aid for international first-year students. However, most of these colleges would not let you apply as a first-year student if you have already attended a college elsewhere, and there is very little financial aid available for transfer students.</p>

<p>A few more things to keep in mind: </p>

<p>Deadlines: many application deadlines for the fall 2009 semester are in January (especially deadlines for selective colleges). I don't know which tests are mandatory for transfer applicants but the TOEFL most definitely is, and if you have not signed up for the tests yet, you are running out of time. If you don't make this round of deadlines, you might not be able to enroll until fall 2010.</p>

<p>Medical school: In the US, you need a Bachelor's degree (in any subject) before you may start studying medicine. Be aware that it is almost impossible for international students to get funding for a medical degree in the States.</p>

3

<p>P.S. If you want to talk to someone in person about your options to study in the US, you can visit an Education USA office in your region: Educational</a> Advising Centers ? EducationUSA</p>

<p>You'll probably get better advice there than from anyone on this website. Thanks to happymomof1 for reminding us of this wonderful resource!</p>

4

<p>Forget Santa Barbara and most state run schools as they have no money for international students. Focus on schools known to e generous to internationals. It gets much easier the more you can pay so give us an idea of what your family can afford.</p>

<p>What were your high school grades/rank? Do you score well on national tests?</p>

5

<p>I might suggest joint-degree programs. I don't know if the Estonia universities do that, but in Singapore, the national university offers a joint-degree program with an Australian university.</p>

<p>Engineering - Requires math and physics background
Architecture - Competitive admission, requires portfolio
Medicine - Done as graduate degree (not undergraduate), very expensive...</p>

6

<p>wow. I never thought I'd see another Estonian here :D
I don't know much about transfering to an U.S. uni, but can help with other things (tests, applications, etc ;p), so feel free to ask :)
and welcome - CC is the best place to get good advice.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the replies guys. </p>

<p>I'll edit this a bit later to specify a few things to give you a bIt better view about me and my situation.</p>

8

<p>You might want to consider finishing say 2 years at your university and transferring to a US college- that would be one way of cutting down on costs. That could be your best option given that the application deadlines for most selective colleges are in January. But you have to make sure that the courses you are doing at your university are transferrable to a US college. And even two years of tuition+other costs can be quite high at US colleges.</p>

<p>If you do plan to start over anew at a US colleges, your choices will be severely restricted. as b@r!um pointed out. I faced this problem when I applied, most colleges I considered wouldn't let me apply as a freshman. So you have to do your research carefully and exhaustively if you choose this option.</p>