HELP! Foreign undergrad or community college? Which one is better?

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daphne13

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Hi guys, my situation is kind of like this, I got sick and had a couple of surgeries when I was in high school, so that affected my schoolwork, now I'm 21 but I haven't go to the college yet, I'm going to go to college this fall but I'm not sure where, here or US?

I'm wondering should I stay in Taiwan and finish college here?
Cons:
Only about 10 dental school accept foreign undergrad application, so the chances of getting interviews are not high.
Taiwan's Math, Physics, Chemistry are very very hard, they're a lot harder than the DAT test, I'm afraid I'll fail these subjects in college and get kick out of school.
Pros:
The tuitions are a lot cheaper(it's about $900 per semester) than the US college or CC.
I get to live at home, save money and it's more comfortable than living in dorms.

Or should I go to US community college?
Cons:
I left US when I was 3, so my English is not very good, I'll probably be taking ESL classes if I go to CC, so I'm worried about using English to learn every subject.
I'm a US citizen but not any state's resident, so if I go to CC that's $210 for every credit.
I'll have to live in dorm room cause I don't know anyone in California, dorm room cost $3500 pre semester.
My parents are worried about me going to US alone.
Some dental school don't really like CC applications.
I can't apply for dental school if I didn't successfully transfer to a 4 year university after CC.
Pros:
I can apply for more than 10 dental school.
Math, Physics and Chemistry are a lot easier than Taiwan's.

Please help! What do you think is the best choice?
Thank you!!!

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Hi guys, my situation is kind of like this, I got sick and had a couple of surgeries when I was in high school, so that affected my schoolwork, now I'm 21 but I haven't go to the college yet, I'm going to go to college this fall but I'm not sure where, here or US?

I'm wondering should I stay in Taiwan and finish college here?
Cons:
Only about 10 dental school accept foreign undergrad application, so the chances of getting interviews are not high.
Taiwan's Math, Physics, Chemistry are very very hard, they're a lot harder than the DAT test, I'm afraid I'll fail these subjects in college and get kick out of school.
Pros:
The tuitions are a lot cheaper(it's about $900 per semester) than the US college or CC.
I get to live at home, save money and it's more comfortable than living in dorms.

Or should I go to US community college?
Cons:
I left US when I was 3, so my English is not very good, I'll probably be taking ESL classes if I go to CC, so I'm worried about using English to learn every subject.
I'm a US citizen but not any state's resident, so if I go to CC that's $210 for every credit.
I'll have to live in dorm room cause I don't know anyone in California, dorm room cost $3500 pre semester.
My parents are worried about me going to US alone.
Some dental school don't really like CC applications.
I can't apply for dental school if I didn't successfully transfer to a 4 year university after CC.
Pros:
I can apply for more than 10 dental school.
Math, Physics and Chemistry are a lot easier than Taiwan's.

Please help! What do you think is the best choice?
Thank you!!!

I think dental schools require you to take your pre-requisites and science courses in the U.S or Canada. Is it possible for you to do college in Taiwan (a non science degree perhaps) but come to the U.S to take your science courses? Usually pre-requisites and extra science courses take about 2 years to complete.

I personally would suggest the CC route but I can understand the complexity of your situation with cost and comfort. There are some dental schools who will not accept CC credit. Most of them will, so don't feel like you have no chance by just attending a CC school. As for the problem with English, see if you can take ESL classes or extra English language courses. Even if this is a problem now, you will have to work on it for your interviews.
 
I'm an international student, too and I got a couple of acceptances, including Penn, during this cycle. As long as you have good stats and enough shadowing hours, you won't have any problems in getting into a dental school. Plus, I'm pretty sure there are much more than 10 dental schools that accept international students.
 
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