Question for exchange students!

[Iroda]

Hello everybody!

I am in the USA now, and I have one question. Well, the question, which regards those people, who loved America after one year, even less, I guess!

Is it possible to stay in America for University after one exchange year in high-school with J1 visa? If yes, please can you tell me how. And are there any scolarships for us? I mean real full scolarships? And what should I do in order to continue education here?

I hope some of you know the ways of doing that.

Thanks.

[AL-Midwest]

Hello everybody!

I am in the USA now, and I have one question. Is it possible to stay in America for University after one exchage year in high-school with J1 visa? If yes, please can you tell me how. And are there scolarships for us? I mean real full scolarships? And what should I do in order to continue education here?

I hope some of you know the ways of doing that.

Thanks.

Hi

I was an exchange student here from Soros with J1 visa, after completing the exchange program I went back home and reapplied to the same school but this time for F1 visa however i had to do alot of paper work and show your income source. Well I was lucky enough to get back, my friend did the same thing and got back to the US.

[Iroda]

Are studying for scolarship?

[Пушкарева]

Iroda,

You have to apply to some university and go through all the paperwork required by admission office, pass tests and wait for results. Different universities have different financial aid, scholarship procedures. You have to check with each university about that. The main and usually common criteria they have - good academic performance, i.e. study hard now, get good GPA, pass the required tests and submit all the paperwork. Use the opportunity of your stay in US - explore, google, call them and ask questions. All of people working in the univesities and colleges are very nice, patient and client oriented. It is their job to help you and answer your question. Call international students office at teh universities chosen and ask them about the scholarship opportunities. Besides, the information is always available on their websites.

However, I am ont sure that you can do that right away as you complete your J-1 exchange program. But, anyways, call to the above mentioned offices at universities and ask them if you can do that. All of them are immigration specialists and they will know that for sure.

Are studying for scolarship?

[Prince]

Iroda , if u are high school student , just study hard!!! and prepare for SAT/ACT take it before going home , and if u have really good score , u can tons of scholarship ,
Good luck
P.S I know somebody who did it :)

[coolio]

Iroda, I had the same situation, you better apply to a university staying from US. If you get lucky enough, the university or college that you are applying will give a form called I-20, which enables you to get a F-1 student's visa. However, to get F-1, you have to come back to Uzbekistan first.

As everybody said, you have to go through lotsa paperworks. One of them is the financial affidavit of support. You have to find a coasigner or sponsor that insures that you pay the tuition and fees. It could be your parents, anybody who has sufficient funds to sponsor you.

The higher you get scores on SAT/TOEFL/ACT, the more chance you have to get a scholarship. There are so many international students like you who are trying to get into certain high education institutions. But you have to be dicent one, and try to show yourself when writing essays.

Good luck!

[Iroda]

Thanks a lot guys! I will try to do everything I can do!

If you have any other info, I will be glad to receive them.

[Dilshodius]

Thanks a lot guys! I will try to do everything I can do!

If you have any other info, I will be glad to receive them.

Go with ACT if you want to get into selective schools. Otherwise, you have to take three SAT II test + SAT I... and that's kinda hard [telling you from my own expirience]

Iroda , if u are high school student , just study hard!!! and prepare for SAT/ACT take it before going home , and if u have really good score , u can tons of scholarship ,
Good luck
P.S I know somebody who did it


I think she mentioned above that she needs full scholarships... There ain't tons of 'em. About 40-50 colleges/universities in United States give full fin aid [need-blind] or, in few cases, full scholarships to international students. In my previous post I gave a web address of the page which mentions all those colleges/universities. But I do agree with you that there are plenty of scholarships available, even though partial [tuition scholarships; room and board scholarships. e.g. Alfred State University [SUNY]]. One more piece of advice. Get involved into three club/organization and stick with them [for a year at least]. That will help you a lot in a long term. And, yes, please, do study a lot, as Prince said.

Dilshod

[Iroda]

Yeah, I think I am gonna try something. Mozhet i poluchitsya !!!

One more qstn: Can TOEFL scores be considered as ACT or SAT. I mean I wanna take TOEFL, should I take one of those in addition?

[Queen]

Hi Iroda . did you try to contact to an international student advisor of any college or university that u're going to apply? becasue they know the whole procedure very good. For some reason, I thought u don't have to go back to UZ to change your visa from J-1 to F-1. If u met all the requirements and u got the I-20, there should not be a problem to chnage your visa from J to F. just begin doing the paper work needed for I-20, after u're accepted to any college.

[Dilshodius]

One more qstn: Can TOEFL scores be considered as ACT or SAT. I mean I wanna take TOEFL, should I take one of those in addition?

TOEFL does NOT replace SATI/II//ACT. TOEFL test measures your abilities to understand spoken English and to write decent papers. In other words, admissions wants to be sure that you will understand everything what you hear in your classes and be able to talk. Therefore, if you want to get a scholarship you definitely have to take other standardized tests. Yet, there are some colleges that accept TOEFL instead of SATI/II and ACT and give financial aid: i.e. Earham (IN), Bates (ME) and Bowdoin (ME), to name few.

I gotta run. But, you are free to ask other questions. I'll be free in 50 minutes.

HTH.

Dilshod

[Flash]

Hi Iroda . did you try to contact to an international student advisor of any college or university that u're going to apply? becasue they know the whole procedure very good. For some reason, I thought u don't have to go back to UZ to change your visa from J-1 to F-1. If u met all the requirements and u got the I-20, there should not be a problem to chnage your visa from J to F. just begin doing the paper work needed for I-20, after u're accepted to any college.
Students coming from ACCELS/FLEX program MUST go home after studying a year in US school. You can not change J to F without going back home. It's the rule of that program and everyone who came from this program sighed document that they will come back after a year!
Iroda,
Whether you get admitted to university or not, you have to back home 100%. And then you can come back....

[Martingale]

Agree with Queen.:)

In addition, there are lots of universities who may accept you based on only TOEFL score, but if you have other tests like ACT OR SAT, you have a better chance of getting full ride tuition.
For now go ahead and register for one of those standardized tests: act, sat whatever. it's cheap, 25 bucks or sth. check with the time and the closest location on collegeboard.com
If you rock TOEFL and get SAT(not sure about ACT) higher than 1200, you have a good chance of getting full scholarship.

[infolife]

:shock: full scholarship?As far as I know they're only given to locals of that state where the uni is. never heard of full scholarship unless u've come with an exchange group like Socrates or Soros. I don't think they give full, it's 50%max in most universities in the UK.U can try though,I'm sure u can do it, that's what I did.But I had to go back Uzb to change visa,couldn't do it here.
You can get 50%from the university but there are also different companies and organizations you can apply to cover up the rest of tution-fees.
Go with ACT if you want to get into selective schools. Otherwise, you have to take three SAT II test + SAT I... and that's kinda hard [telling you from my own expirience]



I think she mentioned above that she needs full scholarships... There ain't tons of 'em. About 40-50 colleges/universities in United States give full fin aid [need-blind] or, in few cases, full scholarships to international students. In my previous post I gave a web address of the page which mentions all those colleges/universities. But I do agree with you that there are plenty of scholarships available, even though partial [tuition scholarships; room and board scholarships. e.g. Alfred State University [SUNY]]. One more piece of advice. Get involved into three club/organization and stick with them [for a year at least]. That will help you a lot in a long term. And, yes, please, do study a lot, as Prince said.

Dilshod

[Dilshodius]

:shock: full scholarship?As far as I know they're only given to locals of that state where the uni is. never heard of full scholarship unless u've come with an exchange group like Socrates or Soros. I don't think they give full, it's 50%max in most universities in the UK.

If you never heard of them, it doesn't mean they don't exist. I'm a recipient of full scholarship which is worth ~30K/year. In fact, it is very uncommon for many state universities and even private liberal art colleges to give full scholarships to American students. Why? Because even poorest families can afford to pay $3K-$4K/year for meal/board, whereas, an annual income of international students (or their parents) is usually no more than $2K/year, speaking of the majority.

[lincoln]

I agree with Dilshod. There r full scolarships, but it depends on state, college and person! But the question is how to figure out that? How to find sponsors to write in application at the beginning? And companies, who will pay for you...maybe?

[Dilshodius]

I agree with Dilshod. There r full scolarships, but it depends on state, college and person! But the question is how to figure out that? How to find sponsors to write in application at the beginning? And companies, who will pay for you...maybe?

It is true that universities in New England allocate more money to fund international students, than those on the South or South-East. Simply because they have more money and better support from a wealthy and generous alumni.

It definitely depends on the applicant and his 'stats of whether he'll get a full scholarship or not. There was cases when brilliant international students applied to college for partial scholarships [indicating on the application that they do not have money to cover all expenses] and colleges made an exceptions and covered all their their expenditures. But that's just few exceptions made for students who were the winners on national or world competition in scince, debates, and etc.

But the question is how to figure out that?

[To be honest, I didn't get your question]. But, as far as I could understand, you're asking how to find those colleges. Simple. The internet. Send emails to colleges, ask them if they give full scholarships or fin aid to foreign students. Yet, the easiest way is to ask people on .forum.uz if they know any.


How to find sponsors to write in application at the beginning? And companies, who will pay for you...maybe?


You need to explain me what you are trying to say. Are you talking about MBA schools and companies that may pay for your education?

[8517SK]

Iroda
If you have been in America for less than 4 years, you may just take the TOEFL for many universities, like DU, CU, i think NYC and more. The SAT is hard as hell, I studied my ass off (in Uzbekistan) for 5 months and scored around 1150, which is horrible, georgetown wanted me to take the toefl, since i had never taken it before, i studied for a week and scored a 290 out of 300. So just look for Unis that don't require SAT from international students.

[coolio]

Iroda
If you have been in America for less than 4 years, you may just take the TOEFL for many universities, like DU, CU, i think NYC and more. The SAT is hard as hell, I studied my ass off (in Uzbekistan) for 5 months and scored around 1150, which is horrible, georgetown wanted me to take the toefl, since i had never taken it before, i studied for a week and scored a 290 out of 300. So just look for Unis that don't require SAT from international students.
If you lived in US for more than two years, you don't have to take TOEFL. Because most of the colleges require you to take TOEFL if you haven't lived in a English speaking country more than two years. 8517SK , your TOEFL score is pretty good. But that dam' SAT verbal part is pain in the butt, i'd say.

[Iroda]

No, I am here just for three months.

[Unique]

If you never heard of them, it doesn't mean they don't exist. I'm a recipient of full scholarship which is worth ~30K/year. In fact, it is very uncommon for many state universities and even private liberal art colleges to give full scholarships to American students. Why? Because even poorest families can afford to pay $3K-$4K/year for meal/board, whereas, an annual income of international students (or their parents) is usually no more than $2K/year, speaking of the majority.



Can u drop the web-site of that college that u got full scholaship??
And one thing is puzzling me, at first I have to show my financial support and then apply to the scholarship. Will college accept it, or what? (I'm in the same situation as Iroda)

[Martingale]

There is a kind of dilemma when choosing between a private school and public school.

Public schools do give you some types of financial aid up to full scholarship, but you won't get the same exposures you may get at private schools. Im not talking about BIG public schools such as UCLA or UMICH, though they also ask 40 k for the tuition.

Private schools may strip you off:) , but the experience you get may be very crucial in your life. So choose whatever suits you best: a good opportunity for career advancement or a cheap education.

[Dilshodius]

Can u drop the web-site of that college that u got full scholaship??
And one thing is puzzling me, at first I have to show my financial support and then apply to the scholarship. Will college accept it, or what? (I'm in the same situation as Iroda)

Hey ~,

www.edufree.narod.ru (http://www.edufree.narod.ru)

As far as your question is concerned, some colleges do ask for affidavit of financial support, even though they know that almost all international students apply for scholarship. It is stupid, but there is nothing to worry about. All you do, you filling out this form stating how much money you have. Some colleges from the *edufree* website requires you to send a AFS (some don't). But it doesn't mean you have to show that you have 45K to pay for the college. You show how much you have, and it will perfectly work for those selective schools. Also they require you to fill out ISFAA or FSFAA (Foreign student financial aid application).. It was long time ago when I filled out all the papers, and I cannot give you as much details as I want to. But if you have questions about the process or if you post the question from application, we (I) can help you.

If you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask.



There is a kind of dilemma when choosing between a private school and public school.

Public schools do give you some types of financial aid up to full scholarship, but you won't get the same exposures you may get at private schools. Im not talking about BIG public schools such as UCLA or UMICH, though they also ask 40 k for the tuition.

Private schools may strip you off:) , but the experience you get may be very crucial in your life. So choose whatever suits you best: a good opportunity for career advancement or a cheap education.


Sir, the website I provided above can give you a list of private schools that international students may strip off =)

[bekzoduz@la]

There are several schools which give full scholarships to international students. They are need-blind, which means that your financial situation and academic situation are totally separate. Besides the top universities, like Harvard, Princeton, Duke, University of Chicago, Williams here are some good universities that are easier to get into with full scholarships: University of Iowa, George Washington University. Brandeis University is very selective but if you have a very good TOEFL and a solid SAT (1300s) you will have a shot at a full ride. I know all this because I just applied to some of these schools.

[Martingale]

Sir, the website I provided above can give you a list of private schools that international students may strip off =)

Dilshodius,

As far as Im concerned top schools do provide some need-based financial aid to international students but you should understand that you will be competing in a big pool of applicants for a limited amount of aid. Generally speaking, almost 90% of international students(undergraduate) pay for their expenses themselves. It's tough to get full financial aid, but not impossible. ;) I know some uzbek students who got into such schools as UPenn(Wharton), Columbia etc. with full or partial financial aid. The rule of thumb: apply for aid as early as possible. High scores + high GPA + diversity factor may get you in. I read your comments here and would like to give you a piece of advice: even if you get full ride at your Berea College, get out of there ASAP:) Especially if you are a business major, you should consider transferring to top schools.

Bekzoduz@la,

you are right. some schools do offer some aid, but they are too limited.
I would recommend you applying to UCLA. But don't go to USC:) , it's way overrated. Not worth paying 40 k a year.

[Dilshodius]

Dilshodius,

I read your comments here and would like to give you a piece of advice: even if you get full ride at your Berea College, get out of there ASAP:) Especially if you are a business major, you should consider transferring to top schools.

You are too obsessed with top colleges. Seriously. You know better than I do that BBA degree is not valued as much as MBA degree. The business school in my college is pretty decent, one of the best on the South. But, in my opinion, this is not important for this discussion. I tell something, I spend all my time studying and learning, participating in debate tournaments and program for young entrepreneurs, building up my extracurriculars, going and chillaxin with my friends, enjoy my life. I can easily do it, because, as you said, I have a "free ride". I don't want to go to top school and spend half of my day working and next half going to classes, or vice versa. I bet you work half of your day in your (state) university to cover your partial scholarship and I wonder how much time you spend learning something (other than your h/w) and interacting with people. In this country (US) ‘connections’ are as much important as being a graduate of selective school. There so many people from my college who got jobs on the Wall Street, because my school have strong alumnae relations/links, the people who already there recommend and help those who graduate. I doubt that many schools can offer you free study abroad program for semester or a year to almost any country on the earth. And I am glad it is all FREE. I’m an ordinary guy, not overambitious; all I need is American diploma to start working, and then who knows, maybe I’ll get into top business school some time later.

Believe me, I was not trying to insult you in any way. I do respect people who struggle for their future, work hard, study hard, and that is the only way to get a real life experience and to become success. But you have to realize that top school is not everything in the US. Here, you can be successful without even going to college…But, I guess, everyone have their own path. And yes, if you can do it, push yourself to the limits and do your best.

[Martingale]

.

You are too obsessed with top colleges. Seriously. You know better than I do that BBA degree is not valued as much as MBA degree. The business school in my college is pretty decent, one of the best on the South. But, in my opinion, this is not important for this discussion. I tell something, I spend all my time studying and learning, participating in debate tournaments and program for young entrepreneurs, building up my extracurriculars, going and chillaxin with my friends, enjoy my life. I can easily do it, because, as you said, I have a "free ride". I don't want to go to top school and spend half of my day working and next half going to classes, or vice versa. I bet you work half of your day in your (state) university to cover your partial scholarship and I wonder how much time you spend learning something (other than your h/w) and interacting with people. In this country (US) ‘connections’ are as much important as being a graduate of selective school. There so many people from my college who got jobs on the Wall Street, because my school have strong alumnae relations/links, the people who already there recommend and help those who graduate. I doubt that many schools can offer you free study abroad program for semester or a year to almost any country on the earth. And I am glad it is all FREE. I’m an ordinary guy, not overambitious; all I need is American diploma to start working, and then who knows, maybe I’ll get into top business school some time later.

Believe me, I was not trying to insult you in any way. I do respect people who struggle for their future, work hard, study hard, and that is the only way to get a real life experience and to become success. But you have to realize that top school is not everything in the US. Here, you can be successful without even going to college…But, I guess, everyone have their own path. And yes, if you can do it, push yourself to the limits and do your best.

Dilshodius,

I had no intention to insult you or underestimate your school. I see where you are coming from. But it depends...it depends on who you are and what your goals are. But you are right about working at the same time while studying. As I told there is always a trade-off.
I personally don't get "free ride", cause my school doesn't give it to any international.

Good Luck!

[Shaki]

Iroda!!! Come On!!! What 'bout Ya Motherland??? Who Is Gonna Enjoy The Country W/ Greatest Future??? You Dont Wanna Miss That...do You??? Lol

[Masud]

Iroda!!! Come On!!! What 'bout Ya Motherland??? Who Is Gonna Enjoy The Country W/ Greatest Future??? You Dont Wanna Miss That...do You??? Lol

Shaki, check your PM.