Can an international student complete last year of High School in the US?

[Zigner]

I have e-mailed several public schools there and I got a reply so far from "Columbus International High School".

"Columbus International High School" is not a "normal" high school. Entry is not guaranteed by any means.

 

[Satycorn]

"Columbus International High School" is not a "normal" high school. Entry is not guaranteed by any means.

What do you mean by it's not "normal"? I know it's an ethnic High School, if that's what you mean.
But why did the principal said it's totally possible for me to get into?
Is it harder to get accepted in other schools?

For example, I have found schools such as Upper Harlington High School (http://www.uahspto.org/) or Grandview Heights High School (http://www.grandviewschools.org/ghhs/index.cfm), which have pretty great reviews online, but I can't find anywhere on their pages any information about informational students' attendance, do you think it would be harder to get accepted into these schools rather than Columbus International High School (from what you said that entry is not guaranteed)?

 

[cbg]

"Possible to get into" and "not guaranteed to get into" both mean the same thing; you may get in and you may not.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

In OH, you do not "choose" your high school. You attend the high school, for the area you reside in. It is possible for a high school to be full and them send you to a neighboring school. It is possible to pay and attend a private school. It is also possible to request admission in a high school in a surrounding area. This part of the discussion gets convoluted, as it is not an easy process and will not be accomplished in your time frame. Simply request your uncle ask a neighbor or call the local high school, to find out which one services his address. He will need legal custody of you, for you to be registered.

There are specific requirements for high school graduation in OH. It is very likely you will have a hard time meeting them. OSU is one of the more expensive universities in OH. It has certain GPA requirements for admission. You can search their site for info. Two other excellent state universities in OH are Akron U and Kent State U. They are about 120 miles from your uncles.

I suggest you finish high school where you are at. Plan on filing for an F1 student visa upon graduation, based on your acceptance to one of these universities. You can always live on campus and go to your uncles over the weekend.

What did you want your college degree to be in? Based on that, I will attempt to give better college direction.

 

[LdiJ]

In OH, you do not "choose" your high school. You attend the high school, for the area you reside in. It is possible for a high school to be full and them send you to a neighboring school. It is possible to pay and attend a private school. It is also possible to request admission in a high school in a surrounding area. This part of the discussion gets convoluted, as it is not an easy process and will not be accomplished in your time frame. Simply request your uncle ask a neighbor or call the local high school, to find out which one services his address. He will need legal custody of you, for you to be registered.

There are specific requirements for high school graduation in OH. It is very likely you will have a hard time meeting them. OSU is one of the more expensive universities in OH. It has certain GPA requirements for admission. You can search their site for info. Two other excellent state universities in OH are Akron U and Kent State U. They are about 120 miles from your uncles.

I suggest you finish high school where you are at. Plan on filing for an F1 student visa upon graduation, based on your acceptance to one of these universities. You can always live on campus and go to your uncles over the weekend.

What did you want your college degree to be in? Based on that, I will attempt to give better college direction.

None of this is relevant if we are talking about a private school however. It is only relevant to public schools.

 

[Zigner]

None of this is relevant if we are talking about a private school however. It is only relevant to public schools.

The school the OP is referencing sounds more like a magnet school, not a "private" school.

 

[LdiJ]

The school the OP is referencing sounds more like a magnet school, not a "private" school.

Its sounds more like a private school to me, but I could be wrong.

 

[Mnemosyne]

Its sounds more like a private school to me, but I could be wrong.

From the school's website:

Governance: Columbus International High School is one of twenty-one public high schools in the Columbus City Schools district led by Superintendent Dr. Gene T. Harris and the Columbus Board of Education. As such, CIHS is funded through public dollars according to student enrollment.

 

[Zigner]

From the school's website:

Right - but they use a lottery system for admission.

 

[Mnemosyne]

Right - but they use a lottery system for admission.

True. However, seeing as the poster has received an encouraging email reply from someone (?) on the staff, the school may allow OP to enroll directly.

The lottery is open between January 7th and January 31st, 2013. Families who miss the lottery deadline may call Columbus International High School directly (614.365.4054) or email Principal Ameer Kim El-Mallawany ([email protected]) to inquire about possibility for enrollment. Late enrollment is available through June 1, 2013, pending availability.

 

[Zigner]

True. However, seeing as the poster has received an encouraging email reply from someone (?) on the staff, the school may allow OP to enroll directly.

...pending availability.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

None of this is relevant if we are talking about a private school however. It is only relevant to public schools.

Which I said, if you re-read my post.

 

[Satycorn]

I didn't know you don't get to choose your high school OH, I just Googled "Columbus Ohio public high schools" and this page came up: http://www.columbus.k12.oh.us/website.nsf/%28ccs_pages%29/Schools_HS_Websites?opendocument . I guess all of the schools above are accessible by one person who can go to at least one, since they are all within one area (judging by the fact that they're grouped, etc.). My uncle's ZIP code is 43212, and from another school search engine based on ZIP codes, I found two schools that were within 5 miles of that area, Grandview Heights High School and Upper Arlington High School, which I have listed in a post above.
My concern isn't which school I go to, my main concern is finding out whether an international student can come to the US in his last year of high school and attend a high school which wouldn't cost more than his university's tuition cost. After insuring that I am able to do so, *if* I am, then I will start and do the research.

I had no idea the Columbus International High School used a lottery system for admission. The one I had been contacting so far is the principal himself, Ameer, and I didn't know they used such system until a couple of hours ago. Now can you clarify something to me, why did I find this school's information in two different websites, here: http://www.columbus.k12.oh.us/applications/schoolwebsites/SchoolProfile.nsf/%28WebHome2%29/Columbus_International_High_School?opendocument , and here: http://columbusinternational.org/ ?
I understand the first link has something to do with all of the Columbus City Schools being grouped together, but in this link there was nothing mentioned about a lottery, I e-mailed the principal and he was the one giving me very positive replies and assuring me that it can be done with ease. Later, I was just trying to find some pictures of the school on Google and I found the .org site.

In OH, you do not "choose" your high school. You attend the high school, for the area you reside in. It is possible for a high school to be full and them send you to a neighboring school. It is possible to pay and attend a private school. It is also possible to request admission in a high school in a surrounding area. This part of the discussion gets convoluted, as it is not an easy process and will not be accomplished in your time frame. Simply request your uncle ask a neighbor or call the local high school, to find out which one services his address. He will need legal custody of you, for you to be registered.

There are specific requirements for high school graduation in OH. It is very likely you will have a hard time meeting them. OSU is one of the more expensive universities in OH. It has certain GPA requirements for admission. You can search their site for info. Two other excellent state universities in OH are Akron U and Kent State U. They are about 120 miles from your uncles.

I suggest you finish high school where you are at. Plan on filing for an F1 student visa upon graduation, based on your acceptance to one of these universities. You can always live on campus and go to your uncles over the weekend.

What did you want your college degree to be in? Based on that, I will attempt to give better college direction.

As I said, I will go to a community college (CSCC) the first two years after finishing high school, I will "builld there" my GPA as we have a different grading system in our country. Not that it matters though, I have great grades, participate in voluntary work, etc.
I can't afford living on Campus, that's why I am living with my uncle. It's not an option. I'm studying Computer Science and I just heard so much and watched so many videos about OSU that most of my excitement of studying in the US consists of going to OSU..

Thanks to all of you.

 

[ecmst12]

I suggest your next step be to contact an immigration attorney in the US to assist you.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

I am not going to speak specifically of CSCC, but don't waste your time with community colleges or for profit colleges. They are basically trade schools.
Many times, their credits do not transfer or transfer is very limited. OH has specific unit requirements for HS graduation. The only way to determine if you would be able to graduate in one year is to fax a copy of your school records to a guidance counselor at the school, for review. If you attend the public school district where your guardian resides, it is free.