Secrets of Studying Abroad in the US

While studying in a university in the United States can seem like the way to success for many people across the world, studying there as a foreigner might not be as easy as you think. Before you decide if this is the path for you, take a look at these 5 points that no one tells you during the application process.

1. Scholarships are rare.

Yes, there are academic scholarships. Yes, there are sports scholarships. Yes, there are artistic scholarships. However, receiving additional financial aid beyond any that you were awarded upon admission is quite difficult.

Plenty of schools tell you that once you are in the country, you can start applying to more scholarships both in-university and with external foundations that will help you fund your next three years. Some scholarships require you to be a Sophomore, Junior, or Senior. But what the don't tell you is the way that students are selected does not allow for international students to apply. Many people who work for these scholarships do not even realize this is the case.

Because while scholarships state that you can have any nationality or origin, they are often granted according to need-based criteria. The way that need-based is determined in the United States is though FAFSA, a financial aid application form that non-citizens or residents cannot fill out. Even if you try, question 3 of the application will lock you out of the system as soon as you declare you are not a citizen or resident.

If you are looking into additional financial aid that you might be able to receive after signing up for the school or spending your first year there, look into scholarships that are completely independent from demonstrable need. That is to say, look for those that check your community involvement or provide funds to invest into a project of your own. They do exist, but they are difficult to find and even harder to obtain.

2. Little to no work and internship opportunities.

Working through college in the United States is pretty much the norm. However, as an international student, there is an added difficulty to be able to do so.

As an international student, you are initially only allowed to work up to 20 hours a week in an on-campus job. What nobody tells you is that most on-campus jobs are reserved for people who have been awarded federal aid (work-study) once again through FAFSA. On-campus jobs without the federal requirement are rare and just imagine how difficult they are to obtain when you have all the international students on campus, and national students who were not awarded federal aid, applying for those 5-10 spots.

Additionally, companies who offer internships rarely accept international students. The company applications always include a small blurb that once again explain how they do not discriminate according to all these categories (Equal Opportunity Employment), but during the application they will ask if you need a visa sponsoring to be able to work with them. Responding with a 'YES' to this question (because as an international student you do), will automatically disqualify you from the application process.

Keep in mind that to be able to participate in an internship, you will have to obtain a permit for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT). CPT applies when your program has an internship requirement included (or if you can convince your program advisor to sign on it) and is generally easier to obtain. Since it is a part of the program, there is rarely any opposition to it from the authorities. However, OPT, since, as the name says, is optional and can even be requested for time after your graduation, becomes harder to obtain. OPT applications are easier to obtain if you request it for a time period while you are still studying, but are often rejected if they are for after graduation, even if you already have an internship offer lined up.

3. International Program offices are not all-knowing

While no office is all-knowing, there is particular care to be taken with International Program offices from the target university. Always try to get in touch with them before accepting an admission offer and ask all the questions that come to mind regarding your status, permissions, and aid that they truly offer. This is because most of these offices are specialized on getting American students to other countries, not on how to help International Students navigate their time and legal matters while in the US.

Not every university is like this, but it does happen quite often. Always make sure they know how to help with particular international student needs. Assistance with the different possibilities for work permits, guidance on the F-1 yearly sign-off process, letters for Social Security Card applications, and assistance with apostille processes are some of the essentials.

The limitations of their knowledge about international matters require a great amount of personal research from the student. It is up to the individual to make sure they get exactly the papers they need so no problems arise later.

4. National degree recognition

When choosing to study abroad, there is usually little thought as to what will happen afterwards. However, it is important to do extensive research on your own country's requirements to accept a degree from abroad in case you have to return.

In Costa Rica, for example, a foreign degree is worthless unless it goes through a public university recognition process. This process requires paperwork that Seton Hall University did not regularly provide, causing issues and halting the process. The apostille process is also very detailed and the universities, with little to no knowledge on them, do not provide the degree or transcripts with the required signatures or notarization. Note that notarization also requires the notary to be present when the signature is carried out.

5. Weather, meals, and lifestyle affect success

It can seem quite obvious, but most people do not realize just how much these factors affect your capacity for success within the program selected until they are confronted with them. This does not apply only to international students although they do tend to feel the most drastic effects.

If the country of origin is warm and tropical, being exposed to cold weather most of the academic year can result in severe Seasonal Affective Disorder. Not having access to the types of food you are used to and, often not having a kitchen to cook in because of the dorm life, can impact your health.

Research once again becomes essential before the move. Check in-depth the weather of the place you will live in, especially during the school months. Check the type of menus offered by school cafeteria and look into apartment style accommodations if they are not to your liking. Make sure that the surrounding town can give you the types of stores and activities that you think you will need outside of your studies. Think beyond academics.

Successfully completing a degree while studying abroad requires an enormous amount of mental and emotional strength. International students can feel very lonely. Having a solid friend network can assist during emotional crises even if they do not fully understand all the adaptation intricacies of uprooting your life and moving to a different country while being subjected to an academically stressful environment.

Above all, make sure that the priority is mental and physical health, and avoid isolation.