<p>Oh my gosh, Sefago - you’re crazy lol. How on earth can you possibly say I’m stalking you? I thought your username sounded familiar cos you use the same username on that forum (which I’m a member of) and that’s why I said you should keep your ignorance there. Gosh, I’m not that bored - stalking you, what the heck - wow!! </p>
<p>Yeah, I’d tell a person to go to a UK school cos US schools are not so amazing, unless you’re going to one of the best. I know my bachelor’s degree is almost useless for the type of job I want unless I go to a really awesome grad school. So, why waste money in the U.S., when you could get it for cheaper, faster, and really good too somewhere else. </p>
<p>I don’t know what your problem is with me, I certainly don’t have one with you. MOVE ON!!</p>
<p>PS: We’re friends there, let’s be friends here ok hahaha.</p>
<p>“At the private American college I am attending it’s literally impossible to earn a grade below a B- unless you try. The lowest grade I ever got was a B, and I only submitted 2/3 of the work for the class! At my old German university I would have been lucky to get a D after not submitting work, and something tells me that British universities would not look quite as favorable on the situation either. I have observed similar grading standards at an Ivy League institution. Students get Bs for doing a minimum of work, and the only way to fail a class is to do none of the work at all. I remember failing being much easier than that in Europe”</p>
<p>@ b@r!um
I know!! I used the British system for years before starting college in the U.S., so it was really shocking to see how people get easy passes, if that’s what you mean.</p>
<p>Yes the biggest part of the problem is the money and anther part of the problem is that with a.a. level I cant get working visa. Could I ask you one more question? Is it possible to change anything after first year of college? For example I have enough money for the first year, but not for the second; so can I somehow earn or get or find money during first year of studying, can I do some work or get money due good grades or is there any program for people like me who can pay first year but not the second as well?sory if it is stupid question…</p>
<p>what if you can’t ? what are you going to do then ? leave halfway ?</p>
<p>and you can’t get a job on a f-1 visa, unless its on campus. i don’t even know if community colleges have such arrangements and even then there’s a 20hr/week limitation which will definitely not be enough for school fees.</p>
<p>why don’t you just stay in your country, study and then do your masters in the US ? the majority of internationals who do community college end up transferring to a regular 4 year university afterwards.</p>
<p>After finishing your Associate’s degree on an F-1 student visa, you are eligible for a temporary 12 month work permit (Optional Practical Training) for a job directly related to your degree. This permit cannot be extended or renewed, and an Associate’s degree does not qualify you for a stand-alone work visa. You probably won’t be able to save much in those 12 months, but if you are close to being able to finance a four-year degree, it might just be enough.</p>
<p>Also look into CLEP exams. If you can pass enough CLEP exams, you might be able to finish your community college degree in one year instead of two. (Make sure the college accepts CLEP credits!)</p>
<p>Be careful which program you choose to study at a community college. You need a degree whose credits will transfer to a four-year college, so that you can finish your Bachelor’s degree in the minimum amount of time later (probably 2 additional years). Some vocational degree programs are not meant to prepare students for a four-year degree.</p>
<p>@sefago
I would highly recommend you to take a semester trip to a British university or even a Chinese university. I’ve studied at universities in the US, EU and China and in terms of academic regiousness, US ranks the lowest. Granted, the grade inflation in the US basically forces you to get a top score. You can easily get away with a C or even a D in Germany while in the US, anything below B will be considered terrible. However, because they teach you more in the EU/Asia, you will also learn a lot more than here in the US. Yes, I don’t dispute that American universities tend to rank higher, but that’s only because they have a much deeper pocket to spend on research. I don’t think the majority of students, especially at the undergrad level, is going to get any good out of that</p>
<p>Thanks guys, I didn’t get you quite right, could I save enough money by training to transfer to four year university? I’m interested in paralegal and it is good basis and first step to become a lawyer.
Could you give me more information about CLEP exam? If I understand you correctly I could finish community college for one year and than save money by training and than try to get to law school?</p>
<p>That’s not how law school works. You cannot study law as an undergraduate in the US. You would need a Bachelor’s degree in another subject first before you can apply to law school. Law school itself takes another 3 years.</p>
<p>From what you have said so far, you are not in position to finance a law degree. Law school is very expensive. Most law students take out large loans to pay for the degree. However, as an international student you are not eligible for loans from an American bank.</p>
<p>Paralegal studies is actually not the preferred preparation for a law degree. It is recommended that pre-law students design a program of studies that develops their communication skills, as well as analytical and problem-solving skills. Math, physics and philosophy majors have the highest overall scores on the LSAT (the law school admission test). The most popular pre-law majors are political science, history, English and communications.</p>
<p>I suggest you start doing your own research. Read up on CLEP exams and policies. See if you can find a way to finance a community college degree and/or a Bachelor’s degree from a four-year university. Research the law school admission process and admission requirements. Read advice for international students aiming for law school.</p>
<p>You should find that your current plans are not realistic.</p>
<p>If you want to become a lawyer, you should study law in your home country. If you still want to come to the US then, you can get an advanced law degree from an American law school.</p>
<p>I was thinking about this thread, so If I will get into a good school, not a ivy league, and then I will get in a Phd program; will I have a chance to find a job here and to get the citizenship?</p>
Finding a job? Yes. Getting citizenship? Probably not. </p>
<p>Have you researched which professions qualify to apply for permanent residence? H-1B visas are usually limited in time and the worker has to leave the country eventually. Only if your job happens to be of national interest would you qualify to convert your H-1B visa into a permanent resident visa and ultimately apply for citizenship. </p>
<p>Well, I guess as a backup plan you could always marry an American citizen and get citizenship that way.</p>
<p>What is the purpose of community colleges except of low price and small students groups? Can common American find a job after finishing community college or does he/she have to take higher educations?</p>
<p>Community colleges serve the two purposes you identified: they provide vocational training to students who will join the workforce afterwards, and a cheaper alternative to four-year colleges for students who intend to pursue higher education. Yes, the common American can find a job after finishing a community college program, but the common American also doesn’t need a visa to work in his own country.</p>
<p>If immigrating to the US was as easy as investing $20,000, there would be a <em>lot</em> more legal immigrants here. As it stands, prospective immigrants either need immediate family in the US, invest a lot more money or be highly qualified.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your advices. Now I can see how all this thinks go on. I guess my only chance is to apply for financial aid to low rank college with hope they will accept me. Could you tell me what score I would have to get on SATA and TOFL to have at least minimal chances at low rank colleges?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Go to Community College and earn top/perfect grades
While at community college you can apply for scholarships/awards. They are very limited for international students and won’t provide you with a lot of money. However, if you have top grades and put some effort into writing essays you can definitely make some money, at least enough to finance your CC education. You can also work part-time on-campus while you are attending Community College. Again, this won’t yield much money, but enough to get by.</p></li>
<li><p>Transfer to a top-university and apply for scholarships and financial aid
For example, UC offers the regents scholarship which also applies to international students. If you have outstanding grades and ECs, private university might also give you money. There ARE lots of opportunities out there to get a cheap education (even for internationals), but you have to put in the effort of finding and getting them.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Yes, this path is risky and you do not have any guarantees. Maybe you won’t get perfect grades, maybe you won’t find an on-campus job, won’t get accepted to top-universities, etc. What then? Well, that’s life, and you better have a backup plan. You need to take risks if you want to be successful. On a side node, it worked for me. I started CC not knowing how I would finance my education, but next year I am graduating from a Top-3 Program in the US. Seriously, I’m not even worried about finding a job and getting a visa. I don’t regret taking the risk, because living and studying in the US has changed my life, even if it hadn’t worked out like it did.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is that many things can happen during 2 years of community college. Maybe you will find friends/colleagues willing to support you financially, maybe you will change your plans of studying/staying in the US, maybe you will win a GC through the lottery, maybe you really will marry, and so on.</p>
<p>Super optimistic post; I appreciate that way of thinking; I am the same kind of person, always wants to think positive…
What do you think is it hard to study and work at the same time? It seems very hard, but not impossible, one have to have a very good plan and keep up with it.</p>