Planning for the future

[adamscybot]

This topic may look like its written by someone who is way, way out of their depth - but I really feel that should I start planning ahead now and not when its too late.

Im a 16-year old British Citizen. I've just come back from a 3 week holiday to the USA (Around New England + New york) and I absolutely LOVE Boston. It is so different to where I live, Derby - a non-descript, small city in the center of England.

I love everything about it, the history, the people (I have never met so many friendly people in my life), the surroundings, the whole place. It really appealed to me, and it sounds pathetic, but I really think that's where I want to be in the future.

My reasons are bigger than a simple liking to the place - but also the disintegration of the country I live in now, the chance for better job prospects in my skill (?...read later paragraphs) and just being adventerous in life.

I have only just finished Secondary School and of course, have my GCSE examination results. I achieved 9 A*'s and 1 B. As a result, I will be starting college life next week.

If I was to move to America, what would I require in terms of education. Whith such a lofty ambition I am certain to pursue education further into University. But I am unsure as to if my primary skill (and of course, the industry I want to work in in the future), Computing, appeals to what the US needs - which as I understand is a primary factor in what allows you to move to the US.

Is this skill wanted, needed or looked upon as a positive?

Predictibly, my main concern is the financial implications. This could cost an insane amount of money - which, obviously, I don't have. Does the US authorities base whether you can move on how much money you own at all? Or do they simply let you fend for yourself?

This is by far the thing that worries me the most. I don't care if it takes me 5, 10 or 20 years to achieve this ability - but obviously, the sooner I can muster such cash the better.

Again, I am only 16 yeard of age - and I plan to stay in the UK longer than the minute I can go, I am not jumping to any conclusions. It is a serious life decision.

There are 100's of more questions I could ask:

Are immigrants frowned upon?
How long does the process take?

...I could go forever.

What steps, if any, should/could I take now? How do you suggest I meat my goals?

[stedman]

center

Only 3 weeks?

[adamscybot]

center

Only 3 weeks?

HHAHA . Actually, thats a bad habit I have of spelling it the wrong way for years.

[Marco 72]

Unfortunately it's very difficult to get any kind of work visa for the US at this time. The situation was very different in the 1990's, when all you needed was a university degree and some computer skills. After the dot.com bubble burst in 2001 it became much harder for IT professionals to find work in the US. After the bubble many IT companies found they had overinvested, and there are plenty of people with these skills who apply for work visas every year from all over the world, especially from India. This is the situation now, at least. It's possible that by the time you are in your mid-20's things will be completely different.

I think I know how you feel. I visited the US for the first time when I was 21, and fell in love with the place at once. It's a bit ironic that I ended up marrying an American but living in London.

[darko]

Apply to many US schools, some may give you scholarship. That's 4-5 years in the US. By then you could think of getting Masters, may fall in love with American or H1B visa laws will be relaxed.

[sakura]

This topic may look like its written by someone who is way, way out of their depth - but I really feel that should I start planning ahead now and not when its too late.

Im a 16-year old British Citizen. I've just come back from a 3 week holiday to the USA (Around New England + New york) and I absolutely LOVE Boston. It is so different to where I live, Derby - a non-descript, small city in the center of England.

I love everything about it, the history, the people (I have never met so many friendly people in my life), the surroundings, the whole place. It really appealed to me, and it sounds pathetic, but I really think that's where I want to be in the future.

My reasons are bigger than a simple liking to the place - but also the disintegration of the country I live in now, the chance for better job prospects in my skill (?...read later paragraphs) and just being adventerous in life.

I have only just finished Secondary School and of course, have my GCSE examination results. I achieved 9 A*'s and 1 B. As a result, I will be starting college life next week.

If I was to move to America, what would I require in terms of education. Whith such a lofty ambition I am certain to pursue education further into University. But I am unsure as to if my primary skill (and of course, the industry I want to work in in the future), Computing, appeals to what the US needs - which as I understand is a primary factor in what allows you to move to the US.

Is this skill wanted, needed or looked upon as a positive?

Predictibly, my main concern is the financial implications. This could cost an insane amount of money - which, obviously, I don't have. Does the US authorities base whether you can move on how much money you own at all? Or do they simply let you fend for yourself?

This is by far the thing that worries me the most. I don't care if it takes me 5, 10 or 20 years to achieve this ability - but obviously, the sooner I can muster such cash the better.

Again, I am only 16 yeard of age - and I plan to stay in the UK longer than the minute I can go, I am not jumping to any conclusions. It is a serious life decision.

There are 100's of more questions I could ask:

Are immigrants frowned upon?
How long does the process take?

...I could go forever.

What steps, if any, should/could I take now? How do you suggest I meat my goals?

Well, since you're 16, and are planning on going to university, why not study in the US? Granted, it does not lead to permanent residency, but it could be a nice 4 years there.

The issue is obviously money. There are ways around this: try the Fulbright Commission www.fulbright.co.uk which has information about studying in the US. You're in luck - there is a US colleges open day in 3 weeks in London. This is a good opportunity for you to find out about scholarships and funding assistance. Search far and wide for funding - there are many organisations out there.

The other thing you can do - study in the UK and go for a year abroad. You can probably do this in your second year. Many UK universities (actually, almost all) allow students to do an exchange with a variety of colleges and universities around the world. Look around (when the time comes), and find which universities in the UK will allow you to spend between a term and one academic year in the US.

Another option - take a gap year and go and work in the USA. Try www.aipt.org or http://www.interexchange.org/career-tra ... index.html or http://www.realgap.co.uk/Work%20and%20T ... ing%20Visa or www.bunac.org or try asking a question on http://britishexpats.com

Some of these links...the companies might ask that you are a current (university) student or will be, or that you have a degree already.

These are things you can do now or in the next 3-4 years. Long-term/permanent visas will be a lot harder...

[JAJ]

Get accepted to Australia as a migrant, after 4 years you can become an Australian citizen and then the E-3 visa is open to you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-3_visa

[Eternal_Howl]

Written by someone way out of their depth? Hell no. You're obviously a very on-to-it individual and the fact you love something and are looking to work towards it tells me you are in the right space. You're asking questions now in preparation - that's not out of your depth - that's very sensible and logical. Unfortunately, I can't help with the question itself, but best of british to yah .

[Marco 72]

I think the chances of getting a scholarship to study in the US as an undergraduate are very slim indeed (the Fulbright awards mentioned are for postgraduate study and research only). A better idea would be to apply for a postgraduate course there after completing his degree in the UK. Among other things, there are about 20,000 H1B visas each year reserved for people with US postgraduate degrees. Even then, however, it's going to be a bit of a struggle to get a visa. He will need to find an employer who is willing to apply for a visa, wait until the following April for the application to be processed and then if successful wait until the following October for him to start work. Also, in order to be admitted to a US university as a graduate student and to obtain funding there his academic performance in the UK will have to be truly outstanding.

Other possibilities: marry an American citizen, or study something else (like medicine).

[adamscybot]

Your comments are MUCH appreciated .

Marco 72, your option sounds the most appealing to me because I also think trying to get into a US university would be EXTREMELY hard. It's hard enough to get into Oxford/Cambridge, lol.

The fact computing isn't the best subject to get into the US is worrying - but I will not change what I want to do as a result. I suppose it just means I'll have to work harder then ever. And like someone else said, the situation changes all the time.

I enjoy reading your comments, keep them coming.

Adam

[sakura]

Your comments are MUCH appreciated .

Marco 72, your option sounds the most appealing to me because I also think trying to get into a US university would be EXTREMELY hard. It's hard enough to get into Oxford/Cambridge, lol.

The fact computing isn't the best subject to get into the US is worrying - but I will not change what I want to do as a result. I suppose it just means I'll have to work harder then ever. And like someone else said, the situation changes all the time.

I enjoy reading your comments, keep them coming.

Adam

Is it "EXTREMELY" hard to enter a US college? Which one/s are you referring to? There are a like a thousand+ degree-awarding college/universities in the US....

Just take a gap year and work in the US, or study in the UK and take a study abroad option for the US, or do your PhD in the US.... best options, IMO.

[adamscybot]

or study in the UK and take a study abroad option for the US

This is something I will be definetly looking into.

I was referring to nothing specific - rarther in general, the good ones

[Marco 72]

Is it "EXTREMELY" hard to enter a US college? Which one/s are you referring to? There are a like a thousand+ degree-awarding college/universities in the US....

Being admitted to a US university is not too hard, what is hard is getting a scholarship if you are not a US citizen, and out of state tuition fees can be very expensive.

To the OP: you might also want to look at the Australia option which JAJ suggested.

[adamscybot]

Is it "EXTREMELY" hard to enter a US college? Which one/s are you referring to? There are a like a thousand+ degree-awarding college/universities in the US....

Being admitted to a US university is not too hard, what is hard is getting a scholarship if you are not a US citizen, and out of state tuition fees can be very expensive.

To the OP: you might also want to look at the Australia option which JAJ suggested.

Yeh the Australia option is always there. I don't know why, but I regard it as last resort. Moving to Australia to get into the US would be horendously expensive. I would probably go on Holiday there to see if I like it first

[Spectre]

Extremely hard to get into a US university? you do realise that oxford/cambridge are the top universities over here, right? if you can get into them you should have no problem getting into a university in the US, though granted it may not be the very top university over there

Your comments are MUCH appreciated .

Marco 72, your option sounds the most appealing to me because I also think trying to get into a US university would be EXTREMELY hard. It's hard enough to get into Oxford/Cambridge, lol.

The fact computing isn't the best subject to get into the US is worrying - but I will not change what I want to do as a result. I suppose it just means I'll have to work harder then ever. And like someone else said, the situation changes all the time.

I enjoy reading your comments, keep them coming.

Adam

[Marco 72]

Extremely hard to get into a US university? you do realise that oxford/cambridge are the top universities over here, right? if you can get into them you should have no problem getting into a university in the US, though granted it may not be the very top university over there

Getting into Oxford or Cambridge as an undergraduate is nothing short of "extremely hard"... Even if you did, it would not guarantee a place in a US university unless your performance was outstanding.

[Administrator]

.

North Carolina State University has an excellent Computing Sciences program. There are excellent opportunities to combine it with the Engineering program if you're REALLY serious.

Out of state tuition is about $8500/semester, but you'd need money for living, books, etc. etc.

It's about normal for many U.S. State universities, with a better than average Comp Sci department (I used to teach there).

Department of Computer Science, NCSU

The Centennial Campus is designed as an outreach/research center with local companies, and it's quite tech-heavy with companies like SAS, IBM, Sun and RedHat represented.

Raleigh, North Carolina is DAMNED hot in the summer, but generally has one of the better cost-of-living indexes when compared to the quality of life for the city. The city proper is about a half million, and it's located in a region of three cities that add up to about 1.5 million or so.

Translation, nearly like countryside living but with most modern conveniences you can need or imagine.

NCSU might not be the place for you, but there are many similar such universities if you look about.

All universities have various grant and scholarship programs available to both local residents and foreigners.

the Admin

[archigabe]

you can always spend a year at a U.S university on a J1 exchange student visa and then try to plan things from there...You can work on campus for 20 hrs/week on J1's. J1 visas are probably not too difficult for European citizens to get.

[Platinum]

Also, in order to be admitted to a US university as a graduate student and to obtain funding there his academic performance in the UK will have to be truly outstanding.

This may be the way to go. And, dare I say it, it may not be that difficult. Given a decent comp. sci. degree from a UK university, I bet you could get into a graduate program in the US. (I'm not promising that it'd be a good program, mind you.) I'm not absolutely sure about comp. sci., but if you were doing one of the natural sciences, PhD studentships are funded. Fully funded, with a stipend to live on. Change your major to bio/chem/physics/math and get decent marks and you'd be in. Check with the computer science departments at different universities.

[adamscybot]

Im still around BTW, just got my hands full with recently starting college. If its of any meaning I am studying:

Computer Science, Electronics, Physics and Maths. Technical subjects as you see - at an above-average college in Nottingham.

I enjoy reading these suggestions but I am completely torn between them. If I am to got o university in the UK I have to start filling in UCAS forms in about a year - little time to make any major decision such as this. I would prefer to study at a top university here and then look into moving away - but whether this is more appropiate is a different story.

Adam

[ksand24]

Hi adamscybot,

I've only just found/joined the forum today, but thought I'd share my experiences with you, since you seem to be in a similar position as I was a few years ago and perhaps you might wish to look into going about things in a similar way.

I've always been fascinated by the US - I have family over there and so have visited several times over the last few years - and when I was doing my A-levels, I considered the possibility of being able to study or work in the US in the future.

Although my GCSE grades weren't quite as good as yours (3 A*s, 3As, 2Bs 1C), I went on to study Physics, Maths and Geography A-levels (2 A's and a B) and briefly considered trying to go to university in the US. To be honest though, I don't really think it's worth trying to do an undergraduate degree over there. The tuition fees for international students can be anywhere from around $10,000 up to $50,000 per year and the chances of getting funding or scholarships are slim to none .

However, what I did do was do a UK degree that offered a study abroad year in the US - the tuition for the US year was only half of the normal UK fees (which at the time was only £500 - before the top-up fees were introduced) and as well as having the best time of my life there, it also allowed me to graduate with an MPhys (4-year undergraduate masters) in Theoretical Physics rather than a BSc.

After university, I took a year out to earn money, then did an MSc by Research last year (I'm still in the process of writing up the thesis) to get into the exact field I wanted and during my masters, I contacted the US university that I studied at and applied for a PhD place. Because I had contacts from my year abroad, I was able to make myself known in the department and was offered a PhD place starting in Jan 2008, with full funding for 4 years (tuition and living costs) and an additional incentive grant to encourage me to accept their offer!!

After I've finished the PhD, I can either look into possibilities of getting a job in the US or return home if I've had enough over there. With a PhD in a specialised science, my chances should be better than if I only had a bachelor's or master's degree and I just found out today that there are a certain number of work visas reserved for people with a Postgraduate degree from the US - which may also improve the chances of being issued a visa.

The whole process, from A-levels to PhD place, has been relatively hassle-free and perhaps you might consider going to a UK uni and doing a study-abroad year as a way of being able to live in the US for a while and to perhaps get your foot in the door .

[adamscybot]

Fantasic response ksand . Your advice is appreciated.

This has certainly became a primary option for me - and is probably the best choice for what I want to do.

Looks like youve got yourself sorted with a PhD on the way! Best of luck with that.

I agrree, I checked out the fees earlier for studying at a US university and it is just about insane - not a chance really. I also think that taking 1 year or so there would be a better choice because who knows - I might find myself wanting England again, .

It is something I will be looking into - but I must concentrate on my A-levels first before all this - and getting as much experience over here as possible (even if it is a rubbish part time job) to boost the views of universities on me.

Thanks again,

Adam

PS Incentive grant? Wow! I would of thought they would be giving incentives to those who already live in the US...

[ksand24]

Fantasic response ksand . Your advice is appreciated.

This has certainly became a primary option for me - and is probably the best choice for what I want to do.

No problem . I think that doing a study abroad year is great if you are considering a move to the US in the future. It can help you to decide if it is somewhere you'd really be comfortable living.

I agrree, I checked out the fees earlier for studying at a US university and it is just about insane - not a chance really. I also think that taking 1 year or so there would be a better choice because who knows - I might find myself wanting England again, .

Yeah, undergraduate fees can be extortionate and as an international student, you'd get stuck with paying the out-of-state fees. As I mentioned, my year abroad only cost £500 in tuition (as part of the exchange), but had I been a regular international student, it would have cost me $18,000 for the year!

I did find myself rather homesick for England - especially towards the end of the year, I couldn't wait to come home! There were lots of little things that I didn't realise I'd miss: British TV (that doesn't have adverts every 5 mins), British bands/music, food (bread, milk, cheese, cereal, sausages, roast dinners, chocolate etc.), pubs, nightclubs, UK clothes shops etc.

It is something I will be looking into - but I must concentrate on my A-levels first before all this - and getting as much experience over here as possible (even if it is a rubbish part time job) to boost the views of universities on me.

Yeah, definitely look into it - I know there are quite a few uni courses around that do a study abroad year (and not just to the US - I had the choice of applying for courses with study in France, Germany, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and North America. I chose North America and then had a choice between 4 universities in the US). It's a great life experience and looks good on your CV as well .

You could also consider doing a BUNAC scheme during or after university too (either instead of or as well as a year abroad). You can either go to work in a US summer camp for 3 months (with some time to travel at the end) or do the Work America scheme, which allows you to find a job there for a few months.

PS Incentive grant? Wow! I would of thought they would be giving incentives to those who already live in the US...

I think that they thought I was a good candidate - especially as I have a degree in Physics and was applying to an Earth Science department. Quite a lot of PhD applicants are international students anyway, so offering grants to non-US students isn't as unheard of as it is for international undergrads.