My Options: Your Opinion

International Students
1

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well. I have a few questions regarding university, what my options are and my career path.

A little background information, I was born in Philadelphia, however I do not reside there. When I was 17, I left my traditional high school and got my high school diploma through BYU (online independent study) at that moment, I did believe it was a better option then my GED. I took some time off and worked a bit. September 2014, I entered a french program A.A.S in Business Management. I was accepted into the University of Surrey, yet the price of the school was definitely not ideal, therefore I need to look at my other options. This program I am in is recognized widely in Canada, so I am interested in getting my Bachelors Degree there. There are a couple universities that interest me, like McGill University, Concordia, Ryerson, Humber. I am still combing through a few, looking at programs and the university as a whole (also the price)

Although I do have a few worries. For example, starting off as a freshman in Uni at 20. Yeah, I know, so juvenile. I was also thinking about how universities will look at my age difference from other candidats. Even with an associates degree, I don’t know what they will make of it. Do you think it will help me ?

I want to pursue International Law. I was reading upon what majors I should look at, while versatile, I am concerned on what would help prepare me for Law (studying something other than paralegal studies). The way I see it, I have a few options.

  • Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
  • Political Science
  • Sociology

As a preference, I am not sure. I do know that PPE is quite broad, and I do enjoy the two P’s, I am not sure about Economics. I did have an overview of it this year, and so far, I am not liking Microeconomics. So, for those maybe pursuing a law career or have an idea on this topic, what is the right choice ?

Also, a little bit of information about student loans regarding someone who has no co-signer ? I have a long long path to finish all of my education (4 year bachelor, 3 year law school, 2 year JD/LLM program), and I support myself financially so how would it all work ?

Thank you !

2

Where are you from?
How much can you pay per year?

3

If you were born in Philadelphia, that would make you an American citizen, right?

4

Yeah it does. And I am from Philadelphia, but moved to North Africa at the age of 12. I can’t pay more than 10k a year, without loans.

5

Humber is not a university. It’s a college. Canadian colleges are different from US colleges. They don’t grant bachelors degrees. Canadian universities will cost you 30K+/year. There is no aid for foreign nationals and you can’t work at a job. You can’t afford a Canadian university.

I would recommend re-establishing residency in the U.S. and applying for a state university after residency is re-established. Each state has different rules about residency for university though, so you would want to investigate that thoroughly before you move.

Also, the market for lawyers in the U.S. is really bad right now, so I’d make sure that that’s the path you want to pursue.

6

Ditto. Unless you qualify for Canadian domestic tuition rates and Canadian financial aid programs, you’ll in all likelihood have more opportunities for financial aid and tuition discounts if you go to college in the US. Are you an “independent student” for FAFSA purposes, or are your parents willing to share their income tax forms with you so you can apply for federal student aid?

Practically it would work like this: when you get to the point where you can’t finance the next stage of your education, you would hit “pause” on your education. You would work for a few years, save some money, start repaying your existing student loans, establish your credit-worthiness, and then try again.

Law schools don’t seem to have a strong preference for one major. That being said, I’d strongly encourage you to study an “employable” major. You could still study political science or philosophy on the side, e.g. as a minor or double-major. The reason I say this is that there’s a strong probability that you’ll not go to law school, at least not right after college. Ideally you’d want to pick a major that would help you get a job and earn a comfortable income in case something comes between you and your law school aspirations.

7

I agree you will have more opportunities in the U.S. than in Canada. Once you establish residency, a State University is generally the lowest priced option.

First you need to establish that you are an independent student, i.e., that your parents are not supporting you and will not contribute to the cost of your education.

Second, you need to establish whether you will be considered a first year student or a transfer. Financial aid is generally better for first years, but college’s may consider you a transfer because of your associate’s degree.

You want to look for colleges that guarantee to meet full financial need – especially if you are classified as a transfer. There are many private colleges that are generous with need-based aid. For example, if you are female, I’d suggest you look at Smith College. You might also look at colleges that offer co-op work programs like Northeastern University.

I wouldn’t concentrate on getting into or financing law school just yet. Your first objective will be to get accepted to an undergraduate college that you can afford. You’ll have some time to choose a major once you are enrolled, but really you can get into law school with a major in just about anything.

8

Oh, thank you ! The reason that I was looking at Canada is mostly because of the program I am in. I was considering going back to the US, other than the fact that my grandparents (I reside with them) aren’t comfortable with it. I can surely convince them to reconsider since it seems to be the right choice. Humber (oups I thought it was a uni). It is very frustrating, especially about the FAFSA and my parents. I applied as a independent student (my parents are not in my life at this time and will not provide any information) this year for the University of Surrey, and they only offered a limited amount of options. I could look into private student loans, like Sallie Ma, however I have read reviews and wasn’t pleased. I worked this past year and have some money saved up, but not enough to move back to the US. I do plan on working this summer, two jobs that would put me on living comfortable the first year and half of my second year of undergrad.

What would a “employable” major be ?

I was looking into Sociology with minor in Communications. I mean, I will already have a degree, could I work part time with that ?

I have a tendency to look to far ahead and I am aware that law school is 1) expensive 2) really far off.

And in the case of it being a bad market for lawyers, the reason I choose “international law” is because it is different from national law, it can be: immigration, global commerce and war even. I am interested in the global commerce aspect of it, and I am not concerned about the market of international business law.

I am willing to consider other jobs. What would you do or what are you doing ?

9

A degree in sociology/communications would not make you very “employable” right away. That said, if you’re open minded, smart and creative in how you use your skills, you could eventually find a good job the same way many other humanities majors do. (Employable majors tend to be concrete: anything having to do with computers, finance/accounting, engineering, etc.) Of course you could work part time and go to school either part- or full-time. International law actually doesn’t have much to do with immigration (immigration law tends to be country-specific) and isn’t terribly practical. If international business law is something of interest to you, an obvious major to consider would be something along business/economics/finance.

Frankly, my advice would be to put off school for a while, since you already will have a degree when you get to the US. I’d suggest you work for a bit, get to know the market realities in the US before you make further educational decisions.

10

If you speak French, English, and Arabic, and are an American citizen, look into Sherbrooke’s International law program. You’ll enter directly into law (I assume you have either an actual AS or a French-patterned BTS) and their degree is recognized in the US as well as in Canada.

11

I am back. Hahaha, it has been a while and I can totally explain why. After taking exams, I started work and got busy. I also sat in a few classes in architecture (interior designing) and I had a change of heart. I don’t not desire to spend 20k a year for 7 years, and then still try to find a job.

SO, I have different plans. My main questions now are,

  1. Can I apply for FAFSA ?

  2. What are my options for a “independent us living abroad with no residence” in the USA ?

  3. I can handle trying to make money for living, rent and such. School is another matter.

I have been saving and working like a mad man. Worst case scenario, after my AAS degree, I will take this month course from the British council to get certified to teach. Then, I will work for a bit in order to raise money to pay for school. It’s either that or I am out of options because I can’t move an entire country without knowing I can at least live for 6 months

12

Yes, you can file the FAFSA because you are a US citizen.

How old are you? Are your parents alive? Those factors will affect whether or not you are considered independent for financial aid purposes. It may also affect your residence status. Some public colleges and universities will not allow you to establish in-state residence for tuition/fees purposes unless you also are independent for financial aid purposes. In states where it is possible to establish residence, it normally is necessary for a student to live and work in that state for 12 months before enrolling in college.

You will apply as a transfer, so financial aid might be limited.

13

New York state allows people to establish residence if they spend 12 months working in the state before registering for school. (You can take 1 community college class). Since you are a US citizen, you could work without any problem.
What languages do you speak?