To sum up, my grades are approximately a 3.0 GPA equivalent in both High School & College (Where i have completed 1 year of a 4 year degree program in Computer Science). I also have mental health issues (Depression & Social Anxiety) that i have mostly overcome over the last 1-2 years.
I have also been fortunate enough to build a comfortable fortune online over the last two years (>$1m). Although I’m a millionaire today, i grew up in relative poverty (<$200/month) and struggled with mental health issues due to several life experiences due to which i was not able to maintain good grades in school. Despite that however I’ve always had a passion for learning and usually spend 1-2 hours each day learning something new. I have also mostly overcome the mental health issues but will probably still require some accommodation since I’ve been too anxious to give exams in the past (I’m supposed to be in 3rd year but have been unable to give exams for the past two years due to Social Anxiety)
Edit: So far, I’ve been considering ASU due to their Earned Admissions program. I think i might be eligible for a place better than ASU but I’m not sure where.
I’d like to pursue a better education in the US but I don’t know what kind of places i can apply to. Currently I’m 20 years old.
Are you sure college is what you want? I totally get the desire of 1-2 hours of learning something each day. With or without college, it’s important to flex those mental muscles and take a deep dive into areas of interest. You can accomplish that in many ways thanks to technology.
I only ask because you appear to be entrepreneurial (have built a successful business) and might get bored with traditional college tracks and requirements.
@rickle1 - I think college is what i want. I want more than just an education from college, i also want to attend it for the all-round development. Attending college would allow me to also socialize, join various clubs & other activities (And, truth be told, attending a few parties too). Things that i feel i have missed out on at my current college (Due to my low High School grades i was not able to get into a good college in India, the one i go to is practically a scam).
The business that i have right now won’t be sustainable for a long time as competition grows, and I’m not sure if i want to keep doing business in India. I would like to work for a high tech firm and perhaps even have my own high tech startup one day, something that would be much harder to achieve in India than in the US.
@jym626 - I developed a business model where i could take on a lot of small freelancing jobs ($1-5k) in a very specific niche and outsource them to my peers.
You may not be allowed to freelance on a student visa, if any money comes to you.
If you’re interested, look at the transfer requirements and options- and the reality of the competition for a transfer spot. In general, running abusines isn’t a tip.
@lookingforward - That’s something I’ve considered. I think i would probably end up selling my existing business (or closing it down) if i were to enroll since i wouldn’t have the time to manage it anyway.
I’m not sure if that’d be the right choice and I’m still debating internally whether college in America would be worth the sacrifice.
You should look into a school in a tech area like The Bay area or Seattle. It sounds like you want a college experience. Also, area should be more important to you. Notre Dame (just to take a random example) is an elite school but probably not the best for a tech guy (and no way they would admit you).
There are some circumstances where foreigners here on an F1 visa can feeelance here, bit as employyes working for and paid by a foreign company. You need more info I can’t give. Dig into the fine print of the F1, for a start. This is a case where you don;t want to make a mistake and lose the visa.
If your business continues to be based In India then there might not be any problem for you to continue managing it from wherever you happen to end up.
Your depression and anxiety issues are a much bigger problem. What makes you think that you will be able to cope with life in a new culture?
I am concerned about the immigration advice given in this thread.
US courts and immigration attorneys seem to believe that all work that takes place on US soil requires US work authorization, regardless of where in the world a business may be located.
“Managing” an investment (which may be a business) may be allowed, as long as no labor is being performed. You can probably keep an eye on the running of your business and make a few key decisions while in college, but you can’t be involved in day-to-day business operations.
You have been too anxious to take exams for the last 2 years, and think that you will still need accommodations. Now you want to move to a new country, on your own, start a new university, adjust to a new country, a new culture, a new educational system. Despite crippling social anxiety, your reason for doing this is for all for “all-round development” and the opportunity to socialize, join various clubs & other activities (And, truth be told, attending a few parties too). How is that going to work?
I am a fan of studying in other countries, but there is no doubt that it requires a lot of resilience. No matter how well it goes, at the beginning there are almost inevitably moments of loneliness, home sickness, and being overwhelmed with the differences between home and the new place.
There are several issues that will significantly Impact your quest for: “all-round development" and the opportunity to socialize, join various clubs & other activities (And, truth be told, attending a few parties too).
-You have a lackluster GPA
-You don’t have test results because of anxiety
-You are a transfer
-Majoring in CS. (Surprise!)
-From India
-expecting to immigrate
Your GPA is the result of your high school and “scam college” grades, because of your mental health issues which include the inability to take tests. So, you hope to not take any tests in an American college?
That’s what you’re doing now:
It won’t help you earn a degree in the US in this amount of time.
You are a transfer student, in CS, from India, expecting to compete with every other Indian applicant who does/do have the test scores to get into most colleges and universities. Your GPA may get you into some of the remote colleges (Which may or may not have the social activities).
You hope to enter ASU, in a completely dry, desert community, (which takes some getting used to from anywhere else in the US). A state that is known for being unwelcoming to “people of color”.
Your goal appears to be an immigrate to the US. A Big No-no from US Immigration officials when it comes time to review your student visa application.
Unfortunately, the US has its significant share of domestic kids who just want to play and socialize in college- that’s why they make those movies.
Assuming you truly are a millionaire and can pay outright, you should apply to SJSU as a transfer (and if you don’t have the proper classes, take classes at a local CC to meet the requirements - buy a small condo in San Jose, it’ll accrue value).
Other than those, all universities in the Midwest would likely be possibilities; Iowa State, UMN Twin Cities (and UMN Morris with possible transfer after sophomore year), Mizzou, IndianaU…
You’ll need to be able to take tests and of course you need to prep and take the SAT and the TOEFL.
Are you enrolled in therapy, seeing a counselor?
Transferring as a sophomore may not need standardized test scores. But if this poster really has made a million dollars, he may have better things to do than tor try to deal with mental health issues by leaving his home and traveling thousands of miles away to be with total strangers on his dime.