University advice

[Cam54 84]

Ok so I moved over to the US from the uk with three years of university, mostly history and English courses, didn't graduate as just wanted to be reunited with my husband (then fiancé) as quickly as possible, I was young and naive and thought I could just finish degree here not realizing you have to do general ed in US before you can get a bachelors degree which I never did in uk, i finally qualify for resident Tuition fees here in California so wanted people's opinions on how I should approach completing a degree, are there advisors at college who would be able to give me a guide on which classes I would need to take in order to graduate? And how long does the general ed take if full time studying? And is it even as simple as just adding the general ed to my current credits? I don't really understand the process here

[MarkPerry 488]

Look into becoming a Registered Nurse, It only requires a 2 year degree from a community college.

[canadian_wife 1,785]

I understand, I was totally lost when I first got here to attend school. The first thing I did was be accepted into a University. Then I went straight to an academic adviser to figure out what classes I needed to graduate. THEN I went to the department chairs of each department, at the advice of my adviser, and took my foreign transcripts and a description of each course. They then compared their syllabus to the courses I had already outlined and they transferred my courses to the university (since it is not automatic). It was a LOT of legwork but I was able to get many courses transferred. Also look into being a transfer student, not a new student as that might help too.

I was not able to get all of the courses transferred as Georgia had many courses each student had to take, like P.E. and "The History of Georgia" and "Political Science 101"

So the first thing to do is start applying to universities after some research. I would even go there if you have the time.

Good luck

[Umka36 781]

Look into becoming a Registered Nurse, It only requires a 2 year degree from a community college.

For now. Many hospitals are beginning to require a Bachelor's degree. My wife's friend is finding that out now as she is pursuing her RN.

http://www.nursinglicensure.org/articles/adn-program-future.html

In regards to the OP, get a degree evaluation to see what will be transferred. One of my employee is going through it now, and she is from Poland. As stated earlier, talk to an advisor. They can help with the process and what you need to do.

Edited December 27, 2016 by Umka36

[Ontarkie 13,902]

~~Moved to Moving Here and Your New Life, from Off Topic.~~

[Cam54 84]

Thanks for the advice, I'm currently a veterinary assistant which pays badly, I could become a vet tech but this also pays pretty badly for the stress and knowledge, I did consider human medicine but recognized that a lot of what I don't like about my job would still apply if I worked on people

[databit 328]

...i finally qualify for resident Tuition fees here in California so wanted people's opinions on how I should approach completing a degree...

What subject do you want for your Bachelor's degree? Do you just want to finish or do you want it to apply toward a specific career?

[Cam54 84]

That's kind of what I'm stuck on, part of me wants to just finish the quickest bachelors I can manage so that my 4 years at university weren't pointless but it'd be a history degree which I don't know what I'd use for. I'm stuck as I don't know what I even want to do as a career and I'm 27 it's not like I'm 18 and have the time to take some classes and figure it out

[MarkPerry 488]

For now. Many hospitals are beginning to require a Bachelor's degree. My wife's friend is finding that out now as she is pursuing her RN.

http://www.nursinglicensure.org/articles/adn-program-future.html

Incorrect. There are a few. All they care about is if you passed the NCLEX

[NikLR 13,220]

Vet techs to pay badly in the USA. In Canada they get 1.5-2x what they make here for the same schooling. Many just don't bother with the schooling. I wasnt about to spend 27k on a 2 year degree for $10-15 an hour!

There are specialized medical techs though that may work for you? Unless you're wanting to change career paths completely. Target hires anyone with any kind of 4 year degree as their executive team leads who make about 60-80k.

[Umka36 781]

Incorrect. There are a few. All they care about is if you passed the NCLEX

That's why I said for now.

[databit 328]

That's kind of what I'm stuck on, part of me wants to just finish the quickest bachelors I can manage so that my 4 years at university weren't pointless but it'd be a history degree which I don't know what I'd use for. I'm stuck as I don't know what I even want to do as a career and I'm 27 it's not like I'm 18 and have the time to take some classes and figure it out

If you just want to complete your degree, you could try here: http://www.excelsior.edu

They have been in existence since 1971 (they used to do correspondence, now online), are fully regionally accredited, you can test out of a lot of classes, they offer online classes to fulfill the degree requirements, they will bend over backwards to accept your past college work from anywhere, and you can do it online (except for testing, but there are centers for this locally). You might even be able to finesse credits toward a Business degree, since you are interested in management.

[Russ&Caro 1,548]

In the grand scheme of things, 27 is still quite young. People in their 40's (and there are some stories here on VJ) literally start all over again and get a completely different and new BS degree.

Talk to administrators, i.e. career counselors, at a local college that looks promising. Often you can establish a relationship with a key administrator/counselor who will guide you through the entire process, where they become your advocate.

If cost is an issue, don't forget about the American Opportunity Tax Credit which can result in up to $2,000 or even $2,500 of savings, every year that you're pursuing a degree. The mechanism for receiving the assistance is through you and your spouse's tax return.

Good luck!

[Umka36 781]

In the grand scheme of things, 27 is still quite young. People in their 40's (and there are some stories here on VJ) literally start all over again and get a completely different and new BS degree.

Talk to administrators, i.e. career counselors, at a local college that looks promising. Often you can establish a relationship with a key administrator/counselor who will guide you through the entire process, where they become your advocate.

If cost is an issue, don't forget about the American Opportunity Tax Credit which can result in up to $2,000 or even $2,500 of savings, every year that you're pursuing a degree. The mechanism for receiving the assistance is through you and your spouse's tax return.

Good luck!

College's should also be providing a 1098-T statement showing the qualifying tuition/fees.

[KimchiLumpia 315]

Unless someone here is a college admissions counselor, all the information given is just opinion.

I would recommend contacting the nearest college/university in your area and schedule a visit with an admissions counselor.  If possible, bring transcripts from your college/university in the UK, tell them your specific goals - and they will show you if your previous courses are transferable.

College admissions counselors see cases like yours all the time, and will be best suited to answer your questions accurately.

Also, an RN degree also requires 2 years or pre-requisite course work along with 2 years in the RN program = 4 years.