African student big challenge!

paying3tuitions
Sat, 27 Dec 2008 06:09:45 +0000

Are you eligible to study at a Canadian college where you can take courses in French as well as English? I was wondering if your strengths might be more apparent at univerisities particularly in the Province of Quebec, with students who are both French-speaking and English-speaking, and courses offered in French or English. The Canadian visa situations is well beyond my grasp, but because of your French language ability, I thought of Canada. McGill is a top school in North America, with more English than French students, but there are other schools in Quebec that are francophone, unlike McGill which is primarily English. Also, look over in Ontario and see if their universities offer enough courses in French, too. From Canada, you might either graduate or transfer sooner to an American university for the next step. A lot depends on your visa status, but at least you can inquire at the consulate and universities in French :)

If you have only been in this country for 3 months, as you posted, your written English is amazing. You might just need more time to reach your goals, and meanwhile either a SUNY or gap year can make sense. If you decide to wait to be an “older” freshman at age 20, that won’t affect you academically at all. Socially, you might be a bit more mature than some of the other freshmen, but you will find your way and not make a lot of the mistakes they do. None of this age would be looked at as a negative by admissions officers, given a transition from one continent to another. My understanding is they don’t begin to categorize someone as a “mature student” (in a different category) until they begin college/uni as a freshman at age 25, and you’re not planning to wait that long! So, if you need one year now to prepare, do not worry. If anything, it could actually improve your chances by showing good common sense.

You are correct to focus on the positive. It’s unlikely that an Ivy would be yours in September '09 with your current SAT-I scores, that’s all. But there are many other universities and colleges in the U.S. that work with SAT scores in the 500’s, from which you can launch upwards. Some of the private schools on your list, such as Rose Hulman, might be interested in you with your current scores, or a SUNY.

A gap year might also include one or perhaps two college courses (somewhere, anywhere, such as at a community college) just to make high marks, or study subject matter in English. Be careful to find out how many is too many, because you don’t want to be considered a transfer student following the gap year; instead, you want to go in as a freshman, I presume. For that reason, I say just take one course or, at most, two community college courses during a gap year, if that’s what you do with next year. Take something that interests you, in which you can succeed. It’s just a trial-run anyway. Even if you take something with familiar content, such as African History, but study it in English, that could help elevate your Critical Reading skills and help on SAT test retake days, too. Just pick a course that lets you read comfortably in English, to get your feet wet, as they say. (This is an time-honored technique in English-Second-Language learning, to take a familiar subject and study it in the new language.)

This gives you much time to prepare SAT’s and TOEFL’s for many retakes. This is productive use of the coming gap year, if that’s your path. It would be respected, I feel, in the admissions process.

If not a gap year, you could begin your college career, as others are saying, at a CUNY or SUNY, and transfer after a year there.

Either way has merit-- either a gap year (to prepare, retake SAT’s, improve English, and take that one course or two at some community college); or else begin in Sept 09 at a very manageable school (Rose Hulman, for example, but there are many more) that will deal with high 400/low 500 SAT’s, which realistically the Ivies won’t consider.

Good luck and stay positive.