By Yu Zhang
As an international student, I am a newcomer as to the credit scores in the U.S. As soon as I was told that a U.S. credit card will benefit me in terms of flying miles and, I went to Chase to applied for a credit card. However, I was turned down as my credit history was too short.
I turned to Discover instead which does not require any credit history. I paid every month on time and in full. About four months later, I wanted to buy a new iPhone.
As a student, I was told I can pay a downpayment and pay the rest in 12 months instead of just paying in full. I tried again but was turned down. Because I was confused and determined to get it, I applied for four times until a person told me being turned down will decrease your credit scores. Then I stopped and continued to be confused by this new way of purchasing!
Yu Zhang is a student at Arizona State University.
