College in the US

[wtfsvi]

I'm from Norway, 22 years old. I have studied law for two years and literature for one year at the University. So I'm pretty much going nowhere with my education. Anyway, I'm considering moving to the US. I've considered my options for what would be the best foreign country to move to, and after considering climate, cost of living, language, school system etc., I have found that the US is probably the best option. There are some things I wonder about, though.

First issue is taxes on poker winnings. I would hate to have to pay 30% taxes on what I win, or what it is Americans have to pay. From what I understand Americans still have to pay taxes on poker to the US government if they move abroad, as long as they don't give up the citizenship. I take that to mean that I would still abide by Norwegian tax law if I moved to the US for a year or two. Am I misinformed/Does anyone know anything about this? Would it matter what state I went to? It has been indicated to me that it would matter if I went to school (had a college visa or w/e) or worked (had a work visa). Anyone know? 30% of my poker winnings is obviously a big deal to me.

Second question has more to do with college life. I mostly want to go to college for social reasons. I think I would have a hard time getting a good social life if I didn't go to college. So what kind of colleges will be cheap to attend, yet not full of people of under average intelligence? I'd like to study something interesting, like literature, philosophy, game theory (the latter might not be good for getting in a class with girls [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]). Also, what criteria will be used to decide if I get in? In Norway it is decided by grades from high school if I get into a certain University/College. My grades from high school are good. But if it goes by the grades from my University classes, I might not be able to exactly choose freely.

Finally, I understand that fat people is a problem. (I'm not especially skinny myself, but that does not mean I like fat people a lot.) State by the sea with good climate and as low % of fat girls as possible. What state is this? Or is there not a significant difference between the fatness of girls in different states?

[willw9]

A. You sound a little conceited with the last paragraph. Might want to leave that attitude at the border.

B. Your situation sounds exciting. Sitting there pondering "where in the world do I want to move" sounds freaking cool and a lot of fun.

C. I would recommend a state university. They are generally a little cheaper, and you will have a huuge selection of girls. Also, at the bigger ones, the educational possibilities within the university are endless.

[wtfsvi]

Thanks for your advice. The last paragraph is meant as a 75% joke, but I can see how it can be taken the wrong way. It is pretty exciting and fun to think about where I'd like to move like this. The primary reason I'm thinking about moving is the cost of living in Norway is so high, it doesn't make much sense for me to stay here as long as poker is my main source of income. It would also be fun to try and live somewhere else. (And the climate sucks here.)

Questions I'd like to add to the OP: What kind of tuition am I usually looking at for a reasonably priced college? Only looking for a ballpark figure. And who/where should I really be asking these questions? Maybe the correct answer is a councelor at my University. If that is the case, I guess you wouldn't know it.

[catalyst]

As ridiculous as your last paragraph is, I believe the least overweight section of the US is the northeast, which is obviously along the coast. However, you will find many hotter chicks in Cali, Texas, and Florida... I would assume.

[MelchyBeau]

[DaExMan]

crap i'm goin to marshal uni in west virginia beginning of next year for an exchange, 28.6% overweight third highest in all the states that sucks yo (or else it could be good cause im relativly fit and all the other guys will be fat??)

[GoldenBears]

To answer your questions in reverse order:

I've been to almost 20 foreign countries, and I can tell you that wherever you go in America you will be shocked at how fat people are. I just got back from Japan and saw maybe three overweight people in the two weeks I spent there. In Italy last spring, I don't know if I saw a SINGLE fat person.

Your admittance is determined by your numbers (Grades, SAT scores) and your person (essays, recs, experiences, activities).

If you can, it sounds like you want to go to a top public school where the people are smart and the life is fun and tuition is affordable.

Berkeley, UCLA, Texas, North Carolina and UVA are usually at the top, Michigan is a very good school too but cold as balls. Great education, great connections, great sports, great parties... can't beat it.

[wstaffor]

In general, any money earned in the US is taxed by the US. This is only changed if your specific country has a treaty with the US saying otherwise (like Australia does, which is why Joe Hachem kept everything). So, unless Norway has a specific treaty to that effect, you will have to pay US taxes, which will differ based on your income but can be anywhere from 0% - 40+%. A decent public school will probably cost you 20-30k/year, a decent private school will be more like 40-50k/year. Public schools are only significantly cheaper in the US if you are from that state. America is pretty fat as a whole, but college girls will be generally better looking no matter where you go.

[catalyst]

Sweet! Massachusetts is in third place!

[suppasonic]

To get the "cheap" collegeness, you will have to get considered a "residence" in that specific state. States differ on their different rules for this. Many require a year of residency and tax paying before being considered "in-state" as far as tuition goes. So make sure to figure that on for your time table

The states with the best public, cheap college are California (UC system), Michican (Ann arbor), Virginia (UVA), and South Carolina (UNC). However, these are hard to get into for the best American kids and I dont know how great you record is.

Other state schools that are easier to get into that are still good academically would be Texas (Austin), Florida, and New York (SUNY system).

Look around for which public school would have a program that suits you best.

Yep. As a transfer from abroad, you'll probably be accepted mainly on your GPA at your previous university and essays you have to write