Hello everyone,
I’m 18 and I’m from Iran, I recently graduated from high school and I’ll start studying computer science this fall in a university here.
Last year I got 3 acceptances from 3 different universities in United States only with my grades and essays.
2 of them were highly expensive but the other one was a better deal with 6000$ a year in my favorite major which is Film Studies.
Unfortunately, my family is not able to afford that yet.
But I don’t want to lose my hope and get disappointed, I’ve started studying for SATs and IELTS.
I’ll take them by the end of February 2020.
And I’ll apply for fall 2020.
I’m also trying to write a script and make a movie as my portfolio. ( I have made 2 but I need more)
Is there a chance to get a good scholarship where I’d have to pay around 2000-3000$ a year?
If my grades were as listed below:
GPA: 3.62
SAT: math: 780
Reading: 520
IELTS academic: 6.5-7.0
Thank you in advance for your help Added more info to title
ED
Congratulations on your acceptances. Full scholarships are extremely rare, even for American students. Generous partial scholarships are available, however.
Is that $2,000 - $3,000 per year budget just for tuition-only, or for everything (room, board, visa fees, travel, dorm and school supplies, spending money)? Realistically even if you get a “full ride” (tuition, room, and board) it will cost you well over $3,000 a year to attend school in the US because there are expenses not covered by scholarships. If you got an offer where the cost of attendance (tuition/room/board) was only $6,000 for you, that’s as good a deal as you will probably get (and you still need to add travel fees, visa fees, spending money, and dorm/school supplies out of pocket to that).
Be aware that computer science is an “impacted” major in just about all of the ones with highly ranked CS programs. That means it is extremely difficult to transfer IN to that major. If you’re planning to study film studies, then it won’t be as much of a problem. However, you did say you were starting in a CS program, so you should be aware the liklihood of being able to continue those CS studies in the US is not as good as your chances of getting into film school.
You will be an international transfer student as you are taking college courses now.
The SAT is usually taken during high school, not during college. You need to find out if your target colleges will even consider an SAT score taken while you are a college student.
It sounds like you need a lot of need based aid to study here. Your HS GPA, and your current SAT score would make admission to schools that guarantee to meet full need for all international students quite iffy.
For colleges that meet full need...there are only 5 that meet full need for all international students AND are need blind for admissions. This means that at many places, either your full need won’t be met...OR your ability to pay will be considered when your application for admission is considered.
As a transfer student, your ability to garner need based financial aid will be reduced at many places.
Frankly, I can’t think of one college where your net cost would be guaranteed to be $3000 for the full year...unless you hit the lottery of college admissions and got accepted to a college that meets full need for all international TRANSFER students. Even with that, your transportation costs alone will eat up most of $3000 a year.
So...considering my above comments, it sounds like you really are hoping for a full free ride. Those are not all that plentiful even for U.S. citizens, and are even less plentiful for international students.
You are planning to retake these tests in February, with a goal of applying for admission fall 2020? Really? That’s cutting it close even for transfer students where the application deadlines are a little later. You need to check and see if the school deadlines for applications will even fit with a February testing date.
What’s wrong with completing your bachelors degree where you are...and where it’s presumably affordable? I know....I bet they don’t offer film studies. Well, for that major, it would be prudent to attend a very fine film studies program...and those won’t be cheap here.
It’s extremely hard to transfer to one of those 5 colleges thumper refers to. And none are so well known for film studies that your interest would make you competitive.
“Last year I got 3 acceptances from 3 different universities in United States only with my grades and essays.” Can you explain? What colleges don’t require a full application package?
If you start college in Iran, you’ll can’t apply to 2020 as freshman. Just some college give scholarships to transfer students. If last year results doesn’t works for you, less as transfer. Don’t start college in Iran and apply again as freshman.
@Taraps if you are enrolled in a CS course of study at a college in your country, you can NOT apply as a freshman student in a year. You will have completed one year of college…and that makes you a transfer student whether you want to be…or not.
When you apply here, you will be REQUIRED (emphasis…not yelling) to provide all transcripts from any college you have attended. If you do not do so, you are applying using dishonest information. Period. Colleges frown on dishonesty. So plan to be truthful.
As an international transfer student, your likelihood of getting financial aid that will bring your cost to attend college here to $3000 a year…in film studies…is just about zero. In other words, it I seriously doubt you will see the money you need to attend college here.
Oh…and taking the SAT or ACT in February will be too late for applying for admission to the very very vast majority of colleges for 2020 fall start date. The last SAT or ACT most schools take is December. A few take January.
And again I say…the SAT and ACT are supposed to be taken while you are in high school…not in college.
I don’t think your plan is going to work…at all.
Oh…and film studies…does this mean you want to make films? If that is the case, you will need a portfolio to submit with your application.
Applications for fall 2020 admissions are open…now.
@Taraps you could go for community colleges… btw which university cost you $6000? You might be able to email their financial aid department and see if they can offer you some and the rest can be covered by external scholarships.
I think there may be tricky issues of being a transfer student as per the above. In terms of aid/scholarships, maybe there are scholarship sources outside of the colleges that you can tap, especially those that support Iranians and/or film makers (US and non US)
What community college is going to come in with a total cost of attendance at under $3000 for the year? This student lives in another country…it’s not like he can commute from home.