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So, right now I am entering my last year of high school in the netherlands. High school takes 6 years here but it took me 7  . So I will be 19 when I'm moving to the US(year 2013/2014) So idk how that works in the US but anyways, I will be studying at Santa Monica college. I had bilingual education for 3 years so I doubt I will have a problem with the TOEFL test.
I'm trying to get into business class, accounting or economics.
So, my question is, has any1 from TL studied abroad or just in general, what are things to know when studying in college? The scholar system in the US is completely different from the 1 in the Netherlands. Is there any way you can get financial help from the government like the netherlands have? Are jobs easy to find in Cali? Wouldn't mind working in a Starbucks or w/e. How much will College cost me a month? Not talking about my stay or studies, just daily shit like food drinks movies going out etc. Are there people from TL who study or have studied at SMC and what do you think about this college?
I would like hear to some stories, it would really help me ^^ Thanks in advance
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i can't tell u much but i do know that u can't get any financial help from the government for your stydies
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On August 12 2012 03:55 randoomguy wrote:
i can't tell u much but i do know that u can't get any financial help from the government for your stydies
ooh right, well thanks, it would be nice to have that but ooh well. I gotta get a job anyways 
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United States42689 Posts
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Financial help will have to come from outside grants/scholarships or from the school itself (usu. private). It's pretty difficult for international students to get fin. aid though, and usually you specify during the application process. You should ask your school about it if you're really concerned.
Well, I don't live in California, but I can tell you that I can buy adequate groceries to last me a week here in Illinois for $25-$30.
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Santa Monica is a junior college so tuition shouldn't be much of a problem but you're a international student so I don't know how financial aid or grants will be provided to you.
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I'm pretty sure you can still get Stufi whilst studying abroad, which is somewhere between 200-800 euros a month, depending on how much you want to borrow.
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If Santa Monica is a junior college, tuition should be extremely low priced. It's Universities and the 4 year major colleges that are higher in the price range, you get what you pay for. The good thing though about you starting out at a junior college though, is you will be able to establish in-state tuition more than likely just from living there and going to school.
I suggest trying to find a program through a local Netherlands University that works with study abroad programs, they will usually help you fund your education abroad. However if you can manage to stay in California for over a year or so attending Santa Monica, if you choose to transfer to a major university you should have already acheived your in-state requirements and then you're eligible for financial breaks from the school and possibly even financial aid/loans directly through the University. (Hopefully the same rules apply for International students as it does inter-state students, you should contact the college and ask them, they'll be able to give you a lot more information)
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Thanks for the responds guys.
Okey so financial aid won't be happening(most likely). I might be able to get some financial aid from the dutch government, I gotta check that cuz they give about 300$ a month if you are not living at home anymore.
I'm going to this meeting for my exchange program on tuesday! Tips are always welcome
@cam , Well ye im going through this dutch program. Basicly I am doing the highest dutch high school education so I'm practicly at university level(in the netherlands that is thought, US uni's are a lot harder from what I've heard). I'm planning on doing the first 2 years at SMC and afterwards I want to go to a uni. Adapting to a new country and completely different lifestyle will be hard so thats why I prefer doing college first.
I'm hoping I can get some money from the dutch government. They pay alot haha!
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I thinking students that study abroad get more from the government not see though but you can always take an extra loan since the interest on the study loans are like 1%.
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Alright thanks, i'll make a few calls tomorrow and see what I can get
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My sister studies at Bard college she thinks it's great but it's extremely expensive so you should really figure something out money wise.
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On August 13 2012 00:45 Recognizable wrote:
My sister studies at Bard college she thinks it's great but it's extremely expensive so you should really figure something out money wise.
I can get a lot of money from my parents etc but I rather not ask for it, only if I really need it. I hope to have some more answers tomorrow
Another question: so, i won't have a car in the US. What is the best way to travel? I assume it is bus. Is the bus expensive? Would it be better to get a subscription for the bus or just pay by ride? I have no clue how the bus works in the US
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On August 12 2012 03:47 TiCHEN wrote:So, right now I am entering my last year of high school in the netherlands. High school takes 6 years here but it took me 7 . So I will be 19 when I'm moving to the US(year 2013/2014) So idk how that works in the US but anyways, I will be studying at Santa Monica college. I had bilingual education for 3 years so I doubt I will have a problem with the TOEFL test. I'm trying to get into business class, accounting or economics. So, my question is, has any1 from TL studied abroad or just in general, what are things to know when studying in college? The scholar system in the US is completely different from the 1 in the Netherlands. Is there any way you can get financial help from the government like the netherlands have? Are jobs easy to find in Cali? Wouldn't mind working in a Starbucks or w/e. How much will College cost me a month? Not talking about my stay or studies, just daily shit like food drinks movies going out etc. Are there people from TL who study or have studied at SMC and what do you think about this college? I would like hear to some stories, it would really help me ^^ Thanks in advance
I will try to help you out as much as I can. I'm a resident of California, I went to PCC ( Pasadena City College) and then transferred to USC. Junior Colleges here are setup to help you transfer to 4 year universities so you can get a Bachelors Degree. They also have certificate programs for things like Nursing, Legal Assisting (paralegal), anesthesia technician. These are usually niche degree, and you can only do so much with them, so I would suggest going for a Bachelors degree.
As for SMC... SMC is ranked one of the top community colleges here in California, with PCC trailing behind it. That's great because you will have a higher chance to get accepted when transferring to a four year school.
For the cost... I'm sorry to say this but you're probably screwed. Tuition in community colleges works like this: you're changed on a per-unit basis. "Units" are basically how the school measures how many classes you take. Each class is typically 3-5 units, and a student is considered "full time" if he/she takes 12-18 units in a semester. The unit price at SMC is:
$46 per unit for California Residents
$295 a unit for Non-Residents
Source: http://www.smc.edu/EnrollmentDevelopment/Admissions/Pages/Fees.aspx
So if you were to take about 16 units at SMC, it would cost you around $5,000 dollars. That's about $10,000 a year for international students. I'm not entirely sure how much financial aid will help you, though the general idea is like this. If you're under 26, the federal and state governments consider it THE PARENTS responsibility to pay for your education. Again, I'm not entirely sure how financial aid works for international students.
When you get to SMC, you will most likely have to talk to a counselor and they will tell you what courses to take. Take what they say as a grain of salt, because sometimes they are retarded. Instead, use:
http://www.assist.org/web-assist/welcome.html
To find out what courses you need to take. If you're looking to transfer, the top universities in this state are:
- Caltech ( Without question the best school is Cali )
- Stanford
- University of Southern California
- UC Berkeley
- UCLA
Those schools are the ones you really want to get into. So make sure you look up your transfer goals and degree requirements so you can be considered at each school. As a rule of thumb, try not to get lower than a 3.7 GPA so that you can be considered a strong applicant. If you're looking to get into CalTech, you're going to need a 3.9+ and do extremely well on their entrance exam. I wouldn't consider CalTech if you're not a Engineering/Math/Science major, though.
For your question about jobs: Yes, they're everywhere. Especially if you have some particular skills. I wouldn't be too worried about finding a grunt job.
A car is pretty important here in LA. However, if you can't afford one you can always use the buses and trains. You can map out your journey using http://www.metro.net/. Also, since you're in Santa Monica it's a really nice and clean area. However, I would try to avoid IngleWood, Compton, and Downtown LA, especially at night. Those are ghettos and gangland USA, lol.
As for transferring, the cost at a four year university is about generally from $30,000 to $50,000. USC is about $42,000 a year. Education here is very expensive. The public colleges here in California are slightly cheaper, but only for California Residents. Enjoy your stay in California!!
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Hey im from Holland and i can tell you that studying in holland was one of my biggest regrets ever. I studied international business in Amsterdam but never I had the feeling I was a true student. Just one of the many ppl there.
Ive looked into studying in the US but I heard it costs A TON. Atleast 10k per semester.
You also have a lot of other costs, so I hope you have rich parents.
Anyway, id suggest denmark to study. I think education is free there, we lived in campus, and ppl are international and much more sociable.
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Abductedonut your post is great. Thanks for the information. Yeah i'm paying 17k euro's for a full year(all those fee's included) with a dorm room. The savings my parents have, is more than triple to cover this. Paying the study isnt the biggest problem.
I've asked around and the dutch government will pay atleast 250 euro's to students not living at home anymore. This might be more for students studying abroad but I will get a confirmation for this tomorrow.
I have a meeting at my exchange program this tuesday and I will be signing up for everything and hopefully get some more information.
I'm happy to hear that jobs are easy to find. I've worked in plenty of restaurants cleaning/cooking small dishes, even serving. I even worked as a ski instructor in the netherlands. Would be great if I could do that in LA cuz I heard there is snow around haha.
I'm not sure if I end up with a roommate or not, but if I do, he better have a car! I'll check out metro.net incase he doesn't .I do not want to be involved in any gangstar shit so I will do my best to avoid those area's. I suppose there are some good clubs in towns right? At the pier or w/e.
At the moment I'm signing up for 1 year only. I might go back to the Netherlands and do a english study in the netherlands at a uni. So either way, I will benefit from this trip. I'm doing this mainly for a great experience. Cali is my dream!
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made some calls, didn't get much out of it. I'll just apply for financial aid and see what i'll get! Tomorrow i have the meeting, I'll update some more.
1 easy question cuz I read so much about this. It's normal in the us to give tips, how does that work cuz its like salary for the waitress right?
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It ranges between 10-20%. Giving tips is basically socially mandatory.
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This seems like a waste of money when you can study for free in the Netherlands at a real university with a real degree.
Apparently after two years at a junior college you only get an Associate's Degree?
Which i assume doesnt get you anything besides better chances to get into a good university in the USA which will cost a ton of money to complete even a BA degree.
Do you have a green card? Because as far as i know it is pretty hard to be able to stay in the USA without connections after completing your degree.
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I'd advise the OP to stay in the netherlands for your education. Not because US schools suck but because they cost a ton. I dont know your background but you said you are 19 with no work experience and most likely no financial aide from the state.
Sorry but to me you sound like you want an adventure and you can get your adventure through an exchange program from your local university instead of risking a big part of your life on a junior college which really is just a prep school for a real college.
Please OP rethink your motivations for doing this.
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EPT
