Going to school?

[Emeryx 38]

I want to try and apply for school now i have my green card and i can finally work etc. I'm not sure how it works or if i can apply for school. I'm 27 and i have no proof of my education from school and my grades i got from school and i'm pretty sure my school doesn't have any of that either, is this needed to apply for school in the US? I'm clueless as to how it works and what i would need to apply. Anybody help with some info??

 

TIA

[C90 376]

26 minutes ago, Emeryx said:

I want to try and apply for school now i have my green card and i can finally work etc. I'm not sure how it works or if i can apply for school. I'm 27 and i have no proof of my education from school and my grades i got from school and i'm pretty sure my school doesn't have any of that either, is this needed to apply for school in the US? I'm clueless as to how it works and what i would need to apply. Anybody help with some info??

 

TIA

Every state/county/school is different. Some schools will make you take placement tests + require certain credits, some schools require GED's if you can't proof you have a degree that's equal to a US high school degree. It's really important to just discuss everything with the school. 

 

For example, the community college I talked to told me I need to get 30 credits before I can enroll in an actual program OR I can get my GED to enroll right away. If I would choose the 30 credits, I can only get I think 6 credits per semester by following general classes with them (English etc) and I wouldn't be able to get financial aid if I would need it. Once I would get all 30 credits, I could transfer to a full program. 

 

If you want to study at a 4 year university I don't know how it works if you can't proof you don't have the right degree. Maybe just a GED is enough. Again, talk to the school, they can get you an appointment with a counselor to discuss all this. 

Edited April 28, 2019 by C90

[Ontarkie 14,225]

Look into the school you're wanting to go to. At your age many times they allow you to attend as a mature student. High school diploma not required. If you do have a HS diploma I would not take the GED. There is a down side to the GED even over a foreign HS diploma. 

[fip & jim 452]

18 minutes ago, Ontarkie said:

There is a down side to the GED even over a foreign HS diploma. 

Could you explain, please? 

Edited April 28, 2019 by fip & jim

[Ontarkie 14,225]

27 minutes ago, fip & jim said:

Could you explain, please? 

GED can often be looked down on when applying for work, and colleges. I'm part a a home school group here and see it happen often.

My older kids have all been home school and we have been warned not to get the GED when we first started. I printed our own  diploma and home school transcript and it is all the college required. If you google you can see some studies that explain how a GED is not always the way to go. 

 

I've seen it enough in our groups to know it's not the way to go if you actually have a HS diploma. Now if you have nothing at all, no HS from a foreign or home school than yes it is better than nothing. 

[carmel34 3,633]

Many universities and community colleges in the US will allow anyone to register as an occasional, special, non-degree student.  So shop around and talk to the schools you are interested in, even online programs, and take a few courses for credit.  Some universities even offer free, for-credit, "open enrollment" online courses, so do lots of research and try to focus on accredited, non-profit schools that are state-funded, I would suggest that you avoid the for-profit, unaccredited schools.  Take basic courses all students have to take like math, english, US history, sciences.  The grades you receive will prove to an admissions officer that you are capable of becoming a degree-seeking student.  You can write the SAT or ACT as well, and the TOEFL if English is not your first language, to prove your abilities.  A high school transcript is helpful but not always necessary.  Good luck!

Edited April 28, 2019 by carmel34

[fip & jim 452]

I'm at a similar stage, Emeryx. It's difficult to know what to do or where to begin, so I'm glad you asked this. 

 

If you google "career advice near me" you can see if your community college offers a career service. Mine does a drop-in service so I'm going to do that and see what's available. 

 

 

[Manc73 34]

19 hours ago, Emeryx said:

I want to try and apply for school now i have my green card and i can finally work etc. I'm not sure how it works or if i can apply for school. I'm 27 and i have no proof of my education from school and my grades i got from school and i'm pretty sure my school doesn't have any of that either, is this needed to apply for school in the US? I'm clueless as to how it works and what i would need to apply. Anybody help with some info??

 

TIA

Do you take your high school exams in Britain? If so you would would have taken your GCSE exams. 

All records and certificate s can be obtained from the OCR.

email:results@aqa.org.uk.

[rasaco 39]

Agree that it totally depends upon the school. My husband is taking classes at our local community college. They did require him to enter in his past education information (including his high school and college, which was all in China) when registering, but did not require any proof of any of it. After he finishes up some prerequisites at the community college, we plan for him to eventually apply for a graduate program, and at that point the grad program will definitely require formal, translated transcripts from his undergrad in China.

[michaelwood87 7]

20 hours ago, Emeryx said:

I want to try and apply for school now i have my green card and i can finally work etc. I'm not sure how it works or if i can apply for school. I'm 27 and i have no proof of my education from school and my grades i got from school and i'm pretty sure my school doesn't have any of that either, is this needed to apply for school in the US? I'm clueless as to how it works and what i would need to apply. Anybody help with some info??

 

TIA

When I came over to the US (2007) I had to get a company to transcribe my secondary school (High School) GCSE transcripts to see my eligibility for US college/uni. Basically converting my UK qualifications into the US system. 

 

Im assuming you completed GCSE's? I think you can get in touch with the governing bodies to get an authentic transcript that you can then send to one of the translating companies. The company that I used was called the IERF, but it was recommend to me by the school that I applied to. 

[Manc73 34]

1 hour ago, michaelwood87 said:

When I came over to the US (2007) I had to get a company to transcribe my secondary school (High School) GCSE transcripts to see my eligibility for US college/uni. Basically converting my UK qualifications into the US system. 

 

Im assuming you completed GCSE's? I think you can get in touch with the governing bodies to get an authentic transcript that you can then send to one of the translating companies. The company that I used was called the IERF, but it was recommend to me by the school that I applied to. 

Quality, I was over 40 when I arrived in the USA and had the OCR send me a copy of my certifications, GSCE, A levels, BSc.  This cost me some money but it is worth having. The company I work for had to pay me accordingly.

[nitad3 80]

21 hours ago, Emeryx said:

I want to try and apply for school now i have my green card and i can finally work etc. I'm not sure how it works or if i can apply for school. I'm 27 and i have no proof of my education from school and my grades i got from school and i'm pretty sure my school doesn't have any of that either, is this needed to apply for school in the US? I'm clueless as to how it works and what i would need to apply. Anybody help with some info??

 

TIA

Hi, 

 

I'm in a slightly different situation because I'm applying for grad school, but I contacted a few community colleges as another option too, so maybe I can help with some questions you have. 

 

What I would suggest is looking up your local community colleges and simply calling up the admissions team. They're all usually pretty knowledgeable, and helpful in terms of letting you know what are their requirements, fees etc. It might also be helpful if you know roughly what you'd like to do, that way they can advise you what the best course of action is.

 

I also see that you're in Michigan, its where I'm moving in the summer too! 

Another option which might be suitable for you, that I learn from admissions at Michigan State University - they have a lifelong education programme. This allows you to take undergrad classes without being enrolled onto the course (so little entrance requirements), these accumulate you University credits, which you can then use if you do well to transfer onto one of the actual undergraduate programmes. I thought it was a great idea especially for those who might not quite meet the entrance criteria but wish to pursue higher education. 

 

Here's the link if you're interested: https://reg.msu.edu/roinfo/enrreg/lifelongeducation.aspx

Edited April 28, 2019 by nitad3