Education after POE

[Greg&Tanya 0]

Hey guys,

My fiance and I have been thinking about his possible opportunities in the States. He is 23 and has recently gotten out of the army, so he has no profession, other than an army driving license for large vehicles. His school records are sadly not great. While he has what appears to be a diploma stating that he had "completed 12 grades" his high school grades are very poor. I was just wondering what are some experiences of the beneficiary's coming into the U.S. and entering college. Do you need to take the TOEFL? Do you start of with a community college? Would they even take him with such grades or would he need to finish some college prep courses prior to being admitted? Would his "diploma" even be considered as graduating from high school? And how soon would we be able to get him into school- after AOS or earlier? Education is so important for my family and I that I am scared of what his options are... I am almost done with my Masters & he is just starting from scratch. Thank you all in advance.

Edited June 1, 2011 by Greg&Tanya

[Krikit 1,164]

Hi Tanya. I'm going to move your thread from the K-1 Process forum over to the Finding Work in America forum as your chances for a pertinent response are better there.

[Alcheringa 39]

For practical reasons, entering a community college in this case probably would not be a bad idea. I don't believe a CC would weigh much equivalency on a high school diploma -- simply presenting it is typically enough. A university, on the other hand, would be much more stringent with their admission requirements.

But if he had a difficult time in the Ukraine then the shock of a higher caliber of education, even at a CC -- not to mention the disparity between what he knows and what an American institution would expect him to know -- definitely could make real university work very difficult.

He'd more than likely have to take an initial evaluation test -- math, english -- and depending on how well (or bad) he does further remedial courses would be necessary.

It just depends on whether he had bad grades due to not being focused and responsible, or actually failed everything while trying his best. He might be fine if the former is true, or he may struggle if it's the latter.

And you also have to factor in his ability to read and write English. Again, CC's tend to be diverse and less demanding, so if school must be done that's a good place to ease into things.

[Greg&Tanya 0]

Alcheringa, thank for your thoughtful response! Most of his grades are due to being "bored" in school, to the point which he stopped attending for a few months all together and went to work instead. I believe in his abilities to succeed, otherwise I wouldn't be pushing the school route, but I do fear for knowledge of English and him giving up or quitting when he gets bored or frustrated. I also think that a CC would be his best bet at this point where he can at least earn an Associates and decide from there what he would like to do. Your right, I do remember having to take an English and Math exam prior to starting. I do know that if one fails the test, they are still admitted, but need to start with non-credit math and/or English courses. Again, thank you for your response!

[Messybrownhair 251]

Check with the schools what the requirements are for intl students, but I would think the first thing you should look into is having his High school transcript validated by World Education Services (WES) so that you'll know if he has an equivalency to a US High School graduate. Also he might need to take both the SATs and the TOEFL

[Greg&Tanya 0]

Thanks messybrownhair! So he will still be considered an international student on K1 visa? I thought that it would work like with immigration/permanent residents. My family immigrated here and I remember it was just the process of translating school records and registering-they didn't even need to take TOEFL, but I know times have changed. I will definitely look into WES. Definitely surprised about the possibility of taking the SAT's... that would be a problem.

[Messybrownhair 251]

Well in my case (going to grad school this fall), they considered me an intl student because all my undergrad documents were from the Philippines. I was asked to take the TOEFL, GREs and have my transcripts validated by WES.. I guess its up to the school? But I didnt wait for my green card to apply so that might have been why.. maybe if you wait then he won't need the TOEFL, but I'm guessing the WES will still be needed because its a foreign transcript and they usually require that your transcript shows the same grading system as here in the US, and that it shows your GPA and stuff.. Its a lot of work but totally possible. Goodluck

[katie & sifa 25]

My husband (came on a K1 but started school after completing AOS/receiving GC) is not considered an international student. He didn't have to take TOEFL, SATs or GED either. He did have to take a placement exam for math & English, but everyone that goes to the school has to do this. He is going to a community college and they had a specific organization that they wanted to do the certification of his high school diploma from Kenya and all that. I wouldn't send off to any other organizations until you find out what the school he plans to go to WANTS. Otherwise you could spend a hundred bucks or so and then they want you to get the certification done somewhere else.

Edited June 2, 2011 by katie & sifa

[shefellfromheaven 18]

I started school after receiving GC and I wasn't required to take any math or english classes.Also, I paid out of state fee for the first six months until i was accepeted as an instate student.i think it all depends on the university/college requirements.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

I am currently attending community college and all I had to do was present a form of ID (my greencard) and then take the English/Math placement tests. As other people have stated, it depends on the college's requirements. I'd been resident for over a year before I started attending (I waited deliberately) so I didn't have to pay the out-of-state fees - they can be hideously expensive! I applied online, and I had to give the names and dates of the schools and colleges I had attended, but that was it.

I actually love community college - it's flexible, it's very cheap, and I can always transfer later.

I haven't even bothered to get my UK degree transcript, as it's not relevant to my area of study, and after 6 years of being out of school it's somewhat easier for me to just start over again. It might have allowed me to skip some of the math/English requirements, but I've forgotten a lot of what I learned anyway! I have it on my resume, and that's it. I wouldn't pay the fees unless I really had to.

[cardinal 1]

We have been looking into this for my fiancé and U of Maryland wants TOEFL scores for people who did not attend college (in the case of people applying for grad programs) or high school (if applying for undergrad) at an english-speaking institution. Residency/citizenship is irrelevant to this requirement - they want to know whether he will be able to be able to keep up with classes in English. Community colleges might have different requirements - you should check

[Greg&Tanya 0]

Thank you all for the responses! I, too, think that he will not be considered an international student, as he will have permanent residential status on K1, especially after AOS. I do know that people who come on a student visa do need to take the TOEFL for this particular college and I know that math and English placement tests are required in all our city schools. This shouldn't be a problem, as even if he doesn't pass, he will take the no-credit pre-reqs. I have decided that it would be best not to rush the school process (also due to out of state fees he would need to pay) as well as give him some time to adjust. I think we will start off with him taking some English classes (very cheap at cc) that the college offers for non matriculated students or adults, let him get used to the school feel and then begin applying for program after GC is in hand and he has instate tuition. I am sure he will be very happy to hear about not having to enroll right away (mostly my idea) lol

Thank you all for being so helpful and I hope to hear more about your experiences!!

Edited June 3, 2011 by Greg&Tanya