<p>I'm sorry if it's the wrong sub-forum,but I have a question.</p>
<p>I'm currently studying in Romania and will be entering my 3rd and final year with a degree in finance-banking. I was wondering if I can get a second undergraduate degree in the U.S in the same or similar major.</p>
<p>I am a US citizen if that matters.</p>
<p>Yes, but why would you want to? You could get an American Master’s degree from a better university in a shorter period of time. </p>
<p>Well, I lack necessary internships that would make me competitive and also the fact that my school lacks some courses that would most probably exist in good US schools.</p>
<p>I am planning to go study at a CC for two years and then transfer good maybe even top university,is it possible? Would my age be a factor? do I have to mention my previous degree?</p>
<p>Many US colleges don’t allow second bachelors and the ones that do will only let you do it in an unrelated field. I don’t know if there’s an exception to a degree earned in another country though.</p>
<p>Full fees at the CC and the universities paying non-resident tuition. You wont qualify for any financial aid.</p>
<p>Agree with guineagirl, you may not be able to major in the same field. You need to be aware that you will be returning to your country after you complete your education here and will not be sponsored for jobs. The immigration laws are strict. If a company tries to sponsor a non-citizen, they are required to state that there are no US citizens available for the position. In a business major like finance, that is not going to happen.</p>
<p>Sorry, I missed the citizen thing. But, for a second degree, you have to foot the bill on your own.</p>
<p>What if I don’t mention that I have a bachelor in the first place? Is it possible?</p>
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<p>That could get you into all sorts of trouble. Giving false information on your financial aid application (this includes denying a previous college degree!) is punishable by 5 years in prison. Of course you’ll have to repay any assistance you have received up to that point. In addition, the university you are attending may retroactively revoke your offer of admission or your degree if they find out that you lied on your application for admission.</p>
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You don’t need internships. Just start working a full-time job! Or attend a graduate program that doesn’t expect work experience.</p>
<p>As for coursework, you could easily fill a few gaps while in graduate school. Or you can take a handful of classes as a non-degree-seeking student. I don’t see why you’d pay $100,000 - $200,000 for a second undergraduate degree from a second-rate university if you can get everything you want (work experience, a hanful of courses you couldn’t take in Romania) for sooo much cheaper.</p>
<p>What if you commit fraud, you ask? Maybe you can just rob a bank to pay for it. Oh, woops, you are in finance so I suppose you prefer to stick to white collar crime. I don’t think you are going to get advice that encourages law breaking.</p>
<p>First of all I have no intention of asking for financial aid,I would have mentioned that in my first post.
Second of all I’m not planning on studying at a second-rate university, if i’m going to spend money on another education i’m going to make sure it will be worth it.</p>
<p>EDIT: What if I put a halt to my studies and attend a CC and after that transfer to a University. Can I do that? Would my age be a problem?</p>
<p>You can transfer now, without going to an american CC. However, most of the credits will not transfer, you will be set back one to two years for an US degree. In addition, all elite institutions do not accept many transfers, Princeton for one, does not accept any, others accept a few. With your international status, your chances to get in an elite school is slim to none. You can try as you wish. </p>
<p>How would they review my transfer application? Would I have to give the SAT’s? Will they look into my high school grades?</p>
<p>By the way would I more chances getting into a good school by trying to transfer directly to the school or through community college?</p>
<p>The answers to your questions depend largely on what school you’re talking about. Start by identifying which American schools interest you, then read their websites. Most provide thorough information online about their transfer policies. </p>
<p>Thank you everyone for the help.</p>
<p>My final question: If I obtain my bachelors in another country will it count as a bachelor in US or do I have to get a degree in the US to actually count as a bachelor?</p>
<p>I know it sounds confusing but I need to know if i’m going to put a halt to my currents studies or finish them and start from scratch in the US.</p>
<p>It really depends on whether your degree in Romania would be recognized by US institutions or not. It depends on the school.</p>
<p>You have to start targeting specific colleges if you want to pursue a graduate degree, or specific companies if you want to pursue employment in the US.</p>
<p>The problem with international degrees in certain cases is that they tend to be more technical and trade oriented. If you find a company or college that is okay with your degree from Romania (is the school accredited in your country or internationally?), you don’t need a second bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>Note that age does not matter, although once you are over 30 or so, you will have to substantiate what you’ve been doing all that time. NEVER leave out school attendance from your application. The institution or company will decide if and how they would count your other school work.</p>
<p>If you have a high school transcript and SAT scores, and those were necessary for the college you are attending now, it is possible that mid-level (not the most elite) colleges would accept your Romanian bachelor’s degree and you could get a MS or a PhD in the US.</p>
<p>As others have noted, some of the really high caliber schools don’t accept transfers, regardless of whether the transfer is from a university or a CC. You really need to narrow your choice of school and ready how they admit. </p>
<p>sorry*** read how the school admits their students by looking at the admission’s requirements.</p>
<p>If you can NOT receive your BA in Romania, you’d automatically qualify for $7,500 per year in loans (as an American citizen) as a TRANSFER student. Not great, but much better than being full-freight. In addition, you may qualify for scholarships. Neither loan nor scholarship would be available if you complete your BA in Romania.
As a transfer rather than a “2nd BA”, you wouldn’t start from scratch - some of your credits would transfer, so that you’d likely complete your BA or BS in 2 years (most universities will require an undergrad to get 2 years’ worth of credits from them in order to qualify for a degree bearing the university’s name. Of course if you use the summer session(s), you can go a little faster.)
Essentially, as a citizen, your best bet is to stop your studies now and “transfer” to the US - especially since the current market for CS in Romania isn’t great (salaries are quite low, even if cost of living isn’t comparable to the US).
Even if you don’t attend a top school for undergrad, you’d only need to attend for 2 years (junior and senior year) and during senior year you’d apply to the prestigious schools you’re interested in. Who knows, you may even get funding for a Master’s degree. 
You could apply to Cal Poly SLO and San Jose State, probably the cheapest and more directly usable CS majors that would admit you. UCSC has been known to give some financial aid to OOS applicants and is right in the Silicon Valley. You can also look for cheaper universities (SUNY’s, for instance).
Another option would be to apply for the Winter session/Spring semester at the community college closest to the university you’re aiming for and from there applying to that university for Fall 2015.</p>