My Personal Experience:

My son and me:

We returned to India with one goal to offer our children good education, love of grandparents and a nourishing atmosphere for their rooting.

Children grew fast and never realized how my son had become taller than me and daughter may be even more mature than me and advising me on so many things. The transition of children to friends was such that it happened as if it always was like that.

This moment dawned on me that I have reached that critical juncture to decide if further undergraduate education would be better in India or in the US. This started my research.

I searched internet, I called colleges, I read magazines to find out where my children can find this next best place. It took me over a year of research and compiling so much of information. At the end of the day, I realized that I am a good researcher and may be do my second doctorate on the subject of adolescent psychology and subsequent grooming ☺ Jokes aside: Me and my husband were in a constant effort of finding out what our children really like. Our wishful thinking is that if we land them in the field of their liking then they would be happy for life: Simple Indian thinking.

Well, we involved in various activities: drawing class to encouraging them to teach in small schools, putting them to architecture coaching to making them work with their father in remote forests areas, making them cook at home to letting them train the dogs, participating them in our house construction to making them design their own clothes, sending them to various sports to letting them choose their music instruments and also setting them free to do whatever they want.

But as any human mind development is, it takes time to find out for oneself what one likes. We were patient but time was going ahead. At this point I jumped in and started spending lots of time with my son asking him to teach me his subjects; I became his confidante.

Now I got a very unique perspective. I had two children who would like to set foot in America for further studies and become very successful. My son at this point wanted to become a lawyer. I started his admission process initiative at that point. Both me and my son were little ambiguous about what he would like to do immediately in undergraduate school. We applied to various schools in the USA; it was actually me who did all the leg work, applications because my son is still a young buck. My son got admission to top schools and even got scholarship, he went to America and in that first year he realized that he does not like the course which he was enrolled to as much as the other course. Hmm interesting!! Well, that put me in another research bout. What can we do?

Professional Courses start at the Master’s level in the USA. In order to get into top schools for Masters a good GPA along with good undergraduate school and top score in GMAT or GRE is needed. Then why should my son go through the agony of selecting subjects he dislikes at the undergraduate level, spending tons of money and time? Can there be a work-around for undergraduate degree in the USA but with less money spent, choice of subjects which guarantee better GPA and may be save 3 to 4 semesters?

And I can proudly say we have found the way!

At that point, I realized that some of the American universities allow you to take external exams and these credits are accepted by them toward the undergraduate course. Almost one can collect up to 60 credits out of 120 required to fulfill an undergraduate course. I discussed this with my son and I went about studying all these courses and their syllabi and explained this and my son seemed to like these subjects. Many of the subjects were already introduced in high school. So we started another unique journey.

My son promised me that he will study with me as my student and not do just time-pass as a friend. He will study as much as I say and I will teach him nuances of the subject that he finds difficult. We will implement the American study model in India and I will get to use my doctorate in Philosophy and insights into all subjects to good use. My aim was simple; keep my son around and save lots of money!

So we created a mind boggling plan that I will prepare him in 6 months to take these 19 exams which will give him 70 plus credits. That means more than half the course. So he will save me at least a hundred thousand US Dollars and save himself 2 years.

Part II- After these exams, he is going to join a school ranked in first 50, to take an even adventurous path of doing his degree partly online and partly onsite. He has already enrolled in couple of online courses and is securing “A”s. I am so proud of my boy!

My daughter is sniffing around and she got interested too! I have started her coaching and I know now that a student who is fired up with a modest intelligence and a good disciplined coaching can save up to 60000 USD and secure undergraduate degree if we take 30 K average in a good university in US amounting to 120000 in tuitions and stay in USA. With my coaching and my children’s willpower I would be able to get better results right here in India, keeping both my treasures around me ☺

So as per my estimate, I should spend at the most 80 K for an undergraduate in reputed school in USA sitting in anywhere in the world.

I realize few things from my children, their efforts, and their struggle: Children give signals about their likings and dislikes and we should be able to detect and respond to those. Good thing said. Only American education system allows you to move freely across the spectrum of subjects and does not compartmentalize education and student right in the phase when my young minds are deciding on their life! American system requires a self- discipline and no spoon feeding, a major change for how my children were brought up in India. It is confusing in the beginning but possible.

I enjoyed this process; I took my children to America for them to get the feel of the system there and got them interested in the way of learning but with an eye on how I can preserve my savings!

I share with you as I feel that a scholar batch of like minded parents and students can be formed where our children can prepare together for this challenging path where I can guide them, become their friend and create more happiness.