<p>@glasssculpture are you sure? I’m going to majoring in engineering, and these schools have one of the top engineering programs in the country. And to be honest, I did very poorly in high school… As much as I want to be optimistic, being an international student makes it even worse. Are my chances actually that okay? I expected high reaches on most</p>
<p>glasssculpture is chancing you as if you were a domestic applicant or didn’t need FA… and is likely a HS student himself/herself… so…</p>
<p>What is your parents’ budget?</p>
<p>@MYOS1634 My parents are here on a student visa, so they are not employed at all, my dad’s step-brother helps us financially because he is fairly wealthy. I’m not sure about the budget, but both of my parents said they’re going to get a job back in our home country (Korea.) My mom got a nursing degree here in the U.S and my dad had a job as a programmer back in the home country. </p>
<p>Budget is an essential element of any college plan in the US, and since you’re on a F2 visa (to become F1) it’s even more important. NO school can be a match or a safety if you can’t afford it.
Have a talk with all the people involved with your college choices. Will you be able to pay full price? Because that’s what you may have to do.
Your list doesn’t take costs into account - and you’d need about 45K+/year at most of the schools on your list…</p>
<p>@MYOS1634 So after downsizing my list of colleges, to may be aroudn 5 or 6, should I call each admission officers or contact them so I can get more info about my situation?</p>
<p>As an international applicant, you should NOT be downsizing your list, you should be expanding it. International applicants routinely apply to 15 colleges or more, simply because admission with financial aid is so, so, so difficult. Either you can get merit aid or you have to rely on luck.
<a href=“URGENT HELP ! Am I really doomed to lose schooling or go to a community college? Will chance u back? - International Students - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/china/1609820-urgent-help-am-i-really-doomed-to-lose-schooling-or-go-to-a-community-college-will-chance-u-back.html</a></p>
<p>Merit doesn’t depend on international status (often) and is not considered financial aid.
If you can find another way to finance your studies, and not apply for aid, your chances increase to roughly those of an American applicant.
If you need financial aid, consider your chances to be one third, one fourth of a domestic applicant, if that.
The only school on your list that offers financial aid to internationals is USC, but I doubt it’d offer full tuition for your stats. At Pitt, your next best chance, you’d need to increase your ACT to 33 or your SAT to 1500/1600…
The other universities don’t offer financial aid nor merit aid to internationals as far as I know. But sure, you can contact them and ask whether they have financial aid for internationals, or what merit scholarships are open to them (and a link to past winners’ profile). </p>
<p>My advice would be to take a look at Bucknell’s engineering program</p>
<p>@MYOS1634 To be honest, I think my parents can afford the tuition when they’re in their home country. So applying to schools but not applying for financial aid will put me in a good spot? As in my application will be as equal to that of a domestic application. If that’s so, will glasssculpture’s chances be accurate?</p>
<p>yes, if you don’t apply for financial aid AND have sufficient funds (and only apply for merit aid ie., scholarships), these chances would be accurate.</p>
<p>@myos1634 what do you mean by sufficient funds? Do I have to prove to the colleges that I can afford it? Since both my parents are here on a student visa, both of their incomes are 0. But my parents are telling me that they’re both goign to get a job back in the home country to get a job. But I’m afraid if they don’t get a job. STUDENT LOANSSS.</p>
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<p>I don’t think internationsl students can take out loans in the US. You could leave the country without paying, and the banks would have no way to get the money back. From what I’ve read on this site, US colleges require international students to show on paper (bank accounts, etc) that they have 4 years of college money (so $160k for a $40k/year school). Can you do that? Your dad’s father-in-law (the one with all the money) is your mom’s father, isn’t he? Or is this a 2nd marriage? If he’s your grandfather, maybe he’ll be willing to help you.</p>
<p>You can only get a student loan if you’re American, and even then only 5.5K for your first year.
As an international, you’ll have to prove you have enough to pay for an entire year (with any scholarship from the school) - not for 4 years, that’s medical schools, but full cost of attendance with any combination of grant, scholarship, work study, savings, and family contribution from any source.
As an international who’d come here with a visa, you’d have to prove your ties to your home country and that you have sufficient funds BEFORE you can get a visa.
The alternative is trying to get into Pomona, for which you’d need to take a gap year to increase your ACT score and “do something” to help you stand out… but they don’t ask for a visa or papers for you to attend, only that you graduated from a US high school.
It’s easier to get a scholarship and an admission as an international if you can pay the entire costs out of pocket, but barring that it’s recommended to have 25K per year for some colleges (like Beloit, Gustavus Adolphus, Hendrix) to offer a complement.</p>