I’m a current freshman at a local university in my home country. I have completed a semester here and have become convinced that this is not for me and that a University in the US is where my aspirations will be met (details can be divulged later).
Though my credits can be transferred, making me eligible to apply as a transfer student, I don’t want to do so.
The main reason I want to go to the US is because of the brilliant freshman system of sampling subjects from all spheres and choosing your major. I believe that transferring either with half a year worth of credits or completing the year and transferring will rob me of that opportunity.
Furthermore, a lot of Universities don’t accept transfer students in hordes, let alone international transfer students and on top of that one who needs as much financial aid as possible, as well as the fact that transfer students don’t have many chances of scoring scholarships.
I want to hence apply as a freshman.
If I do, will I need to justify my gap year and if I would, how do I do so? Do I reveal my college education, passing it off as casual? Should I bare it all in the additional information section?
I am yet to even give the SAT, which I will before the deadline. Will colleges doubt me seeing that the only SAT I’ve given is in the December of 2015 though I passed out in May 15?
Many of you may feel this is a farce, but give me a chance to explain my reasons and I’m sure you’ll back me up.
Duplicity of any kind is usually unwise in the college application process. The people who are reviewing your application are professional and worldly. There is no need to “bare all” – whatever that means to you. From what you wrote there is not much to “bare”. You’ve simply decided that getting an education in the United States is something you want to do. There are enough differences between education in one country relative to another that this decision doesn’t need deep rationalization. More likely than not that reason will stand on its own.
Insofar as doing what you’re planning to do the question of whether you need to apply as a freshman or as a transfer will depend on the university to which you apply. Best is to give them the details of what courses you’ve taken, what grades you’ve received and let them tell you on how to apply.
No reason justifies lying in a college application and leaving out the education you’ve had.
Well, no, I can’t think of any reason we’d encourage an international student to lie to our colleges. Just because you really, really want to attend a US college and need financial aid to do so is no excuse.
@Julikhar97 I would only consider transferring if you are fairly certain the university you are studying doesn’t meet your desires for whatever program you are studying in. If you wish to transfer to a top-notch US school mostly for the prestige, I wouldn’t do it.
If you can, try to visit some of the schools that you wish to transfer to in order to get a sense of the area and culture. You wouldn’t want to invest lots of time and money to go to a US school that you wouldn’t find yourself happy in, right? Since you are international, it might be pretty expensive visiting US colleges. At least do some research.
Now on to the gritty stuff.
Do not apply as a freshman if you have taken or completed the minimum amount of credits necessary to be considered a transfer applicant and not a freshman. Sorry to say, but US colleges take these things very seriously. Knowingly mis-representing information such as awards to not indicating previous college courses taken can lead to dismissal from the university, even after you were accepted.
In short, I don’t think we can back you up if you want to apply as a freshman when you really should be applying as a transfer applicant.
Also note: For each university you are applying to, you should also keep note of any other requirements, which may include things such as:
*SAT/ACT and/or subject test scores
*TOEFL scores
*letters of recommendation from your current institution
*minimum GPA and/or any other course/credit requirements
*HS transcript, and transcripts from all colleges/universities enrolled at
Many universities consider a transfer student to be anyone who has taken university coursework after high school.
For most schools, you cannot apply as a new freshman. You must apply as a transfer.
You don’t get to make the choice of applying as a freshman. The university makes that choice for you.
Lying about your history has SERIOUS consequences.
When you submit an application, you have to confirm that all of the information submitted is the truth, then you electronically sign it. It is a legal document, and in the US, this is a BIG deal.
IF YOU DECIDE TO LIE: It catches up with you. The colleges will rescind any acceptance. Then, they get NASTY; they advise other US colleges that you LIED on your application. Immigration is notified. In this era of terrorism, they make it plain that don’t like liars and you become someone to watch (on their “list”).
You sure you want to take that risk?