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 Dear Mentor:
| How can I continue studies in the
US? |
I'm a 21 year old girl from Poland. I graduated
from high school in Poland and studied English for a year at the
university in Torun. I really enjoyed my studies as I consider
higher education as a priority. Unfortunately because of my parents
poor financial situation I was pushed to start working. I became an
au pair. Sadly the money I'm getting for my work isn't enough to pay
for my studies and the reality is that my year here in the US is
coming to an end and I have nowhere to go. My dream has always been
to study in the US. I believe in myself and I know I can make it
come true. All I need is a little help and piece of advice. I have
passed FCE and CAE exams. I'm taking a course at a local community
college, and my teacher says I'm an excellent writer. I've lots of
experience too. I've been a baby sitter, a tour guide, and an
English teacher in a high school in my home country. I'm interested
in sociology, international relations, and American history. I need
help to find a sponsor for my student visa. I would be very grateful
for any piece of information.
| Struggling Student, Chappaqua, New
York, USA
| |
Dear Struggling
Student:
How we wish we could solve your problem easily and right now! We are
quite familiar with situations like yours. Unfortunately, your situation
does not have an easy or immediate solution, at least none that we know
about.
As you have already found out, the cost of education in the US is
extremely high. Unless you are a US citizen or a permanent resident (green
card holder) - effectively, you are an international or foreign student -
virtually no financial assistance is available to pursue undergraduate
(Bachelor's degree) education. This particular constraint of reality
shatters the dreams of many motivated and intelligent international
students who are not wealthy. You seem to qualify as being such a student.
This may simply confirm the cliché that life is not fair, but such is
life. The challenge is not that you have hit what may appear to be a
dead-end but what you can do equalize the challenge. Despair, regret, and
self-pity are not the answer! Keep your wits about the situation.
The challenge may be insurmountable in the near-term, but it is not so
in the long-term. Rest assured, it will test every bit of your patience,
commitment, ambition, focus, and determination. However, fully
understanding and acknowledging the constraints is the essential first
step.
While little or no financial assistance is available to international
students for undergraduate studies, such is not the case for graduate
(Master's or PhD) studies. International students for graduate studies are
eligible for research and teaching assistantships. These assistantships
are adequate for international students to survive while pursuing
education. True, you would be poor by North American standards, but it
matters little since you will be able to pursue your dream. This is
precisely the reason why most international students come to the US for
graduate studies.
This background information may help you define alternatives for what
you should do, such as:
- Return to your native country, Poland, to pursue a Bachelor's degree
and then:
- Come to the US for graduate studies. You should make every effort
to obtain your Bachelor's degree from a top college and demonstrate
extra-ordinary performance. Note that the quality of your education
and your personal performance are critical ingredients for securing
financial assistance for graduate studies in the US.
- Get a job that could bring you to other countries, such as the US.
You may consider multinational corporations for employment which may
consider locating you in the US either immediately or after some time.
Some career options include: flight attendant, translator,
interpreter, secretary, and journalist.
- Get a job for a few years to save money. A combination of personal
savings and partial financial assistance from your prospective school
in the US may enable you to pursue graduate studies in the US.
- Explore the possibility of extending your current employment
arrangement, and continue your current, difficult incremental approach
to studies.
- Contact the Polish Embassy
in the US to explore opportunities for employment for such positions
as: translator, interpreter, receptionist, and so on.
- Contact Polish Student Associations to seek advice and counsel. Go
to a search engine like Vivisimo and
type in "Polish Student Associations" and you will get many useful
websites. However, we can suggest a few places to find more information:
It may help your cause if you emailed people
at these websites and asked them for their advice.
All through
this, you should be mindful of the legal visa requirements and the
constraints that each visa type imposes on the holder. You must not
violate any of the rules - not even once - or else future applications for
the US may be rejected summarily.
We wish you the best of luck.
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