gordionsknot

Hi,

I need some advice from "professionals"

I'm 17 and living in Turkey. I'm in countrys 4. best highschool (Österr. St. Georgs-Kolleg Istanbul) . I have a GPA of 3.1 - 3.2.

I always wanted to study in states. I also made a deal with my aunt for financal supply, but she's declining it right now . So I have to stay here for college or get a scolarship. I wanna study architecture or law or enginiering. And please ONLY colleges from top 50 list (Ok I admit, top 100 )

BTW: We can afford up to 20.000$, but unfortunately international student.

I know my chances are very low. Can you give me some advices. Like:

College: Coloumbia / Lawyer
Scolarship chance: 0
Income after graduation: 100.000 $

Many thanks in advance, please help me in this knot.

gordionsknot

No ideas?!

happymomof1

gordionsknot

Start by reading the information at:

Undergraduate Study – EducationUSA

Then, contact the Education USA Advising center nearest to you:

Educational Advising Centers ? EducationUSA

The advisors at the center in Turkey are the real experts on helping Turkish students find the right college at the right price in the USA.

Don't overlook Canada and Australia either. Contact their consulates in Turkey for information on educational opportunities in those countries.

In the USA Law is a post-graduate program. You must complete a full undergraduate degree before being admitted to law school. Architecture and engineering are undergraduate degrees. As an international student, you will be eligible to work for one year to gain practical experience after you complete your undergraduate studies, but you cannot expect to get a permanent job in the USA. The immigration situation here is not stable, and you should not count on being able to stay here after you finish your degree.

Wishing you all the best.

clam_chowder

well..i was kinda in the same position with you. im not a very great student and my parents only hv about $20k/yr for all of my expenses.

im living with my uncle now and go to comm college for my 1st yr..
it doesnt help alot since my parents still end up pay around $15k/yr,,but if you compare it to other alternatives,,that's the most reasonable one..
after this,im transferring to 4yrs uni with scholarship..it will still cost about $22k/yr for my total expenses.. but i will be able to work on campus, so it's still in my parents' budget.

i think comm college will be a good start for you,,though dont expect much "real us college life" from that. try to apply to univs that give scholarship/fin aid to international student..what i did was,,i realized that i dont hv great gpa (my HSgpa was 3.3 in on of the best schools in my country) and my parents dont hv much money..so i really chose univs that reasonable financially and academically for me..
i suggest you to not put too much expectation on top 50 univs..(unless you hv an excelent sat)..top 100 univs is OK. try to look "us news: best value univs"

about your major,,honestly architecture and law will take a long time to finish your degree and since you're an international student,,will you get alot of chances to work here with your major? besides,,architecture and law in here will be completely different from your country's,,so i dont think you can practice it too in your country right after you graduate. (i mean with your major, if you want to work in your country you should hv had experiences in here before)..

well,,thats only my opinions,,hope it'll help.
good luck

gordionsknot

Thanks for answers! At weekend I'm going to the Educational Advising Center in Istanbul to see what I can do. Is it possible for me to get in UCLA or USC or is it just daydreaming what do you guys think?

loathed

I dont want to dampen your hopes, but to be realistic, the chances are slim. only a small % of the UCLA student body are internationals. 93% of the student body are california residents. dont forget there will also be OOS applicants but american citizens applying as well, so youre not going to have first priority.

however, all is not lost. work on that GPA, have some great ECs, do well for SATs, get good rec letters etc.

gordionsknot

In my school there's nothing called EC. What is this exactly?

loathed

extra curriculars. stuffs that you do outside of your academic studies. work, sports..etc etc

gordionsknot

Thanks! Actually I'm not sportive, but I like doing charity work. Is this enough? Like reading papers to the elderly people?

loathed

its okay if you are not sporting, you dont have to be a sportsmen. ECs includes lots of things. charity work is definitely included. you might want to include other stuffs as well.

gordionsknot

Sorry I've been offline for a few days due my connection problems... What is possible besides charity work ? Can you guys give some examples ?

Many thanks in advance.

loathed

your work outside school, charity events, community involvements etc etc.

gordionsknot

Do you mean like joining Green Peace ? Collecting money for poor families in AFrica ?

b@r!um

Those are options. You could also write for the student newspaper, take guitar lessons (or play in a band or sing in a choir or act in plays), work in a supermarket, participate in academic (or other) competitions, tutor younger students, babysit your siblings etc.

loathed

yes, barium is right. there are alot of options really.