Applying to a foreign college/university

[Adm. Empoleon]

I don't know where to start, but here goes.
I live in Jordan, and i was thinking about applying to a college/university in America. I want to ask the people who are in a college/university in the USA about the prerequisites one needs to apply there.

 

[cantab]

Have you thought about a UK university? Depending on exchange rates the tuition fees could be less, and the air fare will be less too. Living costs I'm not so sure about.

In terms of qualifications, I'm not sure what you have in Jordan. UK applicants would typically be asked for 3 A-Levels, in subjects relevant for the degree, grades depend on the University.

In the UK, the applications process is centralised through an organisation called UCAS. You can apply to up to five universities, and recieve offers (or rejections) from all of them before you have to decide which one, if any, to take up. If you're still in education you may get a "conditional offer" which depends on you attaining such a grade - in that case you can accept one offer as "firm" and a second as "insurance" if you miss the grades for the firm offer. I think nowadays you can do the application online.

UCAS also operate a tarrif/points system, where different qualifications have different values. The idea is to equate different sorts of qualifications (eg A Levels, IB, vocational qualifications) so universities can just say "X UCAS points required for admission".
Not all universities make offers based on UCAS points, but if your qualifications are on the tariff and you apply to a university that does that should make things a lot simpler.

Finally, this may or may not be an issue to you, but in the UK you can buy alcohol from 18.

 

[Adm. Empoleon]

What if i were in a school that offers IGSCE? would that be good or not?

 

[WeGotTheJazz]

In the UK? Yeah. It's mostly the A-Levels (or equivalent) that matter, though.

 

[cantab]

The IGCSE is a lower level qualification. The normal UK progression is GCSEs at 16, then optionally A-Levels or something similar at 18 ("Further Education"), then optionally university studies ("Higher Education"). The IGCSE is similar to the UK GCSE. So you'd normally be looking at two years further study before entering university.

If you don't mind me asking, how old are you Adm. Empoleon?

 

[chaos]

If you are a seriously qualified Jordan applicant, you can get into good US universities. The problem will be affording them, because there isn't much financial aid available for international students.

 

[Firestorm]

Yeah, the pre-requisite that's most important here is a lot of money. US schools are extremely expensive even for those from a different state. International students have it even worse. Look around at some other countries as well. Canada and Australia are also places to look. What are you looking to go into?

 

[Adm. Empoleon]

cantab, I'm 16 years old, and I can't get into a school with IGCSE because I'm going to be in my first year of high school (I'll explain later), and I'm supposed to enter IG when I'm 9th grade.

schooling system in Jordan

1st - 10th grade (mandatory elementary)
2 years of high school
university/college is up to you and your parents

Yeah, the pre-requisite that's most important here is a lot of money. US schools are extremely expensive even for those from a different state. International students have it even worse. Look around at some other countries as well. Canada and Australia are also places to look. What are you looking to go into?

Assume I can afford the university/college. What else do I need?
And i'm thinking of majoring in pharmacy, I've always wanted to make and refine medicine.

If you are a seriously qualified Jordan applicant, you can get into good US universities. The problem will be affording them, because there isn't much financial aid available for international students.

By "seriously qualified", what do you mean?
i hate being ignorant about everything .___.

 

[cantab]

Dah. No worries. What you take at high school is what counts. You should think about courses to suit university applications. For US universities I believe AP exams are good, and they're in the UCAS tariff too so they could work for the UK, with a Group A subject being worth the same as an A Level, http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/ucas_tariff/factsheet/app . I think across Europe the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is well regarded, though it limits your choices.

 

[cyberzero]

American universities are relatively tough to get into for international students, especially if you're thinking about a top tier university. They can also get extremely expensive and give very little financial aid, as mentioned before.
In my opinion, though, having looked through the international university admissions processes of different countries for family members living abroad, I'd like to recommend thinking of applying in Canada. It is exponentially easier to get a student visa, the costs are MUCH cheaper than those in the US, and have a higher acceptance rate of international students. The education is very comparable to that of the schools here in the US as well.

 

[Exarius]

I think across Europe the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is well regarded, though it limits your choices.

It is. From what I hear and have read, if you manage to finish it, you can go almost anywhere in Europe, and quite a few US Universities recognize it too, in addition for Australia and few Asiatic countries.

Though be warned: If you decide to go for it, it's IS going to be tough. I myself finished the pre-year in Finland now, and from what I have talked with students that have done the first/second year of the program year, well... It isn't going to be a walk in the park, to say it so. I think it will be worth it though, many more doors open for future studies compared to my other choices.

For foreign students this is excellent, especially if you are looking for to study in other countries. For example, our school have students from Russia, Germany, Norway, Estonia and Latvia in addition for Finnish students, and it's a relatively small school. I can't speak for other countries, but at least in Finland you can get decent monetary support for studying and living, which depends on your parents income, etc. Of course, you won't be able to wipe your ass with cash, but you will make it through, especially if your parents are willing to give you monetary support in addition to the fore-mentioned support.

If you are interested to search more about it, a couple of links for you:
Wiki on IBDP
Wiki on IB-Organisation
IB website

 

[Firestorm]

I'm not too familiar with the US, but if you are also looking at Canada, Simon Fraser University and University of British Columbia are the two places you'd be looking at where I live. Vancouver has a ton of international students. I have a friend from Jordan but I believe he moved here in elementary or high school so his experiences wouldn't be helpful for you.

UBC's Prospective International Undergrad Page: http://www.connectionsforlife.ubc.ca/home.html
They even have a handy cost calculator which says it would be ~$40,000 CAD per year (8 months) for tuition + housing.

SFU says you'd need a Tawjihi (General Secondary Education Certificate) as a student coming from Jordan.
http://www.sfu.ca/prospectiveundergrads/

EDIT: Never mind. Apparently the UBC Pharmacy program is restricted to Canadian citizens and permanent residents:
https://you.ubc.ca/ubc/program.do;j...DFD689A21E779B5331?from=faculty&programID=159

 

[Polis4rule]

IB sucks and only helps getting in to colleges. For American colleges, you'll want to take either IB or AP classes. Since you're in Jordan, there's probably more access to IB classes than there are AP classes, but a good mix of the two will only help. Make sure your grades are very good, equivalent to A's in the American grading scale (maybe an occasional B). Try to be active in extracurriculars as well, as colleges are starting to weigh more on those than just pure grades.

Also know that you'll find an easier time getting in to private colleges than large public universities (there are some public universities that do have large foreign student populations, look in to them). In the US, it isn't easy to get into a college as a foreign student, but if you have the grades and the extracurriculars, you'll do fine. Also, take the SAT and/or ACT standardized tests. You need those to get into colleges.

I would also check into Canadian universities. They offer a very similar education as American colleges. And, coming from the posts in this thread, cost for the universities is affordable, and it's relatively easy to get a student visa.

 

[Broth3r]

I can give my two cents about Portugal.

One good thing here is that it is MUCH cheaper than in most countries, as we have public universities. I pay 900€/year (residence and transports not included), and it's not so hard to get a scholarship that brings it further down.

(oh, and if you're wondering whether that means poor education, don't >_> the best Portuguese universities firgure among the 500 best of the world, mstly the ones dedicated to arts, humanities and science)

The above only for public universities, of course. Private universities are pretty much on the level with US prices.

Pharmacy... yeah. There's a great faculty here in Lisbon (FFUL), but the requirements are pretty high. 16.7/20 last year...

 

[cantab]

Is it 900 euros a year for foreign students though? I mean in the UK non-EU students pay a LOT more than UK or even other EU ones.

 

[MrIndigo]

Yeah, the pre-requisite that's most important here is a lot of money. US schools are extremely expensive even for those from a different state. International students have it even worse. Look around at some other countries as well. Canada and Australia are also places to look. What are you looking to go into?

The same is true of Australia; International students have to pay full tuition (~$20 000 p.a. as opposed to ~$8000 p.a.), they don't get travel concessions like domestic students which means it's generally only affordable to live right near the campus in the center of the city, where the rent is the highest.

That all said, if you're still interested in Australia (and many of our universities are very good, especially in science (bioscience in particular)), the place to look seems to be here: http://www.australiangraduate.com/

EDIT: Another possible option is to enrol at a Jordan university that has exchange programs to the US or wherever; then you can spend a year or two over there without worrying about the actual enrolment in the US.

 

[Precognition]

If you want to apply to an American University I recommend you take the
-SAT's/ACT's

Apply to college courses to get necessary credit for American Universities.

 

[Eraddd]

I would say good luck and more power to you.

That being said, you're going to need top tier marks (Preferably 95+ average), 2200+ SAT scores with 700 + SAT II scores, and probably some major accomplishment in your belt (say a selection onto one of the best soccer teams in your district, create major projects to help the less fortunate, curing aids, and cancer, the works). Your essays will need to be creative, informative, and short, while still having all the information needed for the admissions officers to know you.

And having lots of money helps. If you don't, well be prepared to fill out long long long forms for financial aid each year if you do get accepted. Oh and be prepared to overstretch your budget and take loans; most universities don't give enough for international students, and you'll probably have ot take around a 2-5k loan per year.

 

[TubaKing]

As these guys said, it's pretty expensive even for Americans to get into American universities for people that don't take advantage of all of the available financial aid resources out there, but I'm sure there are scholarship organizations in both Jordan and America out there made specifically for international students. I would highly recommend looking this up if you're seriously considering going to an American school.
Working on this now will save you a lot of debt in the long run.
Good luck!

 

[PakGamer]

If you're wanting to go to the US, you have a higher chance of getting in as a graduate than an undergraduate.Not only that, you'd have a better shot at a very decent student aid package as well.My cousin did his undergrad in electrical engineering here in Pak and went to Purdue in The U.S for his Masters.He had a very affordable package and now hes doing his P.H.D in Electrical engineering from the same university and paying only housing costs as far as I remember. The costs are far too much for average international students to pay really. The American University in Dubai is a pretty good option as well.. and more in the range of most people.