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I was an international student with a well known university (with scholarship for the first year) for my graduate PhD program. All these years as student (I have 2 Masters degree from United Kingdom), I'd been awarded scholarships and assistantships and had never paid any fees nor doesn't even bother to know how these fees things work. I came to the USA with a dream to be a scientist/professor after completing my Phd.
First semester (Fall'2004), I was with an advisor who had students finishing PhD in 6-7 years, which was quite scary and moved to another department with new professor who funded me. I joined him in Spring'2005. Due to some unexpected things in my family like my dad's sudden death etc. I couldn't concentrate on my studies and my grades went down. This advisor no longer wants to keep me in his lab as my grades went down and I was forced to be without an advisor. This happened in summer'2005 and I have to go to my country for my wedding (my engagement happened well before all these mess).
When I came back from my country after my wedding, my first thought was to get an advisor and everything would work out well, if I have an advisor (as all the tuition fees are waived if you have an advisor). My area was quite cool one and in my thought, I felt, finding an advisor would be an easy task. But none had funding at that time and I couldn't find any advisor for Fall'2005 semester. The deadlines kept approaching for the last day of payment of fees. In my country, the practice is that, if you don't pay the fees, they will not allow you to continue your education. So, I decided not to attend the classes since i didn't have fees to pay which is like $12,000.00 [If you have an advisor and department, then it would be like ~$1000.00 as the fees are waived] thinking I will receive an email someday sooner where they will deport me back to my country because I don't attend the classes.
I went to the International student’s office and they told I can't work in Curricular Practical Training/Optional Practical Training as I have not completed my course works. With all these above reasons and with my new wife as my dependant, I started to look for jobs. I decided to quit the Phd graduate program and stopped attending the classes and was expecting that university will email me that I haven't paid fees. It did not happen and I couldn't find any work too. Meanwhile, my wife got pregnant too. We decided to leave the country. Our last try was to try a job for my wife. It worked. She got a job my end of Sepetember'05, which is also the last day of payment of fees. So we decided to move to Washington DC for my wife's new job.
We left the university town in couple of months and I got "F" on all 3 courses I registered as I didn't attend mid term exams or submit assignments or attend the classes or exams. I didn't bother to even get transcripts. I felt really ashamed to be there. All my years, I have been awareded 5 international scholarships, and now that I couldn't complete my PhD which was my dream and none of professors, international office helped me. I changed my visa status to dependant status as my wife had work visa.
After we moved to Washington DC, I received mail reg. my fees that I have a balance of $12,000. I contacted my department's secretary and she advised me to submit a petition, which I did. I didn't want to expose anyone and in the reason column, I mentioned "personal reasons" and nothing more. My petition got denied. One guy from graduate office mailed me about the balance and I replied with a lengthy mail saying I am reapplying for the petition. I contacted my department secretary again and she in turn contacted the grad office that I wish to reapply for the petition. For at least 6 emails and 3 postal mails I sent, I didn't receive any response mail from that guy or from anyone in the grad office.
Very recently (Oct'06), I received a mail from the university saying that my case has been referred to the debt collection agency. I was totally shocked that for all my mails they didn't even respond and finally they sent my case to the debt collections.
Last week, I received the mail from debt collections reg. the same. I didn't know what to do. I don't have job yet. I am still searching for job and I don't have anything from my pocket or bank. I came as a student and as you can imagine, how it would be when you didn't do anything wrong but still you need to pay $12000.00 for which I didn't attend. If I know I will be paying this amount, I would not have quitted my PhD and try to get an advisor next semester and would have continued my PhD. I am very new here in this country. I don't know any law or legal stuffs. If I go Attorney, he will charge me a lot. I don't know where to go for? Pls help. Is there any way to fight the charges and get away with the debt collections? Pls advise.
NB: I would appreciate even small advice, which would be helpful, as I am very new to the country and I have no clue of anything. I have been a student all these years of my life. All these things are new.
First semester (Fall'2004), I was with an advisor who had students finishing PhD in 6-7 years, which was quite scary and moved to another department with new professor who funded me. I joined him in Spring'2005. Due to some unexpected things in my family like my dad's sudden death etc. I couldn't concentrate on my studies and my grades went down. This advisor no longer wants to keep me in his lab as my grades went down and I was forced to be without an advisor. This happened in summer'2005 and I have to go to my country for my wedding (my engagement happened well before all these mess).
When I came back from my country after my wedding, my first thought was to get an advisor and everything would work out well, if I have an advisor (as all the tuition fees are waived if you have an advisor). My area was quite cool one and in my thought, I felt, finding an advisor would be an easy task. But none had funding at that time and I couldn't find any advisor for Fall'2005 semester. The deadlines kept approaching for the last day of payment of fees. In my country, the practice is that, if you don't pay the fees, they will not allow you to continue your education. So, I decided not to attend the classes since i didn't have fees to pay which is like $12,000.00 [If you have an advisor and department, then it would be like ~$1000.00 as the fees are waived] thinking I will receive an email someday sooner where they will deport me back to my country because I don't attend the classes.
I went to the International student’s office and they told I can't work in Curricular Practical Training/Optional Practical Training as I have not completed my course works. With all these above reasons and with my new wife as my dependant, I started to look for jobs. I decided to quit the Phd graduate program and stopped attending the classes and was expecting that university will email me that I haven't paid fees. It did not happen and I couldn't find any work too. Meanwhile, my wife got pregnant too. We decided to leave the country. Our last try was to try a job for my wife. It worked. She got a job my end of Sepetember'05, which is also the last day of payment of fees. So we decided to move to Washington DC for my wife's new job.
We left the university town in couple of months and I got "F" on all 3 courses I registered as I didn't attend mid term exams or submit assignments or attend the classes or exams. I didn't bother to even get transcripts. I felt really ashamed to be there. All my years, I have been awareded 5 international scholarships, and now that I couldn't complete my PhD which was my dream and none of professors, international office helped me. I changed my visa status to dependant status as my wife had work visa.
After we moved to Washington DC, I received mail reg. my fees that I have a balance of $12,000. I contacted my department's secretary and she advised me to submit a petition, which I did. I didn't want to expose anyone and in the reason column, I mentioned "personal reasons" and nothing more. My petition got denied. One guy from graduate office mailed me about the balance and I replied with a lengthy mail saying I am reapplying for the petition. I contacted my department secretary again and she in turn contacted the grad office that I wish to reapply for the petition. For at least 6 emails and 3 postal mails I sent, I didn't receive any response mail from that guy or from anyone in the grad office.
Very recently (Oct'06), I received a mail from the university saying that my case has been referred to the debt collection agency. I was totally shocked that for all my mails they didn't even respond and finally they sent my case to the debt collections.
Last week, I received the mail from debt collections reg. the same. I didn't know what to do. I don't have job yet. I am still searching for job and I don't have anything from my pocket or bank. I came as a student and as you can imagine, how it would be when you didn't do anything wrong but still you need to pay $12000.00 for which I didn't attend. If I know I will be paying this amount, I would not have quitted my PhD and try to get an advisor next semester and would have continued my PhD. I am very new here in this country. I don't know any law or legal stuffs. If I go Attorney, he will charge me a lot. I don't know where to go for? Pls help. Is there any way to fight the charges and get away with the debt collections? Pls advise.
NB: I would appreciate even small advice, which would be helpful, as I am very new to the country and I have no clue of anything. I have been a student all these years of my life. All these things are new.
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