<p>I'm in a pretty peculiar situation right now, and I was wondering if anyone could help or give me some information about applying to college.</p>
<p>I've lived in the U.S. (california) for most of my life, and done most of my schooling over there (Preschool to Sophomore year in high school). However, about 6 months ago, my family and I moved to Pakistan for personal reasons, and now I'm doing Cambridge A-levels over here (AS this year, A2 next year). After A-levels I do want to attend college in the U.S. </p>
<p>I was just wondering how exactly are my college admissions going to work out? I AM a U.S. citizen, and so I'm pretty sure I'll be applying as a local applicant, not an international applicant. Would I have any advantage/disadvantage in my chances to get into college? Also, how will college fees/scholarships work out?</p>
<p>You would not be considered an international applicant which is to your advantage, but you will be OOS for all public Us. That means you’ll be limited to school and federal FA. Have you asked your parents how much they can afford for school?</p>
<p>My parents said they could afford two years of college, and the rest I would have to come up with. However, I don’t really want to put that sort of financial pressure on them – it would be much better if I could pay for college mostly through financial aid.</p>
<p>No one wants to put financial pressure on any of their loved ones, but most folks do end up having to pay most or at least part of college expenses. Often, much of financial aid comes in the form of loans that does have to be repaid and is not even discharged in bankruptcy. Borrowing heavily for college education can really limit options for everyone concerned.</p>
<p>One of the cheapest ways of attending school is to go to community college for a few years & then transfer after completing basic requirements. Another way is having great statistics that make you attractive to schools looking for candidates like you and getting **merit aid **based on your record. Good luck!</p>
<p>You need to read through all of the information at [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/) Some of it won’t apply to you because you are a US citizen, but a lot of it will because you are completing high school overseas. If your parents did not complete all of their college educations in the US, the information will also be helpful to them. Then you should make an appointment with the counselors at the advising center closest to where you are living and studying. There are several in Pakistan [EducationUSA</a> - Find an Advising Center](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/Pakistan]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/Pakistan) If the counselors at that center have not worked with a US citizen lately, they have colleagues in other centers who have.</p>
<p>As a citizen, you do have the option of moving to the US, finding a job, and working here for the time required to establish in-state residence. This is fairly easy in some states, and less easy in others. In Maryland, you would need to provide more than 50% of your own support. I don’t know what the policies are in others. If you have friends or family in California, it might be easiest for you to re-establish yourself there. California has an excellent community college system which is very affordable.</p>