I am an international students attending Penn State University. I just finished my first year there with a 3.57 GPA, studying engineering.
Though I’m an international student, my parents and I have been living here in the U.S for about 7-8 years. My parents came here without a concrete plan and are stuck in a difficult position. Both of my parents have studied under f-1 visas, and with no income. We have been taken in by our wealthy uncle who is very generous and has provided us with shelter and food that made living here possible. We have attempted to acquire green cards but to no avail.
Then I decided to attend a university in the U.S. So, I’m an out of-state student paying around 40k a year to go to Penn State. This is a hefty fee considering both of my parents went to small universities.
Now, my mother has told me that there is a possibility of transferring schools back to my homeland, South Korea. since college is wayyy cheaper, and we’ll be citizens there. However, I don’t want to go back because I love studying here and I think there are more opportunities here (and I don’t want to be conscripted, absolute waste of time)
I don’t mind transferring college within the United States as long as its a university where there’s some credibility of a good engineering program. I obviously didn’t get much scholarships and because I didn’t do that well in High School.
Is there anything I can do to prevent myself from going back? or is it an inevitable event? If it dose come down to it, then I’ll have no choice but to South Korea. I’ll have to sacrifice my happiness for the well being for my family. I don’t want to burden them any longer.
(Asking my uncle for more money would also be impossible)
I am assuming you are talking about money, not visa status.
Penn State-- you’ve picked one of the more expensive public schools to attend. And you’re unlikely to get much or any money if you transfer to a cheaper school.
A waste of time for whom? Not for your countrymen living across the border from a megalomaniacal nut case.
One option you might research (see if you’re even eligible) is serving in the US military. About 5% of the servicmen/women are not US citizens. This could get you money for school via the GI Bill and also fast track you for US citizenship.
The US military is keen to increase diversity, and there are disproportionately few asian race servicemen.
My uncle has given a little towards the first year of my education but he said he won’t fund anymore after the 1st year.
My parents has had money enough to fund the first two years of my education but was hopefully trying to work out something, like going back to South Korea to work.
And the only way for me to join the U.S military is through a MAVNI program, which I am already aware of. However, you need expertise in more than one language and I can only speak English fluently, I’ve been trying to learn Korean but it’s not very promising.
Is there a way to transfer to a university where I can receive scholarships there? proving that I am a good student in my 2nd year at Penn State. Or is that not possible
And I currently do regret picking Penn State without thinking ahead of the future costs because I wasn’t too informed at the time. Since that is in the past, I’m just trying to figure out if I can try to stay being educated in the United States.
Unfortunately, the best scholarships are awarded to incoming freshmen, not transfer students. What does your family still have set aside for schooling? Divide that by three and you’ll know what you can pay. Then start to run NPCs for schools, especially in-state publics. Any school with an ABET-accredited engineering program would be fine.
Why did your uncle pay for an expensive first year of school when he had no intention of continuing to fund your education?
Why don’t you go to one of the Penn state branches…not the main campus…and commute. Or even a less expensive public university in PA where you can commute.
Get better scholarships WHERE. This student is an international student. If she switches schools, she likely won’t get a dime of financial aid (unless she hits the college jackpot and gets accepted someplace where all international students are given full need based aid).
Even with that…when she completes a financial aid application form, she will need to honestly fill out “money paid on your behalf by others” as her uncle paid her college tuition.
Merit aid is also unlikely, because it’s typically awarded to new freshman.
What level of mastery is required? Is proficiency enough? You must have been ~12 when you came to the US from Korea. Surely you must speak/understand some Korean.
If you’re not proficient in Korean and aren’t used to the study system, it’ll be VERY very hard for you to function and do well there. I would strongly advise you put your studies on hold in order to become fluent in Korean (at an adult level) while learning about the approach and format used in the Korean educational higher system, if you can’t transfer - you can’t just ‘go back’. (and, no, primary school level of Korean is not sufficient for university studies.)
Another issue is that employment in Korea is highly dependent on the ‘brand name’ of the college you attend, and with low-ish grades and test scores plus low proficiency in Korean your odds of attending such a college are extremely low.
I understand your reluctance about military service. I consider military service a vocation and that shouldn’t be imposed on kids who don’t want to participate in this service - there’s no such thing as reluctant vocation. In addition, nowadays, we need professional military personnel, not teenagers. As for people who oppose mandatory service for philosophical or religious reasons, I believe Korea doesn’t have a conscious objector clause. Are you even physically fit enough to be in the military (I believe in Korea there are some gym-related classes for teenagers to prepare them for military service but no such things in the US so are you even able rondo military service in Korea?)
Can you transfer to Penn State Behrend this year? If your parents had saved enough for 2 years and Penn State is 40k, they have 80k, with 40k left. Behrend is ABET accredited and costs less than Penn State main, so you may be able to handle 2 years there, especially if yourbuncle can help a little. You should be able to get summer internships via cpt to complete your parents’ savings and take a year in a co-op to earn enough for the last year.
Are you currently working? NOT spending anything (except to give your uncle a present as a token of gratitude)?
Retaking the Sat May also help for transferring at some universities (unorthodox but often helpful for internationals.)
Apply to U Minnesota - while they don’t offer full tuition scholarships to transfers, they do have scholarships for internationals and it should be cheaper than Penn State.
No idea if UAlabama Huntsville and UMass Lowell might work financially.
What about UCincinnati and it’s excellent co - OP program?
Another issue is that transfer awards are usually only for TWO years. This student is a rising soph. It’s crazy for him to spend $40k+ for PSU next year, when he can’t stay there.
Look at USouth Dakota or South Dakota State or SD school of mines. http://www.sdsmt.edu
Going to school in Korea isn’t a good idea since you’re not fluent.
Okay, so military service for the United States is out. The MAVNI program was recently dissolved, (most likely because obama is going to be out of office). And as for trasnferring to Korea, my mother already has a school in mind where English will be the main language at the university. Basically an international university in Korea. However, from my knowledge their engineering program isn’t very good and its name is not very known.
The only plan I have for now is studying my ass of for my 2nd year and try to get a 4.0 GPA in my soph year. I know it’s gonna be hard, but it’s the least I can do to help myself and my family from this situation. I don’t really know where that’ll take me but that’s honestly the only thing I can think of that I can do to help.
@MYOS1634 I’m very fit to do military service, but obviously, not knowing my native language, I don’t know how I’ll fit in the Korean military.
@mom2collegekids As for lifting some financial burden, there are 2 scholarships that international students from South Korea are eligible for. If approved, they said that the common value is between $1,000 and $2,000. And one of their other scholarships, I believe gives out a lot because it’s based on students’ performance in the university.
You’re not going to get a 4.0 in Engineering because this year you got a 3.6, which is EXCELLENT for engineering but prevents you from ever having a 4.0. Even having a 4.0 for one semester isn’t going to work for your plan. It I’ll not result in a scholarship that allows you to stay at penn state main.
CALL Behrend tomorrow morning first thing to see if you can transfer for the fall - you may not even have this option.
If your parents have 40k, that’s what you have to complete your degree. If you use it up in the coming year you will not have a degree.
I’m not sure you have money sense - $1,000 is NOT going to make any difference. Even if you win that scholarship, you’re still going back to Korea.
What are the odds of your finding a job after that English language college in Korea?
How much have you saved from your current job?
What’s the point of transferring to Behrend? I just looked up the costs of Penn State, Behrend and it is not so much different from Penn State, Main.(Around a 2k difference, according to the University’s tuition and college calculator.
And I don’t know how to answer whether or not I can find a job in Korea. If I could, I would finish school in Korea and try to work overseas in America, if I were to graduate with high honors.
And I believe I can get a 4.0. I made a lot of mistakes that I didn’t take serious and I’m ready to do well. If not a 4.0 then a better gpa than my first year.
No, you couldn’t work in the US. It’s already insanely difficult for international graduates from American colleges (because offshoring companies take/buy the H1Bs meant for them and use these visas for other purposes :s) but with a Korean degree, the odds of an American company passing the legal litmus tests to hire you are NIL.
Tuition and fees for internationals at Behrend are $23,000; total costs add up to $36,000.
Tuition and fees for internationals at University Park are $32,000; total costs add up to $45,000.
$9,000 = That’s a huge difference (and, in reality, you can have half the housing costs if you compare off campus at Behrend and in State College).
Even if you’re ready to do well, no one can count on getting a 4.0.
But even if you do, one semester at 4.0 and two semesters adding upt to 3.6 won’t suffice. It’s not going to help you stay. You have to have another plan.
Did you grow up in Pennsylvania? Is going “undocumented” an option? You seem to be getting a rawer deal as a legal alien than you would as an illegal one.