Studying at college in the USA

[Hydey 0]

I am soon, optimistically thinking going to be receiving my greencard. I am here from England and married to my Wife who is a US Citizen.

I have my High School GCSE certificates with me, reports. I did attend college in England and have some class reports from tutors but i don't have grades as i didn't finish the AS Level course, I instead immigrated here to the US.

I e-mailed a college i am interested in applying to asking if i can apply straight there to study as an undergraduate for, Philosophy, History and English Lit. Or if i have to first attend a community college and transfer. They sent me a response which i will paste below, and if anyone with a brain can transfer this into idiot form for me i'll very much appreciate it!

Hydey

Their response:

Thanks for your interest in ******* College.

In order to be considered for admission as an international student we

require the following: a completed application, a $50 non refundable

application fee, official copies of your high school diploma and final

transcripts, and a qualifying TOEFL score (or equivalent). If you apply

and are accepted we would ask you to submit a $300 tuition deposit to hold

your spot at the school.

In your case, the high school eqivalent would be your GCSE's. As long as

English is your native language you are not required to submit a TOEFL

score.

Any university work your have done previously can be considered for

transfer credit. You would have to submit official university transcripts

and we would evaluate them for transfer credit.

We are a fully accredited 4 year college offer undergraduate degrees, and

from the sounds of your background I would encourage you to apply.

[KyngSilva 0]

Hydey,

The school needs to know your not a international student as you are in the process of getting your green card. So your sort of in a grey area till you get your card. I too had my GCSE certificate, but to make things easier for them I went ahead and did my GED " High Schoo Diploma". I found it hard to part with my lovely certifcate from Cambridge, not to mention a pain in the ####### to get another certificate from the school. It is easy and anybody with half a brain can do the GED. TOFEL - Test For English As A Foreign Language. Since your from the UK, you do not have to provide them with this as English is your main language.

So what I recommed you do is this

Fill out the application. If you got your green card make sure you put your alien number. Sign up with the Selective Service or you will not have a chance to sign up for Financial Aid. Selective Service is required for all males 18-26. Their site is www.SSS.gov You need to sign up once you get your green card.

Cover letter letting them know what your immigration status you are in and the documents your sending

If you have multiple copies of your GCSE certificate send a copy in, if not send a copy or ask them how can you get it back, or just do your GED and that way you can send in those scores.

If you have done any other courses after high school and you have a transcript- by the looks of it you do not and you left and came here.

The checks one for the non refundable deposit and one to hold your spot.

Make sure you speak with an Admissions advisor so that you can have a name and your not just sending in stuff blindly. Atleast with a name you can have them check up on stuff from time to time and see what else the school might need. PM me if you have any other questions.

[turbo 0]

Hydey,

Things are might be different in your state, and disregard this if you are applying for a private school.

California States college has "resident" and "non-resident" fee.

International students are considered as non-resident and will be charged a lot more than regular students.

To be considered as resident, you have to have GC and have residence in the states for a couple years. ( i think)

The requirements are should be on the college website, so you should go check it out.

Community college are usually cheaper than 4 years University, so it is economical to go to community college for the first 2 years and then transfer to University.

That's what I did and I liked it cause classes are small and easier, saved me money, it was refreshing to go to a new campus after 2 years, and I got a extra degree.

I wont put AA degree on my resume, but it might help if you are still in the college and want to make your resume longer lol

Good luck

[bissa 0]

As a PR you're not applying as an international student, you may have to take the SAT however, or the ACT depending on the school you are applying to. Your GCSE's will allow you to apply to a US college, but you will not receive any college credit as you did not complete your A levels. At this point, if you want to apply to a school in your state, you WILL be considered a state resident (assuming you have been living and working in the state for at least 6 months, some states require 12 months of residence).

Community college is a solid way to start your education if you are concerned about cost, or even if you want to raise your grades before transfering to a well ranked school your GCSEs may not get you into.