petitefrancaise

Yes it's hard to read this way but the information in it is great. Did they not teach YOU how to motivate and encourage people? The whole college degree thing is difficult to navigate and anyone with this level of knowledge and experience who is prepared to participate in this forum is GOLD!!!!

So anyway, thank you Globetrotta - I for one would love to have your input on this forum and if you can't be bothered with paragraphs so be it.



btw civilservant et al, don't ever try reading gabriel garcia marquez if you can't manage this post.....

MarylandNed

This is what one of my daughters did. However, the community college courses are not restricted to the basic, general education type courses that satisfy the breadth requirements at a university.

My daughter knew what degree she wanted to take at university, so she was able to take some courses that were specifically required for her university degree and could be transferred to satisfy degree requirements. The university evaluates the community college courses and publishes a list of which of them are considered equivalent to their own courses (and can therefore be transferred for university credit). There are some top notch professors teaching at community colleges. One of my friends taught at a top university for many years and is now retired. He teaches Organic Chemistry part time at the local community college.

Community colleges often provide guaranteed admission to an in-state university as long as you have good enough grades - this is how my daughter was guaranteed an offer from the University of Maryland (UMD). In addition, there is usually a limit to the number of credits you can transfer from community college to a university. That is, normally you can only transfer 2 years worth of credits from the community college and then you have to take 2 years of credits at the university. For example, you need 120 credits to graduate from UMD (typically 30 credits per year). UMD will only allow 60 credits to be transferred from a community college even if you have more than 60 credits.

civilservant

I read 'Love In The Time Of Cholera' when I was 14.

I read this post too, doesn't mean it wasn't a struggle.

username.exe

Until OP gets married and becomes an LPR, it's all rather... academic isn't it?

*taps mic*

Is this thing on?

Pulaski

Trust me, I won't.

leepne

Thank you all for the sound advice. No matter what format it's in

I guess a little more research from my side is required...

Noorah101

Just to make it clear to us, what is your short-term goal, and what is your long- term goal?

I.e., continue working at your current job while taking online courses toward a degree, and then at some point immigrate to the USA based on your relationship to your USC girlfriend?

Rene

leepne

My current vision is to start towards my degree online while working for Carnival.

Within the next 2/3 years I plan to be married or on the verge of getting married. I plan to be living in the states shortly after based on marriage not degree.

Hope this helps.

Disenchanted

Lee, firstly allow me to apologize for the excessively long post, you have scratched the surface of a subject that many here have a lot of experience with so please excuse my abundant verbiage.

Let's see if I can help, here is a little history so you may evaluate the validity of my input. Brit ex-pat, indentured apprentice with Coventry Gauge & Tool as Machine Tool Fitter (4 years). Maritime College, Liverpool (3-1/2 years) then Radio Officer for Cunard Line 1977~1985, married my Californian wife in 1985, which is when I came here to live.

Started life here working for Radio Holland (secured this job prior to coming here) and proceeded through several jobs mainly in electronics and land mobile radio and currently work for the City of Los Angeles. My City & Guilds of London Institute qualifications in Mechanical Engineering and Advanced Marine Radio/Radar basically did not translate to anything equivalent here, nobody had a clue as to what they were.

I have two children, twins, one boy & one girl, aged 23 in September. One just graduated from CSU Long Beach 4 year degree and has cost me around $24k+ . The other has been at CC for 4 years trying to figure out what to do, has been accepted to CSU Los Angeles but can't get the classes he wants (Chemistry & Math) so will remain at CC for one or more semesters.

I am not sure how it is currently, but coming here and getting married may not be quite as simple as it was back in 1985, but once here where will you be living? Is the job market impacted, are there jobs in the disciplines you mention? Southern California is an expensive place to live, rent, medical coverage, transportation (car), automobile insurance etc etc - get ready for what we call "sticker shock" based on UK prices.

As was previously explained, general ed qualifications are part of your college degree making it all the more expensive because it's 4+ years rather than 3 years as in the UK, and that's if you can get all the classes you need. Increases in CSU fees have caused CC's to be impacted, and in the case of my son, because he is a resident of California they have to allow him to transfer from 2 year CC to a CSU but they do not guarantee he will get the classes he wants/needs. You may want to take a placement exam which can help you bypass some of the gen ed classes.

If you insist on coming here to live you need to consider what you will do if/when you have children. Private school is probably your best choice if you can afford it, but it's very expensive and you don't get a tax write off for it. Charter schools are good, and some public schools are also good but many leave a lot to be desired, so if you buy a house you'd better be prepared to find one in a good school district - but those areas usually command higher house prices. Then if you move you have to consider your daily commute for work.

And if that all isn't enough information for you I suggest you read up about the IRS, FACTCA and FBAR issues, especially if you have a bank account in the UK, which I'm fairly sure you do. You can undoubtedly discern my stance on living in the USA currently by my signature, but just in case you have any doubt - if had it all to do over again and knew what I know now I would have never given my bride the choice of staying here or going to the UK to live.

If you have any further questions then by all means post them.

Noorah101

Sounds like a good plan. About a year before you are ready to actually immigrate to the USA, feel free to ask questions about the marriage-based visa routes over in our US Marriage Based Visa forum. Not sure what you mean by "shortly after"....shortly after what? Immigration to the USA based on marriage takes between 8 to 10 months.

Rene

leepne

wow!

That's a lot to digest... What I will say however is California isn't necessarily where we have to live.. She currently lives Stevenson Ranch (Valencia), her parents home I must add.

I guess my main concern for now is getting a degree while working which is recognized.

I do have a level 3 in the Electrical field but as you say, I'm sure the city and guilds level 3 is worth jack....

I'm just so confused with where I need to begin....Online courses... Which courses.... Are they transferable... etc etc

Noorah101

Pick a field you want to work in, and then talk to a student advisor at a community college or university.

Rene

username.exe

Don't forget to factor in you will be paying out of state tuition rates until you've been a resident in state for a full year.

Noorah101

Even online?

Rene

Disenchanted

Lee,

What is it that you do on board, marine electrician, elevator mechanic, marine engineer, mechanic???? What skills do you have that could be useful here for employment? This is why I mentioned being a Radio Officer and securing a job prior to coming here. Are you currently assigned to a US port route?

If you can secure a position with a marine based company then once married and settled here you can pursue your US college degree. If you have A levels then I would look more toward doing your degree in the UK. If you are paying UK taxes etc then a grant and/or educational loan would be more easily obtainable there. Because I had worked (apprenticeship) I easily got a grant to got to college.