A Berea College Aspirant From India, Still Figuring Out The Steps..........Friends, Can You Help?

I'm a student from India studying in the 10th grade. So that leaves me 2 years to graduate from high school equivalent and I figured it's time for me to really get serious about my career plans. It's been a dream for me to study in the USA and that will be my target.

My scores are above average (most above 90%) and if that persists, it will convert to a decent GPA. I'll also take the SAT successively in the next two years and work hard towards my goal.

But there's a huge drawback in the entire process - money. It's impossible for my family to afford the tuition costs in addition to living expenses in the USA. Here Berea College's No-tuition Expenses Promise comes as a blessing to me and I'll strive to get accepted.

I'd be grateful for any advice you give me that will help me chalk-out a step-by-step plan or even little details that you might feel are necessary.

Thank you so much!

As I heard of, this college's acceptance rate is ok. But what do you plan to study? It's renowned for its business,engineering and science/maths. They promise no-tuition but there is still living cost. I think the best way is to contact the admission officer and introduce yourself and your current status. I am sure they will guide you step by step.

Nil, you seem to have misunderstood what the Tuition Promise Scholarship scholarship is all about. The Tuition Promise Scholarship only applies to students who already have private grants, in the case of foreign students, to help offset the cost of the tuition fee at Berea. The scholarship does not pay for the total tuition feel. Instead, the college will only sponsor the remaining cost of your tuition fee. So you should not be looking to Berea for the scholarship but rather, other possible tuition sources. Other tuition sources can be found through private scholarship foundations within your home country. Go to your school guidance office or college advising department and inquire as to how they can help you look into scholarship grants that will allow you to enroll at overseas universities.

Before you go looking for tuition sponsors though, you should first prepare to take the TOEFL or Test of English as a Foreign Language Test. Getting a good GPA and acing the SAT tests in your home country will be useless if you are unable to successfully pass all aspects of the TOEFL test. My advice to you is this, use the next 2 years to look into scholarships and prepare for the TOEFL test simultaneously. Once you successfully pass the TOEFL test, you will be in a better position to qualify for a scholarship overseas.

Thanks, I should start preparing for TOEFL too. But, @vangiespen by private tuition grants, do you mean the ones in USA or in my home country? And what should I do to get one?

As I mentioned before Nil, you should be looking into the international scholarship grants available in your home country, as well as in the international scholarship community. I am not the person to be asking about the available scholarship grants or how you should go about applying for one in your country because I am not part of the career counselor or guidance counseling staff of your school. You should refer to these people in your high school. Tell them your plans to enroll overseas and your need for a scholarship in order to achieve that ambition. They should be able to refer you to the relevant scholarship grants and how you should go about applying for one.

In the case of international scholarship grants, you can refer to the scholarship requirements of the various universities you might be interested in applying to aside from Berea. Each university has an international scholarship allotment per semester so the application is stiff. You need to look into their specific GPA and other pertinent scholarship information. These should be readily available on their webpages and should have links to email addresses that you can use for further inquiries.

Don't focus all your attention on Berea if you are planning on becoming a scholarship student. Cast your net wider and look into various colleges and universities scholarship grants. See which ones you might qualify for or which ones you should work towards. You have more than enough time to prepare for graduation and receiving a scholarship. Good luck with your efforts.