Hello,
I am in a bit of a predicament right now and I really need help. I got into a university in southern Taiwan under a lot of convincing from my family but I am soon realizing that I really don’t like this place. The facilities are old and poor, the faculty here are so dead set on rules and are unwilling to help, my major that is marketed as being all english actually only had a few classes that are in english and many of those professor’s english are worse than mine etc…
for context, I am currently enrolled as a freshman and my english is better than my mandarin because I went to a international school.
I want to transfer out but I don’t really know where to go. Here are my thoughts:
I could transfer to another local university in taipei which is closer to home and generally have more resources so I can settle for. BUT I went to international school so I will score really badly on the transfer exam. Does anyone know if colleges here offer transfer applications instead of the standard exam?
Transfer to another country. I have been doing some research on this and it is crazy how high tuition is and how there is barely (if any) financial aid or scholarships for international students. If I were to transfer I was considering the US but I could only really afford colleges with cost of attendance at around 40k/yr (including living) which limits me to maybe a few schools, mostly cal state schools. This is also very difficult since many schools (esp cal states) have a upper division transfer limit which I am not sure if I can complete since I would only have max 48 by end of freshman year. Does anyone know of any ways to take classes online that are transferable? or is there anyway I can earn extra credit by end of spring?
Any advice helps, I know this was long and convoluted but thanks for reading
I wanted to reply, so your post doesn’t disappear. I suspect you may not get many answers as this forum is US based, and so is not knowledgeable about the Taiwanese higher education universe. I myself have nothing helpful to offer, other than to say your English is indeed excellent!
You mention the CSU’s so do you have family in California? If so, the best case scenario would be to apply for the F1 visa, stay with relatives in CA, attend the local community college to earn the credits you need, then transfer to a CSU.
What about Australia? Any English-language program in Europe or Canada if you’re willing to venture further away?
There are less expensive universities than Cal States.
What would your major or more broadly, college, be?
If you can afford up to 40k and you have a maximum of 15-18 credits (5-6 “full” courses or 30-36 ECTS) you can apply as a freshman to US universities; further if you apply as a freshman and have an SAT score, could qualify for some scholarships (though many deadlines are Nov1 to Dec1 so )
Scottish universities, unlike English ones, accept transfers. Deadline is Jan15 for Fall 2025 entry, tuition about £20k + cost of living.
Some even have January entry, for instance:
At Stirling in particular, a 32 IBD with a 6 in Economics would allow you to start some Year2 modules for Economics, tuition is £18k, the campus and town are lovely but most importantly about 1 hour from Edinburgh or Glasgow with lots of trains.
Beside Stirling, look into Herriot Watt, Edinburgh Napier, Aberdeen, Strathclyde for January intake.
If willing to wait, the usual suspects (“4 ancient ones”) can be added to the above.
Unfortunately I do not have any family living in California. I wanted to go there because I am asian and I know the asian community is pretty lively and welcoming there. I know about the community college route but would that take ma longer to finish my degree? I already took a gap year after high school so I don’t want to delay my graduation date any later.
Yes I have looked into Australia and Canada. Australia is still pretty expensive and from what I read online, a australian degree isn’t really worth it anymore and that a lot of international students have a bad experience academically and or socially. Canada is still pretty unaffordable, at least better schools and merit based scholarships are hard to get and small in amount too… But I have not looked into the scottish schools so I will definitely do that! As I said tho, I do want to go to California because of how diverse and more welcoming they are to international students.
I do ultimately want to go abroad so I feel like being there for college will be very beneficial since I would be more involved with the community, make more connections and opportunities may come that way. I also just think the university system here is very disadvantageous for me because everything here is test based for eligibility and admission. My high school did not follow the public school curriculum so I cannot take any of the national tests here, plus my mandarin is not the greatest so I have been struggling socially and in class.
It depends if you are just enrolled, enrolled and auditing, or enrolled and preparing a degree. If you do not have a transcript with grades you’re not usually considered a transfer (US colleges want to see a transcript) and some universities actually consider that if you have only 15 or 18 credits when you apply you should apply as a freshman.
This however doesn’t apply to California publics (you need to apply during a specific time window and the semester you complete your 45th-60th credits). In addition, housing costs are extremely high there, so that CSU tuition+housing+general cost of living would unlikely be under 40k.
Could you un-enroll? I assume the semester is not over yet.
Have you applied anywhere before?
Where did most classmates from your international school go? What type of program did you prepare (IBD, A levels?)
Australia may not be “worth it” in general but for you specifically, offering recognized degrees in English with a clear cut admission system, it’d be a stark improvement academically and socially based on what you said.
In Canada you could start in an English-language Cégep (transition college, required for all Québec students, much cheaper than university) and move to your major at a Canadian University. Or, if you have IBD/A level scores, you could apply straight up to university programs. Some have scholarship applications at the time of application (Waterloo) some after admission only (McGill).
January intake at Scottish universities (not all offer this and not all programs) have Nov1 or Nov15 deadlines so if you want to start Jan 15 2025 there you need to move fast.
It’s understandable to want to make connections, but your student visa will not allow you to stay past any practical training, and employment-based visas are extremely limited, particularly if your subject is English? (likely non-existent in the US)
Because the costs are so close to your maximum budget and without additional support, the CSU’s don’t seem to be the best option. @MYOS1634 makes an excellent argument for considering Australian/Canadian/Scottish universities as a more economically feasible option, I’d consider them seriously.
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