Education in the USA: 7 ways to save money
'06.10.2018'
Source: Self made trip
Even in such an expensive area as education, it is possible to find opportunities for saving time and money. Here are 7 ways to save on studying in the US, which the magazine offers Self made trip.
Transfer items from previous diploma
Foreign students entering an American college and already having an education must evaluate their "native" diploma. Evaluation of a diploma is its assessment of compliance with the American education system. This procedure is carried out by special companies on the basis of information translated into English about education previously received outside the United States (name of subjects, course content, number of teaching hours for each of them, and so on).
The validated document is submitted to the university, where a special commission determines which subjects from a foreign diploma can be transferred to the curriculum. Thus, they can count a few subjects, and the student will be able to significantly save both money and time.
By the way, there is an opportunity to increase the number of credited courses after the decision of the commission. To do this, you need to write an application indicating the subjects that need to be "additional credit" and apply with it to the senior lecturer (Academic Advisor) of the department to which these subjects belong. Having received his approval in the form of a signature on the application, you need to contact the university commission again.
Include in online training
As you know, foreigners in the United States are supposed to learn full time. In this form, the student needs to earn from 12 credits per semester, that is, take the minimum of the 3-4 subject. They can be studied in person, being present in the classroom, and can be combined with distance learning. This means that part of the items can be run online. With 12 credits per semester, no more than 3 should fall on online tuition, that is, most likely, it will be just one course. If a student includes in his schedule a greater number of courses, then the number of online subjects can be increased.
The tangible advantage of online courses is that they are cheaper than full-time courses. And since the cost of training in an American university is the sum of the number of courses that a student needs to attend, such a combined system will save money.
After all, at least 1 subject in a semester can do much cheaper.
Join a club or community
In American universities, great importance is attached to social activity, and student life here plays a big role. Various communities, circles and so-called fraternities and sororities are very developed and popular here.
Brotherhoods and sisterhoods have been around for a very long time, although not all universities are represented. These communities, as a rule, are closed to potential members of the “side”. That is, you can join them only on the recommendation, having received an invitation from an active member.
A prospective club member must pay an entrance fee, as well as pass some tests before becoming a full member. These circumstances do not frighten candidates, since membership in a club can provide certain advantages. Firstly, there are numerous acquaintances with current and former members of fraternities and sisterhoods, which, as you know, increases the chances of finding work both on campus as a student, and a serious place after graduation, when the issue of changing student status becomes relevant.
Secondly, it is an opportunity to receive financial assistance.
In some colleges, students of the fraternities and sisterhoods may be granted various benefits, discounts on payment for any courses, and so on.
There are also special scholarships. For example, Harvard offers a small scholarship for additional classes for PTK (Phi Theta Kappa) club members who need financial assistance.
Join the club
At universities there are a large number of sections and circles in various fields and disciplines. In fact, they represent a kind of community or clubs of interest, where membership fees and regular meetings are also provided. But, unlike fraternities and sisterhoods, they are open to all comers.
Students enrolling in such circles can expect that at the end of the semester they may be credited with additional credits in a diploma in subjects close to the subject of the circle.
That is, the number of credits will increase, while the student for this will not have to take and, accordingly, pay for the course.
Extracurricular activities
There is such a thing as continuing education. These are additional courses that are not included in the curriculum. Such courses are offered by almost all major universities in the country. They are available both for students and for those who are not students of a particular college, as well as for graduates and professionals who have already taken place. In a word, anyone can enroll on them. At the end of the course, students are given a certificate. The list of disciplines for which courses are held is quite impressive. Students can choose both online format and full-time form, as well as a combined one.
Continuing education is a very good and convenient opportunity to continue your studies, improve your qualifications, and also save for students.
The advantage of this type of training is that they are much cheaper than the courses included in the student’s curriculum. In addition, loans for them can be transferred and credited to the university program. It is not necessary to enroll in continuing education in your university. You can choose any other where their cost will be less. The main thing is to first make sure that the credits of the courses in the selected college will be transferred and offset in the current one.
Use third-party resources
Now there are several educational online platforms on which audio and video courses, lectures and classes of the best universities in the world are collected and available to the audience. For the most part, these portals are free for users, but they do not provide an opportunity to obtain a diploma, certificate or any other document on the completion (passing) of courses.
But there are those who offer students to earn loans, which can later be transferred to the curriculum of a college or university. For example, the project study.com. Like on similar educational sites, most content is free. However, a number of courses for which credits can be obtained are paid.
The system offers to open your account on the site, which can be replenished with a credit card, and from this account to pay for content.
For example, for $ 200 per month, users get unlimited access to all materials for all courses offered on the site, test tasks, final exams, technical support, various tools for using the portal, certificate of completion and, most importantly, credits that can be transferred to university and thereby save on university tuition.
Although ACE (American Council on Education) recognizes the results of courses completed on the portal, it is worthwhile to find out in advance at the university whether they accept loans earned in this way.
Free classes
America would not be America if there were no opportunities here to learn from those who have absolutely no money for it. We are talking about free English courses. These courses operate at community colleges and are available to everyone.
They do not need to enter, take tests, submit documents and even confirm their legal status. The purpose of these classes is to help foreigners learn the language and adapt.
Therefore, they are very popular among immigrants, including illegal ones. Although Americans who want to improve their native language can visit them.
Despite the target audience and free base, the quality of teaching in these courses is quite high. Classes are conducted by experienced and professional teachers, often working in community colleges, schools and other educational institutions.
Despite the obvious advantages, free courses have one thing. Classes do not involve grades and tests, they are not credited for them and, therefore, they will not affect the curriculum in the American university. But in any case - this is a great way to tighten up your English.
