I’m 19 and I’m from Portugal, I’m in my second year studying languages at college, but when I graduate I would like to change paths and study engineering in America. Unfortunately I chose humanities in high school which means I had no math, science or any related subject whatsoever. So I probably would have to do a GED besides the ACT to properly qualify. The problem is that whenever I ask colleges abou it they say I can’t apply as a freshman because I’ve been to college already and that to apply as a transfer I would need at least one year of math, calculus, physics, chemistry, all of those subject I don’t have right now. What do I do?
You don’t need a GED - in fact technically you can’t even take that exam. It is for students who never finished secondary school. You did finish secondary school.
What you would want to do is to find a place (even an adult school in your own country) where you can pick up some math (through at least pre-Calculus) and science. Even though you might not need the classes specifically for admission as a transfer here, university-level coursework in those subjects would be very difficult if they were completely new to you. KhanAcademy.org is a useful website for studying math and some other topics. You would also have the option of enrolling at a community college in the US to take the pre-engineering courses before moving on to an engineering program.
All that said, I have to ask: Why engineering, and why the US?
What makes you think that you would be a good engineer?
I think I’ve just always loved aircraft, speed, how does it all work, I’m passionate about it. And the US is the best country to study this and work there with the most advanced technology. MIT, Stanford, Caltech, Georgia Tech, any one of those would be great if I could make it there, they’re the best technology and engineering schools in the country, and most likely the world. It is possible for me to take math, chemistry, physics, biology and geometry exams here, and I would have the same equivalency as high school, but what are other options for me to take an undergrad other than community college? Aren’t there public or private universities that are able to take students like me, with no math background in college and in need of it?
There’s a place for you. It’s called community college. Community college would give you the best shot to transfer to a selective university later. It’s the most cost-effective route (within the US) as well.
Alternatively, any number of private universities would likely admit you, as long a you can pay. They’ll be nowhere near as selective as MIT or Stanford. I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s an option.
Public 4-year universities are usually quite strict on prerequisites for transfer applicants. As are selective private universities, as you have discovered yourself, particularly for an engineering degree (which has long chains of prerequisites and is difficult to complete in 4 years even under ideal circumstances).
By the way, once you complete your first Bachelor’s degree, you are no longer a regular transfer applicant. You would be a “second degree” applicant. Not all American universities will consider applications for a second degree.
Can you follow a stem secondary school path even if you’re 19? That’d be the ideal situation. = Catch up in Portugal, transfer once you have all the basics.
Community college is your alternative but it’s likely more expensive - $25,000/year to catch up.
@MYOS1634 has an excellent suggestion. Is there a way to re-enroll in secondary school (maybe an adult school at night?) to finish off the secondary school science program? How long would that take, and how much would that cost you? For international students, the full cost of attendance here at community colleges will be close to US $30,000 each year, and enrolling as a pre-engineering transfer student at a decent university will be even more expensive.
You also need to know that it is very difficult for international students to find work in the US as aerospace engineers. Most of those jobs are with companies that are associated with the US defense industry, and so require US legal residency or US citizenship because the engineers must maintain at least basic level security clearances. There may be an easier pathway to this goal somewhere in the EU for you.
No, that would take way too much time, and because of my age only programs for people over 23 would work. What I can do is study on my own for this year and do the necessary exams next year. I’ve had a look at this college in Boston that let’s me do a second bachelor’s degree, so I could apply in November and start in January 2020, already with the exams and the ACT and a completed bachelor’s in languages.
What’s the college and how much does it cost?
As an international transfer it’s exceedingly difficult to get any financial aid. As a second Bachelor’s student, you’re not legally allowed to get any financial aid at all.
That one was way too expensive at $50,000, but I found another one in NYC that is only 24K, it’s the NYU, this famous university. They accept students from every background, so it’s possible for me.
NYU is not 24k, it’s 71k/year. You must have made a mistake in reading the charts with the prices.
Your best bet if you cannot take night classes in math and science is community college. Why you’d pay 25k for remedial classes you likely can get for free in Portugal is beyond me, but ok.
Another option is to target a LAC which doesn’t admit by major and offerd data science, mis, and/or CS.
Look into st Michael’s, Susquehanna, Denison ?
I am wondering several things.
One is why you would want to finish your degree in languages in Portugal. What will this give you? Are you hoping to improve your English (which already looks quite good based on your post)?
Another thing that I wonder about is what sort of background you already have in mathematics. The thing is that you don’t just start out in calculus. You need an appropriate mathematical background in order to handle calculus. Generally you need algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and precalculus prior to taking calculus. If you do very well at the first four of these, then calculus at least based on my experience is relatively easy. If you do badly in the first four, then calculus is going be somewhere between difficult and impossible. Unfortunately this is a pretty long sequence of courses that you need to know well before you even start in engineering school.
Finally, why the US? The US is an expensive place to study, and if you come here for a second bachelor’s degree as an international student then I am dubious about what sort of financial aid you will get. The US does not have a monopoly on engineering.
What sort of budget do you have for all of this?
Once you get a degree in the US, you are expected to return to your country.
Immigration rules are very strict. Employers are required to employ US citizens first before even considering employing a non-citizen. Employers must state to the government that no US candidates are available for any open positions, then the companies must pay fees, wait the requisite time, and agree to sponsor the applicant. In Aerospace engineering, a very narrow field, that’s not going to happen.
A number of Aerospace degrees do require a security clearance.
Also the education cost would be very expensive with no financial aid.
You might want to note that there are some countries that allow students who graduate from university in their country to then apply for and get a work permit. However, the US is NOT one of them.
You need to obtain the pre-reqs for science studies and apply to programs in Germany (where there are lots of jobs). Abertay in Scotland is the European designated campus for video game production and marketing, and it’s not too hard to get into as long as you have a calculus course with a B plus two other subjects.
Getting an engineering degree in the us means you can get an opt (a special permit for two years) but you’ll have to finance your studies entirely since there is no financial aid for second degree students,even Americans. Aerospace engineering is an exception since you need security clearance ie., you can’t be a citizen from another country. You could do mechanical or electrical engineering but that’d require strong background classes in stem.