I am getting to college late in life. I am a 27 year old South African citizen and spent a few years travelling after school. I ran my own little business for a while after and made enough money to obtain a pilots license. I have spent the last 5 years flying for various companies including the United Nations. My passport contains everything from Liberia, to Chad, to Amsterdam. My wife is an American citizen, and we recently moved back to her home town in San Diego to have our first child.
I am awaiting my green card. Our counsel estimates that it will be ready in February latest, realistically January.
Subject Tests; 800 for Maths, Physics and Chemistry.
I was a B student in high school, excepting A’s in Maths and Science.
What general advice would you give someone applying as an adult learner ?
My school target list goes as follows.
Reach : Stanford, Harvey Mudd, Berkeley, Yale
Ideal: UCSD, Colorado College, UCSB
Safety: San Diego State
I would like to major in Physics eventually, we are also considering engineering. Any comments? We’d prefer to stay in CA (except LA). We prefer smaller / rural campuses.
I know it’s not much to go on. Just thought I’d get the ball rolling without writing an essay.
If you are needing aid, then you need to target the privates. Since you didn’t go to a Calif high school, you won’t qualify for Cal Grants or “Blue and Gold Promise”.
However, if you can pay all costs, then the Calif publics would work.
Nice scores. Have you run net price calculators for all those schools? Assuming you are working now, it is tricky to know how they will handle FA for you. Given that several schools on your list are $60K per year, you need to look at this. Also, some of these schools (Mudd, for example) require freshman to live on campus. So you would probably need to ask for an exception.
It is hard to know how they will treat you for admission. Your test scores are great, but HS grades are poor for all your reaches. You are a long time away from taking subjects like calc taken in high school, too.
UCs have pretty strict rules about GPAs and high school required classes. Someone else may know how they treat non-traditional students in that respect. If no one provides input here in the next couple of days, try putting the UC question on the California Colleges forum.
I appreciate the response intparent. I finished up with the UN in June, and will be looking after my daughter full time until my Green Card arrives. I was unaware on the on-campus rule of Mudd. But I will delve into it. I am hoping my scores in Maths II , and standardised scores in general will counter my long time out of school.
why arent you applying to USC??
DO SO by Dec 1 [ their deadline to be considered for scholarships ] and you have a strong chance to win a 1/2 merit scholarship.
USC also offers generous FA and does not have a “on campus” requirement.
I have a student at Mudd, and I have to say that it doesn’t seem like a great fit for a non-traditional student. It is a grindingly difficult school, I don’t know if they have any non-traditional students on campus, and there is a lot of late night problem set group work in the dorms that it would be hard to miss out on.
Since this student won’t have a green card when he applies, how will he be treated for FA at private schools??
It sounds like the Calif publics won’t work since he didn’t go to high school in Calif.
@stoked If you’ve just moved to Calif and your wife’s job is there, how will you go to college in an area that is away from your wife and new baby?
What community colleges or other colleges are near where you’re living now? Edit…I see that you’re living in San Diego. You may have to commute to some schools there. See what USD would offer you.
Not going to HS in CA is not an issue for the UC’s. I just got off the line with an admissions officer.
We are willing to relocate for school. Even to the EC. My wife will likely not even have to change jobs as 95% of her work is remote.
Right now I’m trying to figure out which schools I have the best shot at.
Thanks for your comments intparent. A valid point, but wherever I goes is going to have its challenges. I will just have to deal with those when they arise. Trying to eat this elephant one bite at a time.
@mom2coIIegekids community college is not an option at the moment. I have some attractive work opportunities, and am only willing to pass them up to attend a world class college.
Yep. If you’re legally/financially independent, which you are, it’s pretty easy to get classified as a CA resident at the UCs. (Assuming you get a green card, of course.) Just make sure to keep track of all of your paperwork proving you’re a California resident.
Why not take a look at Caltech? The B’s on your transcript would be a serious weakness, but your grades in math and science are good, and you obviously have great test scores. I’m not sure what you have against LA, but Pasadena is a lovely area and quite different from a lot of LA (i.e. more green space, more pedestrian-friendly, etc.).
For physics, U Arizona is also worth a look. You’d be a strong contender for a decent scholarship there.
If you don’t have the green card in hand, all colleges will consider you an international (and no FA will likely be forthcoming). Green cards don’t always come at the time you hope they will… You will have to check international on the application if you don’t have the card in hand, and let the colleges know you hope it is arriving soon, then notify them when you have it. You can’t say you are a domestic student until you have the card.
@warblersrule. Thanks for a great reply mate. I did not think I had a snowballs chance for Caltech. Stanford and Mudd alone felt foolish to consider, but ultimately for a try. I am looking into UA. And may even take a trip to visit the campus. Thank you for such a thought provoking reply.
I’d avoid Mudd and Colorado College. These are LACs which means there are no grad students on campus and you will definitely be the odd man out. That gets old pretty fast, I imagine. At schools with a large grad student population, you are likely to find more people who are ‘like you’ in terms of life experiences, even if they aren’t undergrads. There will also be grad student housing and reduced rate childcare resources on campus which you may be eligible for - and need given how expensive housing and childcare can be in many areas. (Stanford has both amenities - and a history of admitting non-traditional undergrad students: I had a middle-aged nun and a 50 year old+ airline pilot as class-mates when I was an undergrad.)
Otherwise, your list looks good. Maybe add one or two more in state options to replace Mudd and Colorado College.